Renting has become more popular than ever, whether it is a stop gap for you whilst you are saving to buy or prefer the flexibility that comes with renting rest assured Stuart and Partners can help. Preparing yourself for renting is a great idea as it will make for a much smoother transition into your new property. You will ultimately have to go through a referencing process which in essence proves you have the affordability to pay your rent / bills and you are a responsible tenant, there are also potentially some upfront fees which you should work towards saving.
Make a list!
We will ask you some basic questions to help narrow your search down to some suitable properties.
When? The majority properties are advertised with a maximum of two months in advance of availability, therefore have a good think about when is a good time for you to move, if you are already renting you may have to give notice to your existing landlord you are with to end your current tenancy.
It is important for you to have a good think about what you are looking for from a property. For most people a good starting point is the amount of bedrooms you need, then perhaps the type of property ( house / flat etc.), do you require furnished or unfurnished ?
Location: Do you need to be inside a school catchment area? Do you need to be close to public transport?
Facilities: Outside space, garage, what type of heating, what appliances are provided?
Lastly most landlords will like to know if you smoke, if you are in receipt of housing benefit, do you have pets? There may be restrictions in place for the landlord and they will possibly need this information.
Find me a property!
Once you have had a think about what you want and when you would like to move the next stage is searching for the right property. You have a number of different options available, Stuart and Partners would love to hear from you, call us or pop into our offices in Haywards Heath or Hassocks and have a chat! We can show you what is available OR take your details so we can contact you when something that fits your criteria becomes available.
The most popular method of searching for properties in online, if you are reading this then you have found your way to our web site and you can view the available properties we have from the properties page, you can also sign up for "instant email alerts" from this web site, you will be emailed immediately when a property meeting your criteria comes up. Moving on from there we advertise on the property portals like www.rightmove.com and www.zoopla.com, these can be great searching tools. We also advertise in the local property papers and try to have boards erected at the properties we are advertising. We keep our shop windows up to date with properties and also post content to social media, check us out on www.facebook.com.
Once you have identified something you might potentially like, contact us and we will be pleased to answer any questions you may have and arrange a viewing if that is your wish.
I want it!
You have seen a property you like, viewed it, asked question s about it and want to live in it. What do I do now?
Part of our ongoing dialog will be establishing a type of tenancy that is suitable for you but in most instances an assured shorthold tenancy is what we use. These typically have a term of 6 or 12 months and after the initial or "Fixed period" these can be renewed or in some situations allowed to become "periodic" where they will renew themselves automatically on a month to month basis.
All tenancy agreements will place responsibilities on the landlord and the tenant, these differ from property to property and are too numerous to list here but cover such things as how much rent you pay and when, how you take care of the property etc.
As part of your application process we will need to establish you can afford the financial commitments that come with the tenancy. Stuart and Partners will typically need satisfactory references from employers, banks, credit check agencies, previous landlord, previous addresses and proof you have the right to rent in the UK (typically using ID and home office information). Other references may be needed, a list will be supplied depending on your circumstances.
How much will it cost?
Our fees are clearly displayed on this web site and in our offices; in summary though prior to moving in you will usually need a full month's rent, a deposit (min equivalent to one month's rent, your referencing fees and possibly inventory fees).
You will be responsible for insuring your own possessions, paying the utility bills and council tax plus any other services you subscribe to.
Let me in!
Its moving in day, typically you will need to attend our offices and complete your tenancy agreement and pay any outstanding monies, you will be given a copy of your tenancy agreement and keys to the property, If there is an inventory issued then you have 7 days to check this and return it to our offices. You should be issued with a gas safety certificate if there is gas in the property.
It is important you understand who you should go to if you have a maintenance issue or an emergency. You will be informed this when you check in and the information will be contained within your tenancy agreement.
