Living away from home for the first time can be daunting to say the least. Here at StudentTenant we understand the importance of knowing the process when it comes to the private lettings market. There is a lot of lettings jargon, and you’ll undoubtedly be playing terminology tennis with your guarantors and your agreements, your deposits and deposit protection, and your rent and your references.
Here we aim to give you an insight into the most important aspects of private sector housing, to ensure you are completely ‘in the know’ when it’s time to flee the nest.
Viewings
The lettings process will usually start with you attending viewings. It is always advised to have enough viewings to make an informed decision, however, it is very important to not drag out your search. Not only do all of the best quality houses in the best locations get taken first, but it is also very unfair to expect the current tenants to have people traipsing around their home all day every day. Do your research before you book your viewings; check the prices, location, features and benefits of that particular house before you book to view to work out if it is actually going to be suitable for you. Ask the current tenants questions when you view the house and ask the landlord everything you need to know to make an informed decision.
Fees
Once you have seen the property you like the bookings process will often start with paying some sort of fee to provisionally secure it. Different terminology can be used which a little is confusing. Different types of fees you could expect to pay could be: a holding fee, administration fee, referencing fee, booking fee, or a deposit to secure your place. You will not usually be expected to pay all of these at once, but it can be expected to pay some sort of initial fee which may be expected along with your deposit. During busy times landlords will often not be prepared to hold a property without it, and bookings are often on a first come first served basis.
Referencing
Reference checks are a vital step in securing your house. The landlord or agent will need to run through background checks to ensure you and your guarantor are suitable to let their property. References can be anything from carrying out a basic credit check to find out if you and your guarantor are financially able to afford the rent, through to obtaining a written reference from your previous landlord or your guarantor’s employer. It is important that you co-operative throughout this process and complete all of the requested information in a suitable timescale. Landlords and agents reserve the right to not let a property to you if you or your guarantor are not prepared to co-operate throughout the referencing process.
Deposit Protection
If you are required to pay a deposit on your property, legally these have to be placed within a government protection scheme. Your deposits act as a security to protect landlords against any damages or non-payment of rent at the property. Inevitably disputes can arise on how much is appropriate to cover these things should they arise. The deposit protection schemes act as an arbitrator to ensure that all deductions and payments are dealt with fairly. It is important to make sure you are given the name of the scheme your deposit is protected with and to ensure you know how to request your deposit back through them at the end of the tenancy.
Accreditation
Something all tenants should take into consideration when choosing a property is whether or not it is accredited. Accreditation schemes are usually run by reputable organisations in order to promote and enforce certain standards within properties. There are both local and national schemes in place and each seek to enforce a certain set of criteria that landlords have to meet to become 'accredited'. Each scheme has different criteria, so it is always worth checking out what it involves if you are confused about what is expected of landlords who are supposed to follow the set standards. Examples of some of the most reputable schemes to look for are run by Unipol and the National Landlords Association.
Guarantors
As a student, all landlords will require that you have somebody in place who can effectively ‘guarantee’ your rent should the situation arise that you are unable to pay it. This person generally has to be UK based and earning enough to cover your rent. They can be a relative or anyone happy to sign a legal agreement to determine their obligations in relation to the rent and your tenancy. If you do not have anyone who can be your guarantor some landlords or agents may request that you pay a larger part, or all of the rent in advance.
Agreements
The prospect of signing a ‘legal’ agreement can seem a little scary. It is however so important when you book a property to read through, understand, and have all a tenancy agreement parties sign. This will lay out yours and the landlords or agents obligations, and it is vital you know what is expected of you as a tenant. Your guarantor will also need to read through and understand the terms, as their obligations are also applicable to your tenancy. Guarantors will usually have to sign a separate agreement to determine they will be your guarantor, making them legally liable to pay your rent and any other costs associated with the tenancy agreement should you fail to do so.
If there are any terms which seem a little far-fetched or unreasonable, you are well within your rights to address these and ask that they were altered or removed accordingly. It is, however, important to note that requesting a landlord completely changes their agreement to suit your personal arrangements is sometimes not appropriate. The majority of tenancy agreement run for 12 months and often start in July, running to the end of the following June. Some landlords may offer a half rent incentive in the months you are not occupying the property, however, this is not always guaranteed.
Bills
When moving into your student house it is really important to know how you are going to keep on top of your utility bills. The main utilities you will need to cover are gas, electricity, water (both waste and fresh water), broadband for which you will usually need a telephone line, and TV licence. Students are generally exempt from paying Council Tax, however, you will need to inform the council you are a fulltime student to ensure you do not get charged.
When looking for your property, adverts will usually be displayed with or without bills included. You guessed it; those saying bills included will have them included in the rent. Those without, you will have to ensure you register with the utility companies and pay these yourselves. Always check if there is a fair use policy if they are included in the rent, and also ensure everything is actually included so you won’t get stung with unexpected bills through the letterbox.
Insurance
Protecting your valuables is a must whilst you are living off-campus. Student loans barely cover the essentials, and the last thing you want to do is to replace your laptop or phone because it’s been taken from your house or damaged by someone else. Contents insurance is a pretty cost-effective way to make sure you are covered in the event of any unwanted occurrences. There are loads of different options out there and lots of insurance companies catered specifically towards students.
Landlords will need to have buildings insurance in the event of something happening to the structure of the property, but they are not obliged to provide insurance to cover your belongings. Some landlords and agents may also request that the students contribute towards contents insurance to protect the furnishings that they provide. If this is the case check exactly what policy it is and what it covers, and also determine if you can cover your own belongings on the same policy.
Complaints
Hopefully, during your time in the private sector, you won’t need to make a complaint about anything. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. If you want to complain about your landlord or letting agent there are a number of different routes. Firstly it is always advised to address your complaints directly in writing to them. If they fail to take any remedial action, there are certain agencies or organisations you can contact. Your local council should have a ‘Tenancy Relations Officer’. You can contact them if you are concerned about your landlord and they will address issues like failing to carry out repairs, harassment, or threatening to illegally evict you. If you are also concerned about your safety as a result of the poor condition of the property you can contact the local Environmental Health Department who can carry out an assessment. Things such as rising damp, dangerous wiring or an unsafe property exterior would be prime examples of things to report to Environmental Health.