Tenants
Coronavirus Notice to our Customers
A MESSAGE FOR ALL TENANTS
We hope this message finds you and your loved ones well. We understand you will be finding it a worrying time at present. At Coast to Country Lettings, we want to reassure our tenants that we are here to support you. You may have seen the announcement yesterday from Government on how tenants will be supported during the Coronavirus pandemic. We are still waiting for further detail which we will communicate to you when received. It is important that you keep in touch with us and let us know if you are in financial difficulty so that we can make your landlord aware of the situation and work with you to get through it. If you are having difficulties, we would encourage you to apply for Statutory Sick Pay and Universal Credit if you are eligible. The Government has introduced temporary changes to make it easier to apply. Further details can be found here https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/coronavirus/ Tenants currently claiming full housing benefit or universal credit will not be affected. However tenants receiving top up, but paying a proportion of rent from wages, should also take note of the above if your employment is affected. For now, adhering to government guidelines on preventing the spread of infection, we won’t be attending any routine property inspections, and, although we are still working from our office, it will be closed to the public. You can still get in touch via email or phone. As always, if you have an emergency please call or email enquiries@coasttocountrylettings.co.uk 898911. Should we not be in the office, calls will divert to our mobile. Non-urgent maintenance will be noted and placed on hold for the time-being, but necessary maintenance and gas safety inspections will continue. Please be assured that our contractors are taking the necessary steps to make your health and safety a top priority. It is very important that you contact us without delay, should you be feeling unwell, if you have a contractor booked to visit.
Stay well and thank you for working with us during this difficult time – please remember we are here to help.
Very best wishes,
- Easy application process
- A friendly and personable approach
- Help every step of the way
Coast to Country Lettings is accredited by Safeagent Licence No: A5058 and part of the Safeagent Client Protection Money Scheme
Coast to Country lettings are Members of the Property Redress Scheme, Membership No: PRS000623
We have experience with Coast To Country Letting services from both sides of looking for property ourselves and having our current residence shown to potential new tenants. In both instances Coast To Country have been very courteous and efficient and they have always kept us informed and tried not to interrupt our daily living more than necessary. We would have no hesitation in recommending them to friends.Owen & Louise, 2 bedroom bungalow, Peacehaven (tenants)
FINDING THE RIGHT PROPERTY
VIEWINGS
APPLICATION
If you are unable to meet the required income or credit checks, the landlord may agree to you having a guarantor to underwrite any rent liabilities. A guarantor will be requested for any applicant under the age of 21 or applicants in receipt of housing benefit
DEPOSIT
PERMITTED CHARGES
A (Refundable) Holding Deposit: Equivalent to one week of the monthly rent, payable prior to an application (please see further guidance under ‘Application’ in respect of the Holding Deposit)
A (Refundable) Tenancy Deposit: Equivalent to five weeks of the monthly rent, payable prior to tenancy commencement (please see further guidance under ‘Deposit’ in respect of the Tenancy Deposit)
Unpaid/Late Rent: Rental payments overdue by more than 14 days will be subject to interest at the rate of 3% over the Bank of England Base Rate calculated from the date the payment was due up until the date payment is received.
Keys and/or other Security Devices: Tenants are responsible for ensuring that keys or other security devices are not kept or transported in such a way as the property address can be identified if the keys are lost or stolen. Should the Tenant lose the key/s or any security device/s giving access to the property, the cost for replacement keys, devices or locks will be charged to the Tenant. Where the landlord or Agent incurs a cost in organising replacement keys, locks or devices, a charge of £15 per hour may be charged to the Tenant. Alternatively the Tenant may replace the keys or security devices at their own cost, ensuring the required number of copies are supplied to the Landlord or Agent if the locks are replaced.
Changes to the tenancy: Should a Tenant request of the Landlord or Agent a variation, assignment or novation of a tenancy, the Landlord or Agent (should the request be agreed) may charge a fee. The fee is not likely to exceed £50 but may do so. The tenant shall be notified in writing of the reasonable costs incurred.
In exceptional circumstances, early termination of a contract may be agreed by the Landlord. In such cases the Tenant will be liable to pay the financial loss suffered by the Landlord in permitting the early termination, and reasonable costs incurred by the Landlord/Agent in arranging for the Tenant to leave early. The costs will not exceed the amount of rent outstanding on the tenancy.
Non Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ie Company Let): £360 (including VAT) in respect of administration and referencing
For tenancies entered into prior to the 1st June 2019 ONLY
The following fees may be charged up to the 31st May 2020 where stated in a current tenancy agreement dated prior to the 1st June 2019 (all fees include VAT @ 20%):
Letters sent concerning breaches of tenancy £24 per letter
A payment returned by the bank or re-presented by the bank £24
Non-returned inventory £95.00
INVENTORY AND ROUTINE VISITS
UTILITIES
TELEPHONE
COUNCIL TAX
RENTAL PAYMENTS
KEYS
GARDENS
SAFETY REGULATIONS
PROPERTY REPAIRS
OUT OF HOURS EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE CONTACT
General Emergency
An out of hour’s service is available in the event of an emergency. Faults are classified as either routine or emergency.Routine repairs should be reported to our office for attention during normal office hours.
Definition of an Emergency that may require immediate attention: A hazard or issue which presents a risk to the occupiers or a risk to the property.
The following problems are examples of the type of situation that would be considered to be an emergency:
- total loss of electric power;
- unsafe, broken or missing electrical fitting (not simply defective) comprising a dangerous fault that is immediately life threatening;
- total loss of gas supply or gas leak on the property side of the meter;
- blocked, damaged or defective flue to an open fire or gas appliance;
- loss of heating or hot water (in particular those with medical conditions, tenants aged over 60 or those with young children)
- blocked toilet pan if only one in house, soil stack or blocked foul drain;
- leak from a water supply pipe, heating pipe, tank or cistern;
REPAIR NOTICE TO TENANTS: Please note that you must not authorise any repairs to the property or incur any unauthorised expenses without contacting our recommended contractor in the first instance. The cost of any work authorised by you or someone acting on your behalf conducted without our agreement may not be reimbursed, and especially in instances where the event is not considered to be an emergency, ie a hazard which presents a risk to occupiers or property. Please note that the Landlord will not accept responsibility for any problems that may occur doing self-help repairs.
Coronavirus Notice to our Customers
A MESSAGE FOR ALL TENANTS
We hope this message finds you and your loved ones well. We understand you will be finding it a worrying time at present. At Coast to Country Lettings, we want to reassure our tenants that we are here to support you. You may have seen the announcement yesterday from Government on how tenants will be supported during the Coronavirus pandemic. We are still waiting for further detail which we will communicate to you when received. It is important that you keep in touch with us and let us know if you are in financial difficulty so that we can make your landlord aware of the situation and work with you to get through it. If you are having difficulties, we would encourage you to apply for Statutory Sick Pay and Universal Credit if you are eligible. The Government has introduced temporary changes to make it easier to apply. Further details can be found here https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/coronavirus/ Tenants currently claiming full housing benefit or universal credit will not be affected. However tenants receiving top up, but paying a proportion of rent from wages, should also take note of the above if your employment is affected. For now, adhering to government guidelines on preventing the spread of infection, we won’t be attending any routine property inspections, and, although we are still working from our office, it will be closed to the public. You can still get in touch via email or phone. As always, if you have an emergency please call or email enquiries@coasttocountrylettings.co.uk 898911. Should we not be in the office, calls will divert to our mobile. Non-urgent maintenance will be noted and placed on hold for the time-being, but necessary maintenance and gas safety inspections will continue. Please be assured that our contractors are taking the necessary steps to make your health and safety a top priority. It is very important that you contact us without delay, should you be feeling unwell, if you have a contractor booked to visit.
Stay well and thank you for working with us during this difficult time – please remember we are here to help.
Very best wishes
TENANT WARNING: Please be careful when calling out our engineers out of hours or over public holiday periods. If the repair is not deemed as an emergency you, as the tenant calling upon a third party, may be liable for the contractor’s emergency call out charges.
Contact numbers in the event of an EMERGENCY during out of office hours, weekends and bank holidays:
- Leave It To Me Property Services on or 07778 103611, 07725121954 or 07368206246 (plumbing, electrics, heating/hot water, gas)
- Smell gas? 24 hour gas emergency services 0800 111 999(1) If you smell gas, think you have a gas leak or have any concerns regarding carbon monoxide, immediately open all windows and doors and extinguish any naked flames including cigarettes, then call the Gas Emergency Services free on 0800 111 999 as a matter of urgency.
- Power cut? Please check your fuse box first (to make sure it hasn’t tripped), otherwise call UK Power Networks free on 105 or 0800 31 63 105 or 0333 202 2023 (from a mobile phones) text POWER and you postcode 80876 ukpowernetworks.co.uk/liveupdates
- 999 for Police, Ambulance or Fire Service
No guarantee can be given for response times of local contractors. Sometimes delays are unavoidable due to availability and the time of year.