Tenants Handbook Essential Information and Advice for Tenants
Welcome to your new home We hope you settle in well and enjoy living here. Preston Baker is the Managing Agent for this Property. That means we will act on behalf of your Landlord and be This booklet contains essential information about your Tenancy. explains what to do if the Property needs any maintenance or repair work, or if there is an emergency. Please take a few minutes to read this guide and keep it handy you need on page 18. Contents 1. Start of Tenancy 2. During Your Tenancy 3. End of Tenancy 4. Contact Details 5. In the Event of an Emergency 1. 2.
1. Start of Tenancy Contents Insurance At the start of your Tenancy, you should have your own contents insurance in place to cover your personal possessions. These will not be covered by your Landlord s insurance if there is to have a suitable policy in place to cover all your belongings. Gas Call 0870 608 1524 and they will tell you who your supplier is. You can also check online at https://findmysupplier.energy/webapp/index.html Electricity Utility Bills and Council Tax Our colleagues at Tenant Shop Limited* will act on our behalf to notify the local council, water supplier(s) and energy provider(s) of your Tenancy start date. They will also carry out price comparisons and provide you and utility companies to help you choose the best suppliers. You can choose to opt out of this call centre comparison service if you wish. contact details at www.northernpowergrid.com. You should ask for the Meter Point Administration Service. You can also check online at https://www.northernpowergrid.com/services-directory/who-is-my-electricity-supplier. It s important that you sort out these issues promptly, otherwise you could be charged for any administrative costs incurred by us. Tenant Shop Limited will only use your information to register you with the council and utility companies, and to close your council and utility accounts when you leave the Property. As Tenants, you are responsible for paying for utilities throughout your Tenancy. We advise you to contact the providers directly to set up your preferred payment method. * Tenant Shop Limited is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998 and is a registered 3. 4.
2. During Your Tenancy Maintaining the Property Paying Your Rent Your Tenancy Agreement is a legally binding document which due dates. If you don t, you ll be in breach of your Tenancy Agreement. If you share the Property with other Tenants, you are jointly responsible for paying the full rent on the due date. If any rent is outstanding on the due date, we may pursue one, some or all Tenants for the costs incurred and the balance of rent due, regardless of whether you as an individual have made a payment to us. Your Responsibilities As the Tenant, you are responsible for normal household maintenance and management. This includes tasks such as replacing lightbulbs, cleaning windows, bleeding radiators, cutting lawns, maintaining hedges and borders, keeping guttering and drains clear from leaves and blockages, If there is a garden at your Property, you must keep it in good seasonal order. You should not uproot established trees and shrubs or remove any lawns. Agreement that all rent is payable monthly in advance. 5. 6.
Maintenance Timescales Reporting Faults and Maintenance Issues You should report any faults or maintenance issues to us at www.prestonbaker.co.uk/repair. This is the fastest and easiest way to report any issues. It guides you through the process and ensures that you provide all the essential information we need. urgent attention or an emergency response. You can use this link on a PC, smart phone or tablet, or it can be saved as an app or favourite on your desktop You can use the system to report anything from a leaky tap to a broken lock or a problem with your heating or hot water. The system is available in 42 languages, so you can report Urgent Maintenance To be repaired (pending availability of parts and labour) within 24 hours: Burglary and incidents where security is compromised. Important Maintenance Contractor to attend within 2-5 days to repair/quote: Damp or mould issues. automatically be translated for us. When you report an issue, please provide as much detail To help us do this, the app allows you to upload photos of the problem, as well as provide the make and model numbers of any appliances. The system also offers lots of handy tips and helpful hints to help you resolve some issues yourself, without the need for a contractor to visit. This can help to avoid cost and inconvenience for you and the Landlord. General Maintenance A contractor to attend within 10-15 days to repair/quote: This includes all other aspects of general home maintenance. www.prestonbaker.co.uk/repair NOTE: These are estimated timescales only. You can be assured that we always try to resolve maintenance issues IF YOU SMELL GAS, CALL NATIONAL GRID IMMEDIATELY ON 0800 111 999 They will attend the property to identify and repair the suspected gas leak. 8.
Need a repair? EMERGENCY REPAIRS 8.30am 5.30pm Monday to Friday EMERGENCY Weekends only Minor fires, use fire safety equipment (follow instructions on device). Do not tackle major fires! ALERT FELLOW TENANTS AND LEAVE THE BUILDING. GET FRESH AIR. Open windows, alert fellow Tenants, do NOT use any electrical switches. LEAVE THE BUILDING. Please attempt to unblock it yourself, as there may be a charge for us to do it for you. Still blocked or broken. URGENT REPAIRS Appliance repairs, heating not getting up to temperature but still on, blocked toilet (but still have use of another), total loss of hot water, partial heating loss, total loss of heating if the outside temperature is above 5 o C, blocked drains, pest control, shower and bath leaks (don t use until we can attend), fire alarms beeping every 30 seconds (batteries need changing) Smashed window, broken front doors, total failure of all locks. Check with Yorkshire Water as they deal with the supply. GET FRESH AIR. Open windows, alert fellow Tenants. LEAVE THE BUILDING. Burst pipes, flooding, uncontained leaks. Turn off water at stop cock. Use buckets to minimise any damage. NON-URGENT REPAIRS Cosmetic issues, painting, curtains, blinds, furniture, loose shelves, doors and hinges, laundry machines, dishwashers, general household appliances, showers, internet, televisions, garden maintenance, extractor fans, condensation CHECK BOILER PRESSURE. It should be 1.5-2 bar. Pilot light, power switch, timer settings all need to be checked. Check street to see if there is a power cut in the area. STILL NOT WORKING? You will be charged if it is found to be any of these issues. Check main fuse board. Turn off all fuses and then turn them on again one by one. If the callout is not deemed to be an emercency then the callout fee will be charged to the Tenant. The fee for out-of-hours callouts can be in excess of 100. 9.
Dealing with Contractors Gas Appliances By law, your Landlord must comply with the Gas Safety or to instruct a surveyor to assess the problem. Please do not instruct any contractor yourself and send us the invoice, as this won t be paid by your Landlord unless they have previously agreed to it. Please try to be available for any appointments made with contractors, to ensure that repairs are carried out made with a contractor, we may have to charge you the cost of the contractor s failed visit. associated legislation. Your Landlord must have all gas systems, by a Gas Safe Registered engineer. These regulations do not apply to any gas appliances owned by you, the Tenant, such as a gas cooker. For your own safety, we recommend that you have any personal gas appliances checked at least every 12 months. The inspecting engineer For your own safety and welfare, please cooperate fully with any contractors visiting to carry out a gas safety inspection. If you can t be present at the Property for a contractor appointment, we can release our set of spare keys to the If a fault you have reported was caused by a lack of care or misuse by you or your invited guests, you will be charged Decorations and Alterations Your Landlord would like you to treat the Property as your own home. However, you must have their consent before you can carry out any redecoration or alterations. Without the Landlord s consent, you may be charged for the cost of returning the Property to its original condition at the end of your Tenancy. You are not permitted to alter, add, pull down or remove any part of the fabric of the building. 11. 12.
Lost Keys If you lose your house keys, you are responsible for the cost Baker, as we may have a spare set of keys. You will have to pay for any additional sets that need to be cut. there is a shared entrance door, you may also be charged for the cost of providing all Tenants in the block with new keys. Who May Occupy the Property? You may not share the Property with any adults (aged 18 or over), other than those named on the Tenancy Agreement. In addition, you are not allowed to transfer your Tenancy to another person. If one or more of the named Tenants wishes to leave, whether or not they are to be replaced, please contact Preston Baker so we can make the necessary arrangements. Before one or more new Tenants can move in, we will need to obtain and approve references for them. All Tenants, both existing and new, will then need to sign a new Tenancy Agreement. Break-ins or Vandalism If there is a break-in to your Property that damages the external doors or windows, please report the incident to the police. Then contact Preston Baker and we will arrange for a contractor to secure the Property. It s important that you call the police, both for your own peace Your Landlord will need this to make an insurance claim. Broken Glass and Windows It is your responsibility, as Tenant, to repair or re-glaze any broken windows or glazing at the Property, whether external or internal. Remember: Report all faults and maintenance issues at www.prestonbaker.co.uk/repair 13. 14.
3. End of Tenancy Your Tenancy Agreement is a legally binding means you can t give notice to vacate the Keys You must return the full set of keys to a Preston Baker office at the end of the Tenancy, otherwise you will be charged for If you do need to move out before the end Check-out Appointment Once we have received your notice letter, we will write to you to acknowledge your intention to move out. We will arrange responsible for the Landlord s agency re-letting fees. to complete the check-out process, when we will inspect the Property and read the meters. At this meeting you will need to return all sets of keys to us. If you don t hand over the keys on this day, you will be charged a daily fee until all keys are handed over. By the time of this meeting, you will need to have removed your personal belongings and furniture from the Property and you must be ready to leave the Property with the Agent. Giving Notice If you want to move out, you will need to give us one full month s Tenancy this must be at least one month before the end of your 8 8 (monthly rolling) Tenancy, you need to give one month s notice in line with your rent due date. This is, however, subject to the terms of your Tenancy Agreement. Fees and Charges We reserve the right to levy the following minimum charges. Please note that a fee will be charged for any appointments not kept by you. The exact fee will depend on the costs incurred as a result of any appointment not being kept. Once you have given us notice, we will need to have access to the Property to show prospective new Tenants around. We will always give you at least 24 hours notice of a viewing appointment. We very much appreciate your cooperation in allowing access for these viewings. We may also make charges that are not covered here. VAT is included in the fees stated. 15. 16.
Contact Details Preston Baker Maintenance Team 01904 622 355 Opt 2 Preston Baker Property Managers 0333 920 3529 Opt 2 Preston Baker Out of Hours Emergency 07939 989 977 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 8.30am 5.30pm Thursday 8.30am 7.00pm Our calls are recorded for training and reference purposes 18.
Maintenance and Fault Reporting www.prestonbaker.co.uk/repair In the Event of an Emergency IF YOU SMELL GAS Call National Grid immediately on 0800 111 999 07939 989 977 (weekends only) Please only use this number if you need help in the event of a real emergency such as a major water leak or heating failure at the weekend. When you call, please give as much information as possible about the type of emergency. You will need to give your name, full address and contact telephone numbers. PLEASE NOTE: Contacting the emergency helpline with a problem does not mean the matter will be dealt with outside normal working hours. www.prestonbaker.co.uk/repair. EAL 02/0217