Room in a 4 Bedroom Apartment, Flat 5, 18 China Street, Lancaster LA1 1EX

They have put together a super simple handy guide to your state-of-the-art locking system.

They like to prioritise letting their properties to pre-formed groups. However, they understand that this is not always possible. If you just want to rent a room individually they will work hard to try to assemble groups of like-minded people to let properties together.

Your contract will outline the dates on which your rental payments are due. Whilst they will do what they can to remind you of rent payments being due please understand that the responsibility for paying your rent on time rests with you. If you believe you will have difficulty paying on these dates or would like to align you rental payments with your student loans then please contact them to discuss this. Please note that all residents will need to pay their first instalment of rent before they can release keys to any residents on joint contracts.

You can still live with them until the end of your contracted period; however you will become liable for council tax during this time. If you no longer want to live with them, they can help you find somebody to take over your tenancy, however this cannot be guaranteed and you will remain liable for the full commitments of your contract until such time that a replacement resident can be found.

Please give them a call and they will work with you to find the best way in which to pay your rent. Alternatively, you can email them. All rent is due in advance. Please note, if your payment is more than 21 days late and they have not heard from you, then late payment charges may be applied to your account.

An emergency is a situation where the building is under threat of significant damage or is unsafe. In most cases they will carry out work quickly to prevent further damage or to make safe with the full repair being assessed during normal working hours.

The contractors will attend to complete emergency repairs only, further remedial works may be required in working hours following the call out. Please ensure all non-emergency maintenance is reported through your property portal, or you can call the office during opening hours.

In case of a fire alarm fault or electrical emergency please contact them.

If you have no heating please report the issue through your property portal and a plumber will attend as soon as possible during working hours. If the problem has started on a Friday evening or Saturday and you require temporary portable heaters until the office re opens on Monday.

In the event of fire, leave the building immediately using the nearest exit route. Do this in a calm and orderly manner closing any doors behind you, making your way to a safe space outside and away from the building. Call them and ask for Fire and Rescue and give location/details to the call operator. Do not stop or return to collect personal belongings. Do not re-enter the building. Only return to the building when told it is safe to do so by the Fire & Rescue, Fire Officer in Charge.

The holding payment for the property is non-refundable prior to the tenancy starting. This is because once you pay the holding payment they will actively turn away any other interested groups from the property. This means that if you decide not to go ahead with the property after committing to the holding payment then it will not be returned. Once the tenancy begins the holding deposit is deducted from your first rent payment. If for any reason they are unable to let the property to you once you have paid the holding payment then the holding payment will be returned in full.

It is really easy to reserve a property. All they need is a holding payment of 1 week’s rent. This is comes off your first month’s rent so is just a little bit of rent upfront. This allows them to take the property completely off the market for you whilst they go through the contract signing process for you.

Before You Have Signed An Agreement: If you have paid a holding payment and then decide to not rent the property then you will not be bound an agreement. The holding payment is only refundable in a situation where they have to withdraw the property from you. After Signing An Agreement: If you have signed the agreement you are bound by the terms of it and from the start of the tenancy you will be liable for the rent in the agreement. However if you still need to end the agreement you can do so by finding someone to take the agreement over from you. Once they have signed up you will no longer be liable for your part of the agreement. They can help find someone to take over an agreement, however make no promises to be able to and until such a point that a replacement resident is found you remain liable for the rental payments.

Absolutely! You can see a sample contract at this link. Their contracts can be joint for a group taking a house, or can be individual if you just want a room! They include the guarantor agreement on the contract.

Their contract signing process is completely online and very easy. You will receive an email with a link to log-in to your portal to complete your information for your contract. At this point you will also tell them who your guarantor is and they will get a similar email. Once all of your information has been entered you can view the contract and sign it online.

In order to let you the room or property they need a guarantor for each resident to guarantee your rent. This means that you can rent a property from us even if you don’t have a credit score. It is important to note that they do not ask your guarantor to guarantee the rent for the whole property, only for you. If you do not have a guarantor you can easily sign up with Housing Hand through their system, or they can discuss larger upfront rent payments.

Once you and your guarantor have signed the contract, and the rest of your group if your contract is joint, then it is signed by them and the house is officially yours! They will be in touch a few months out from move in with their resident guide and some other great tips before moving in.

Unfortunately, you are committed under the tenancy agreement to pay the full rent. If you find a new resident, they will let you out of your agreement from the day they move in, and refund you any unused rent that you’ve paid in advance (minus a £50 admin fee)*. They cannot refund your rent until you have found someone to take over your tenancy agreement, their booking is confirmed and they have paid the first instalment of their rent.

They try to be as flexible as possible with their payment schedules. They understand that for most of their residents it is better to make payments when student loans come in termly. Their termly payments are usually due in the middle of October, January and April with a small payment due at the beginning of the contract prior to moving in. You can also pay monthly if that is easier, they just need to let them know before the contract goes out.

If you are a student you are exempt from council tax. All they need is a council tax exemption certificate from your University and they will apply for the exemption for you. If you are not a student then you will be liable for the council tax for the property. Often the council tax is demanded from the owners and then they will invoice this amount from you. If you are the only non-student in a property with students you are often eligible for a 25% council tax discount.

Your rent includes the following:
Electricity, Gas (if applicable), water, tv license.
They provide the following free of charge:
Broadband, Contents Insurance
Holiday clean (once during Christmas and Easter break)