Our Guide To Renting Property.
At Rea Estates, our dedicated staff will go the extra mile to help you find the property of your dreams. Our experienced staff have insightful knowledge regarding local properties enabling you to acquire the most suitable home available. Whatever the type of property or special requirements you may have why not give us a call and let us know what you’re looking for! Alternatively you can browse through our available properties using the search facility on this website.
Once you have found a property to rent, follow the below step by step guide to ensure your application runs smoothly.
Reserving a property
Once your application has been accepted, in order to reserve a property and to prevent any further viewings, prospective tenants are required to pay applications fees. Everyone over the age of 18 years old who will be living at the property is required to be on the tenancy agreement and will need to be fully referenced. All application fees paid in respect of a tenancy application are non refundable and will be forfeited in the event the tenant/s decides to withdraw their application and/or fails the referencing process.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FEES:
To apply for a property, tenants are required to pay a fee of £115 per adult.
Can I use a guarantor?
If a guarantor is required to support your application, your guarantor will need to be referenced and will also be named on the agreement and will be required to sign a guarantor agreement. The guarantor will need to complete an application form which is included in the tenants fee.
What does my application fee cover?
- Credit check, Right to rent checks and ID referencing
- Employment and previous landlord referencing
- Production of legal documents for your tenancy
- Full handover procedure of the property with a member of our team
- Creation of a detailed inventory and condition report
- Notification of your tenancy to all relevant council tax departments
- Notification of your tenancy to utility companies complete with meter readings
- Arrangement of standing orders for subsequent month’s rental payments
- Registering deposit within the Deposit Protection Scheme
Referencing and Credit Checks
Credit Checks – Our credit checks are carried out with a Company called Rent4sure, who are one of the UK’s leading suppliers to the lettings industry. The credit check will provide a detailed insight into a tenant’s credit profile. The credit check will report any adverse credit history, such as county court judgments, bankruptcies and insolvencies.
The credit checks also obtain previous residency addresses, electoral roll data and demographic cameo information.
Security with Bank Verification – This additional check verifies that the account details are genuine , preventing any nasty surprises later down the line from potential fraudulent data.
Landlord references – Rea Estates will obtain a reference from the tenants current and sometimes previous landlord/agent. The information we request will determine if the rent has been paid on time or if there are any outstanding rent owed, if the property has been maintained and looked after during the tenancy term by the tenant and if there have been any reported issues involving anti-social behaviour
Employers references – Rea Estates will obtain a reference from the tenant’s current employer and sometimes previous employment. The information we request will determine the tenants annual salary, including any bonuses, commencement date of employments and the contract length or employment status.
Right to Rent Checks
Right to Rent Checks are now mandatory across England for tenancies starting on or after February 1st, 2016.
What is the right to rent? – People who are allowed to be in the UK have a right to rent. People who are not allowed to be here do not have a right to rent.
What is a right to rent check? – This is the check a landlord, agent or householder renting out property should make to ensure that the prospective tenants or occupants have a right to rent. If the check is not made and the occupier has no right to rent, there may be a civil penalty to pay.
What am I responsible for?
Tenants are responsible for all items in a rented property as well as those listed within the inventory and condition report. Therefore, tenants should arrange suitable contents insurance which will cover items belonging to you and the landlord. Rea Estates work alongside a range of insurance firms who can arrange cover on your behalf at a very competitive rate. Please speak to your agent to arrange this cover.
What happens to my deposit?
Tenancy deposit protection applies to all deposits for assured shorthold tenancies that started in England or Wales on or after 6 April 2007. By law, a landlord or agent who receives a deposit for such a tenancy must protect the deposit. Rea Estates protect deposits with a company called the Deposit Protection Scheme. The landlord or agent must comply with the initial requirements of an authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme within 30 days of receiving the deposit. The DPS will then issue a certificate with a unique reference code to confirm that your deposit has been registered.
