For tenants
Renting, without the small print.
Here is what it costs, what we will ask you for, and what happens when something breaks. If anything on this page turns out not to be true of a tenancy with us, tell us and we will put it right.
- Application fee
- None
- Referencing fee
- None
- Renewal fee
- None
- Deposit
- Five weeks' rent, capped
- Emergency repairs
- 24 hours a day
How it works
Six steps, about three weeks.
From first viewing to keys, assuming references come back promptly. We will tell you at every stage what we are waiting on and who we are waiting on.
Find something
Everything we have is on the site with real availability dates. If nothing fits, register what you are after — about a third of our properties go to someone already on the list.
Come and view
Accompanied, six days a week, by someone who has been inside the property. Ask about the heating bills. We will tell you.
Apply
A short form and a holding deposit of one week's rent. That takes the property off the market for 15 days and comes off your first month's rent.
References
Affordability, employment, previous landlord and a credit check, through Goodlord. It usually takes two to four working days once everyone replies.
Sign
The tenancy agreement, the How to Rent guide and the deposit paperwork all go out digitally. Read it. Ask us anything that is not clear.
Move in
Keys, meter readings, alarms tested in front of you, and an inventory with photographs you have seven days to comment on.
Permitted payments
Everything you could be asked to pay.
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 sets out what a letting agent in England may charge a tenant. This is that list. There is nothing else, and there is no version of this page with more items on it.
| Payment | Amount | When and why |
|---|---|---|
| Holding deposit | One week's rent | Reserves the property for 15 days and comes off your first month's rent. Refundable unless you pull out, fail a Right to Rent check, or gave us false information. |
| Security deposit | Five weeks' rent | The legal maximum. Protected with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme within 30 days, with the prescribed information sent to you. |
| Rent | As advertised | Due monthly in advance, on the same date each month, by standing order. |
| Changing the tenancy | £50 including VAT | Only if you ask us to change something mid-tenancy — adding a tenant, for example. We do not charge to renew. |
| Early termination | Landlord's reasonable costs | Only if you ask to leave early and the landlord agrees. Capped at the rent outstanding to the end of the term. |
| Late rent | 3% above base rate | Interest only, and only on rent more than 14 days late. |
| Lost keys | Actual cost | The cost of replacement, with a receipt. Nothing on top. |
What we will never charge you
Eight things you will not find on your statement.
Some of these are unlawful and some are merely common. We do not do either, including the ‘professional clean’ clause that agents still write into agreements and deduct from deposits at the end.
- Application or admin fees
- Referencing or credit check fees
- Inventory or check-out fees
- Renewal fees
- Guarantor fees
- Cleaning fees at the start of a tenancy
- Fees for accompanying a viewing
- ‘Professional clean’ charges written into the agreement
Repairs
When something breaks.
Report it through the portal, by email, or by phone — whichever is easiest. Emergencies are anything that makes the property unsafe or unusable: no heating in winter, no hot water, a leak, a failed lock, an electrical fault. Those get an engineer out of hours.
Everything else gets logged the same day, and you get told who is coming and roughly when. If a contractor does not turn up, tell us — we would rather know, and we stop using people who waste your afternoon.
Questions
The ones we get asked most.
If yours is not here, ring the office. Nobody will try to book you a viewing for something you have not asked about.
What income do I need?
As a rule of thumb, annual household income of thirty times the monthly rent — so £75,000 for a £2,500 a month house. If you are under that, a UK-based guarantor earning thirty-six times the rent usually works. We will tell you before you view rather than after you apply.
I have adverse credit. Is that the end of it?
Not necessarily. A satisfied default from four years ago is a different conversation from an active CCJ. Tell us up front — we can often still place you, sometimes with a guarantor or additional rent in advance, and being told late is what actually kills applications.
Can I have a pet?
On several of our properties, yes, and where a landlord considers pets we say so on the listing. Under the Renters' Rights Act a landlord cannot refuse unreasonably, and we do not charge a pet premium on the rent.
How do I report a repair?
Through the tenant portal, by email, or by phone. Anything that makes the property unsafe or uninhabitable — no heat, no water, a leak, a broken lock — is an emergency and there is a number for it out of hours. Everything else gets logged and you get told who is coming and when.
When do I get my deposit back?
We aim to return undisputed deposits within ten working days of check-out. The check-out report is compared against the inventory you had seven days to comment on at the start, which is why that seven days matters. Fair wear and tear is not deductible and we do not try it on.
Can I decorate?
Usually, with written permission first. Most of our landlords are fine with a repaint in a sensible colour. Put it in an email so there is a record, and we will get you an answer inside a week.
Start with what is available.
Eight homes on the books today, from a one-bedroom flat in Northwich to a six-bedroom rectory in Great Budworth. All managed by us, all viewable this week.