Tenants guide to renting property in the Birmingham and Midlands area

At My Habitat we pride ourselves in providing a professional & efficient service for our tenants. To help you understand the letting process of a property we have produced the Tenants Guide To Renting which will help to steer you through the process from finding your property to moving in.

Finding A Rental Property

Whatever your rental needs, when you contact My Habitat you can be assured of friendly, accurate and professional advice. We will discuss your requirements with you, and arrange to view properties that meet your needs.

Negotiation

Once you have found a property that you would like to rent, we will liaise with the landlord to negotiate rent, dates and terms. The minimum term tenancies is 6 months, for short term tenancies we can negotiate with the landlords or our serviced apartments may be better as they cater for shorter term tenancies. Rent is payable per calendar month in advance and in line with your sign up date. Corporate and student rental payments may vary.

Securing Your Deal

When the terms have been agreed for your chosen property, you will be required to pay an administration/referencing fee (see Schedule of fees) to secure the property for 48 hours.
Once application forms are received you will be required to pay your first months rent in advance, which will be held as a reservation deposit. This amount will be your the first month’s rent payment.
Should you withdraw from the transaction after this point, or references are not acceptable, your reservation deposit and referencing fee will not be refunded.

References

References will be taken on all tenants. We will use a credit reference agency and will need certain person and employment details. The tenant will be responsible for the cost of referencing as detailed in the attached schedule of charges. In certain cases, e.g. students or new arrivals in the UK, we may require a guarantor. References will also be taken on the guarantor at an additional cost.

Tenancy Agreement

When satisfactory references have been obtained, we will prepare a Tenancy Agreement between the Landlord and Tenant. This must be signed by both parties prior to the commencement of the tenancy.

There will be a charge payable by the Tenant to cover the administration costs involved and this is detailed in the attached Schedule of Charges. A Tenancy Agreement template will be available upon request.

Before You Move In

Before you can move into a property, you must pay one calendar month’s rent in advance and a security deposit of equivalent to six weeks rent. The deposit will either be held us as a Stakeholder or by the Landlord against any damage to the property (full details will appear in the Tenancy Agreement). The deposit will be returned after completion of the Check-out at the end of the Tenancy, subject to the condition of the property and payment of all utility accounts.

Moving In

There will usually be a Check-in inspection of the property with an inventory clerk before you move in to record the condition and contents of the property at commencement of the term. The Landlord will usually pay for check-in. As a Tenant, you will be responsible for paying all utilities, i.e. GAS, Electricity, Water, Council Tax, Telephone and TV Licence charges. Therefore, you must register with the relevant companies.

Rental Payments

We will arrange a standing order mandate for your rental payments, however it is the tenants responsibility to check that payments have been set up correctly as the bank will not discuss your account with a third party. Please note that where Charles Hamilton are responsible for the management of the property and/or the collection of the rent, late rental payments will incur a charge as detailed in the attached schedule to cover additional costs involved in rectifying the situation. At the end of the tenancy it is the tenant’s responsibility for additional payments made from the tenants account.

Moving Out

There will usually be a check-out inspection with an inventory clerk when you move out to record the condition and contents of the property at the end of the term. This will determine the amount of the deposit to be returned after vacation. The charges for the check-out are payable by the Tenant and if Charles Hamilton is responsible for the management of the property the charges will be taken at the start of the tenancy. Tenants are responsible for cleaning the property at the end of the tenancy, if the check-out report stipulates that further cleaning is required, Charles Hamilton or the Landlord may instruct a cleaning company, all charges incurred are payable by the tenant.

Renewals

If you wish to stay on in your rental property after the end of your initial tenancy, we will be happy to arrange a renewal for you, subject to the Landlord’s agreement. We will prepare all required renewal documents for you and the cost of this will be discounted as detailed in the attached schedule of charges.

Company Lets

For a tenancy where the rent is paid by a company, please note this will not be an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement. As a result the Tenancy Agreement will need to be signed by an authorised company signatory (usually a Director).

Summary Of Tenants Responsibilities

To pay rent on time as agreed in the tenancy agreement
To pay council tax, utility bills including water rates
To pay all telecommunications and television fees including TV licence, broadband, cable connections etc
To keep the property in good, clean condition
To report any maintenance issues to the Landlord or Charles Hamilton as soon as they arise to avoid further dilapidation
To ensure that all windows & doors are locked when leaving the property.