Thank you for choosing Martin Kemp Property Management to help you find a property to rent. We hope the following information will prove a useful guide over the next few weeks and will explain the standard procedures taken when renting a property.

Making an Appointment to View
All appointments must be arranged through our office; either by telephone, in person or by E-mail. We require all prospective tenants to visit our office before they view any properties, as this gives us a chance to meet all our applicants and acquire the relevant background information that is needed. All viewings must be accompanied by a member of our team to enable us to answer any questions that you may have. Please note that 24 hours notice may be required to gain access to some properties.

Taking up References
Once you have decided on a property, we will need to take up various references before you can move in. We will ask you to sit down with us and complete a simple form that we then fax to our credit reference agency, as well as taking up an employer's reference and previous landlord's reference. This is a confidential procedure and no information we receive will be divulged without your permission. At this stage we ask for an administration fee that covers the following costs related to renting a property.

• Accompanied viewings to property.
• References and credit checks
• Employer's reference
• Move-in fee
• Tenancy Agreement fee, inclusive of VAT and stamp duty
• Standing order for rent payment
• Meter readings when taking up possession of a property

Please note that references and drawing up of documents takes between 5-14 days, and we cannot guarantee the availability of the property until these procedures have been completed.

Costs

Detailed below is an example of costings for a 2 bedroom property at £600 per calendar month to be occupied by 2 adults.

* where the rent is below £600 pcm the minimum inventory deposit will be £300 above the monthly rent.

There is an additional fee of £85 payable at the time of move in if the landlord has agreed to you keeping a pet. This is to cover treating furnishings at the end of the tenancy for any ‘unwelcome guests’.

As a general rule, from the time the administration fee is paid we will hold a property for a maximum of 3 weeks prior to the start of the tenancy.

If you have not begun the tenancy 10 days after the administration fee has been paid, once references have been verified and the landlord has accepted the application, we require £200 of the move-in monies to be paid in cleared funds. Non payment of this sum may result in the property being placed back on the market.

The balance of monies due must be paid prior to or on the day of move in, in cleared funds. ie
DEBIT CARD (£1 fee), CREDIT CARD (2% charge) CASH OR BANKERS DRAFT. Personal cheques can only be accepted 5 full working days prior to move in date to allow time for bank clearance.

If for any reason you decide not to proceed with the tenancy, or the references we receive are not satisfactory, the administration fee CANNOT BE REFUNDED. If the landlord is unable to proceed with the let for other reasons then your administration fee may be transferred to another property through our agency.

Housing Benefit Tenants
We regret that the vast majority of our Land Lords are unable to accept housing benefit tenants.

Terms & Conditions
Normally our tenancies are for an initial fixed term of 6 or 12 months. The Tenancy Agreement will be an Assured Shorthold Tenancy drawn up under the terms of the 1988 Housing Act. The Landlord and Tenant are not able to give notice during the initial fixed term period. Tenants are advised to thoroughly read and understand the terms of the agreement. Approximately 6-8 weeks before your Tenancy expires we will contact both yourself and the Landlord to see if you and the Landlord wish to extend the tenancy. The appropriate paperwork will then be drawn up for a further term if applicable.

Short Term Let
We normally have available a choice of 3 or 4 properties for shorter-term tenancies. It is at the Landlord's discretion whether or not they will let the property for a shorter period than 6 months eg. 3 month tenancy. However, if this special arrangement is made, the Tenant will be required to pay an additional administration fee of £250 plus VAT. This fee will also be payable if a landlord agrees to release you before the end of a fixed term agreement and this is only possible once the property has been re-let.

Utilities
You will be responsible for all utilities connected to the property including gas, electricity, water, telephone, council tax etc unless otherwise stated. If during your tenancy you decide to change the supplier of any utility, you should advise us immediately and you will be responsible for any charge that the landlord may incur to reinstate his original supplier

Moving In
When all satisfactory references are received we will contact you again to confirm a time and date to meet you in one of our offices.  At this time you will need to pay the first month’s rent and deposit in cleared funds. ie. cash, bankers draft, credit card (2% surcharge) or debit card (£1 charge).  You will be met by a Lettings Co-ordinator who will have the relevant paperwork for you to sign and you will then go to the property to meet our Inventory Clerk where you will be asked to verify the Inventory of the property. 

Please note that check ins will only be carried out between the hours of 9.30am and 4.00pm Monday to Friday and can take 1-2 hours to complete

Once an appointment has been confirmed, we regret that if you are more than 30 minutes late an abortive check in fee of £30 will be charged and we cannot guarantee that the move in will take place that day.

Installations Costs
On the day that you move in, the following monies will become payable in either cash or bankers draft only (There are no exceptions and we cannot accept building society cheques). Personal cheques are acceptable only if paid seven (7) working days prior to moving into a property.

1. One Month's Rent in Advance
The rent then becomes payable in advance throughout the duration of the tenancy ie if you move in on the 17th day of the month then the 17th of each month will be your rental date throughout.  This should be paid by standing order.

In the event of rent received late or standing orders or cheques to pay the rent being reclaimed by the bank there will be an administration charge of £25 for up to 1-2 weeks late, £50 2-4 weeks late and £75 4+weeks late.

2. Inventory Deposit / Damage Deposit
This is held by Martin Kemp Property Management II Ltd as a Member of The Tenancy Deposit Scheme* to cover the replacement/repair costs, of damage, neglect or misuse by the tenant to the property or its furnishings, fittings and décor during the tenancy.  The Inventory Consultant will assess the property at the end of the tenancy and instigate any necessary cleaning, repair works, gardening or other works.  Any damaged furnishings, furniture or fittings will be replaced and charged for at cost.  The cost of any of the above will be deducted from the deposit together with a check out fee of £85 + VAT. In the event that the check out is cancelled by the tenant or it is necessary to re-inspect the property, an administration fee of £35 inc. VAT will be charged.  *PLEASE REFER TO THE SEPARATE LEAFLET ‘What is the Tenancy Deposit Scheme? An explanatory leaflet for Landlords and Tenants’.

Vacating the Property at the Experiation of Tenancy
We will contact you a couple of weeks prior to your move out date to arrange a time to conduct your check out   Check outs are only carried out between 9.30am and 4.00pm Monday to Friday.  Once an appointment has been confirmed, we regret that if you have not completely vacated the property an abortive check out fee of £30 will be charged as well as an extra day’s rent for each day you or your possessions are occupying the property.  The inventory and schedule of condition will be checked once more and will give an accurate assessment of any dilapidations that have occurred during the tenancy (fair wear and tear is taken into consideration).  Your deposit is normally returned within 7-10 days subject to the check-out fee as above and any expenses for repairs/replacements being deducted.

Maintenance
If there are any problems with the structure or contents of the property, the landlord is responsible for repairs and replacements.  Any defects should be reported to us immediately.  If, however, anything goes wrong due to misuse, neglect or as a result of it not being reported to us, it will be your responsibility to cover the cost of putting it right.

Cleaning & House Keeping
Martin Kemp Property Maintenance and The Big Yellow Buttercup Cleaning Company
We are delighted to inform you that we are now able to offer specialist Property Maintenance and Cleaning Services through our associated companies: Martin Kemp Property Maintenance and The Big Yellow Buttercup Cleaning Company. The team includes professional cleaners, led by Mrs Eddy Oxley, who will undertake a complete Spring Clean Blitz, clean your windows or even just clean your cooker. They are also available for regular weekly or fortnightly cleaning. The gardening team, led by Stuart Wells, will cut the lawn on a regular basis, undertake tree surgery and even lay a new patio for you. Our team also includes experts on a range of tasks from installing a complete new bathroom suite for you to just changing the washer on a drippy tap. Bob the Builder is a dab hand with a paintbrush and Arthur’s abilities make him the most adaptable and accomplished individual for any job around the house. We can be contacted on 01296 744151 between the hours of 9am and 5:30pm, Monday to Friday. We hope that we can be of service to you. NO JOB IS TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL FOR OUR TEAM

Pets
As a consideration to our landlords and any future tenants, current tenants who will be keeping pets at the property will be required to pay a fee of £85 inc. VAT prior to taking up occupation of the property. These monies will enable us to instruct contractors to treat the property for any “unwelcome guests” (eg fleas) at the end of the tenancy.  If a pet moves in during the tenancy this fee will immediately become payable. THIS IS OBLIGATORY

PETS CAN ONLY BE KEPT AT THE PROPERTY SUBJECT TO THE LANDLORDS PERMISSION WHICH CAN BE CONFIRMED AT THE TIME OF LETTING

We trust that the above information is helpful to you but if you require further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.