5 questions to always ask your landlord before moving into your new home
With students moving in for the new academic year and professionals making a fresh start after a summer holiday, September and October are always busy times for renting property.
Good quality, affordable rental properties are in high demand in London and, in the rush to secure their ideal home, many tenants often sign on the dotted line without reading the tenancy agreement in detail, possibly resulting in unexpected fees, miscommunication and headaches down the road.
In keeping with their commitment to making renting a first-class experience with transparency and fairness at its core, professional operator Be encourages potential customers to ask its Property Managers as many questions as they wish with no query too small.
Akash Sharma, Assistant Property Manager at Be’s new be:here Hayes development in West London shares five questions that a prospective tenant should always ask before signing on the dotted line:
- Can you clarify what reservation/holding fee and deposit are required?
Before you sign a lease, always ensure that you ask those all-important the financial questions – is there a reservation fee or holding deposit required to secure the property? How much is it? Will it be refunded from the first months’ rent? What security deposit is required? How much is this? When is this payable? Where will the deposit be held?
At be:here Hayes, a £300 reservation fee is required to secure the property but this is applied to the first month’ rent. You will also need to pay a month’s rent in advance and a deposit – refundable and protected – equivalent to one month’s rent. There are no additional fees to pay and the rent, includes free 20Mb superfast broadband and all services on site. Tenants pay for their own utilities and council tax.
- Are there any non-refundable fees and what are they for?
Many agents charge referencing and admin fees for things like, credit checks, inventories, check-in. To be certain that additional fees don’t comes as a surprise, it is always good to ask what exactly these are for, how much they are and when they are due. At be:here Hayes, the only fee is a £48 fee for referencing. There are no other agency fees or admin fees.
- Are pets allowed?
If you have furry friends, one of the most important things to ask your landlord is if the property allows pets. At pet friendly be:here Hayes, you won’t need to leave Fido behind, the development has a number of pet friendly apartments. An additional ‘pet rent’ £20 pcm applies, but you won’t have to pay any additional deposit.
- What happens when there’s a maintenance problem? Who should I contact?
According to the Property Redress Scheme report, 29% of the most common complaints are about property management so it’s always good to know what the process of dealing with emergencies is, should any problems arise.
One of the many benefits of renting from professionally managed home from an operator like Be that customer service is a priority. The friendly be:here Hayes management team are based on site to help with any queries. Whatever the issue, there is no need to wait for a middleman, we’re here 24/7.
- What is the length of the rental agreement?
Double-check the duration of your rental agreement as it will help you plan your time and your tenancy accordingly. Many assume that a rental agreement is the standard 12-month duration. Be understands that some customers like to stay longer – a recent survey of residents at be:here Hayes revealed that 80% of residents wants to stay “as long as possible”. We are able to offer tenancies up to 3 years to all tenants.
Now equipped with these 5 “must ask” questions, customers can rent a spacious new home at be:here Hayes from £1,165 pcm for a 1 bed and from £1,450 for a 2 bed all with either a garden or balcony.
For the latest availability and any questions, please contact the be:here Hayes team directly on 0203 845 4796 or visit http://www.behere-hayes.co.uk/.