Full tenants guidance notes

In order to view a property, we require all tenants to register with us. This will involve providing us with certain financial information to ensure you meet the referencing criteria. Please contact the letting centre that covers the area you would like to live in, and they will be able to register you as a tenant.

As a general rule your individual or combined yearly gross salary should be in excess of 30 times the monthly rent for your application to be successful. Your employment should be on a permanent basis. If you are employed on a fixed contract, this should not expire prior to the end of the tenancy. Self employed applicants are asked to provide at least two years' accounts, prepared by an accountant.

If you have an adverse credit history, this could affect your application. If you do not meet the above criteria it is still worth contacting us, as some landlords will accept a guarantor or applicants claiming housing benefit support.

When you have found a suitable property to rent through Robinson Jackson, and the key terms of the let have been agreed in principle with the landlord, we will require the following to proceed with the tenancy application;

• A meeting at our office to sign a reservation form, pay a reservation fee and the referencing fees. We will supply you with the referencing application form – this must be completed by each individual tenant over the age of 18.
• We also require identification and proof of residency for all tenants. This can either be a current photographic driving license or passport, plus either a utility or council tax bill dated within the last three months.

Once the referencing procedure has been completed, we will then forward the summary to the landlord for their approval. Assuming references are deemed satisfactory by the landlord we will finalise the actual move in date and arrange a suitable time for you to attend our office to sign the tenancy agreement.

You will need to pay the first month's rent in advance and the security deposit. If this money is being electronically transferred from your bank it must show as cleared funds in our client’s account no later than 12pm the day before the tenancy period is due to commence. Alternatively you can pay in person using a debit card.

Security Deposits

If Robinson Jackson are not managing the property, we will forward the deposit to the landlord who is required by law to log and register your deposit with a recognised tenancy deposit scheme within 14 working days of the tenancy commencing and confirm this in writing. Some landlords may ask us to carry this out on their behalf. If this is the case we will advise you.

If we are managing the property, we will hold the deposit in our protected client’s account as stakeholder. We will then register the deposit with the tenancy deposit scheme.

Other Notes

All tenants are required to complete a standing order mandate prior to moving in to ensure all rents are paid promptly in advance. If we are not managing the property the rent will be paid directly to the landlord.

As a prospective tenant you should notify the relevant utility companies (gas, electric, water & telephone) and the local council tax department. We will supply you with the existing utility companies of your new property so services can be transferred into your name prior to moving in.

We understand that sometimes circumstances change; if you ever have difficulty in paying your rent you should speak to your landlord or Robinson Jackson immediately. Do not let a hiccup become a major problem.

Tenants Insurance

Many tenants do not realise that personal contents are not covered by the landlord’s insurance. We will offer you a FREE quotation in this respect, that can include accidental damage to the landlord’s fixtures & fittings and will help protect your security deposit in the event of an accident. Premiums start from as little as £10 per month.

If you have any further questions or specific points you would like to clarify, please contact your local letting centre.