Renting with Barbers
Renting can offer more flexibility than owning a property and this might suit your needs better than the more expensive, longer term alternative of buying. If you are new to renting, continue to read on for some useful tips and advice on the rental process:
Budget Carefully – you will need to allow for council tax and the cost of all utilities, which you will normally have to pay for. We will be on hand to discuss what is included in the lease, so there is no need to worry. You can also try our useful Tenant Calculator to help work out your budget!
You need to think carefully about the type of property you are looking for and which best suits your needs and budget. Once you know this you can brief us in order for us to match you out to correct properties. For example think about:
Once you have viewed a property and have decided that you would like to rent it, you need to register your interest with us so we can then let the landlord of the property know. Provided they are happy to proceed, we will then invite you to our office for an interview. At the interview stage we will carry out a credit check. Based on the Barbers process you will be asked for:
During the interview you will be told of all the responsibilities you will have as a tenant.
After the interview and completion of the credit check and referencing we will then arrange a date for you to sign the Tenancy Agreement. You will be asked to pay the deposit and the first months rent in advance (cash or bankers draft). On receipt of this you will be handed the keys to your new home! Your deposit will be registered with The Tenancy Deposit Scheme. This is a mandatory government backed scheme protecting the Tenant and Landlord.
This means the landlord uses Barbers to manage the lease. In some cases the tenant may never meet or speak to his/her landlord and will soley deal with the Letting Agent.
This means that the landlord manages the property and deals with the tenants directly.
A banker’s draft is similar to a cheque, however the money has been debited from your bank account and it means the person receiving this will know it is safe money. Normally banks require 24 hours notice and will charge an administration fee.
A person who is prepared to guarantee rental payments and other obligations of a tenancy to a Landlord. The guarantor is liable for rental payments if a tenant is unable to pay them, so the guarantor will need to have a regular income. References and credit checks will usually be taken up on a guarantor.
An inventory details the contents of a property and can include the state and condition of a property including the fixtures, fittings and the garden. They should be checked in with the tenant at the start of the tenancy and then checked out with the tenant at the end. We have professionally qualified inventory clerks to carry out the inventory.
The amount of notice that the Landlord must give the Tenant to end the tenancy and vice versa.
Allows a Landlord to check a tenancy applicant’s suitability to be able to pay the rent and also the applicant’s track record in previous rentals. This often involves us contacting previous landlords, a nominated person to act as a character reference (non family member) and the present employer (or accountant if self employed).
Standing order mandate is an instruction that the tenant makes to their bank for payment of rent. Normally payments are made each month and the instruction will state the number of payments or will continue to be paid until cancelled by the tenant. A landlord or agent cannot cancel a standing order mandate, only the person whose bank account the fund are coming from. A standing order should not be confused with a Direct Debit, which is not often used for the payment of rent and is more common for payments that differ each month.
A legal binding document containing details about rental terms that is sometimes referred to as a rental agreement. It will state the parties, i.e. the landlord and tenant(s), the rental price and the property address .
Run by the Company for the protection of tenancy deposits and the resolution of disputes between landlords, agents and tenants concerning the return of deposits at the end of a tenancy. The TDS is a mandatory scheme that has been set up in accordance with the Housing Act 2004.
Did you know that almost half the UK population own a pet! Taking a pets considered approach to lettings makes good sense as it maximises the return on all your rental properties. http://www.letswithpets.org.uk
Minimum credit check, reference and administration charge of £240 INC VAT is payable by the tenant prior to the tenancy commencing. A charge will be payable for additional applicants and guarantors of £60 INC VAT. Please note this application fee is non refundable.
