The rent quoted excludes all outgoings unless specifically stated, water, sewage charges, gas, electric and Council Tax are payable in addition.
Pets are not permitted to be kept upon the premises without prior written consent. Where consent is given an additional deposit up to a further months rental maybe required.
An application to be considered as a tenant should be made by completing our Tenancy Application and Referencing Proforma's, which can be obtained through our branch office. This should be completed in full and returned to the relevant office.
Upon submitting your application you will need to make a payment of £100.00 (plus VAT) for an individual and £150.00 (plus VAT) for joint tenancy application, to ourselves as agents to cover the cost of a search by a Credit Reference Agency and administration of your application.
Prospective Tenants receiving Housing Benefit may not always be considered for certain properties offered through Atkinson Loller Estate Agency. This can be confirmed prior to submitting an application.
Unless otherwise stated, properties are let on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, under the Housing Act 1988 for a minimum term of six months.
Procedure Following Acceptance of Applications:
Acceptance by Atkinson Loller of an application for a particular property does not imply or give any warranty that your application will be successful. You are strongly advised not to make any arrangements regarding the tenancy until:
Suitable replies to our enquiries with regard to your references have been received. Consequently you may be requested at the discretion of the Landlord or Atkinson Loller to provide a Guarantor for the rent.
You have received written confirmation from Atkinson Loller that the proposed letting of a particular property has been accepted.
You have sufficient funds to pay one months rent in advance and the security deposit/bond against willful damage to the property (which is normally a minimum of one months rent). This security deposit/bond is returnable at the end of the tenancy following a satisfactory inspection of the property by the owners or ourselves as managing agents. Payment of this sum, in addition to the months advance rental, will need to be made upon completion of the tenancy agreement, either in cash or a bankers draft, made out to Atkinson Loller's Client Account.
Whilst payment by cheque is acceptable, funds must be cleared through out client account before the tenancy commences and you can move into the property. We recommend you allow at least 8 working days or alternatively make arrangements as stated above.
All future rental payments are per calendar month in advance (unless otherwise confirmed in writing) and will normally be due on the first of each calendar month. This may involve an initial payment in excess of this amount and will be confirmed with you prior to signing the tenancy agreement. The preferred method of payment would be by standing order from your bank and a bank mandate will be offered to you for completion upon signing the tenancy. Your tenancy may be at risk if for any reason payments are not received on or before the date and rental falls due.
Procedure Following Completion of Tenancy Agreement and Notes for Tenants:
The following notes are not exhaustive and are provided for your guidance as tenant(s) of a property being complimentary to the terms as stated in the tenancy agreement, which will take precedence over this list. You are strongly advised to read the tenancy agreement before making a legal commitment and signing the Tenancy. Advice should be sought from a suitably qualified Solicitor or the Citizens Advice Bureau.
You will be provided with a full set of keys to the property and any security codes for an intruder alarm, which may be installed in the property. In addition, you will be provided with any details that we hold with regard to the operation of any appliances, fixtures or fittings, which remain in the property.
In addition to the tenancy agreement, you will also be provided with two copies of the property Condition Schedule and Fixtures and Contents Schedule (if relevant). This should be checked immediately by you as the tenant(s) upon taking possession of the property. If you consider the schedule to be inaccurate, amendments should be made to the document where appropriate and brought to the immediate attention of us as the letting agent. Those amendments will be verified by a member of our staff. If you are in agreement that the schedule represents a fair and honest description of the property's condition or any amendments have been agreed, both copies of the document should be signed, one copy returned to our office and the other kept by you for your own records in a safe place. The schedules will be used to verify the condition/contents of the property upon vacation by you.
You will be responsible for the payment of service supplies (gas, water, electric, etc.) unless otherwise notified in writing. In addition, it will be your responsibility to keep the property in a clean and tidy condition, including paths, drives and gardens and fittings included in the letting. The landlord or Atkinson Loller will keep an up to date Landlords Gas Safety Certificate, a copy of which will be provided on request. A Portable Appliance Test (PAT) Certificate on any electrical appliances may also be provided as part of the letting. Annual checks will remain the responsibility of the Landlord or Atkinson Loller and arrangements will be made with you for contractors to call at the property to undertake such checks.
Should you with to make any additions or undertake any alterations to the property, however small or insignificant, you must consult with us if the property is managed by our agency, or your Landlord. Any unauthorized changes may result in none return of your security deposit at the end of the term or claim been made against you to rectify the problem.
Your tenancy will not automatically end at the end of the term. If you decide you wish to vacate the property, a written notice will be required, on or before one month of the expiry date of the tenancy agreement. The tenancy may be allowed to continue on the same terms as a Statutory Periodic Tenancy or you will be asked to enter into a further agreement. At this time the Landlord or Atkinson Loller would reserve the right to review the level of rent and vary the terms of the existing or any new agreement.
Should the Landlord require possession of the property at the end of the term or if the agreement is allowed to continue on the same terms as a Statutory Periodic Tenancy a written notice will be served upon you, on or before two months of the expiry date of the tenancy agreement.
We or your Landlord will wish to undertake periodic inspections of the property. Advance notification of these visits will be given. Any breaches of the agreement will be pointed out to you with a request to rectify these matters. Failure to do so may result in an order for possession of the property being issued and a claim for costs made against you.
If any part of the rent is in arrears for more than 21 days, whether formally demanded or not or there is any breach of your obligations as tenant(s) under the lease, the Landlord or his authorized agent may re-enter the premises and thereupon the tenancy created by the lease will determine, but without prejudice to any other rights and remedies of the Landlord.
Arrangements will be made with you to undertake a final inspection prior to vacating the property. After checking the condition of the property and any contents and fittings schedule arrangements will be made for returning the dilapidation deposit, providing there are no matters in the opinion of the Landlord or Atkinson Loller, which require rectification. The property should be left in a clean and tidy condition, the windows, cooker, and any other white goods provided in the property should be clean. The lawns should have been cut (dependent upon season) and the gardens, paths and drives should be free from weeds.
Utility service meter readings will also be taken at this time. It will be your responsibility as the occupant to notify service providers that you are vacating the property and for settlement of utility bills. We or the Landlord may require proof that these bills have been settled prior to release of the dilapidation deposit. You should also provide us with details of service suppliers to the property, if these have been changed by you during the course of your occupancy.
You will also need to make arrangements with the Post Office for the redirection of mail to your forwarding address. We cannot guarantee that any mail which is posted the property after the property has been vacated will be forwarded on to you.
Following the above procedure, you will need to make arrangements with your Landlord or to call at our office to collect your dilapidation deposit or any balance after necessary retentions. This will be paid to you by company cheque, unless other arrangements for payment have been made in advance. You will also be required to provide your forwarding address.
