Tenants

RENTING PROCEEDURE

As soon as you speak to, or e-mail, one of our experienced members of staff with your requirements we will start looking for the right new home for you. This will not only be limited to the extensive range of properties on our own books but, as we have close relationships with all the major letting agents in the area, we can access the majority of properties on the market at any one time.

 

YOUR OFFER

Once we have found you a suitable property, you will be in a position to make an offer to the Landlord for consideration. Please note that any offer you make is subject to you fulfilling our reference criteria.

 

AGREEING THE LETTING

As soon as your offer has been accepted by the Landlord, we will apply for references and prepare the draft Tenancy. At this point, you will be asked to pay a Holding Deposit that holds the property for you whilst the references are taken up and the Tenancy Agreement is agreed. Please note that conditions apply to the Holding Deposit and these will be explained to you at the time.

 

IDENTIFICATION/PROOF OF RESIDENCY

All tenants must show proof of identity which will be either

 

Passport
Identity Card

REFERENCES

These will need to be taken out from your bank (to prove you can afford the rent), your employer (to prove you are in employment and that you can afford the rent), and your existing or previous landlord (if you are in rented accommodation) (to prove you will make a good tenant).

 

TENANCY AGREEMENT

 As mentioned above you will be given a draft Tenancy Agreement. The Tenancy Agreement is a legally binding document and will include information about what you can and can not do in the property. It should not be entered into without checking its contents. We would be happy to discuss/explain any of the clauses to you but if you have any doubts you should contact a professional adviser.

 

DEPOSIT AND RENT

 You will be required to provide the agreed sum of rent and deposit in cleared funds before taking possession of the property. This can be paid in a number of ways, which will be explained to you. The Deposit will usually be held in our clients account and if your Tenancy is an Assured Shorthold Tenancy will be protected under the Tenancy Deposit Scheme and you will receive a Certificate of Registration for your Deposit. The rent is usually paid monthly in advance commencing on the first day of the tenancy and then on the same day each month thereafter. You will receive instructions when you move into the property of where future rent payments should be made. If we are managing the property this will usually be Heywoods and if we are not managing it, it will usually be the Landlord.

 

INVENTORY REPORT

You will be given an Inventory on the property at the start of your Tenancy and you will be asked to check that you agree with it and sign and return one copy to Heywoods. The Inventory is very important as it forms the only record of the condition of the property and the commencement of the Tenancy.

 

MOVING INTO YOUR NEW HOME

This can be quite a traumatic experience and we will be on hand to make the procedure as easy as possible.

PEACE OF MIND

When choosing a property to rent you may not think that the Letting Agent you go through is that important but, unfortunately, not all Agents are the same and using the wrong Agent can result in any number of problems, both before you move in, and whilst living in your home. At Heywoods we are very conscience of your need for peace of mind and therefore we will ensure that all your dealings with us go as smoothly as possible. We are members of the leading governing bodies in the industry and as such you can have the confidence that can only come from an Agent who is fully regulated to the industries highest standards. These bodies include;

 

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) is the UK’s leading professional body for Estate Agency and now incorporates The Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA) to give one overall governing body to the letting sector of Estate Agency.

 

Visit NAEA website click here

 

In accordance with the rules of The National Association of Estate Agents all client money is held in client accounts which are fully audited each year and protected by the National Association of Estate Agents Clients’ Money Protection Scheme. We also carry full Indemnity Insurance as required by the National Association of Estate Agents.

 

The Ombudsman for Estate Agents Scheme is a regulator run by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that sets strict rules of conduct for member Agents to adhere to.

 

Visit The Ombudsman for Estate Agents Scheme website click here

 

The Dispute Service runs The Tenancy Deposit Scheme for Regulated Agents (TDS) which has been developed to ensure that the Deposits that Agents hold are protected and that disputes about their return are resolved swiftly and impartially.

 

Visit The Dispute Service web site click here

 

Costs and Charges for Tenants on Assured Shorthold Tenancies

Deposits

When a rental is agreed a holding deposit of one weeks rent will be paid. This will be held by Heywoods whilst references are taken and the Tenancy Agreement drawn up. The Holding Deposit will be used to form part of the Deposit on the Tenancy. If you withdraw from the letting or fail referencing the Holding Deposit will be retained by the Landlord. If the Landlord does not go ahead with the letting the Holding Deposit will be returned to the Tenant.

A security deposit will be the equivalent to 5 weeks rent, to be collected and held during the tenancy against unpaid rent or bills, dilapidations and any other costs or losses incurred as a result of any breach of the terms of the Tenancy Agreement. If the annual rental exceeds £50,000 per annum an equivalent of 6 weeks rent will be collected and held during the tenancy against unpaid rent or bills, dilapidations and any other costs or losses incurred as a result of any breach of the terms of the Tenancy Agreement.

Deposit Protection

Heywoods Estate Agents are members of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme run by The Dispute Service. Any interest earned on the deposit shall be retained by the Agent.

Tenant Protection

Heywoods Estate Agents are members of The Property Ombudsman Scheme, member shop number N00913 and follow their Code of Practice for Residential Lettings, Management and Sales.

Heywoods Estate Agents are part of the Client Money Protection Scheme as run by Propertymark (the governing body for Estate Agents in the UK). Scheme Ref: C0007715.

Inventory

For Tenancies starting after 1st June 2019 these costs will be met by the Landlord. For Tenancies which started before 1st June 2019 and end before 31st May 2020 the Tenant will pay for the check out cost as shown in the Tenancy Agreement.

Late Payment Fees

As shown in the Tenancy Agreement if rent is more than 5 days late interest can be charged at the rate of 3% above the base rate of the Bank of England per annum calculated on a daily basis.