Tenants Procedure

How long does the referencing take?
- Occasionally they are back the same day, but more typically it will be within 3 working days .

How will I know at what stage the referencing is up to?
- You can follow the progress online with MARAS and check for yourself.

So, as soon as I put my reservation in, the property is mine - right?

No, you need to go through two of the three stages of the reservation procedure (here). However, if you wanted the property removed from the market and available for you - you can achieve this by paying all of the costs at the start - we will then remove the property for you.

What if I give notice early in the tenancy agreement?
- If the Landlord grants you a 12 month tenancy agreement and you want to leave at (say) month 10, the the Landlord may grant you permission to leave (subject to a suitable break clause) - but you may be liable for the Tenant find cost for months 11 and 12.

What if I one of the Joint Tenants needs to be replaced?
- In principle that's OK, but the original tenant stays joint and severally liable for the rent, until the replacement documents have been fully completed.
- The Landlord may or may not agree to change the tenants.
- The incoming tenant will have to pre-pay the full price of the referencing in addition to £250 (incl vat) for a new tenancy agreement and documentation.
- Regarding the deposit, the existing, former and new tenant will have to work out directly themselves their own allocation of the deposit.
- This means we will not be able to change the deposit allocation registered; we would suggest an incoming tenant pays their share of the deposit to the outgoing tenant and square up at the end of the tenancy with everyone else.
- A new tenant will become joint and severally liable for the full rent, in the same way as the existing or earlier tenant was.

What other charges could there be?

Typically, you will be responsible for cleaning of the property to a professional standard; depending upon the landlord this is probably on the way out.
Additionally, there could be an inventory/check in to be completed and paid for; usually this is either on the way in or on the way out.
Prices for this vary, depending upon the size of property and location in the UK. The prices are typical prices in the market however.
These may be paid to us for the service provider or direct to the service provider, or even sometimes to the Landlord direct who will pay the service provider.

What if my references fail?

Firstly, don't apply for a tenancy if you believe they may fail due to bad credit or anythign else, as we will not be able to proceed with your tenancy.
If you apply for a tenancy and pay the appropriate deposit/fees - and then you fail the referencing then you will lose both the referencing and admin fees and the initial deposit - as we have taken the property off the market for you.
We will keep the admin fees as we have already done a lot of work and incurred expenses, we will have paid for your references and will pay the Landlord the initial deposit.
There will not be a refund due to you under these circumstances.

What if I want to renew the tenancy?

Within the tenancy agreement there is a point at which you can advise you want to stay on, typically this is 2 months before the end of a period.
Because we will have to go through the referencing again, as the Landlord may need 'rental insurance' to guarantee your rent, there will be a referencing application and corresponding charge - but this is usually less than what you initially paid.
The Landlord does not have to offer you a tenancy extension beyond your original term, nor does the Landlord have to continue at the same rental payment.
We do not advise Landlords to continue beyond a tenancy agreement on a 'Periodic Tenancy' (ie: rolling on) as the rules change from your original AST Agreement. As such we will need a proper extension or sometimes a new AST agreement.
Again, this will be charged to you at a reduced rate, provided you have been diligent and expedite matters without delay.
This means if you do not respond to or do not keep the process moving and do not conclude the new agreement within 1 working week (which is plenty of time); you may be charged the current admin charge due to the extended amount of time taken for your renewal
Just as you go to work and get paid for an amount of work, a renewal is usually a simple process that we offer an admin discount for, but cannot discount our costs if this time is extended by our constant emails and chasing.
You will never be asked to pay more than our current charge for either referencing or the AST paper work.


Further FAQ's
To have the property taken off the market and secure for you, please complete Stages 1 and 2. Until both of these stages are complete the property will still be marketed.
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	The referencing fee is per person is that correct? Its PER PERSON on the tenancy agreement yes. We pay MARAS to carry out professional referencing we do not do it ourselves. If your application is declined you do not need to pay anything further, but there is no refund of your pre-payment. The legal/Tenancy Agreement fees & paperwork is for the property not per person, is that correct? Yes the charge is per property, not per person. How long does the referencing take? Occasionally they are back the same day, but more typically it will be within 3 working days . How will I know at what stage the referencing is up to? You can follow the progress online with MARAS and check for yourself. So, as soon as I put my reservation in, the property is mine - right? No, you need to go through two of the three stages of the reservation procedure (here). However, if you wanted the property removed from the market and available for you - you can achieve this by paying all of the costs at the start - we will then remove the property for you. What if I give notice early in the tenancy agreement? If the Landlord grants you a 12 month tenancy agreement and you want to leave at (say) month 10, the the Landlord may grant you permission to leave (subject to a suitable break clause) - but you may be liable for the Tenant find cost for months 11 and 12. What if I one of the Joint Tenants needs to be replaced? In principle that's OK, but the original tenant stays joint and severally liable for the rent, until the replacement documents have been fully completed. The Landlord may or may not agree to change the tenants. The incoming tenant will have to pre-pay the full price of the referencing in addition to £250 (incl vat) for a new tenancy agreement and documentation. Regarding the deposit, the existing, former and new tenant will have to work out directly themselves their own allocation of the deposit. This means we will not be able to change the deposit allocation registered; we would suggest an incoming tenant pays their share of the deposit to the outgoing tenant and square up at the end of the tenancy with everyone else. A new tenant will become joint and severally liable for the full rent, in the same way as the existing or earlier tenant was. What other charges could there be? Typically, you will be responsible for cleaning of the property to a professional standard; depending upon the landlord this is probably on the way out. Additionally, there could be an inventory/check in to be completed and paid for; usually this is either on the way in or on the way out. Prices for this vary, depending upon the size of property and location in the UK. The prices are typical prices in the market however. These may be paid to us for the service provider or direct to the service provider, or even sometimes to the Landlord direct who will pay the service provider. What if my references fail? Firstly, don't apply for a tenancy if you believe they may fail due to bad credit or anythign else, as we will not be able to proceed with your tenancy. If you apply for a tenancy and pay the appropriate deposit/fees - and then you fail the referencing then you will lose both the referencing and admin fees and the initial deposit - as we have taken the property off the market for you. We will keep the admin fees as we have already done a lot of work and incurred expenses, we will have paid for your references and will pay the Landlord the initial deposit. There will not be a refund due to you under these circumstances. What if I want to renew the tenancy? Within the tenancy agreement there is a point at which you can advise you want to stay on, typically this is 2 months before the end of a period. Because we will have to go through the referencing again, as the Landlord may need 'rental insurance' to guarantee your rent, there will be a referencing application and corresponding charge - but this is usually less than what you initially paid. The Landlord does not have to offer you a tenancy extension beyond your original term, nor does the Landlord have to continue at the same rental payment. We do not advise Landlords to continue beyond a tenancy agreement on a 'Periodic Tenancy' (ie: rolling on) as the rules change from your original AST Agreement. As such we will need a proper extension or sometimes a new AST agreement. Again, this will be charged to you at a reduced rate, provided you have been diligent and expedite matters without delay. This means if you do not respond to or do not keep the process moving and do not conclude the new agreement within 1 working week (which is plenty of time); you may be charged the current admin charge due to the extended amount of time taken for your renewal Just as you go to work and get paid for an amount of work, a renewal is usually a simple process that we offer an admin discount for, but cannot discount our costs if this time is extended by our constant emails and chasing. You will never be asked to pay more than our current charge for either referencing or the AST paper work.