Tenants

Sometimes we are all faced with situations when renting a property could be the most appropriate thing to do. You may be staying in the area on a trial basis, not wanting the commitment of a mortgage or simply unsure what cards life will be dealing you in the next 12 months. For whatever reason, rest assured that Domans Residential Ltd can help you find the property that’s right for you.

You can search for a property online above or register with us as an applicant and we’ll do the looking for you.

Properties are generally advertised for rent as unfurnished, part furnished, furnished or fully furnished. See our FAQ page for full definitions of what these terms mean so you know what to expect from a property.

When you are interested in a property

When you find a property that you are interested in we’ll make the necessary arrangements for a viewing and either ourselves or the landlord will meet you at the property to show you around. Whenever you go to view a property there are many things to consider but first and foremost you must consider your safety. Check for things like smoke alarms and ask to see the landlords’ gas safety record.

When you find a property

When you’ve decided that the property is the one for you, we will negotiate your offer on your behalf. Once accepted, we will carry out reference checks on all applicants over the age of 18 that will be residing at the property. As soon as your references have been approved we will make the arrangements for completion day and draw up all the necessary paperwork.

What fees will apply

Whilst no fees are taken from a tenant for securing a property, a description of our scale of fees are listed under the tenants terms and conditions tab on our website, this is for transparency and to comply with the Tenant Fee act 1st June 2019.

A description of our scale of fees are listed below.

To secure a property;

HOLDING DEPOSIT
One weeks rent will be required to reserve a property. Please Note: This will be withheld if any relevant person (including any guarantor(s) withdraw from the tenancy, fail a Right to- Rent check, provide materially significant false or misleading information, or fail to sign their tenancy agreement (and/or Deed of Guarantee) within 15 calendar days (or other Deadline for Agreement as mutually agreed in writing). This Deposit will form part of the balance of the first months rental on completion of satisfactory references.

SECURITY DEPOSIT (Dilapidations Deposit)
A security deposit of Five weeks rent will be required at the start of the tenancy (Per Tenancy for rent totaling less than £50,000 per year)(Six weeks rent required over £50,000 per year). This covers damages or defaults on the part of the tenant during the tenancy. An alternative Nil Deposit scheme will also be offered at a cost of One Weeks rent plus VAT. Terms & Conditions apply.

Further fees payable in the event of and where applicable;

EARLY TERMINATION (TENANTS REQUEST)
Should the tenant wish to leave their contract early, they would be required to put such a request in writing and they shall be liable to pay the landlord’s costs in re-letting the property (up to One Month’s Rental Plus VAT) as well as all rent due under the tenancy until the start date of the replacement tenancy. These costs will be no more than the maximum amount of rent outstanding on the tenancy and will be subject to negotiations between both parties being agreed. The Tenancy in place is a contractual agreement and terms need to be agreed before any further action can be taken. All Early Termination requests are subject to Landlord approval. Domans Residential costs would depend on the time spent negotiating and drawing up in writing what is agreed on behalf of the tenant. Standard Charge of £50.00 inc VAT.

CHANGE OF SHARER (TENANT’S REQUEST)
These costs are per replacement tenant for any reasonable costs incurred, such as; To cover the costs associated with taking landlord’s instructions, new tenant referencing and Right-to-Rent checks (£62.50 plus VAT (75.00), deposit registration and new insurance certificate (if traditional Deposit Scheme) at £30.00 Plus VAT (£36.00) as well as the preparation and execution of new legal documents, £41.50 plus VAT (£49.80). Tenants on Nil Deposit Schemes would need to contact the insurer about costs and provide appropriate deposit cover prior to signing of any new Tenancy. The Tenancy in place is a contractual agreement and terms need to be agreed before any further action can be taken. All Change of Sharer requests are subject to Landlord approval.

LOST KEY(S) OR OTHER SECURITY DEVICE(S)
Tenants are liable to the actual cost of replacing any lost key(s) or other security device(s). If the loss results in locks needing to be changed, the actual costs of a locksmith, new lock and replacement keys for the tenant, landlord and any other persons requiring keys will be charged to the tenant. If extra costs are incurred there will be a minimum charge of £12.50 plus VAT (£15.00) per hour for the time taken replacing lost key(s) or other security device(s). Security device replacement costs depend on the supplier and will normally be paid directly.

VARIATION OF CONTRACT (TENANT’S REQUEST)
£50.00 Inc. VAT per agreed variation. To cover the costs associated with taking landlord’s instructions as well as the preparation and execution of new legal documents.

CONTRACTOR CALL OUTS
In the event a contractor is called to a property and the contractor reports that the cause of the problem was through the tenants misuse or tenants not checking the basic maintenance i.e trip switches, fuses, etc. then the full costs of the callout and repair would be at the tenants own expense and the invoice would be forwarded to the tenant for payment. In the event the tenant refuses to pay, then the Landlord would reserve the right to either claim the monies back through a debt recovery company/small claims court or via the dilapidation deposit on hold at the end of the tenancy.

RECOVERY OF FEES/OTHER CHARGES
The Agent shall be entitled to deduct from any deposit that may be paid by a Tenant of the Landlord’s Property any fees or other monies properly due and payable by the said Tenant to the Agent as described in the Tenancy Agreement.

UNPAID RENT
Interest will be charged at 3% above the Bank of England Base Rate from the Rent Due Date until paid in order to pursue non- payment of rent. Please Note: This will not be levied until the rent is more than 14 days in arrears.

UTILITIES, RENT, COUNCIL TAX & TV LICENCE
All tenants are responsible for the payment of the above and all other costs relative to the property and your personal choice (such as TV and Broadband packages) as described in the Tenancy Agreement.

PETS & GUARANTORS
In the event a pet or guarantor is negotiated at the onset of a formal offer, the landlord may request a slight increase in the advertised rental price of which would be mutually agreed.

REDRESS SCHEME and MEMBERSHIPS

We are members of ‘The Property Ombudsman’ No. DO3551. Members of ARLA Propertymark no. M0051060, together with Client Money Protection Scheme no. C0014803.

On completion day

On completion day you will be met at the property and can expect the following to take place:

• You should carefully read and sign the Tenancy Agreement, in most cases a copy of the Tenancy will be provided for you to read through prior to the completion date.
• You will be asked to supply your banking details for the standing order to the landlord (please note that standing orders are set up 3 days prior to the rent due date to allow for processing of the payment).
• You will be expected to pay one month’s rental in advance plus a 5 weeks deposit* in the form of cleared funds ie cash, bank transfer.
• An inventory** will be submitted for your approval and meter readings will be taken.
• Possession of the property and keys will be given.

* You are required to pay a deposit to cover any dilapidations that may arise at the property during your tenancy. The deposit will be returned to you at the end of the tenancy once a final checkout has taken place and the landlord is happy with the condition the property has been returned in.  All deposits are held by us under the ‘My Deposits’ insurance backed scheme and no deposit monies are released until all parties have agreed on the amount of deductions to be made, if any.

**An inventory is a full description of the property’s condition and its contents. It is very important that you read through the inventory and make any necessary amendments before signing it as this will be the document that determines the condition of the property when you moved in and when you move out.

Whatever the situation or property type our aim at Domans Residential Ltd is to guide you through the end to end process of finding a home, but above all to make your experience of renting a property a positive one.

If you have any questions or queries relating to any aspect of renting a property, please check our FAQs page or Contact Us for further information.