Important Tenant Information 

 

Please note all tenants must present their passport and student ID (if applicable) and their Visa/Biometric Residence Permit when signing the tenancy agreement and paying their deposit. Failure to present the required ID will delay your signing of the tenancy agreement.

 

Holding Deposit 

If you wish to let one of our properties, you must first place a holding fee on the property. This will be no more than one weeks rent. The holding fee lasts for 7 days and once you paid the holding deposit we start the credit checks. Within these 7 days, a tenant must book in an appointment to sign the tenancy agreement and pay the deposit as a group.

When reserving a property in our office, all tenants must complete a Contact Details Form which must be signed and dated by the tenant.

Your holding fee will become part of your deposit. The total deposit per person will be no more than five weeks rent when the annual rent for the whole property is less than £50,000. If the annual rent for the whole property is more than £50,00 the total deposit per person will be no more than six weeks rent.

Signing The Tenancy Agreement

Before arriving at your allocated time for signing, please ensure all tenants have their passports, student ID cards (if applicable) and Visa/Biometric Residence Permits (if applicable). If you do not own a passport please provide a copy of your full birth certificate along with your driving/provisional license.

We will take copies of your ID and provide you with a Contact Details Form to complete. One tenant must elect themselves as a lead tenant; the lead tenant is the main point of contact if we need to contact the tenants urgently. Once all IDs and completed Contact Details Forms are received, we will explain the tenancy agreement and other paperwork. All tenants will be given a Guarantor Form to complete.

Your guarantor must be a UK resident and they must send a copy of their passport/driving license. If you are from the EU we will accept an EU resident as your guarantor however a solicitor must stamp the form.

If you are unable to complete a Guarantor Form then alternative rent arrangements must be made. Please contact our office regarding this issue.

We must receive a copy of the completed Guarantor Form and guarantor ID within two weeks of signing the tenancy agreement. We accept a scan or clear photo of the completed form to meet your deadline however we do require the physically signed form to be handed into our office or posted to us.

If your property is managed by Property Buzzer, you will be given a Standing Order Form. A standing order is the method we want tenants to pay their rent. You must set up a standing order with your bank by either filling in the Standing Order Form and handing it into your bank or set it up with internet banking. All tenants must send a receipt or screen print of the standing order.

Paying Your Deposit

Once the tenancy agreement has been signed, we will then proceed to the deposit payments. As stated above, your holding fee will become part of your deposit. The total deposit per person will be no more than five weeks rent when the annual rent for the whole property is less than £50,000. If the annual rent for the whole property is more than £50,00 the total deposit per person will be no more than six weeks rent.

The deposit can be paid by exact cash or card. If you wish to make your payment online, please contact our office.

Late Paperwork

If you fail to provide a completed copy of your guarantor form and guarantor ID by your two week deadline, or your standing order conformation, late fees may apply. If there are any outstanding documents on the tenancy start date, no tenant will be allowed to move into the property.

General FAQs 

 

Q: what if I pay a holding deposit and fail my credit check? 

A: During viewings the lettings agent will ask you whether you have any CCJ’s (County Court Judgements) or any other factors that may fail your credit check. You need to be honest and answer these questions accurately because if you fail the credit check your holding deposit is non-refundable.

Q: Why is there a viewing on my property? 

A: Your property is currently being advertised. Please contact your landlord/agent if you wish to stay in the property longer than your current tenancy. 

Q: When will viewings take place on my property?
A: Our viewings take place every day and you can ask questions during the viewing. Viewings also take place during the weekend at different times.

Q: Will I always be notified of viewings?
A: We always aim to give tenants 24 hours notice before a viewing takes place. If you are unhappy with a viewing please contact our office urgently and we will aim to reschedule the viewing.

Q: What is an EPC and where can I find mine?
A: An EPC is an Energy Performance Certificate and they are important documents.

Q: What happens to my deposit?
A: If we manage your property, we will register the deposit with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). All tenants will receive a copy of the deposit registration certificate with their tenancy agreement via email. If the property is ‘Let Only’, the deposit paid to Property Buzzer is transferred to the landlord to register. You must contact your landlord for further deposit information.

Maintenance

All maintenance queries must be logged using the tenant App and upload the photos to the App or emailed directly to info@propertybuzzer.co.uk Please ensure your property address and an outline of the issue is in the subject line. You must state the location of the issue, for example bedroom 1 or kitchen, and if you are able to take photos of the issue please do.

Once you have received a confirmation email from Property Buzzer, please allow 48 hours for our maintenance team to resolve the issue. Please note that some issues require a third party, such as a gas or appliance engineer, which means the issue may not be resolved within the 48 hours.

If your maintenance is an emergency, such as a leak or boiler issue, please ring our office. Please note we will still require an email detailing the issue as we require written confirmation of the issue from the tenant.

If our office is closed and you have an emergency, please ring our office and wait for the voice message to read the emergency contact number.

Utilities

When your tenancy begins it is the responsibility of the tenants to take their gas, electric and water meter readings (if applicable). These should then be emailed to Property Buzzer so we can keep them on file. By doing this tenants ensure they are not charged for utilities on the property before their tenancy starts. If your tenancy has bills included in the rent you do not need to email us meter readings but we recommend you take readings for your records.

How much do bills cost on average?

• This depends on the size of the house, its energy efficiency and the utility providers you choose. We suggest a tenant budgets approximately £10-£15 per week for all bills.

Setting up your bills

• If the bills are not included in your tenancy, it is the responsibility of the tenant to choose their own utility suppliers or continue with the existing ones.
• Once tenants have their meter readings they are free to set up their own suppliers (if applicable) and search for the best rates they can find.
• If you are unsure who the current utility supplier for the property is please use the below contact numbers and websites:
• Gas – 0870 6081 524
• Electricity – 0845 6030 618
• You can contact your preferred supplier and they will let you know who the current supplier is.

Please note that tenants are not allowed to install smart meters without consent from the landlord or managing agent.

Receiving bills that are not yours?

• In some cases tenants may receive bills that are not applicable to them. If this is the case, simply contact the suppliers sending the bills and inform them that you are the new tenants for the property.

TV and TV Licensing

• Any television sets that are provided within the property can be used by the tenant on the understanding that any breakdowns or repairs required are the responsibility of the tenant/s.  In addition, unless contracted into your agreement, tenants are responsible for the TV License on the property.

Council Tax

• Full time students are exempt from paying council tax. However, they must complete a council tax exemption form from the Council’s official website. Please contact the relevant Council or your student union regarding this.
• If you are not a student you are liable for paying the council tax.

Council Tax Exemption

To sort out your exemption the council will require:

• The address of the property.
• The full name of every tenant in the property.
• Student ID, name of the university, full/part time student status and the duration of the course.

The Birmingham City Council can be contacted via:

• Email: counciltax@birmingham.gov.uk
• Post at: Birmingham City Council, Council Tax, PO Box 5, Birmingham, B4 7AB.
• For further information please visit the official Birmingham City Council website.

Rent Payments

For any properties managed by Property Buzzer, your rent should be paid by standing order every month and it must be paid on time.

It normally takes a few days for bank transfers to process so you should set it to leave your account at least 10 days before the date required. As most tenancies start on the 1st of July your first rent payment should be made on the 20th of June; please check your contract if you are unsure.

Please make sure you use the correct payment reference as our system uses this to scan to see if you’ve paid! Your payment reference should be the first line of the properties address followed by your first name e.g. ‘32alchesterroadmary’

Below are the account details that rent must be paid into:

Account name: Property Buzzer Ltd
Sort code: 60-83-71
Account number: 72143454

Documents and Forms

Please find below some important documents and read them carefully in your own time.

(Omar upload the documents attached here) I should also be able to uplaod more documents when required