Tenant FAQs

A good Tenant has lots of different characteristics. Importantly they must be able to afford the rent, they must look after the property and treat it well and be good neighbours. A good Tenant also allows us access to facilitate repairs and maintenance and carry out inspections in order for us to improve and maintain the quality of the property that they are renting. However, most importantly a good Tenant is someone who treats our staff, our contractors and the property with respect, dignity and kindness. Although there’s lots of rules and regulation regarding renting, we work on the basis that we try and ‘help our Tenants help themselves’.

At the end of the day a good Tenant recognises that they’re dealing with a human being the end of the phone and also a middleman. Although we look after our properties and our Tenants as though they were our own, ultimately, we don’t own the property and ultimately we have a Landlord to whom we are answerable to. We feel it’s very much a three-way relationship between the Tenant, us and the Landlord.

Sometimes you may not have a choice if the perfect property you have found is with a specific agency. However, we have Tenants who often keep a lookout for properties that we have to let because they love to continue renting from us. We would always suggest checking out the Agency you go with, looking at their Google reviews, Allagent reviews, website and social media platforms to get a feel for the type of agency they are.

This is a really good question. Most importantly we would like our Tenants to treat us in the same way that we treat them – with respect, dignity, kindness, understanding and with the aim of working together in partnership to make the best tenancy experience possible.

It is always important to realise that the Agent does not own that property and there is a Landlord behind that property that will have their own issues, obligations and personal situation. It is important to be patient and try and think about the property and its issues as though you were the owner – could you get an issue fixed any quicker? It is important to remember that things do go wrong and it can take some times to get a good solution (depending on what the issue is). Understanding, patience and reasonableness go a long way to making a good relationship. This, along with being flexible and accommodating in terms of access for contractors can help problems get fixed faster.

We always recommend checking out the area on foot and on Google Maps prior to a viewing because you don’t want to waste your time or indeed an Agent’s. Carefully check the details in the advert as to what is included – for example if you cannot live without a dishwasher and the property doesn’t have one then you’ll be saving yourself time by not going to view. It’s also a good idea to check for local amenities, local bus routes, the parking situation and also get a feel for the area. Although the property could be perfect, if it’s not in the area you’re happy with then you’re unlikely to want to stay in the property long term. It’s also good to check what floor the property is on and if it has a lift because if there’s any issues in going up four flights of stairs – it’s best to find out first!

When you’re renting a property, we need to check that you are credit worthy – i.e that you can afford to pay the rent, and can afford to properly heat and ventilate the property.  So, we run a credit check – your credit score will give us a good indication on whether or not you are likely to be able to pay your rent and a high score suggests that on the whole you’ve always managed to pay your bills on time and there is nothing adverse in your history such as County Court judgements etc.

The reference check element helps us confirm that you have been a good Tenant in the past – so not only paid on time but we will also contact your previous agency to check that you have looked after your previous property. We would look to make sure that you’ve also made it possible for repairs to be carried out and that you’ve allowed access into the property and just looked after it in a good way.

In Scotland, all our leases since 1 December 2017 are open-ended leases; therefore, there is no end date specified on the lease. Naturally, most Landlords and Agents would like their Tenants to stay for as long as possible. However, all the Tenant needs to do is give 28 days’ written notice of their intention to end the tenancy, along with allowing 48 hours for that notice to be received.  If you have signed a Joint and Severally liable agreement (which is the standard in Scotland), it must be noted that all Tenants need to give notice at the same time for the same date and be in agreement.  So, if one Tenant doesn’t want to leave, the other Tenant can’t. Choose your flatmates carefully.

If you are asked to lodge a deposit to secure a property for rental that is perfectly legal if the deposit is lodged on the basis that it is fully refundable if the tenancy does not then progress. In Scotland, Tenants cannot be charged any fees upon which the granting of the lease is based so if that deposit was not refundable then it could be classed as an illegal premium.

A deposit is like an insurance policy for the Landlord. It protects the Landlord should a Tenant leave without paying any rent. It also gives protection to the Landlord against any defects to the property that are the fault of the Tenant at the end of the tenancy. These can include additional cleaning, redecoration, replacing missing items etc.

However, please be reassured that fair wear and tear is expected and is not charged for. A Landlord is not allowed to charge a Tenant for what is deemed expected wear and tear or to gain betterment from their tenant.

In Scotland, all deposits must be lodged with a relevant government-approved Deposit Scheme within 30 working days of the tenancy starting. The money is held in the scheme, which is FCA protected for the duration of the tenancy. The scheme does not charge for its services; however, neither the Tenant,  Landlord or the Agent will earn any interest on that deposit.

All deposits in Scotland should be lodged within 30 working days with a Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Most Tenants wait for the agency or Landlord to initiate the deposit return, however a Tenant can apply to the scheme at any stage after the tenancy has ended to put in their own proposal for the deposit return. This could be a request for the full deposit return or a proposal for what should go to the Landlord and what should go to the Tenant. As the deposit schemes are independent, they will then contact the Agency or Landlord to confirm they are happy with the proposal and if they’re not, there is a clear process to follow. They often offer support and arbitration to help both sides come to an amicable solution.

An inventory is usually a written and photographic record of the move-in condition, contents, cleanliness, and smell of the property you’re moving into. It is not there to catch you out. However, Agents look after lots of properties, and Deposit Schemes will never have seen the property if there is a dispute, so an Inventory is the main record of property and its contents at the point of the tenancy start date. Therefore, it is an important document and an Agent, Landlord or Deposit Adjudicator will use it to compare it to the condition, contents, cleanliness and smell at the end of the tenancy.

If the property is not as clean, items are missing, or there is a smell of cigarette smoke or damage, etc., the Inventory can be used as evidence to support any claim against your deposit.

However, if there is a claim against the deposit, the length of the tenancy will be taken into consideration. The longer the tenancy, the more wear and tear we expect, and naturally you should not be charged for that, as that is just a basic part of renting a property.

It is always great when a Tenant engages with the Check-in Inventory at the start of a tenancy so that all sides are comfortable with how the property should be returned. It is also useful to remember that if you are using an Agent, the Agent doesn’t own the property and so the Agent will often use the Inventory to support a request to a Landlord not to charge for certain items, too. So, it is also there to protect the Landlord, the Agent and the Tenant.

When you move into a new property, it is up to you to negotiate and find the best possible supplier and tariff that suits you, your needs, and your likely energy usage. You are not obligated to stay with any one supplier. However, we always appreciate Tenants letting us know if they have changed so that when they eventually move out, we can update the correct utility companies with the correct meter readings.

You are welcome to choose any broadband provider you wish however, please be aware that not all providers supply every property. Should you wish to install broadband and you don’t currently have a supply just be careful and check with your Agent that you have permission to do so. Some suppliers may need to drill holes to run new cables etc and it’s important to get that permission so that you aren’t held liable at the end of the tenancy.

When you move house, particularly if you’re moving a lot of furniture, you often need large removal lorries to do this. However, in most city centre locations, it is not easy to park directly outside a property, or there are permit parking zones. Therefore, you need to apply to have some parking spaces reserved for you .  This is where the Council will prevent other people from using those parking bays/spaces for a short period of time.  You generally apply to the Council in advance, and the night before your move-in date, the Council should come and put up signs and cones asking other people not to park in certain spaces so that there is space for your removal van. On the morning of the bay suspension, if someone is parked in your space, the council will send somebody out to physically remove those vehicles that are blocking your access. It’s just one thing that will help make your moving day slightly less stressful.

Under a PRT (Private Residential Tenancy) a Landlord is only allowed to increase the rent once in any 12 month period.