Frequently Asked Questions

Once you have decided on the property you wish to take then you need to speak to one of our team who will go through the process with you. They would be delighted to help you with your application.

In this instance an email will be sent to you outlining all the details that will be required. The details we normally need from you will be your full name, email address, telephone number, what you do and income. We then need to know the day you want to move and confirmation that you have paid the reservation fee.

A reservation is one weeks’ rent and is an amount that you need to pay in order to have the property taken of the market. It is deducted from any move in money that you may pay when moving in. It is non-refundable in the event that you withdraw from the property, if the landlord withdraw then it can be refunded.

All of our landlords ask for a Guarantor to ensure that their rent is covered in the event that you are unable to pay it. This is not uncommon and you should not be concerned. You must choose someone to be your Guarantor who owns a property in the UK and can cover your rental commitment in the event of default. They must own their own home in order to be your guarantor.

We are often asked why we do not carry out referencing. If asked by landlords then we will acquire a reference. However, it is unlikely. Most people can not now give a bad reference and therefore it doesn’t give landlords any form of security as to you paying your rent. In these uncertain times people can lose their jobs and landlords have to have security of knowing that there is someone who can step in and pay your rent for you.

We ask for Guarantors when dealing with tenants and it is extremely rare that we will be asked to do a reference but it does happen so on occasions we may ask you to ask a landlord or employer to provide a reference.

It is very unlikely we would reference your guarantors either. They would need to fill out an application form that shows their current income and we would need them to complete this together with a form of ID. It is important that we receive this information as quickly as possible.

By law, before you rent a property in England, your lettings manager has to perform a ‘right to rent’ check. Depending on your circumstances, this could involve you showing us your passport, visa or other documents to prove that you have permission to live in the UK, or you could use the Government’s online service.

The Government is making changes to this process from 6 April. To accommodate this, there will be a grace period until 30 September 2022 during which you can continue to allow us to check your original documents over a video call instead of in-person.

Landlords require a tenancy deposit to protect their property against any damage that might be caused during the tenancy. They can only charge for cleaning, damage, or issues that go above the normal wear and tear and this will be assessed at the end of your tenancy, with the aid of a detailed inventory and schedule of condition. The deposit can also be held against non-payment of your rent and any costs. These are all outlined within your tenancy agreement.

The maximum amount that can be requested by way of a deposit is 5 weeks rent. We cannot ask for anymore than this and therefore you will be asked to provide a minimum of 4 weeks and potentially up to 5. However, we do have an alternative option called Reposit which is an insurance scheme which would allow you to purchase an insurance product to cover your deposit which is also one weeks rent in total but can be split between various tenants.

It is now a legal requirement that all deposits are held by a Government backed scheme and we use the Deposit Protection Service. They will physically hold the deposit and deal with this.

When you move in we will send you with the legal documentation a notice confirming where your deposit has been sent and we do use the Deposit Protection Service. It outlines exactly where the deposit is held and the details of the scheme. You will then receive direct from the Deposit Protection Service the registration number and your repayment number when and as you leave the property. They hold the deposit in a custodial scheme.

This is a legal document with precise terms and conditions of the tenancy. It is to help you the tenant and the landlord to lay out the terms of the tenancy. Our tenancy has been approved by Trading Standards and is one of the only companies in Brighton and Hove to have had this done.

There are also other documents that we will need to provide to you when you move in. We have already outlined the deposit will need a specific document but will also need to give you the Gas Safety and Energy Performance Certificate for the property. The property will also require an EICR and potentially a HMO licence if it is registered. You will receive from us a How To Rent Guide from the Government and all these documents will need to be read and acknowledged by you in order for you to move in.

If you have a problem at your property and you think it needs dealing with then you can contact our dedicated administration team who will be able to help you. We will inform your landlord and if necessary call upon one of the many trusted tradesmen we have from our extensive database of contractors. They will then contact you direct to deal with any problems that you may have.

Your landlord and ourselves must give you sufficient notice if we wish to enter the property, except in the case of an emergency, when there may be a burst pipe or other emergency. For instance the normal notice is 24 hours.

You are signing a Tenancy Agreement that is for a fixed term and therefore you are responsible for that property during that term. The most common duties you have to perform are paying your rent on time, paying the household bills without delay, reporting any damages you notice and maintaining the property as clean and as tidy as possible. It is important that you read through the tenancy in order to understand your responsibilities.

Once the initial fixed term has come to an end it is often possible to renew the contract and continue living at the property. We will contact your landlord in the final few months of the tenancy to make sure of their willingness to extend your stay and we will then contact you with a new contract.

You enter into a fixed term period for the term of your tenancy and therefore the landlord cannot raise the rent within this fixed term. They can on renewal or if your contract goes on a periodic month to month basis by serving you with the relevant notice or offering a new contract at a higher rent.

A period of notice is set out within your tenancy agreement and you must give this when you intend to leave the property. Providing you follow this it is easy to move out of the property, and as long as you respect the times scales i.e. that if you are on a fixed term that you move out at the end of the fixed term. You should tell us and give us notice when you decide to move out and we will advise you of the next step.

When you move out of the property we will conduct a check out service and examine your inventory. We shall report the result to the landlord. Once we have his instructions we will then inform you and the Deposit Protection Service of the outcome and make any claims or any deductions as required and if not release this automatically to you.

The client money protection scheme provides compensation for landlords, tenants and other clients when agents misuse or misappropriate their rent, deposit or any other client funds. Harringtons Lettings have their own provider for this insurance and every letting agent has to adhere to this new law that only came in within the last couple of years. It is now mandatory for all letting agents to be part of this service.