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Tenants

We are committed to serve our tenants with the best of our services and with all the legal documentation to secure their deposit amount at the end of their tenancy agreement so it's not only a one off service as you will also have benefits with our after sales services. We believe that good relation between an agent and a tenant will be ideal to secure all long and short terms of the tenancy agreements.
Let's be honest about this, bad landlords are the enemy. You need to protect yourself from the ones that will take your money and give you a bad time. Fortunately there are rules and regulations out there which will protect you.
Know your rights and make sure you are organised. Not having to worry about being evicted or losing your deposit means you can party with a lot less worry. If you do get into a sticky situation contact our dedicated team to get help. We, Urban Dwellings Ltd exist to help you so don't be afraid to take advantage of that help.
In order to present your case we would need your referencing, proof of income, employment history and credit check .

Tenant's Referencing
We may do this directly by writing to your employer and previous Landlord or more often these days outsource it to a specialist referencing company. It is always best to be honest when you complete the reference form as they are cross-referenced with other information sources and if you fail for something that hasn't been disclosed you risk losing your holding deposit. Some of the common reasons why prospective tenants fail the referencing process are as follows:

Poor income to rent ratio
This means that your gross salary must be at least 2.5 times your share of the rent. If you are self employed your income will be measured as an average of the last 3 full years, as stated in your audited accounts.

Breaks in employment
Any breaks in employment over the previous 3 months (other than your holiday entitlement) may cause you to fail.

Previous Landlord's reference
If you've miffed off your previous Landlord for some reason or other they may refuse to give a reference or just ignore the messages from the referencing company.

Poor credit score
Missed payments on credit cards and loans will have a detrimental effect on your credit score although your credit score has to be very bad to fail the tenant referencing process.As a last resort you usually have the option to use a Guarantor. They will be required to sign a declaration stating that they will pay your rent if you default. The Guarantor will then be referenced using the same procedure.

Renting Agreements
Written Tenancy Agreement
If you have a written agreement, it should set out the rights and responsibilities you have while you're renting, and should list the terms and conditions you and your landlord need to stick to while you're living there. Read it carefully before you sign it and ask the landlord to clarify anything you're unsure of. Certain rights and obligations will apply regardless of what the agreement says - the landlord's repairing obligations, for example. Check whether your agreement includes information such as:
� the name of the tenant(s)
� the address of the property (or room) you are renting
� the name and address of the landlord and the letting agent if there is one
� how much the rent is, when it is due and how it should be paid
� what the rent covers - does it include any bills, council tax, water rates or other charges?
� how long the agreement is for
� whether you have to pay a deposit, and if so, what it covers and what circumstances will mean you don't get it back
� whether you can leave before the end of the tenancy, and if so, how much notice you have to give
� what furniture, if any, will be provided
� who is responsible for getting repairs done (the landlord will always be responsible for external and structural repairs, and safety, regardless of what it says)
� whether you can pass the tenancy on to anyone else
� whether there are any other rules, for example, about pets, guests or smoking.
Many landlords use standard tenancy agreements where these terms are already set out.

Verbal Agreement
Most landlords will give you a written agreement but, even if you don't have one, you still have rights. If the landlord accepts rent from you for living in the property, then any verbal agreement you have made counts as a legal agreement. It will be either a tenancy or a licence (see below). Your landlord can't take away your basic rights simply by not giving you a written agreement. The rules apply to everyone renting a home and don't have to be written down. However, verbal agreements can be more difficult to enforce if there is any dispute, so it's worth asking your landlord to put it in writing. It will be in her/his interest as well as yours to ensure that both sides understand their rights and responsibilities.

Difference between tenancy agreement and a licence
The main difference between a tenancy and a licence is that a licence usually gives you less protection from eviction. A tenancy gives you a legal right to live in a certain property, whereas a licence gives you personal permission to live there.

Types of Tenancy Agreements
Different types of tenancy agreements give you very different rights.
The type of tenancy you have doesn't just depend on what's written in your agreement. It also depends on:
� who your landlord is (eg a private landlord or the council)
� the type of housing you live in (eg if support or services are provided)
� who you share with (for example, if you live with the owner of the property (your landlord) you will normally have very limited rights)
� the date you moved in (this can make a big difference, espeically if you have lived in your home for a long time).
For example, most people who rent from a private landlord, and don't share living space with them, will have an assured shorthold tenancy. This gives them some security, as the landlord can only evict them by giving proper notice and following the correct procedure. But if your tenancy started before a certain date, you might actually have an assured tenancy or a regulated tenancy, even if your tenancy agreement says otherwise. Both of these types of tenancy would give you much stronger rights, including the fact that your landlord would have to prove a special legal reason in court before you could be evicted.

Fair Tenancy Agreement
Your agreement, whether a tenancy or a licence, should be written in straightforward language that you can understand. It shouldn't contain any unfair terms, such as clauses saying:
� that the landlord can change the terms of the agreement whenever s/he likes
� that you have to pay for, or arrange, structural repairs - these are the landlord's responsibility
� that your landlord can come round whenever s/he likes, without giving notice (this might be classed as harassment).
Unfair terms are not legally binding. If you think your agreement includes unfair terms or you landlord is holding you to something you don't think is fair, ask an adviser to look at the agreement for you. The Office of Fair Trading website has more information about unfair terms and how to complain.

Rights in Joint agreement
If you sign a joint agreement with another person or group of people, you have exactly the same rights and obligations as each other; you are all equally responsible for sticking to the conditions of the agreement. For example:
� If one person doesn't pay their rent, the others will have to pay it for them. As a group, each of you is responsible for ensuring that the whole rent is paid.
� If one of you wants to leave and gives the landlord notice to end the agreement, it will normally be ended for everyone. This does not apply if you have a fixed-term agreement, and if one of you wants to leave, those who want to stay could try to negotiate a new agreement before the original one ends.

End of Tenancy agreement

Some tenancy agreements are granted for a fixed-term, such as six months or one year. When the fixed-term ends one of two things will happen:
� your landlord might give you a new agreement for a further fixed-term, or
� your tenancy will automatically continue on the same basis as before but will roll from month to month or week to week rather than being for a set period.
In most cases, your landlord has to give you notice and can't just ask you to move out on the last day. If you know you want to leave at the end of the fixed-term it is best to give the landlord notice. Landlords must follow special procedures to end most types of tenancy. These depend on the type of tenancy you have.



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