At the point of offer, a Holding Deposit of £280.00 is payable to secure your commitment to proceed with the rental.  The details of your offer will be taken and they will include the following;

• Full Name
• Current Address
• Contact Telephone and Email addresses
• Employment Details
• Offer Price
• Commencement Date
• Term of Tenancy
• Conditions of Offer

Any person who rents out private property in England will need to see and make a copy of proof (photographic ID) that any new adult tenant has the right to rent in the UK, whether coming from outside the UK or not.  Non EU citizens will also be required to provide evidence of their right to abode in the UK.

Original versions of all requested documentation must be submitted in person at the time of offer.  Acceptable forms of ID are passport/driving licence; National Identity card or current immigration status document, issued by the Home Office.

Your offer will be put forward to the landlord and assuming acceptance, your landlord will require a ‘Right to Rent’ report plus referencing to be conducted on each tenant.

This will be carried out by our independent referencing company online, and a report provided to us.  The information required for each tenant will include the following;

• Right to Rent Report
• A Credit Check
• References From Current And / Or Previous Landlords
• Bank Details
• Employment Details

You may be required to provide a guarantor as part of your referencing process, if for example your earnings are not quite enough to cover rental payments or if you have recently started a job or are studying.  Your guarantor will be referenced in the same way as a tenant and they will be expected to pay the rental should there be any default during the tenancy.

Do not be concerned if this applies to you, it is quite common and we will explain the process to you if required.

It should be noted that there may be an additional charge of £100 for referencing a guarantor.

The initial or ‘move in’ monies are payable in advance of the tenancy commencing and the minimum requirements are as follows:

(for example)

First Month’s Rent in Advance  £1,000.00 
Security Deposit (minimum 1 month rent) £1,000.00 
Referencing & Administration Charge  = £280.00 (NO VAT)
Sub Total £2,280 
Less Holding Deposit Already Paid £280.00 
Total Monies Payable in Advance £2,000.00 

The referencing and admin fee consists of the following:

• Credit Checks
• Right To Rent Checks
• Work References
• Previous Landlord References
• Preparing Tenancy Agreements

The Security Deposit is held against non-payment of rent and to ensure that any damage caused to the property over and above accepted wear and tear can be rectified at the end of the tenancy.

All Landlords and Agents are required by law to register and protect a tenants deposit within a Government approved scheme on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy.  A certificate of registration will be provided to you to confirm this has taken place. The scheme offers alternative ways of resolving disputes and aims to be cheaper and quicker than lengthy court action.  Smooth Move protect all deposits with the DPS and further details can be found at: https://www.depositprotection.com/

All relevant parties will be asked to sign this document which details the responsibilities of all parties involved.

Smooth Move carry out an inventory on all managed properties.  to be carried out on the property.  The inventory entails a fully documented schedule of condition of the property at the point that you move in.  Both parties will be required to agree that the inventory is correct at the start of the tenancy and this will minimise the risk of any disputes at the end of the tenancy.  The landlord will pay for the preparation of this report and also the ‘check in’.  

Be Aware – It advisable, especially if you are first time buyers, to first check your credit history, the events of the past few years have led to much stricter lending criteria, and sometimes a simple late payment on a credit card or other minor occurrence can cause a problem . If you proceeded to apply for finance and were declined based on the examples given, it would only further damage your credit history. It is very simple to do this by using one of the major credit agencies at minimum cost, try either Experian (www.experian.co.uk ) or Equifax (www.equifax.co.uk). If you do discover a negative against your financial history, do not panic! Both websites contain excellent advice on how to resolve matters.

On the day of moving in you will be required to come into our office to complete the paperwork and collect the keys.  If your contract has not be signed in advance, all parties must be in attendance to sign the agreement ahead of keys being handed over.  If fully cleared funds have not been received into our account by the commencement date this will delay the moving in process.

On the commencement date of the tenancy, all smoke alarms and carbon-monoxide alarms (where provided) will be tested by Smooth Move. Further monthly checks will need to be carried out by the tenants.

Be Aware – It advisable, especially if you are first time buyers, to first check your credit history, the events of the past few years have led to much stricter lending criteria, and sometimes a simple late payment on a credit card or other minor occurrence can cause a problem . If you proceeded to apply for finance and were declined based on the examples given, it would only further damage your credit history. It is very simple to do this by using one of the major credit agencies at minimum cost, try either Experian (www.experian.co.uk ) or Equifax (www.equifax.co.uk). If you do discover a negative against your financial history, do not panic! Both websites contain excellent advice on how to resolve matters.

It is not unusual for your landlord or managing agent to schedule regular visits to the property in order to check that the property is being looked after and that you are happy with everything.  Usually these inspections take place at 3-6 month intervals and will be agreed with you in advance.
When you move in you will be advised of who to contact with any maintenance issues.  Your landlord may manage the property themselves or they may instruct Smooth Move to act on their behalf

Be Aware – It advisable, especially if you are first time buyers, to first check your credit history, the events of the past few years have led to much stricter lending criteria, and sometimes a simple late payment on a credit card or other minor occurrence can cause a problem . If you proceeded to apply for finance and were declined based on the examples given, it would only further damage your credit history. It is very simple to do this by using one of the major credit agencies at minimum cost, try either Experian (www.experian.co.uk ) or Equifax (www.equifax.co.uk). If you do discover a negative against your financial history, do not panic! Both websites contain excellent advice on how to resolve matters.

Your initial tenancy is likely to be for a period of 12 months, you have 2 options to consider at the end of this time, renew the tenancy for a further term or vacate at the end of the contract.  Either option will require a minimum of 2 months’ notice.  We will contact all parties ahead of the end of the tenancy to find out their intentions and can then deal with matters accordingly.  Assuming you have been good tenants and looked after the property you will most likely be allowed to continue with your tenancy, though this may be subject to a rental increase if the market allows.
If you do decide to end the tenancy, a minimum notice of 2 months is required in writing to either your landlord or Smooth Move. During this notice period your landlord may instruct us to market the property and access will be required to undertake viewings with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice being given.

Remember to ensure that the property is left in the same condition that it was given (less acceptable wear and tear) to ensure that you get the maximum return of your security deposit.

Here are a few pointers to assist you:

• Ensure the property has been thoroughly cleaned throughout. If a professional clean was carried out at the commencement of your tenancy it is recommended that you have one at the end of the tenancy.
• Ensure that the garden is in a tidy condition with all rubbish removed from the property.
• Ensure that all of your belongings have been removed from the property.
• Return all keys to Smooth Move or your landlord.

Once you have vacated the property the check out inventory will be conducted and upon receipt any deductions from the security deposit can be agreed with all parties.

NB. Smooth Move Estates does not have client money protection insurance. For more information on this please feel free to contact us.

When you move in you will be advised of who to contact with any maintenance issues.  Your landlord may manage the property themselves or they may instruct Smooth Move to act on their behalf

Be Aware – It advisable, especially if you are first time buyers, to first check your credit history, the events of the past few years have led to much stricter lending criteria, and sometimes a simple late payment on a credit card or other minor occurrence can cause a problem . If you proceeded to apply for finance and were declined based on the examples given, it would only further damage your credit history. It is very simple to do this by using one of the major credit agencies at minimum cost, try either Experian (www.experian.co.uk ) or Equifax (www.equifax.co.uk). If you do discover a negative against your financial history, do not panic! Both websites contain excellent advice on how to resolve matters.