Are you currently a Landlord or interested in becoming one?
See our Landlord FAQs.
Are you or interested in selling your house?
See our Selling FAQs.
What are the upfront costs?
Most tenancies will be based on the tenant having to pay:
Sometimes a landlord may request a 5 weeks tenancy deposit. You may be able to apply for a deposit replacement scheme if you prefer not to pay the whole deposit.
How do I reserve a property?
Once you’ve selected a property, you will first need to place an equivalent of 1 weeks’ rent of holding deposit to show you are serious about progressing with it. (Please ensure you read this entire FAQ page before you pay a reservation deposit)
Please pay a holding deposit into the following account:
Abbey Property
AC: 43711749
SC: 20-53-33
You can use up to 18 characters when typing a reference. Please be sure to write something that will allow the agent to easily recognise where this payment has come from so that they can allocated it to your tenancy. When it is a flat that you are due to reserve, instead of writing flat 18, write F18. When it’s a room, instead of writing Room 3, write R3. Follow it by your building name or house address and write your first name at the end.
Here are a few examples:
R4 18 Dallow Rd John
R6 42 Bute St Fred
F18 Holly Ct Sandra
F43 Dudley Ct Sara
23 Devon Rd Laura
If you’re not sure, give the agent a call.
If you don’t pass referencing, you will lose your reservation deposit.
What is a holding deposit?
A holding deposit is a payment to reserve a property. This is usually an amount equal to 1 week’s rent. By paying this, you are showing that you are serious in progressing with a tenancy on a property and agree with the terms and conditions.
You and the agent will jointly agree on a move-in date. Although we aim to be as accurate as possible with this date, it’s important to understand that unexpected events can sometimes cause delays and various factors influence the timeline. We appreciate your patience and flexibility in these situations. Once the tenancy agreement is signed, you will need to pay the remaining portion of the deposit to form the full tenancy deposit, as well as the first month’s rent.
If the landlord decides not to rent to you, you will get your holding deposit back within 7 days.
The agent can keep your deposit if you:
The landlord can keep your money if you mislead them on information which can affect whether the tenancy is to be offered to you or not. An example of this is, if you said your income was a lot higher than it actually is.
What documents will I need?
Letting agents expect you to prove your identity, show that you are reliable and that you can afford the rent. In order to show that you are the right tenant for a property, the following are the minimum requirements of passing referencing:
Agents can ask for references from an employer or previous landlord.
You may be able to provide a guarantor if you fail credit checks, if you can’t prove your income or don’t have sufficient income. This is at the discretion of the agent. The agent reserves the right to not accept a guarantor. More on this below.
(Please be aware that at Abbey Property, we outsource our tenant referencing services to a specialised third-party company. If you have any questions or require further information regarding the referencing process, you’ll need to get in touch directly with the referencing company)
It may be that you are coming from abroad to start a new job and need accommodation ready for when you arrive. You may well even be relocating towns. You could even be getting your first job. To prove you will be able to afford the rent, you will need to provide your employment contract.
You will need to provide your recent accounts (SA302). Your accountant will be able to provide you with this.
Many tenants worry about passing credit checks however the majority do fine. It is unlikely that you have a CCJ on your name if you’ve not attended a court hearing before, although it may well be possible. If you fail a credit check, and the landlord is accepting, you may be able to provide a guarantor to help you work around this, or pay rent upfront.
A guarantor agrees to pay for rent or damages if the tenant fails to pay. You may need a guarantor if you:
Usually people ask a parent, a family member or a friend can be their guarantor. The guarantor would then sign a guarantors agreement which is a legally binding contract. Their income would need to be 3X the rental amount. Or, if they are a homeowner or have a substantial amount of saving then this can be kept into consideration and is the discretion of the agent.
If you are unable to find a suitable guarantor, for a small fee, you may be able to apply for a company who is willing to be your guarantor. You can get more details of this by visiting www.housinghand.co.uk.
We reserve the right to accept guarantee only from Housing Hand if we feel this is the better solution.
What is right to rent?
You have the right to rent if any of the following apply:
If your permission to be in the UK has a time limit, your landlord or agent will do further checks around the time your limit expires. Your eligibility will be assessed again, and you will be required to show evidence.
You can show a passport or residence document to pass the check. If you’re not an EU national, your passport or documents must confirm your permission to be in the UK.
If you don’t have a passport, you have to provide 2 alternative documents instead. For example, a UK birth certificate and driving licence. Find a full list of acceptable documents on GOV.UK: Right to rent user guide. Copies of these documents will be taken by the landlord or agent.
What if my documents are with the Home Office?
The landlord or agent can either:
You need to give them your Home Office reference number.
If the Home Office doesn’t respond within 2 working days, the landlord can go ahead and rent to you.
If you fail a right to rent check?
The landlord or agent can’t legally offer you a tenancy if you fail a right to rent check. Try and get immigration advice urgently if you’re told you don’t have permission to live in the UK.
What if I can’t provide proof of income or even a guarantor?
The agent or landlord may consider your tenancy if you pay rent upfront. It is always a good idea to speak with your agent or landlord and have a dialogue to see if they can make exception or provide a work around. By paying up front you can demonstrate that don’t have any financial difficulties. This usually works well for tenants coming from abroad that need to sort out accommodation first before they can secure a job. This also works well for students who are unable to secure a guarantor.
Providing you pass a credit check; the agent may be able to apply for rental insurance to cover any risk of you not paying. This is at the agent or landlord discretion and is usually done is special circumstance where the agent or landlords feel you are a genuine tenant who will maintain the property and keep up with your rental payments. This is only to used as a last resort. You can get more details by speaking to your agent.
Tenancy Agreement
Minimum Contract Term
Each property we manage is available with a minimum contract term of either 6 or 12 months, aligned with our landlords’ specifications. Typically, the standard term is 12 months, but in the event a 6-month term is available, this will be explicitly confirmed in writing by your agent. Please be advised that we do not provide tenancy agreements for periods less than 6 months under any circumstances.
Amendments to Tenancy Agreement:
We uphold the terms of our tenancy agreements and do not offer the option to alter them. If any special requests are agreed upon, these will be detailed separately in an accompanying document named ‘Special T&Cs’, which must be signed by all parties to be valid.
Special requests
To maintain clarity and prevent misunderstandings, any special requests must be submitted in writing to your agent prior to paying a reservation deposit. We ask that you do not make any payments until you have received written confirmation of agreement of these terms from your agent.
Tenancy Agreement Samples:
We’re happy to provide a sample of our tenancy agreement upon request.
Payments before collecting keys
Before Key Collection: To release the keys, we require:
Please ensure these steps are completed and notify us. We will then provide a specific time and date for you to collect your keys.
How do I pay my rent?
Please set up a standing order and follow the instructions as mentioned in the above answer to “How do I reserve a property?”
How do I report a maintenance issue?
Login to your ‘tenant portal’, there you will be able to see your tenancy details, payment history and the ability to a maintenance request.
Can I redecorate?
You don’t usually need your landlord or agent’s permission if you are going to redecorate. Most landlords or agents may ask you to return the property back to its original condition or to repaint to a natural colour at the end of your tenant. It is always best to having this conversation first with your landlord or agent. Some landlords offer financial or practical help with redecorating, especially to elderly or disabled tenants.
Some tenants become comfortable and intend on staying for a long period of time. If you are planning on doing major improvements such as:
It may be best to speak with your landlord or agent first to find out if they intend on renting the property to you for a long term. This will make it clear if the investment you are due to put in is worth while for you in the long term.
How do I end my tenancy?
We are sorry to see you leave. If you are looking to move into another rental property then do have a look at our properties that we currently have available to rent, we will be pleased to rent another property to you.
You will need to give a 30 days’ notice. The notice cannot expire before your tenancy end date.
You will need to email this notice to info@AbbeyProperty.com. Once you’ve done this, please suggest a date and time that is at least 2 weeks before your leaving date so we can inspect the property and let you know if you need to resolve any issues before leaving. Please note, you may lose your full deposit if you fail to give the right notice to the agent.
When will a check out take place?
Let the agent know the convenient time for you to meet at the property on your day of departure. They will meet you at the property to inspect everything is in working order and that no damages are left unresolved. It is advisable that you be present at the checkout in case the agent has any questions as this will help speed us the return of your deposit.
How do I get my deposit back?
If the agent was your main point of contact, then they will have registered your deposit with the DPS. You will need to login to your DPS account and provide them with your bank account details by clicking here.
As this information is confidential to the tenant, the agent will not be able to provide you your login details. You will need to contact DPS to gain access to your account.
Once you’ve submitted this, the agent will get this processed within 30 days. Once approved, the money should be in your bank account within 5 working days.
If the agent didn’t manage your tenancy and the landlord was your main point of contact, you will need to contact the agent to confirm if they registered your deposit, or if it was the landlords responsibility.
If the agent registered your deposit, then it would be the same steps as above. If the landlord registered your deposit, then you will need to contact them to return it back to you.
Will any deductions be made from my deposit?
Giving the ability to tenants to rectify any damages is the best way to avoid any deductions. Please suggest a time and date for the agent to visit you at least 2 weeks before your leaving date. This will allow the agent the ability to inspect the property and highlight any issues that they may need you to rectify before leaving.
You then should be able to bring to property to an acceptable standard and by doing this, providing you are up to date with your rent, you will be entitled to a full refund of your tenancy deposit.
Can I get a reference for my next Landlord?
Of course, please ask them to email the agent at info@AbbeyProperty.com and they will be able to respond to them accordingly.
Are you currently a Landlord or interested in becoming one?
See our Landlord FAQs.
Are you or interested in selling your house?
See our Selling FAQs.
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