Emergency maintenance contacts
Electrician – O&H Electrical Services Ltd – 07517 436327
Electrician – AD Electrical Services Ltd 01323 370060
Builder – Unicus Building Solutions Ltd – 07545 399424
Builder – Sprint Property Services Ltd – 07512459109
IF YOU CAN SMELL GAS – National Gas Emergency Service – 0800 111 999
Plumbing & Drainage – Blockbusters Contracts Ltd – 01273 858822 or freephone 0800 136 658
Drainage – Rhino Rod Drains – 07925950133
Heating & Plumbing – Bourne Energy – 07955859946 / 07590 629903
Locksmith – Polegate Locksmiths – 07514 713 482
Locksmith – Arm Locksmiths – 07716405526
**Please note that if you call out the emergency contractors for a non-emergency matter, you will be liable for the charge. If you lock yourself out of your property, you are required to pay the cost of the Locksmith.
If you are aware that your landlord has a service agreement (i.e. British Gas Homecare policy), please contact them first as this may be covered under the contract they have.
Permitted Payments
Permitted Payments
Charge Incurred (including VAT)
The Rent
Amount agreed as per the Holding Deposit Declaration form.
Refundable Holding Deposit
1 Weeks Rent
Tenancy Deposit
5 Weeks Rent
Late payment of rent (charged after 14 days)
Bank of England’s base rate + 3%
Replace of Lost Keys and/or Security Devices
Cost price
Changes to Tenancy
£50 per change
Early Termination of Tenancy
Landlords costs + rent and utility bills until new tenant is secured
Council Tax, Utility & Communication Services
The tenant is liable for these costs
Town Rentals, part of the Town Property Group Ltd, are members of The Property Ombudsman. Town Rentals are a member of Client Money Protection scheme run by Propertymark.
The Rent
Once you have chosen a property to proceed with, we will check your circumstances again and ensure you are suitable to proceed with the requested property. We will ask you to complete a Holding Deposit Declaration which will confirm the rental amount of the property.
Holding Deposit
A holding deposit of one weeks rent is taken in order to remove the property from the market and begin the necessary checks.
The holding deposit can be retained by Town Rentals when a tenant:
- Provides false/misleading information.
- Fails a ‘Right to Rent’ check i.e. visa expiring within tenancy term or does not provide the required information.
- Withdraws from the Let/Property.
- Fails to take all reasonable steps to enter into a tenancy agreement and the Agent/Landlord has taken all reasonable steps to do so.
The landlord and tenant have 14 days to enter into a tenancy agreement once a holding deposit has been received. The Deadline for Agreement will take effect on the 15th day unless otherwise specified on the Holding Deposit Declaration.
References
Any prospective applicant for Town Rentals will be thoroughly referenced. Referencing includes a credit check, Right to Rent check, proof of residency, a landlord reference and employment checks.
In order to qualify for the referencing process, Town Rentals work to an income to rent ratio and would ask that within contracted hours, the gross basic income is 30 x the rental figure. For example, with a rental figure of £600pcm, tenants would need to have a salary of £18,000. (600 x 30 = 18000.)
If there are two or more tenants in a property, this figure can be shared between them. The income to rent ratio produces a realistic figure to ensure the household income is enough to cover living costs for the property.
- Gross basic income is your income before tax, not including any bonuses, commission, allowances etc.
- If you are self-employed the income would have to be verified by your last tax return.
- If you are on a temporary/’bank’/zero-hour work contract, this is not ‘contracted hours’ and
- cannot be accounted for within the earnings we can calculate.
- Your contract length must be permanent and exceed the initial tenancy term for your application to be approved.
If you fall below the rent ratio figure, 6 months’ rent/a guarantor will need to be put in place and possibly referenced (at the landlord’s request) to be able to proceed with the property. If It comes to light that your earnings are not sufficient, when you have confirmed they will be, it is at the landlord’s discretion as to whether they would still be happy to proceed.
You must declare any adverse credit history including defaults, late payments, payment arrangements, IVA’s, CCJ’s and/or bankruptcy, failure to do so could result in your application being declined. If It comes to light that you do have any adverse credit, when you have confirmed there won’t be, it is at the landlord’s discretion as to whether they would still be happy to proceed with a guarantor or 6 months rent upfront.
Your application forms are sent to you via email. Once submitted the application form is sent to our professional referencing company who will grade your references accordingly. Town Rentals have the right to refuse applicants as tenants at any point.
ID will also need to be obtained and we will advise you as to what we will require upon completion of this paperwork in accordance with the Immigration Act 2016. You must sign this paperwork on the basis that you have an indefinite right to be in the UK or you’re aware your visa is valid for the duration of the tenancy term, otherwise your application will not be approved. More information can be found here https://www.gov.uk/check-tenant-right-to-rent-documents.
Guarantor Information
If a guarantor is necessary, it will be your responsibility to find a suitable guarantor that meets the requirements below. They will be required to go through the necessary referencing procedure as outlined on page 1 of this document. The requirements for a guarantor:
- An income of over 36 x the rental figure
- No adverse credit history
- Needs to provide a copy of ID
- Needs to be willing to act as guarantor for the duration you reside in the property
- Does not need to be a homeowner
- Needs to be able to sign an agreement and guarantor letter
Moving In Day
We will contact you once we have received all final reference report/s back from our referencing company to arrange a time for you to come in to the office on your specified move in date. This is when you will sign your tenancy agreements, inventory reports (if requested by the landlord), pay the outstanding balance and collect your keys. All parties moving in to the property need to be available to attend this appointment and provide the required proof of identification, if you haven’t done so already.
The Let of a property is agreed on a specified move in date, this cannot be changed without prior consent from the landlord. Your move in date will be your subsequent rental date each month, unless you request for this to differ and this is agreed with the landlord.
Deposit
Once you have paid your tenancy deposit, this will be submitted via the Deposit Protection Service (DPS) or in the Landlords own Deposit Scheme (this will be specified in your tenancy agreement) within 30 days of the tenancy commencing. At the end of your tenancy the property will be checked by either Town Rentals Inventory Clerk or the
landlord against the Schedule of Condition report carried out prior to you moving in (if the Landlord opts to have one). We will endeavour to contact you to discuss this matter and then the deposit will be released accordingly. The only time that this will not be the case is if the landlord has requested to hold the deposit in their own government approved scheme or carried out their own independent inventory.
Default Fees
Late Payment Of Rent
In the event we do not receive your rent on the rental date specified, we will contact you to chase this. If there is a guarantor in place and we cannot get hold of you, your guarantor will be called upon within 24 hours. If your rental payment is late, the charge will be Bank of England’s base rate + 3% will apply, chargeable from the date your rent was due and will be applied after the rent is 14 days overdue.
Replacement Of Lost Keys And/Or Security Devices
You as the tenant will be liable for the replacement of lost keys and/or security devices. We can recommend you a locksmith but it is your responsibility to arrange this and provide Town Rentals and/or your landlord with a spare set.
Changes to the Tenancy
Where a tenant requests a change to the tenancy agreement you will be charged as outlined above. This would include a change of rental date, change of name, change of person, change of sharer, change in rental figure and/or any changes to the terms within the agreement requiring a new/revised agreement to be completed to include the necessary change.
Early Termination of Tenancy
Early termination of tenancy will result in you, as the tenant, being liable for the costs the landlord would incur in securing a new tenant and any rent up until the day the new tenancy commences, not exceeding the rent that you would be liable to pay for the duration of the remaining tenancy term. Within this time, you will also be liable, as the tenant, to pay for any utility bills and council tax. Refer to Landlord Fees.
Council Tax, Utility & Communications Services
You, as the tenant, are permitted to pay for council tax, water, gas, electric, telephone, broadband and TV providers. Town Rentals will notify the council, South East Water, gas and electric providers in writing of the tenancy commencing. You should not rely on this service and should ensure these are set up. Television and telephone lines are the responsibility of the tenant to ensure that these are set up and paid for. Please be aware that it is not the responsibility of us, as the letting agents, to check that the phone lines are active or aerial and satellite dishes conform to your television requirements. As many areas have different levels of signal, this cannot be down to us as the managing agent to rectify. Should you require connection to a television or telephone line this is your responsibility as a tenant.
Tenants Insurance
We strongly recommend for you, as the tenant, to take out content’s insurance, this is an insurance covering your personal belongings. We would also recommend obtaining tenant’s liability insurance for you to cover any damages you may cause within your landlord’s property.
Renewal of Tenancy
Should you choose to roll onto a periodic tenancy, the current terms and conditions of the existing agreement remain in place and the same notice vacate is required.
Property Inspections
If your landlord has opted for us to fully manage their property, we will carry out property inspections 3 months after you initially move in to the property and every 6 months thereafter, photographs will be taken and provided to your landlord, all rooms must be accessible, any maintenance should be reported when it happens, not on inspections. Your landlord may request additional property inspections to be carried out too. If your landlord is managing the property themselves, they still may request us to carry out a property inspection on their behalf. We will always provide you with the relevant notice for these inspections, you, or someone on your behalf, will need to be present for this inspection. We will always give you the opportunity to re-arrange the inspection if the time and date is not convenient.
Damage to Property
You, as the tenant will reimburse the landlord for any damages caused by you or someone you allow into your home upon the invoice for works being received. You will also be aware that any damages you have caused to the property and have not repaired at your own cost, or paid the required invoice cost, will be taken from your deposit at the end of your tenancy, although this should not be relied upon.
GDPR
You will be contacted by Town Rentals, in respect of the property you have opted to proceed with, in relation to any matters concerning you, as the tenants, or the property. This contact can be via post/email/telephone. Town Rentals can provide your information to contractors, utility companies, council and landlord should the need arise from the moment of signing this document until such time your deposit has been released upon vacation.
- All personal data is processed and stored securely, for no longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. We will comply with our obligations and safeguard your rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the GDPR at all times.
- Our use of your personal data will always have a lawful basis, either because it is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data (e.g. by subscribing to emails), or because it is in our legitimate interests.
- We will forward your information on to the landlord if requested by them.
- We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that we fully protect your rights and comply with our obligations under
- the Data Protection Act 1998 OR GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.
- We do not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. Data will therefore be retained for 6 years.
- Your data will only be stored in the UK.
Redress Scheme
Town Rentals, part of the Town Property Group Ltd, are members of The Property Ombudsman. Town Rentals are a member of Client Money Protection scheme run by Propertymark.
Please click here to open our Client Money Protection scheme information & certificate.
