Frequently Asked Questions
- How do we go about booking a house?
- Is a deposit payable for the house?
- Do I need to pay a letting fee?
- How long does the tenancy agreement last?
- Do I need to provide a guarantor?
- What happens if I want to leave the house before the tenancy agreement ends?
- What does the term ‘joint and several’ mean in the tenancy agreement?
- Are bills included in the rent?
- How much will the bills be each week?
- When should we pay the rent?
- When is the first rent payment due?
- How should we pay our rent?
- Is the house furnished?
- What do we do if something goes wrong whilst we are living at the house?
- How can we arrange for broadband at the house?
- Are we allowed to smoke in the house?
- Are we allowed to keep pets in the house?
- Can I leave my belongings at the house over the summer holiday?
- Will our belongings be insured whilst in the house?
- How do we collect the keys for the house?
- Is an inventory report provided for the house when we move in?
- Once we’ve moved in, if we’ve got questions about bills and operating appliances around the house, what do we do?
- Do we have to pay council tax whilst living at the house?
Q. How do we go about booking a house?
A. Once you inform us of your decision to book a house, you will be asked to pay a small non-refundable reservation fee of £25 per person. Once this payment is made, we shall hold the house for you for 5 working days, to allow adequate time to meet you all together to sign the tenancy agreement. The reservation fee is not an extra charge, but is part of the administration fee. If however after 5 working days the tenancy paperwork has not been completed, the house will be re-marketed.
Q. Is a deposit payable for the house?
A. A small deposit of £100 per person is taken. This is transferred to one of the government approved scheme to hold for the duration of your tenancy. You will be given full details of the scheme and be able to access your account on line.
Q. Do I need to pay a letting fee?
A. There is a non-refundable letting fee payable of £225 per person. This is required to cover, amongst other things, the cost of house viewings, producing the tenancy contract and the guarantor contract, lodging of the deposit with the approved scheme and setting up the direct debit payment instruction for rent payments. In addition, it covers setting up your accounts with the utility companies for gas, electric, water and sewerage, liaising with the local council to claim your student council tax exemption and maintenance of the gardens throughout the tenancy.
Q. How long does the tenancy agreement last?
A. The tenancy agreement is a fixed term agreement for a period of one year. Most agreements start in June or on the 1st of July and end in June the following year.
Q. Do I need to provide a guarantor?
A. Each tenant will be asked to nominate a guarantor. This person, normally a parent/s or relative, living in the UK, becomes party to the contract and will commit to guarantee your obligations under the tenancy agreement.
Q. What happens if I want to leave the house before the tenancy agreement ends?
A. Since the tenancy agreement is for a fixed term of one year, you will be obliged to pay your rent for the full year. However, if you can find a replacement tenant who is acceptable to your housemates, you can be released from the contract once a new tenancy agreement has been signed to include your replacement. You will incur a charge of £100 for this change.
Q. What does the term ‘joint and several’ mean in the tenancy agreement?
A. This term binds each tenant into the tenancy agreement and its terms collectively with the group and individually. This means for example if one tenant fails to pay rent, the other tenants can become liable for that unpaid rent.
Q. Are bills included in the rent?
A. Bills for gas, electricity, water supply and sewerage are not included in the rent. However, the accounts will be set up in the names of all the tenants before you move into the house so you do not need to worry about sorting out utility providers.
Q. How much will the bills be each week?
A. Obviously this depends in particular on how much gas and electricity you use for providing hot water, heating the house and for cooking. However, if you manage your heating by having it on a timed operation when you need it, rather than leaving it on all the time, you should expect to pay about £10 to £12 per person each week, based on 2011 prices.
Q. When should we pay the rent?
A. Rent is payable in advance. However, you can choose whether this is monthly in advance or termly in advance.
Q. When is the first rent payment due?
A. The first payment is due at the start of your tenancy (normally 1st July) and monthly thereafter, or termly if you choose to pay in that way. You will be asked to complete a simple form to specify when you wish to pay your rent.
Q. How should we pay our rent?
A. Rent is paid by direct debit. You will be provided with a direct debit mandate to complete at the same time as the tenancy contract is given to you to sign and after that you need do nothing except ensure the money is in your bank account; the rent will be collected automatically at the times you have chosen.
Q. Is the house furnished?
A. All of our houses are furnished. In each bedroom there will be a bed and desk plus wardrobe and chest of drawers; in the lounge a lounge suite and usually a dining table and chairs. The kitchen will be equipped with white goods, including microwave.
Q. What do we do if something goes wrong whilst we are living at the house?
A. In the event of any problems, you should call us straightaway. We have a team of people who are skilled to deal with most problems that can arise. Similarly, if an appliance such as the washing machine develops a fault, this will either be repaired or replaced promptly to minimise any inconvenience.
Q. How can we arrange for broadband at the house?
A. You may wish to use a comparison website to investigate the market for the best deal for you. Take into consideration line rental as well as broadband costs, maximum line speeds and download restrictions. Take note of the contract period as many deals are for 18 months. On average it will take about 6 weeks to set up an account, so best to do this well before you move into the house.
Q. Are we allowed to smoke in the house?
A. No. You are not permitted to smoke anywhere in the house.
Q. Are we allowed to keep pets in the house?
A. No, you are not permitted to keep pets in the house.
Q. Can I leave my belongings at the house over the summer holiday?
A. In most cases you may leave your belongings in the house. You will be asked to leave these packed-up and marked-up with your name in one room so that cleaners and others trades people with work to do over the summer holiday period can work freely around the house.
Q. Will our belongings be insured whilst in the house?
A. You will be responsible for taking out insurance for your personal contents whilst you are living at the house.
Q. How do we collect the keys for the house?
A. When you have decided on the date you are returning to Canterbury or Gillingham, contact us and we will usually arrange to meet you at the house to hand over keys. At the same time we will explain about the safety features in the house and advise you about the operation of the boiler and other appliances. If your housemates want their house keys to be left with the first person to move in, that can be done.
Alternatively you can collect the keys from us at our offices at 73 St. Dunstans Street, Canterbury, CT2 8BN, (which are near to Canterbury West railway station).
Q. Is an inventory report provided for the house when we move in?
A. In most cases a condition and inventory report will be given to you when you move in. This is an opportunity for you to agree with the stated condition of the house and with the items of inventory provided.
Q. Once we’ve moved in, if we’ve got questions about bills and operating appliances around the house, what do we do?
A. Once you have had a chance to settle into the house, we will ask for a house meeting. This is an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about living at the house, e.g. council tax, bills, using the appliances and it allows us to inform you about important matters such as rubbish disposal and integration with the local community. We will also collect the condition and inventory report from you at this meeting.
The meeting usually takes place within the first 2 or 3 weeks of you moving into the house, when most of you are available.
Q. Do we have to pay council tax whilst living at the house?
A. If you are all students, you should be exempt from paying Council Tax. You may have to produce a copy of your Student Enrolment Certificate to Canterbury City Council or Medway Council to prove your studentship. For most students this process can now be completed online. Please ask your course tutor for details of how to obtain your Student Enrolment Certificate.