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FAQs

This page of FAQs should answer some of the more frequently asked questions we hear from tenants.


What is a retainer/holding fee?

A non-refundable retainer is paid when you wish to take a property, when you move into the property it becomes the deposit and will be protected through one of the governments authorised deposit schemes.


Where is my deposits/retainer protected?

When you sign your contract, you will pay your ‘non refundable retainer’; this is held by the landlord or his agent until you move into the property when it becomes your ‘deposit’.

Once the funds become a deposit your landlord has 28 days in which to protect it with a government authorised scheme and provide the details to you. Your landlord is not obliged to tell you which scheme they will use until that time; the scheme fees paid by the landlord fluctuate so landlords’ will use the most appropriate of the three schemes at that time.


What happens if I want to drop out?

Once you have signed your tenancy agreement you are bound to the terms outlined in your agreement for the duration stated on said agreement. If you don’t want to live in the property anymore, you will still be required to pay rent until you find a suitable replacement to take over your liabilities. This is called a Novation.

There is a charge for us to organise your Novation which is outlined under our Reservation and Cancellation policy.


Will I get my deposit back?

At the end of your tenancy, we ask you to leave the property clean and tidy. We’ll also ask you to provide us with proof that you’ve paid all your utilities If applicable (gas, electricity, water) and that you’ve dealt with the council tax at the property. (So, make sure you hold on to all your bills!)

Your tenancy agreement explains in detail why you may have charges deducted from your deposits. However, the main reasons tenants are charged are:

  • Not paying rent on time – you will accrue interest charges on any outstanding amounts.
  • Using Blu-Tack or similar on walls – if we have to re-paint a wall, the charge is normally £65 per wall.
  • Not cleaning the property well enough at the end of the tenancy.

What do we do about bills?

Most of our properties are available with bills already included in the rent. This means that you pay one sum, and it’ll cover your rent and utilities. That makes it easy to manage your money and know that everyone’s paying their fair share. If you need to set up bills for yourself and need advice on this, please do not hesitate to contact us. We have a dedicated utilities manager, who would be happy to help.


How do I collect my keys?

For a lot of our properties, you’ll be asked to collect your keys from our office after midday on the 1st day of your tenancy. You can pick your keys up at any point after that date during our office hours. Remember, everyone in your house will need to have completed all their paperwork first, paid their rent and you’ll need to bring your ID with you, so we know we’re giving the right keys to the right people!

Keys will be collected from our office: 1 Holy Well Close, Birmingham, B16 8TB unless we have made separate arrangements with you.


How do I pay my rent?

At SLC we prefer you to set up a standing order to cover your rent on 1st of every month. You will either pay monthly in advance or quarterly. Before your tenancy starts, you will be emailed with a rental schedule which will contain the bank details as we as the amounts and dates that your payments are made.

If you choose to pay your rent termly in line with your Student Finance, you will need to provide us with the evidence from your student finance showing the dates that you will be receiving your payments. We will send you a rental schedule matching these dates.


How does weekly rent convert into monthly rent?

There aren’t exactly 4 weeks in a month, so we calculate monthly rent in the following way: (your weekly rent) multiplied by 52 divided by 12 months in a year

For example: £195 per week x 52 weeks divided by 12 months = £845.00 per calendar month


What does it mean to pay rent quarterly?

If you do not have a UK guarantor will ask that you pay your rent quarterly, this means, once per quarter of the year meaning you will pay 4 larger payments during the year rather than 12 monthly payments.  If your contract starts on the 1st July your payment dates will be 1st July, 1st October, 1st January and 1st April. The payments due on each of these dates will be equivalent to 3 months’ rent.


What if something goes wrong in the house?

If we manage your property you will need to let us know about any maintenance issues. Non emergencies should be reported by email to: info@studentlettingco.co.uk

Emergencies should be reported to our out of hours number: 07468 424 307


What is a joint and several contract?

Most tenancy agreements (especially student ones) are joint and several which basically means you sign the agreement as a group and are all responsible jointly for the liabilities explained in the contract. For example, if there is damage to the property the landlord can hold you all liable; the landlord is also able to hold any one of you as being liable for the damage. It also means that if the landlord is required to give you notice of anything they are only legally required to inform one of you.


What are my guarantor’s liabilities?

Although your obligations are joint and several; your guarantors are not, this means that the landlord can only ask your guarantor for a particular share of any joint liability. For example, if it is a 4 bedroom house; your guarantor can only be asked for ¼ of the total rent due if you haven’t paid or ¼ of any damage not covered by the deposit.


What if I don’t have a UK guarantor?

While our standard process is to ask tenants to provide a UK-based guarantor, who passes a credit check, we know that sometimes this may not be possible. For instance, if you are an international student.

There are two options available if you don’t have a UK guarantor: you can pay your rent termly or apply to the company Housing Hand to act as your guarantor.

Housing Hand charges a one-off fee for this service, which will mean that they act as your UK guarantor for 12 months – the usual length of your tenancy.  For more information and a free no obligation quote, see their website: www.housinghand.co.uk.


What is a HMO Licence?

If more than two unrelated people rent in the same house the property is classified as a ‘house in multiple occupation’ (HMO). If the property has five or more bedrooms and is on three or more floors it has to be licensed with the local Council and has to meet certain safety requirements. The HMO certificate should be on display in the property but if you want confirmation that the property is registered you should call your local Council.


What happens if someone doesn’t pay their rent?

You are all jointly liable for rent payments so if someone doesn’t pay their rent the landlord is able to pursue all of you for any rent due. It is normal practice however that a landlord would pursue the individual tenant first and then their guarantor before approaching the other tenants.

 

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