Why choose Letwithease?

We charge you no fees! In virtually all instances there are absolutely no charges to pay. No other letting agent operates like this and typically it will save you between £200 - £300.

So it’s completely free?

The only thing we charge for is additional credit checks which may be required depending on conditions such as your income or, for some reason; you have an adverse credit history or County Court Judgement (CCJ) against your name. Such additional checks cost a flat fee of £39.99 including VAT. Typically if you're in permanent full time employment and can afford the rent with your income, there are no fees or charges to pay.

Can I afford the rent?

Obviously we have a duty of care to our landlord clients to ensure all tenants we place into their properties can adequately cover the cost of the rent. To see how we work this out and how much rent you can afford based on your income to pass our criteria check our affordability calculator by clicking here.

If you’re moving into a property on a joint tenancy, which is with someone else who will share the rental obligations with you, we will base the rent you can afford on your combined income totals. In this instance if the first tenant who earns the most cannot afford the rental obligations on their own a fee of £39.99 (inc VAT) will apply for the additional credit check on the second tenant.

Occasionally the best way to proceed may be with a guarantor. A guarantor is someone who will sign the tenancy and be prepared to cover your rental obligations should you default on them in any way. Again the fee of £39.99 (inc VAT) will apply for the credit check on the guarantor.

There are some instances where a further guarantor check fee will not be chargeable, i.e. when you have disclosed that you may have problems passing a credit check due to poor credit history or a lack of income for example if you are a student. In this instance we can sometimes skip the credit check on yourself and go straight for the guarantor credit check which will result in you not incurring any expense at all.

When should I start looking for a new home and how long can you hold it for me?

 

You should start viewing properties no longer than one month before the date you wish to move. There is one exception to this in student accommodation. Here it is not uncommon for students to start looking for new accommodation for the next academic year as early as March. Such accommodation will usually be large 4 or 5 bedroom shared houses and will be clearly stated as student accommodation with an availabilty date of 'September' or 'next academic year' in the listing.

 

Does the rent include the bills?

 

Unless otherwise stated you should always assume that the property is listed exclusive of all bills.

 

Do you accept Housing Benefit?

 

On each advert at the bottom of the page you will notice a section labeled 'restrictions'. If the listing states "No DSS" then the landlord has indicated to us he is not willing to accept Housing Benefit as payment of rent.

 

Will you be happy to take pets?

 

Again this can depend on the landlord's stipulations. Many landlords refuse to take pets. Some landlords might accept pets although it's becoming common practice to obtain a 'pet reference'. This can be a written or verbal statement from your existing landlord or letting agent that your pet hasn't caused damage or nuisance to their property or that any damage was adequately repaired or settled prior to the termination of your lease.

 

I wish to proceed and take a property, what do I do?

There is a specific procedure to follow if you wish to take a property which involves you paying a fully refundable holding deposit of £100. Please click here for full details.

How soon can I move in?

The referencing and credit check procedure usually takes between 24 hours and two working days to complete, depending on how quickly your referees such as your employer or previous landlord takes to respond. If we have to do additional checks on guarantors the process can be delayed.

How much is the deposit?

This can vary depending on the landlord’s stipulations. The usual procedure is to take a dilapidation's deposit equal to one month’s rent for an unfurnished property or a deposit equal to 6 weeks rent for a furnished property. Your dilapidation's deposit will be stored with one of the three government approved protection schemes to comply with the Housing Act 2004 legislation. This act was bought in to safeguard tenant's deposits.

When do I pay the rent and deposit?

To ensure you’re really serious about taking the property we ask you to pay your first month’s rent within 7 days of us holding the property for you. You will then be required to pay the dilapidation's deposit on the day you move in.

You will not be allowed to move into a property before we have received both the first month’s rent and dilapidation's deposit in cleared funds. There is no flexibility on this decision. If you’re planning on paying by cheque you must get it to us at least 5 working days before the date you’re going to move in.

If you've left it late we can issue you with an electronic invoice by email to accept instant and secure credit and debit card payments prior to you moving in. However, there will be a fee for this form of payment of 2.0% of the transaction total.

What sort of contract will I sign?

Your contract will typically be an assured shorthold tenancy, and you will sign for a minimum of 6 months.

I’ve still got some more questions

We understand there's alot to take in and the process can appear a little daunting. Please feel free to contact us, we'll be happy to offer you guidance or discuss any queries you may have about renting a property through Letwithease.com