Additionally, we’re here to help you manage the relationship with your Landlord. We make sure they are fully aware of their legal obligations to ensure your new home is safe, well maintained and hassle free. Ultimately, we’re here to work in the interests of both parties to ensure a trouble free tenancy and good landlord-tenant relationships. What can you expect from us:

• Free registration, to help you find a rental property
• Tenant property matching service, to help you find the property that meets your needs
• Arrangement of property viewings at convenient times
• Competitive rates
• Friendly knowledgeable team who are on-hand to help you
• Ongoing support throughout your tenancy
• All bond deposits are protected through DPS (Deposit Protection Service)

Questions & Answers
Can I decorate?
Any redecoration is to be made only with the prior consent of the Landlord or his Agent.  Any redecoration that is agreed in writing must be put back to its original colour by the tenant at the end of the tenancy.

Any requests should be emailed into us with full details. We will give you a decision within 14 days.

Can I change any fixtures and fittings?  (e.g. Door handles, etc)
No fixtures and fittings can be removed/changed in the property as these form part of the property.

If a fitting becomes faulty, this should be reported and dealt with I the normal way via our maintenance app.

Can I have a pet (Cat or Dog)? All our properties are no pets.
Not to keep any animals or birds on the Property without the Landlord’s written consent such consent if granted to be revocable at will by the Landlord.

Caged or tanked animals like birds/fish/etc will be considered. (If appropriate).

Any requests should be emailed into us with full details. We will give you a decision within 14 days.

Additional clause - The tenant agrees neither to keep any animals, birds or reptiles or rodents in or on the premises nor to allow their invited guests or visitors to do so.  In breach of this clause is to be responsible for the reasonable costs or rectification of any damage caused or for any appropriate de-infestation, cleaning, fumigation etc required.

Do I need to keep the gutters and drains clear? 
Tenants obligations (implied obligations by common law), to use the premises in a tenant like manner.

‘This means that they must take proper care of the property by doing the little jobs which can reasonably be expected of them, such as unblocking drains, having chimneys swept, mending/replacing fuses, unstop the sink when it is blocked by their waste, cleaning windows, etc. ‘

Can I move out of my fixed term contract? (AST clause 3.4) 
Early termination of tenancy (if requested by tenant) £895+vat (+pay rent and fulfil all tenants obligations until new AST signed).

Any requests should be emailed into us with full details. We will give you a decision within 14 days.

Please note to carry out this procedure we must have landlord agreement. Once we have this there is a tenancy release document to sign and the re-let fee £895+vat is to be paid to start the procedure.

Can I add a tenant to the lease? (AST clause 4.8)
If a Tenant requests a change to the Tenancy and the Landlord consents, then the Tenant will be responsible for £20.83 plus Vat (£25 including Vat) towards the referencing fee and £20.83 plus Vat (£25 including Vat) towards the revision of the Tenancy Agreement. The total amount the Tenant would be required to pay towards this service is £41.67 plus Vat (£50 including Vat)

Contract negotiation, amending terms and updating your tenancy agreement during your tenancy.

Any requests should be emailed into us with full details. We will give you a decision within 14 days.

Please note any amendment to the lease must be agreed by the landlord. Any additional tenant must be fully referenced prior to moving in. Also to proceed, they must qualify for the rent insurance criteria on the property.

Can a tenant come off the lease? (AST clause 4.8)
Tenancy amendment fee £40.00 plus vat. Contract negotiation, amending terms and updating your tenancy agreement during your tenancy.

Any requests should be emailed into us with full details. We will give you a decision within 14 days.

Please note any amendment to the lease must be agreed by the landlord. To proceed, any remaining tenant must qualify for the rent insurance criteria on the property. (including affordability).

Can I extend my lease? (tenancy renewals) 
Two months prior to the end of the lease we will contact you to ask if you would like to renew the tenancy. The rent will be re-assessed at this point. Any rent increases will be discussed with the landlord and tenant prior to the new tenancy being issued.

Can I remove a guarantor from my tenancy?
A tenant may have a guarantor with their tenancy. This will be due to the rent insurance criteria not being met (this can be due to affordability or credit history circumstances). All guarantor tenancy/covenants are continuing guarantees whilst the tenant is in occupation. Therefore a guarantor cannot be removed.

Guarantor document Terms & Conditions (Deed of Guarantee section 6)
All the provisions of this agreement shall apply both during the term granted in the Tenancy Agreement and during any continuation or renewal thereof.

If the tenants circumstances/employment/etc changes and they are  re-referenced and they qualify for rent guarantee insurance then at the point of tenancy renewal the guarantor may be removed. (subject to landlord agreement).

Do I need to cut the grass and maintain the front and rear gardens/outside areas? (AST clause 5.5)
Yes, the gardens need to be maintained to the same standard as they were at the point of move in. (Inventory photos are taken at the start of a tenancy to show the gardens/size of shrubs and bushes, etc). If you require any of these pictures as a reference point, please request prior to move out.

Can I call an emergency plumber for a major leak?
Standard advice –  If emergency (flood) call Fire Brigade 999

If the office is closed (out of hours) you can call an emergency plumber if the situation meets two criteria:

(Turn off stop tap)

1 ) If there is a threat to health and safety.

2 ) If taking action will protect the landlords property from further damage.

What is your ‘Out of hours procedure’?

The law states tenants obligations - When renting a property the tenant has a responsibility to take any necessary reasonable steps and act as any householder would.

Fire – Call fire brigade (call 999)

Flood – Call fire brigade (call 999)

Structure damage

Gas escape/Smell gas – Call Cadent 0800 111 999 

In the event of total loss of power please contact your Electricity supplier direct or UK Power Networks 0800 3163105 

No running water (Always check with the water board first, in case maintenance is being carried out) Affinity Water 0345 357 2407 ,  Thames Water 0800 316 9800

Criminal action – Call police (call 999)

Leaks:

If there is a leak turn the stop tap off (water meter stop tap can be used).

Put a container under leak (pot or bucket).

Clear up any excess water with cloths/towels.

If necessary call a reputable emergency plumber to protect the property.

Report the fault to the letting agent as soon as possible:

What the fault is
When it started
How it started
Name/make of any boiler or water tank
What initial action has been taken
Any pictures which may help

Standard insurance procedure:

Any damage to the landlords property is claimed under landlords building insurance.

Any damage to the tenants property is claimed under tenant contents insurance.

What small jobs should a tenant do around the house?
Including:

• Change light bulbs
• Reset fuses
• Unstop sinks
• Unblock toilet
• Clear gutters
• Clear blocked drains (blocked by tenants waste)
• Small jobs like tighten a loose screw or bolt (interior door handle or fixing)
• Re-pressurise a heating boiler to 1.5, where access to the filling loop is possible
• (Loss of pressure over time may cause the boiler to stop working)

End of tenancy and return of deposit from The Deposit Protection Service Scheme 
All deposits are held by The Deposit Protection Service scheme.

If your landlord or letting agent has processed a return of deposit/part deposit to you from the Deposit Protection Service Scheme,  www.depositprotection.com then -

• www.depositprotection.com will email you and ask you to log in to confirm the repayment.
• You’ll need to provide the bank details you want the Deposit Protection Service scheme to use to repay the deposit.
• Once you’ve provided these details, depositprotection.com will repay the deposit as instructed and mark the deposit as closed on our system.

You can find further information at depositprotection.com (I’m a tenant section), or call 0330 3030030 (open Mon to Fri 8.00 to 18.30).

Condensation guidelines for occupiers/tenants
This information has been supplied by a Surveyor who specialises in dampness and condensation issues. Please use this 14-day checklist to instantly reduce moisture.

What if I see mould/condensation appearing in the property? 
Note: Please see the guidelines detailed below. The basic measures within the checklist should be used in conjunction with the further information detailed below.

Tenants who follow the 14-day procedure report a 90% improvement.

If after the 14 day period you would like to report an issue please use the Report Maintenance Link to report this type of issue.  The link is  https://dmandco.london/report-maintenance/

Basic 14-day checklist to instantly reduce moisture
1) Keep a steady constant heat in all rooms in the property.

2) Wipe down any moisture which collects on window sills daily. This will stop the moisture from turning into black mould.

3) Keep constant ventilation, especially any upstairs fanlight windows. This will allow excess moisture to escape.

4) Do not dry wet washing inside the property. Not without proper ventilation and especially not in cold or affected rooms.

5) Keep the bathroom door closed during and after bath/showering. Also, open the windows and use an extractor if available.

6) Keep the kitchen well-ventilated when cooking/boiling pots/kettles. Also opening windows and using an extractor if available.

7) Do not put any large furniture on cold typically north-facing outside walls. Always keep a 2/4 inch gap from the wall for air circulation.

8) Regularly check walls/surfaces and remove any mould with proper solution. Keeping excess condensation under control.

What is condensation? 
Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. As soon as warm air hits a cold surface, it cools down and releases some of the moisture, depositing dampness or droplets of water on the cold surface. This ‘dampness’ is condensation. 

Condensation in the home
Ordinary household activities, such as washing and drying clothes, cooking and bathing, produce moisture-rich warm air. Breathing also generates moisture. If the warm moist air cannot escape through an open window or air vent, it will move around your property until it finds a cold spot where it will deposit condensation. 

The materials used to build a house, such as mortar and plaster, contain a lot of moisture. This moisture will dry out as the property is occupied and heated; however, this can take some time and is why newly built dwellings can be especially prone to condensation.

In addition, modern improvements (such as insulation to walls, draught-proofing on doors and sealed window units) minimise draughts and stop heat escaping from your home. However, these improvements also stop moisture from escaping, which can result in condensation forming at cold points in the structure.

Condensation is most likely to appear on surfaces such as windows, colder parts of walls, around the external door and window openings, at junctions of floors and ceilings with outside walls, and in areas where air movement is restricted, such as inside cupboards and behind furniture which is placed against outside walls (wardrobes, drawers, cupboards).

Persistent condensation on walls and ceilings can sometimes cause black mould growth.

The amount of moisture circulating in a house is startling
Two active people sharing a house will, on average, create 24 pints a day.

Even the most mundane activities produce a lot of moisture:

Washing clothes – one pint

Taking a bath/shower – two pints

Heating with bottled gas or paraffin – three pints

Cooking and boiling kettles – six pints

Drying clothes – nine pints

Even two people walking, talking and breathing produce three pints of moisture between them every day.

Controlling condensation in the property
Controlling condensation is a balance between heating and ventilation, together with taking simple steps to remove moisture.

Heating
To prevent condensation, room surfaces should be kept warm. It can take a long time for a building to warm up, so it is better to have a small amount of heat over a long period of time, than a lot of heat for a short period of time. If your property is unoccupied for any length of time, it is best to keep the heating on a low setting, rather than turning it off. If the heating is switched off while your property is unoccupied, condensation may occur as the temperature lowers. If occupants return and generate moisture before the property warms up again, the condensation could be made worse.

Try to avoid cold areas in the property. It is better to keep all rooms heated (even if some rooms are not usually used) to a lower temperature than having one room heated to a higher temperature.

Ventilation
Airing your property, by opening windows a little and using extractor fans or vents, will allow moisture to escape outside:

• Use extractor fans while you are cooking or bathing, and for 10 to 15 minutes after you have finished.
• Keep the bathroom door closed while bathing and, if you have a window in the bathroom, open it for about 20 minutes once you have finished (with the bathroom door closed).
• Keep a small window or a trickle ventilator (normally fitted at the top of a window) open.

Removing moisture
Reducing the moisture in your property will reduce condensation:

• Wipe any condensation from windows and sills as it occurs. (every morning). Wet cloths must then be wrung out in the bath or sink. They must not be left to dry out on a radiator as this will reintroduce moisture into the house.
• Keep the kitchen door closed and the window open while you are cooking.
• Put lids on saucepans while you are cooking.
• Avoid drying laundry on a clothes horse or radiator. If you do need to dry clothes indoors, open the window and close the door of the room where the clothes are drying so that moisture can escape outside rather than circulate around your home.
• If you have a non-condenser type tumble dryer, make sure it is vented to the outside.
• Ideally, place free-standing wardrobes and other furniture against internal walls, leaving a gap between the wall and the furniture so air can circulate. (Not against cold North facing outside walls).
• Ventilate cupboards and wardrobes and avoid overfilling them to allow air to circulate.

 Wipe down affected areas (walls) with a fungicidal wash – only use products with a Health and Safety Executive approval number. Wear rubber gloves to protect your skin.

Additional measures to reduce condensation
Cover pans when cooking

Don’t leave kettles boiling

Dry washing outdoors whenever possible

Don’t dry washing on radiators

Proper ventilation does not make a home draughty and more expensive to run. Keeping a window slightly ajar or fitting a trickle ventilator can cut condensation.

When cooking or drying clothes, ask tenants to open windows, but do not forget to stress the importance of security – if tenants are going out, they need to double-check that the windows are shut.

General advice for condensation treatment
If condensation causes mould to grow in your property, the mould should be treated as soon as you notice it, to avoid it spreading and causing more damage to your property.

1. Sterilise the affected area with a suitable and appropriate fungicidal wash available from most DIY stores and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Never use washing up liquid as this will cause further mould growth. Keep the affected area under observation for at least a week and, if the mould reappears, wash it down again with fungicidal wash to make sure sterilisation is thorough.
2. Dry clean any mildewed clothing and shampoo carpets. Disturbing mould by brushing or vacuum cleaning can increase the risk of respiratory problems.
3. If the treatment appears to have been successful, any necessary redecoration can be carried out. Use a good quality fungicidal paint to help prevent mould, but note that this paint would not be effective if it is subsequently covered by ordinary paint or wallpaper. If wallpapering, use a paste containing a fungicide to prevent further mould growth.
4. To prevent mould returning, ensure condensation and dampness is controlled in your property.

Remember that condensation is not normally a building fault. Learning to control moisture levels is a vital part of the way we live in our properties.