REGISTER YOUR DETAILS WITH US
The greatest chance of successfully finding a property that we highly recommend for you is to register your details and requirements with us. We take into account location, number of bedrooms required, furnished or unfurnished, parking required and your budget etc.
SELECTING THE RIGHT PROPERTY FOR YOU
Once you have registered with Coopers we will have your criteria of your requirements. When we add a new property you will instantly receive a property alert via email or text with photos, location map and description of the property. If you like the property then give the office a call and we can arrange a viewing.
IF YOU REQUIRE A VIEWING
Our agents are available for viewings 6 days a week. We will go out of our way to accommodate you and fit in with you.
To secure a property we always recommend an early viewing because properties get taken quickly.
MANAGED PROPERTIES
Renting a fully managed property through ourselves means you will have direct communication with a dedicated Property Manager to handle your day-to-day issues, they will work with you to ensure you stay at the apartment is of the highest quality. They will ensure any maintenance issues are dealt with as soon as possible. You will also be given details online of a 24-hour answer machine which will send out emails to Coopers to deal with any emergency should a problem arise.
Our fully managed properties also give the assurance that your property is fully compliant with all safety regulations (including Gas Safety, Electrical Safety and Epc's etc).
PERIOD OF TENANCY AGREEMENT
The most common tenancy offered is usually equivalent to 6 & 12 months and is known as an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement. We can negotiate shorter tenancies, for example 3 months. This is normally at the landlord’s discretion.
If you wish to terminate the contract at the end of a 6 or 12 month agreement you are still legally required to give two months’ notice in writing, this notice should be given on the 4th month for a 6 month contract or the 10th month of a 12 month contract.
We require you to sign your tenancy agreement and all relevant documents via signable on an online link. Which, Coopers Residential Ltd will send to you by email, the tenancy agreement has to be signed by all parties, prior to the start of the tenancy.
MAKE AN OFFER ON A PROPERTY
Once you have viewed a property that you want to rent then we ask you to contact Coopers immediately with your offer. We will then approach the landlord on your behalf with a view to secure the property. If all parties are happy then we proceed to taking a deposit and start the references.
DEPOSIT
The full deposit payable is equivalent to 5 weeks rent. The full deposit is then held in the Deposit Protection Scheme in accordance with new government legislation. The full deposit will be returned at the end of the tenancy should the property be left in a satisfactory condition.
If your offer has been agreed, you will be expected to pay a holding fee to reserve the property, the holding fee varies from property to property and is one weeks rent. This payment is also known as the holding deposit. By paying a holding deposit you are happy for us to proceed with us using an independent referencing online company to reference you as a suitable tenant. We will now take the property off the market. Please be aware that until a holding deposit is paid in full we (and sometimes other agents) will continue to show the property to prospective tenants and so you risk losing the property to another prospective tenant.
If you (the tenant) back out of the application once the holding deposit has been paid then unfortunately this balance is non-refundable.
The remainder of the deposit is then payable anytime before you move into the property, normally 24 hrs before so we have clear funds in Coopers bank accounts on the day you collect your keys.
METHODS OF PAYMENT
Both the holding deposit and any rent must be paid in cleared funds. The holding fee must be paid via bank transfer (BACS) or by card payment.
GUARANTOR
A guarantor is willing to sign a consent form stating that should you default on the rent for whatever reason they are then liable for the outstanding amount. The guarantor has to be a UK resident.
IDENTIFICATION
Before we can eccept you as a tenant we are required to provide your ‘right to rent’ documents. Two forms of ID must show evidence of name documents (one of which must be PHOTO ID such as a passport, driving license etc). The other two forms must be evidence of address such as a bank statement or utility bill.
Please note: You may be unable to move in without these documents so please let a member of the team know if you have any difficulty providing them.
CHECK IN PROCEDURE
It is important you arrive on time to avoid any delay with the inventory clerks. The clerks will give you the property keys.
RENT
One month’s rent is required in advance and as above must be paid in full before the tenancy starts and before we hand over the keys. This amount must be paid in cleared funds and payable only by bank transfer.
Rent is then to be paid on a monthly basis usually by standing order on each subsequent month in respect to the original move in date.
INVENTORY
You will be supplied with a detailed electronic photographic inventory upon check in, you have 7 days to check this and return it with any discrepancies that you find. When the tenancy ends, a check out report will be prepared and checked against the inventory you signed at the start of the tenancy for discrepancies. The outcome of this check out report will determine whether or not your landlord will seek to claim deductions from your deposit.
UTILITIES
All monthly rents are exclusive of utility charges; you will be directly responsible for any Gas, Electric & Water bills. Should we manage the property, we will take and issue you with the current relevant meter readings of which need to be supplied back to the utilities so they can set up your account and the property bills can be transferred into your name. It is also advisable that you contact the suppliers yourself to ensure the account is set up correctly.
COUNCIL TAX
We will notify the local authority of your residence at the start of your tenancy. They will then calculate your monthly council tax payment of which you are directly responsible. It is the tenant’s responsibility to make sure the council tax is paid on a monthly basis. Please contact the council for more information.
TELEPHONE
If you require the telephone line you are required to register your own account with any provider. It is your responsibility to terminate your account upon departure.
TV LICENSE
You are directly responsible for the payment of the TV license at the property.
INSURANCE
You are advised to obtain contents insurance for your personal possessions.
INSPECTIONS
Coopers instruct an independent cleck to do inspections on all properties managed by Coopers; this gives you the chance to raise any concerns or maintenance issues with the property manager. Any damage to the property will be documented with photographs and may affect the return of the deposit.
As the tenant, you will be required to report any maintenance issues or necessary repairs that are required. These must be reported to Coopers Residential Ltd on our website Tenants Maintenance as soon as it comes to your attention. Failure to do so may result in us being unable to repair the problem in time before permanent damage is done. This may then result in part of your deposit being withheld
MOVE OUT / CHECK OUT PROCEDURE
When the time comes for you to leave the property, you are required to give ourselves or your landlord a minimum of two months notice in writing. We will then confirm your move out date based on the type of contract you have in place. When the time comes to vacate the property you should ensure the property is left in a clean and tidy condition, ensure that any holes or marks made from shelves or prints are filled and touched up. The property should be left in exactly the same way as it was presented to you at the start of the tenancy and in the same condition listed in the inventory, we obviously allow for fair wear and tear.
RETURN OF DEPOSIT
The deposit is returned at the end of the tenancy, this is obviously dependent on the condition in which you leave the property upon departure. We have to carry out various obligatory checks and procedures on behalf of the landlord before we contact the Deposit Tenancy Scheme to issue the return of your deposit. Before we can authorise the return of the deposit. You will also be required to pass on your forwarding address so we can send your deposit out to you.
Please be aware that it is not permissible for you to cancel your last month’s rent payment because we hold a security deposit The deposit is legally a separate issue from rent payment and you will be in breach of your contractual agreement if you do this which can lead to prosecution should the landlord choose to peruse you through the courts.