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Information for Tenants
Welcome to the Kay and Co Tenant’s guide to Letting. We hope that by choosing us, we can make your search for, and ultimately your stay in your new home, a pleasant and memorable one.
At Kay and Co we have a dedicated and experienced team who will guide you through the lettings process; we also have dedicated legal administration department as well as property management department to assist you on every step of the way to your new home.
The Lettings Process and you
Kay and Co are a niche agency, when it comes to area knowledge, we pride ourselves in knowing that all our staff are aware of what the area has to offer , and have access to properties both “on our books” and also those properties on with other agents. We can advise on schools, gyms and even boutiques to supermarkets please refer to our area guide which is constantly updated.
Registration
Nothing could be simpler, either register online, or directly at our office. The negotiator will ask where you would like to live, how much you would like to pay, and if you are studying in the UK, whether you have a UK based guarantor. An appointment will be arranged for a tour of properties which are suitable to your needs. We pride ourselves in knowing that part of the process of finding someone their new home is being a good listener.
Offering on your New Home
Once you have found your property, we will ask you to consider the following prior to making your decision, how many of you are going to be living in the property, how much are you willing to pay per month, (consider your outgoings including, council tax, utilities and personal expenses when making this decision), how long do you want to let for, any special conditions or request relating to your tenancy which must be agreed in writing and incorporated into the tenancy. Now is the time to think things through and make the offer. The London Market is stronger than ever and we are experiencing that applicants are loosing out on their preferred property choice due to the delay from seeing the property to deciding to make an offer, the advice offered is that if you like it why not offer ?
Securing the Deal
Once the Landlord has accepted your offer, you will need to make a financial commitment and pledge that you want to go ahead with the property. We will take an administration charge to cover costs such as the tenancy agreement fee, reference fee and cost of the inventory check in or out.
Referencing
We will arrange to take up references through a credit reference agency, or direct with former Landlord’s, your bank and employers.
If you are a student, we shall also need to take up references on your guarantor. Once the reference has come back as acceptable we will then proceed with the legal process.
Legal Process
A tenancy agreement will be drawn up, stating conditions and obligations that have been agreed at the time of offer. This will either be in the form of an “Assured Shorthold Tenancy” or a “Common Law Tenancy”. If you are a “Company Tenant” and are finding your property with the assistance of a Relocation Agent, then please check either with them or your HR department. Often Corporate Tenants will be required to use their own Company Tenancy Agreement.
First Rental Payment including Deposit
Your initial payment will include the following :
First month’s rent (or quarter’s)
Deposit (typically the equivalent of 6 weeks rent)
Inventory check in /out fee
Reference Fee
Tenancy Agreement Fee
Less (Administration Fee taken in advance)
Please note that the above will need to have cleared prior to the tenancy commencing and for you to be able to move in. We are unable to take personal cheques, however can take Bankers Drafts or payment by credit or debit card.
Move in Day
Once we are in receipt of the cleared initial monies, and your signed tenancy agreement, we will arrange for an inventory and schedule of condition to be prepared by an independent inventory clerk, you can choose to be present however, this may incur an additional charge. On receipt of the written report, you are allowed 7 working days to make your comments which will be registered and put on file.
The Tenancy
After the tenancy has commenced, you will receive a signed and dated copy of the Landlord’s tenancy agreement and contact details of the Landlord if we are not managing the property. If we are managing the tenancy, our property manager will make contact and establish how and what to do in an emergency.
During the tenancy, as the Tenant you will have an obligation to look after the property as if it were your own home. Tenants have to respect the property and make sure that they uphold all the obligations as detailed in the tenancy agreement.
The tenant has to pay for all the utility bills, including gas, electricity and pay for the TV Licence as well as set up a contract for a telephone provider or internet service provider.
Council Tax details will either be through Camden Council or Westminster Council. Please see contact details below.
www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/housing
A television Licence will need to be purchased and can be contacted via the link below:
For the utility providers please check with either our property management department or the Landlord as to who the service provider is.
At the end of the Tenancy
You will be required to hand the property back at the end of the tenancy how you found it. Minor items that have been damaged or broken need to be replaced as well as curtains and all linen cleaned where provided.
Don’t forget to cancel any rented items such as televisions and arrange for them to be collected where appropriate, cancel any contracts such as satellite and internet providers, arrange for the post to be re-directed and leave appliance manuals in a prominent place.
Return of your Deposit
Remember that the deposit is held against any damage etc caused during the course of the tenancy so it is in your interest to leave the property in the best condition at the end of the tenancy in order to speed the calculation and or cleaning process. We hold the deposit as “stakeholder”. This means that you will need to liaise directly with the Landlord if we are not managing the tenancy in order to finalise any deductions from the deposit, No monies can be deducted unless we have both parties agreement and consent to do so.
We hope that you have found this “How To” guide useful, but if there are further areas of concern that require clarification please contact the team directly.
Finally we wish you luck in securing your new home.