Tenant Guide

Browse our property listings online, filter to narrow things down, and use the enquiry form on any property page to arrange a viewing. Prefer to talk? Give us a call and we will be happy to help.

• Filter by area, price, bedrooms and furnishing to narrow the list quickly.
• Save your search and we will email you when new matching properties come on.
• Viewings are booked through us, accompanied, and usually take 15 to 20 minutes.
• Tell us about specific needs (garden, parking, pets) and we will flag matches as they appear.

Not finding what you are after? Register your details with us, we often know about properties before they are listed.

Nobody signs a tenancy with us until referencing is done. It is normal practice, and any agent worth renting from will ask for the same things.

• Employment reference, or accountant or tax return if self-employed.
• Previous landlord reference, where applicable.
• Credit check, looking at affordability rather than perfection.
• Right to Rent identity verification, a statutory requirement.

You will need photographic ID (passport or driving licence) and proof of current address. A guarantor is sometimes needed as well, most often for students or where earnings sit near the affordability line.

When the references come back clear and both sides are happy with the terms, we draw up the agreement. Read it properly, and ask us about anything that is not obvious before you put your name to it.

Under the Renters’ Rights Act, all new tenancies are periodic from day one. There are no fixed terms, so you have the flexibility to leave with two months’ notice at any time.

An inventory setting out the contents and the state of the property is put together before you move in. It works in your favour as much as the landlord's, and it is what any deposit deduction is later judged against, so go through it properly and tell us straight away if anything looks wrong.

You will normally have a week after check-in to add notes or photos to the inventory if anything has been missed. After that it is assumed accepted.

Before the tenancy starts you will pay a security deposit and the first month’s rent in advance. Your deposit is protected with the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), a government-approved scheme, and you will receive confirmation of how it works.

• Deposit capped at five weeks’ rent by law, for annual rents under £50,000.
• Protected with the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), and you will get the scheme reference.
• It cannot be used to cover rent payments during the tenancy.
• Returned within 10 days of the tenancy ending once both parties agree any deductions.

With the agreement signed and the money cleared, the keys are yours. We will run through everything you need to know to settle in.

• Gas, electricity and water meters read and recorded.
• Keys signed for and logged.
• Alarm codes, wi-fi boxes and appliance manuals pointed out.
• Bin day, parking and any quirks of the property explained.

Under the Renters’ Rights Act you have the right to request to keep a pet, and the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. Simply let us know and we will put the request to the landlord. Where permission is granted, it is worth considering insurance against pet damage.

Tell us as soon as something breaks or stops working properly. We take it up with the landlord and get a repair booked in without you having to chase.

• Emergencies (gas leak, burst pipe, no heat in winter): call our emergency line straight away.
• Non-urgent repairs: report by email or the tenant portal, photos are helpful.
• Your part: keep the property ventilated, deal with condensation, and do not let small issues become big ones.

The law puts the duty on your landlord to keep the property in good repair and to meet the Decent Homes Standard. If something fails and it was not down to you, sorting it is our problem, not yours.

Any changes to the property, including painting, putting up shelves or replacing fixtures, require written consent from the landlord via us. Speak to us before you start anything and we will take the request to the landlord for you. Consent is often given for sensible things such as neutral repainting, picture hooks or garden tidying. Work done without permission can leave you paying to put the property back as it was.

As a tenant you are responsible for council tax, gas, electricity, water, broadband and a TV licence where applicable. Get each of them switched into your own name from day one of the tenancy.

• Set up accounts with suppliers on your move-in date, they will ask for meter readings.
• Register with the council for council tax, single occupants get a 25% discount.
• Allow for water, which is frequently billed twice a year rather than monthly.
• Check your tenancy agreement for any special arrangements (for example bills included).

Your landlord's policy covers the building itself and anything they have furnished it with. Your personal possessions, such as clothes, electronics and furniture you brought with you, are not covered by the landlord’s policy. We strongly recommend a tenant’s contents insurance policy, typically £5 to £10 a month, covering theft, fire and accidental damage to your things.

The property is to be lived in, and nothing else, unless the landlord has agreed otherwise in writing beforehand. If you are self-employed and work from home, using a laptop at the kitchen table is fine. What requires consent is business activity that changes the property’s use, such as client visits, signage or stock storage.