Tenants
THE RENTING PROCESS
SAFE AGENT (CLIENT MONEY PROTECTION SCHEME)
Lawson Rutter is a member of Safe Agent which is an industry-wide accepted scheme to enable landlords and tenants to avoid the pitfalls of dealing with ‘cowboy’ letting agents. Lawson Rutter with immediate effect is now a fully licensed operator under the Safe Agent scheme and will bear the Safe Agent logo promoting best practice and most importantly, ensuring the safety of clients’ money.
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THE SEARCH
To enable us to help you find the right property, please contact our offices so we can discuss where you would like to live and your specific requirements.
We can then arrange for you to view any available properties that might be suitable.
FOUND SOMEWHERE
Once you have made your decision and chosen a property we will put your offer forward, carry out any negotiations with the landlord, including timings and any specific requirements you may have.
HOLDING DEPOSIT & FEES YOU MAY INCUR AS A TENANT
Please note below the fees you may incur as a prospective tenant when you make an offer to rent a property.
- Refundable Holding deposit of typically £250 but no more than one week’s rent.
- A Security Deposit of Five Weeks Rent and One Month’s rent payable in advance.
- Changes to tenancy £50 inc. VAT plus Landlord’s Reasonable Costs
- Early termination charge Landlords Reasonable Costs
- Interest is payable on rent paid late at 3% above Bank of England base rate from the date on which the Rent was due until the date on which the Rent is actually paid.
- Replacement keys Costs as per the Evidence Supplied
- Utilities, council tax, communication services, TV Licence etc Payable by Tenants
- We are members of SafeAgent, which provides a Client Protection Money scheme.
- We are members of The Property Ombudsman providing Property Redress Scheme.
REFERENCES
All prospective tenants are required to undergo reference cheeks by a professional referencing agency as landlords will always be keen to ensure the suitability of tenants.
THE TENANCY AGREEMENT
A copy of the Agreement is always available before you move in, which tenants should read through then raise any questions or queries in plenty of time.
MOVE IN MONIES
Before you move in we require cleared funds in our account, which consists of the first month’s rent (less the holding deposit) plus a damage deposit (normally 5 weeks’ rent).
There is a legal requirement for your deposit to be properly secured and protected in a government-backed scheme, and accordingly, Lawson Rutter are members of both The Deposit Protection Service and My Deposits.
INVENTORIES
Most properties have a related schedule of condition and contents, which is generally known as an inventory. Both a check-in and check-out is carried out for each tenancy, which is administrated by a professional inventory clerk.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us