HAVE YOU FOUND YOUR PERFECT NEW HOME?
Below is a simple guide to the steps to moving in to one of our properties.
Our leases are in line with the PRT agreement, deposits are equivalent to a month and half of rent.
NOTE OF INTEREST
The first step is to note interest in your chosen property. You can do this by visiting our website www.flatcompany.com or www.saltouns.com, click on the Tenants tab and select Note of Interest.
Do you need an extra desk chair or would you like the landlord to consider repainting the walls in the hall? Please note any requests on your Note of Interest.
We will collate all of the Notes of Interest that we receive and select one to pursue in line with the landlord's instructions to us. We will contact everyone who has noted interest to confirm the decision.
HOLDING DEPOSIT
The successful applicant(s) will be invited to proceed by paying a holding deposit of £200 (2 bedrooms or less) or £500 (3 bedrooms or more). This can be made on our website www.flatcompany.com or www.saltouns.com, click on the Tenants tab and select Online payment.
Your full deposit will be between 150% and 200% of the monthly rent depending on your circumstances. We will be able to confirm this once referencing has been completed. The holding deposit will be credited towards the full deposit.
APPLICATION FORM
We'll send you confirmation once we've received the payment and a link to complete the full application form.
REFERENCING
Once we've received the complete application form we'll check it and ask our referencing company to contact you to carry out a full reference. You will need an income, in the UK, equivalent to a minimum of 30 x your (equally split) share of the rent.
If you are studying or on a low income you may require a guarantor. Whoever you choose will guarantee your responsibilities under the lease. They will need to have an income in the UK equivalent to a minimum of 36 x your (equally split) share of the rent.
Once you've passed referencing we'll send you confirmation and contact you to arrange a convenient time for you to check in to the property.
Where your circumstances do not meet our normal referencing requirements, your landlord may give us the go ahead to offer you the option to pay two month's deposit instead of the usual one and a half month's rent.
SIGNING THE LEASE
Our leases are esigned. We'll send you an email to confirm it's on its way and a link to the Statutory notes that go with it. You'll then receive a separate email with a link to sign the lease.
LOGGING IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT
We'll send you login details so that you can view the other tenancy documents including the safety certificates for the property, a standing order form and the Account form giving details of the payment due at the start of your tenancy.
PAYMENT
Please ensure that we receive payment in time for your lease start date. Payments should be made by bank transfer and we need to have cleared funds in our account by the day before your lease starts at the latest so please leave plenty of time. All of the details you need are on your Account form under your secure login.
Whilst you're setting up your initial payment, why not set up your standing order for the following months. Again, the information you need is on the Standing order form under your secure login. This document includes a unique reference for you.
HAVE YOU GOT YOUR TENANT LIABILITY INSURANCE ORGANISED?
We recommend that you have cover for any accidental damage to the landlord’s furniture and fittings (tenant liability insurance).
MOVING IN
With all of the other paperwork signed and payment already made, you can go straight to the property when you're ready to move in.
We'll have made you an appointment with our inventory clerks, Pinstripe, to collect the keys and go over the inventory at the property. If you need to change this appointment you can contact Pinstripe directly on 0131 564 1918.
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY DEPOSIT?
Your deposit will be lodged with LPS Scotland, one of the three approved schemes in Scotland. You will receive email confirmation from us when the transfer is made and then confirmation from LPS that it has been lodged by them. The email from LPS contains your repayment ID number which you will need when you come to reclaim your deposit at the end of the tenancy. Please keep these details in a safe place, but you can ask them to resend them at any time by contacting them directly.
If your contact details change during your tenancy you will need to notify LPS and our company. Further information about the LPS tenancy deposit scheme can be found here: www.lettingprotectionscotland.com/documents/tenants-guide-to-the-lps-scotland.pdf
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY DEPOSIT IF WE WANT TO CHANGE SOME OF MY FLATMATES?
We'll need to reference incoming tenants and draw up a new lease for you. As soon as you know that you want to change some of the names on your lease please contact us to make arrangements as in some circumstances this may not be possible.
Where there has been a partial change of tenants at the property we will apply to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme for the return of the renewing tenants' share of the deposit from the previous tenancy. It is important that the lead tenant from the previous tenancy authorises this return as soon as possible and within 7 days so that we can lodge the full deposit for this current tenancy. The lead tenant from the previous tenancy is also then able to release the deposit to those tenants from the previous tenancy no longer living in the property.
WHO DO I NEED TO CONTACT TO SET UP MY TELEPHONE / BROADBAND / CABLE / SATELLITE?
If you wish to have a new cable service fitted, please contact the office for written permission if any work is required to the property including, but not restricted to drilling through the fabric of the property to fit cabling.
If there is already cabling within the property and no other work is required please simply contact your chosen provider to arrange a connection.
ANY QUESTIONS?
If you have a question and can't find the answer on our website please contact us. Our office is open Mon-Thurs 09.00 - 17.30 and Fri 09.00 - 17.00.
We follow the Letting Agent Code of Practice, details of which can be found here: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0053/00530797.pdf
MAINTENANCE
The service is available 24/7 and includes contact details for out-of-hours emergencies. Our fix times are 24 hours for urgent works and 7 days for non urgent works. Don’t forget that fix times can be delayed if the maintenance team have to order parts or if we require your landlord’s approval to complete the works.
MOVING OUT
Let us know when you want to move out at least two months before you want to move out for rolling leases and 28 days before for a Private Residential Tenancy. This process is very straightforward and we will send you all the information you need when we receive your notice.