It
is always advisable to contact an authorised house-letting agent in
renting a house, because such a person will be familiar with all the
intricacies of home rentals and will be able to guide you properly.
Inform
the letting agent in clear terms about the type of house that you
are looking for and your budget for the same. It is better if you
also plainly specify other related items like furnished or
unfurnished, the period of the rental, possible rental extension
after expiry of that period, the advance deposit amount for the
house, etc.
Get
a confirmation on the fees and other charges of the letting agent to
avoid any ambiguity later.
All
the communications with the letting agent and the landlord must be
in writing. Preserve copies of them for future reference.
Keep
your expectations with reasonable limits. If you have any doubt on
the responsibilities and obligations in the agreement, seek written
clarification from the letting agent or the landlord.
Go
through the tenancy agreement carefully. If you do not understand
any term or clause, do not sign the agreement without asking
questions to make matters clear to you.
Remember
that the landlord is bound to guarantee the adherence to the safety
regulations. These will include fire safety for furniture and other
furnishings, safety measures for electrical appliances and house
wiring, safety of gas appliances and gas supply. Insist on obtaining
copies of the related papers submitted to the authorities.
Review
the existing insurance policies of the property and its contents.
Certain insurance programs might not cover properties given for rent
or might place some restrictions on the cover.
Though
the insurance of the property and its contents are the
responsibility of the landlord, you only will have to insure your
possessions. If you have an existing insurance, then you should
inform your insurer about the new rent agreement. Failure of doing
this might invalidate claims later on.
Along
with the tenancy agreement, you should also obtain a schedule of
condition/inventory document, with details of all the fittings and
fixtures and their present condition, along with the property
details. The costs involved in preparing such a document are
normally shared by the tenant and landlord.
The
tenancy document should be prepared after careful negotiation of all
the terms and conditions involved in the tenancy. The clauses should
be balanced and fair to both parties. Terms that violate legal or
statutory rights and responsibilities of UK citisens should not be
included. Such clauses will be invalidated by courts of law, in case
of dispute and the courts can even penalise both the landlord and
the tenant for framing them.
The
normal tenancy agreement used in UK is the “Assured Shorthold”
or AST framed under the 1988 Housing Act, amended in 1996. The
letting agents will have ‘in-house’ agreements that are standard
and comprehensive. They could form the basis for preparing the
tenancy agreement and adding any specific extra clauses or terms.
The
deposit amount paid to the landlord is about 4 to 6 weeks rent in
most cases. The tenancy agreement should be clear on who will be
holding the deposit, whether any interest will be paid on the
amount, how the deposit can be used in case of disputes and the
timescale, as well as the end of the tenancy procedures that should
be adopted. In several instances, it is usual for the letting agent
to hold a tenancy bond until the tenancy is completed. The agent
will sign a Tenancy Deposit Scheme or TDS, which can be easily
referred to a third party adjudication in case of disputes or
stalemates at the end of tenancy.
Letting Agents in Borth
