44 Sowood Street

You can either telephone us on 0113 2936080, e-mail us at info@astonproperties.co.uk Virtual viewings will be offered where possible.

Yes we can arrange this for you.

In order to secure a property and take it off the market you will be asked to sign a tenancy agreement. All documents are sent via email in order to limit the traffic into our office. You will also be required to pay your deposit once the contract has been signed.

Providing we have received all previously requested documentation and rent for your group, keys for your property will be available from 1pm on the date your tenancy begins. For many of our properties, this will be the 1st July and inevitably it will be busy. With this in mind it may be easier to collect your keys on another day if that suits you. Alternatively, you may wish to collect all the keys for your group at one time as they can be released to just one tenant. This may be useful if you have housemates wanting to move in on a weekend when we may not be open.

You will be asked to sign an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement which will run for an agreed fixed term. This is a joint and several liability agreement which means you are all jointly responsible for the payment of rent for the property. To alleviate some of this responsibility from you and your housemates, we require each of you to have a guarantor.

When you move in to a property you must take meter readings for gas, electricity and water (where applicable). You then have to register all utilities in your name and that of your fellow housemates, and give the companies the readings you have taken. Further information detailing what to do and who to contact will be given to you at the time of moving in.

Should you wish to move out early you will need to perform a reassignment, this is the process of finding a tenant to replace you in the tenancy agreement. Please contact the office if this is something you are considering.

All one and two bed properties require a deposit equal to one month’s rent. For large, shared properties of three or more bedrooms, you are required to pay a deposit of £300 per person. All deposits will be registered with The Tenancy Deposit Scheme (see below for further details).

You do not need to pay any rent at the time of signing but we will require you to complete a direct debit mandate to authorise the rental payments to be collected when they become due.

Rent schedules will be available in the tenancy agreement.

As of April 2007 the Government introduced deposit protection schemes to prevent landlords making unwarranted deductions from your deposit. Any landlords holding money as a deposit on behalf of their tenants have a legal obligation to protect it. We are happy to oblige with this and we use the The Dispute Service (TDS) to protect your deposit. More information about them is available from our office or by visiting their website: www.thedisputeservice.co.uk

A guarantor is usually a parent or guardian that is in a position to pay your rent if you fail to do so. We understand that finances can sometimes be tight as a student and will offer flexibility wherever possible if you contact us in advance about any difficulties you may have with regards to rent payment. However, there may be an occasion where you are simply not able to pay and it is for this reason that you are required to have a guarantor. We will discuss this with you in more detail at the time of signing and send your nominated person all the information needed. Copies of all relevant guarantor information, including the forms they will be asked to sign are located in the ‘Download’ section of our website.

A house manager is usually the most responsible tenant in the house. Their job is to be our single point of contact during the tenancy for any maintenance issues, problems in the house and at the end of the tenancy the deposit is returned to that person. It is their responsibility to divide this sum as you all see fair. We will ask you to nominate your house manager or ‘responsible person’ at the time of signing your tenancy agreement.

Yes, you will need contents insurance for your own personal possessions. Many personal policies cover landlord’s property to a value of £5,000 which should be sufficient in the event of any accidental damage. The building is insured by the landlord.