FAQ’s
Viewings.
Janine is happy to show you around at any mutually convenient time that is agreeable to the current tenants. Photos can be taken at the current tenants’ discretion.
Tenancy Agreement.
Each house is let as a shared house on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (Joint Tenancy) Agreement that runs for 12 months from 1st July. See link to AST agreement.
Deposit.
A deposit of £300 per person per year is required as security for the tenant’s obligations and must be received as cash or cleared funds via bank transfer, before or at the time that the Tenancy Agreement is signed by all parties.
Your deposit is protected by the Deposit Protection Service (DPS) Custodial Scheme https://www.depositprotection.com
See also: https://www.depositprotection.com/documents/tenant-guide-custodial.pdf
Lead Tenant.
Administration of the DPS is via the Lead Tenant – everyone in your group needs to agree who will be responsible for keeping their details up to date on the DPS’ website and for distributing the deposit at the end of the tenancy.
The Lead Tenant is also the main point of contact between the household and me, the Landlord.
No fees.
No management or administration fees are payable.
Free Unlimited Internet.
Fast fibre Wi-fi is provided free of charge. Internet speeds are fast.
Rent payments.
The rent payment schedule is set out on your Tenancy Agreement, and is designed to fit in with your University loan payment dates. You will be sent a rent reminder letter a few weeks before the rent is due. It is important to pay your rent on time, but if there are any problems it is the responsibility of the Lead Tenant to let us know straight away.
Rent payments are made by bank transfer (instructions are provided to the Lead Tenant) & receipt is confirmed by text.
Pets.
Well-managed, caged pets are allowed by previous written agreement with the Landlord.
Smoking.
No smoking is allowed inside the house.
Fire safety.
When you move into your house, we will go through the fire safety procedures with you, so you know what to do if there is a fire & show you how to use the fire fighting equipment.
Every year the fire fighting equipment & fire alarms are checked by a qualified person to make sure they are working properly.
It is important that the smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms & fire alarms are tested regularly. The Lead Tenant will be sent a reminder text every week to make sure that the alarms are tested regularly & to note & sign a book (that we provide) to confirm the test.
Gas safety.
If you smell gas or are concerned about carbon monoxide contact 0800 111999 immediately.
The gas appliances are checked annually for their safety by British Gas, and a Safety Certificate is produced. Any necessary alterations or upgrades are carried out by us.
If you have any general queries about safety or the operation of any appliance in the house, please contact Janine.
Summer Retainer.
The Welsh Government no longer permits landlords to offer Summer retainers. However, we have re-calculated the monthly rent payments on each house as if there is still a period of 8 weeks at half rent. Therefore you are not being charged more than last year’s rent level.
Summer storage.
Store your possessions over the Summer – by prior arrangement in May and June, before your lease starts.
Cleaning and condition on moving in & out.
Your house is thoroughly cleaned before you move in. Where necessary, re-painting is carried out (subject to access to rooms) and any repairs are carried out. We have a rolling programme of improvements for each house in order to achieve a consistent high quality of accommodation. A condition report and photographic record is made each year, and you will be asked to check and comment on the condition at the time you move in. The condition of the house will be checked at the end of your tenancy, and needs to be in the same condition (apart from normal wear & tear) as when you moved in.
We want you to enjoy living in your home and to look after it –
https://www.cleanipedia.com/gb/housekeeping-budgeting/top-cleaning-tips-for-students
Please don’t use bleach apart from in the toilet or drains – this strong product can damage surfaces & tiles.
Customising your room.
The house colour scheme is based on white and magnolia, presenting a blank canvas upon which you can put your posters and decorations to customise your room.
Inventory.
An inventory of the house contents will be provided when you move in, for you to check and sign. If you want to bring your own items of furniture, please let Janine know at your earliest opportunity.
Keys.
Keys will be posted to you over the Summer, or we can arrange to meet you to hand-over the keys. Keys to windows and the backdoor, stay at the house.
Yards and gardens.
Drains are cleared and cleaned each Summer, and care needs to be taken to keep them clean i.e. don’t pour fat down the sink; keep the shower waste free of hair! We are happy to assist with any problems that might occur with drains.
Yards are secure. Gardens are cut back and tidied each Summer.
Waste collection.
Waste collection bins are provided to you at the start of your tenancy:
blue re-cyling box – collection every week
brown food waste – collection every week
green wheelie bin (Snowdon View & Brynteg Terrace)/up to 3 black sacks (Victoria Street) – collection every 3 weeks
Details about when the collections take place can be found by inputting your postcode to:
https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Residents/Bins-and-recycling/When-is-my-waste-collected.aspx
Waste management.
Because general household waste (green wheelie bin/black sacks) is only collected every 3 weeks, as a group you need to be organised with your waste management. The bins and boxes have to be put out the night before the collection date and cannot be left out on the street for days before or after collection. This is to prevent waste from being scattered all over the street by bad weather, birds or pranksters, which causes a nuisance to everyone living in the street; and to stop waste bins & boxes from being damaged, lost or getting in the way of other street users.
Please don’t store rubbish that you can’t fit into your bins or boxes, &/or food waste in the yards or gardens for long periods, as this leads to bad smells & dispersal of rotting waste materials. This also encourages pests, such as rats.
Running repairs.
We are responsible for repairing things that break due to wear and tear, and we will do this at the earliest opportunity – often within 24 hours. Call or text Janine to report or discuss a problem.
Tenant and Landlord responsibilities.
A full explanation of the Tenant’s and Landlord’s responsibilities are provided in the AST agreement.
Moving out.
We will write to you about how to prepare for leaving the property at the end of your tenancy. You need to make sure that you take everything with you and leave the house in the same condition as it was when you first moved in.
The inventory and condition will be checked as part of the process for releasing your Deposit. Any discrepancies are advised and discussed with your Lead Tenant. Sometimes we may need to deduct a sum from the Deposit to rectify a problem left by the tenants, although this doesn’t happen very often. An example of the kind of circumstance where this occurred, is when tenants brought their own sofa and left it behind in the yard when they left. In this case we advised the tenants that they needed to arrange for removal of the sofa and gave them a reasonable amount of time to do so. Ultimately however, we had to arrange and pay for its removal ourselves. On another occasion, a house had not been left in a hygienically clean condition, resulting in the need for professional deep-cleaning.
Repayment of your Deposit is agreed between us and your Lead Tenant. If agreement on how this should be paid cannot be reached, you can use the DPS’s Alternative Dispute Resolution service to resolve the dispute
https://www.depositprotection.com/documents/tenant-guide-custodial.pdf