Tenants

INFORMATION FOR TENANTS

At Circa Residential Property, we Let and Manage a variety of furnished and unfurnished properties throughout South Woodford, East London, North East London, West Essex and surrounding areas for rent. As members of mydeposits.co.uk all security deposits are held in a designated Clients Account and are fully bonded.

Our site contains a constantly updated register of rental property, Click Here: http://www.circaproperty.co.uk/default.aspx 
 to see our latest list.

In order to receive a regularly updated list of our available rental properties, please register,

Click Here: http://www.circaproperty.co.uk/Webpage/5/Contact-Us and we will contact you with details of new properties to suit your specified requirements.

For more detailed information or appointments to view please contact us on Tel: 020 8536 4480.

Please keep in mind that all of our prospective tenants will need to be fully referenced and credit checked by an independent third party credit referencing agency known as the MARAS GROUP (Managing Agents Reference Assistance Services Limited) Click Here: http://www.maras.co.uk/ and we will require at least 6 (six) weeks rent as a deposit and one month’s rent to be paid in advance. Should you be uncertain as to your suitability or have specific requirements, please contact us.

TENANT’S GUIDE

Although Letting Agents have different procedures, this guide is intended as a general overview to assist you when renting a property. We have set out below a few significant pointers to assist you.

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

At this point, you will be requested to provide a Holding Deposit which holds the property for you. However, if the Tenancy Agreement is not signed by you (the Tenant) in 10 working days after receipt of your application, the Landlord reserves the right to re-offer the property. In these circumstances or, should your references prove unsatisfactory, the Holding Deposit would be non-refundable.

AGREEING THE LET- As soon as your offer has been accepted by the Landlord, we will apply for references and draw up the relevant documentation which will form the basis of the agreement between you and the Landlord.

You will be expected to provide:

IDENTIFICATION/PROOF OF RESIDENCY
All tenants must show proof of Identity. The following two items are compulsory

Passport

National Insurance Number

One other item of identification is also required, only one of the following other forms of identification are accepted:

Full driving license

Utility bill (less than 3 months old)  

Council tax bill (less than 3 months old)

REFERENCES
We will also contact your employer and your landlord (if you are in rented accommodation already). Your previous employer will also be contacted if you have recently changed jobs. If you are self employed we will need to contact your accountant. A credit check will also be conducted.

To assist us in collating the necessary references, it would be advantageous for you to warn the above individuals in advance that references are required as these can be returned to us within a matter of a few days, barring any delays.

Occasionally, a GUARANTOR will be required if, for example the tenant has not been continuously employed for the past 18 months; has been working abroad in the previous 6 months; the tenants’ income falls short of our criteria or the tenants’ employment is considered as changeable.

Please note that the same criteria applies to the guarantor and, furthermore, the guarantor must earn the equivalent of 3 times the yearly sum of the rent, be in full time employment and preferable a home owner or be able to prove by bank statements that they have “independent means”. All tenants should be able to provide a guarantor, should they not be able to meet the required criteria required of a tenant. Should the tenant be unable to provide one, we will decide that the tenant has withdrawn their application. The tenant will therefore forfeit their deposit.

The guarantor must be aware that they will stand as guarantor for you, (and your partner if you are moving in to the property with someone else), for the entire occupancy of the property, not just for the period of the initial tenancy term.

HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO EARN TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE PROPERTY?
Having passed all the referencing criteria to be considered for the property and, subject to the Landlord’s decision, you must earn at least 2.5 times the yearly rent, on this basis you will qualify on the income part of the referencing without a guarantor. Should you earn 1.5 times the yearly rent or lower, you will require a guarantor

TENANCY AGREEMENT – An appointment will be arranged with you to visit our offices to sign the Tenancy Agreement when all references have been received. The Landlord will also be asked to sign their copy of the document.

RENT AND DEPOSIT – You will be required to provide the agreed sum of rent and deposit before taking possession of the property.

The deposit is required for the full tenancy against loss, damage or charges payable at the termination of the tenancy. Whilst this is usually the equivalent of 6 (six) weeks rent, therefore we suggest that the actual amount is verified with ourselves prior to moving into the property. 

 The deposit will be held by my deposits.co.uk in our designated clients deposit account and is fully bonded. It is returnable in full at the end of the tenancy subject to final inspection of the property and it should be noted that deductions will also be made for cleaning should the property (and garden areas) not have been left in a satisfactory condition.

Rent is to be paid monthly in advance commencing on the first day of the tenancy and then on the same day each month thereafter. The method is by bank standing order. Any payments of rent that are made in cash are subject to a 3% handling fee.

FEES - We charge administration fees of £150.00 + VAT on properties that are under £1500.00 PCM, £250.00 + VAT on properties that are over £1500.00 PCM and £350.00 + VAT on all properties over £2500.00 PCM the administration fees are non refundable even if a tenancy is not entered into due to the reference application being unsuccessful or if the tenant withdraws from taking the property. For each tenant that is making an application a reference fee of £60.00 + VAT will be charged for properties under £1500.00 PCM and a reference fee of £60.00 + VAT will be charged for properties over £1500.00 PCM. Renewal administration fees of £150.00 + VAT  for properties under £1500.00 PCM, £250.00 + VAT for properties over £1500.00 PCM and £350.00 + VAT for properties over £2500.00 PCM will be charged to the tenants for renewal of all fixed term and periodic tenancies.

COMPANY LET - Company applications are acceptable where the company will be paying the rent. The administration fee will be £500.00 + VAT which is non- refundable. A Renewal administration fee of £500 + VAT will be charged to the company for renewal of all fixed term and periodic tenancies. The reference application fee will be £150.00 + VAT.

PLEASE NOTE - All monies must be paid upon the signing the Tenancy Agreement or prior to occupation and should be paid either by Electronic Transfer direct to our bank account, bankers draft or cash (NB. When payments are made in cash all such transactions are subject to a handling fee of 3% of the total amount of cash paid). 

CHECK IN REPORT AND INVENTORY / SCHEDULE OF CONDITION - If we have been instructed by the Landlord, a Check-In and Inventory Report will be prepared of your new home and a convenient appointment will be made with the Inventory Clerk to carry out a Check-In report to coincide with your move in day. The Landlord is responsible for the cost of the preparation and making of the Inventory Report and the cost of the Check Out. It is the tenants responsibility to pay for the cost of the Check In Report. This fee is payable in advance at the beginning of the tenancy.

All information is provided in good faith. It does not replace the advice of a qualified legal advisor. We will accept no responsibility for any inaccuracies.

OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST:

1. The Tenant will be responsible for insuring their own possessions
2. The Tenant will take over all utilities such as Gas, Electricity, Water/Sewage charges, Council Tax & Telephone upon moving into the property and will be responsible for contacting the relevant suppliers accordingly prior to commencement of the tenancy.
3. The Landlord is responsible for any repair/maintenance problems to appliances etc. but the Tenant is responsible for any breakages which should be reported immediately.
4. Decoration of the property must only be done with your Landlord’s permission
5. No pets are allowed unless the Landlord has given consent
6.  Reasonable notice should be given in the event that the Letting Agent or Landlord wishes to inspect the property outside pre-agreed times. It is usual for the Agent to inspect the property at least four during the term of your Tenancy and the Tenancy Agreement should cover this eventuality.
7. Most lets are for 12 months, although some Landlords may consider shorter terms of say 6 months.
8. Should you wish to quit your Tenancy earlier than the agreed term, you will be liable for all rent until the end of the agreed Tenancy. However, it may be worth considering negotiating a BREAK CLAUSE with the Landlord which, for example, could entitle you to give notice after 6 months. 
In this case, you would only be liable for the rent for the notice period of 2 months, releasing you from the remaining 4 months of a 12 month Tenancy.
9. There is no set law regarding the time limit for returning deposits. my deposits.co.uk suggest that a deposit should be returned to a tenant within 10 working days. This is subject to there being no damages or arrears at the property. Should this be the case it may take longer for you deposit to be returned to you. This is normally subsequent to the final inspection of the property. Letting agents generally encourage Landlords to employ a professional inventory clerk to conduct the inspection and produce a report as to the condition of the interior at the beginning of the Tenancy and again at the end but this is not obligatory. In most cases, the deposit will be returned once any damages are ascertained by the Tenant/Landlord/Inventory Clerk and appropriate deductions agreed.
10. The most common type of Tenancy Agreement is the Assured Shorthold Tenancy (minimum term 6 (six) months) and usually takes the form of a standard contract between both parties.
However, should any “extras” be agreed such as certain furnishings to be provided by the Landlord, you should ask that an extra clause be added to the agreement to this effect. It should be noted that the landlord is not obliged to carry out promises so it is important that your requests are documented.
11. The Letting Agents will deal with the property viewings, references, Tenancy Agreements and getting you moved in. If the agent has been instructed to manage the property then you will normally report any repairs or queries to them. If not, then you will deal directly with the Landlord.
12. The Letting Agent, whilst acting for the Landlord, operates within accepted guidelines in the industry to ensure that you are able to rely on a professional letting agent taking your concerns seriously and advising the Landlord if they are being unreasonable. In this regard, you should be assured that the property conforms to all safety regulations and is fairly priced.
13. You require a professional service and, as such, Circa Residential Property ensures that professional standards are met, for example, the correct Tenancy Agreement is used; proper procedures are in place for reporting and dealing with repairs; safety checks are conducted and a bonding scheme is provided to protect your deposit.