Renting Guide

We’re Here to Help

We understand that moving home can be a stressful period, so we try our best to make it as simple and straightforward as possible. Whether this means something as simple as taking you to and from the property, or as task oriented as collecting the necessary references, we will do as much as we can to smooth out the entire transition.

Viewing a Property

This is a free, no obligation appointment to allow you to see the property and decide if you like it or not.

Providing Documentation

Once you have paid your administration fee, we will need you to provide us with some information. It is illegal for us to provide you with accommodation without seeing your photographic ID and your Right to Rent in the UK. We will also need to see 3 months’ worth of bank statements, 3 months’ worth of wage slips/your employment contract, and you will need to provide us with at least two references. The most desirable references are from your current landlord and your employer, but if either of those are unavailable for any reason, we can accept a character reference. A character reference cannot be provided by a friend or family member; it needs to be provided by a professional who has known you for at least two years (i.e., a GP, a colleague, a teacher, etc.). At this stage, it is up to you to help us as much as you can by making sure all your documentation is provided promptly, as any delays in processing applications during this time are usually due to missing documents or unresponsive references.

Awaiting Verification

In most cases, we are able to receive your documents, process them and gain the landlord’s opinion within a week. Whether the outcome has been positive or not, we will contact you to let you know. We will also discuss other options you may have if your paperwork does not check out entirely during this period.

Final Payments

If your application has been approved, you will then be required to pay the rent in advance (one months’ rent) and your deposit (could either be equivalent to one months’ rent or six weeks’ rent, depending on the property). You will not be asked to pay this money before your paperwork has cleared. In the event that, for whatever reason, you do not go ahead with the letting of the property after paying your administration fee, you may be entitled to a partial refund. If you pull out of the application, you waive any rights for a refund; however, if the landlord rejects you, you could receive up to a 50% refund of the fee subject to the amount of work that was put into your application.

Moving In

Once you have made your payments, we will then begin the process of moving you in to your new accommodation. This will usually be as simple as arranging a date and time mutually beneficial to the agency and yourself to come with you to the property, sign the tenancy agreement and carry out an inventory. An inventory is a log of the exact condition of the property and all its contents prior to you moving in, and this inventory will be used at the end of your tenancy to make sure that the property is returned to the landlord in the condition in which you entered it, and that no items are missing or additional items left behind. Once you and the agent are satisfied with the contents of the inventory, you will need to sign two copies (one for you, and one for our records), at which point, you will be granted your keys and will officially take possession of the property.

Please note that this is meant as a guide only, as all applications are different and many applicants have unique or otherwise complicated circumstances. We cannot guarantee any application will run smoothly or successfully, or within the time frame stated above.