Help & Advice for Tenants

From the 1st June 2019, the payments a tenant will be charged during their tenancy are:

* The rent

* A tenancy damage deposit of 5 weeks rent (which is registered with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme)

* Payments in respect of utilities, communication services, TV licence and Council Tax, where applicable


There may be additional charges made in specific circumstances. These are:

* A payment (of £50) to change the tenancy if requested by the tenant

* A payment (of £120) associated with early termination of the tenancy, when requested by the tenant. This cost is for advertising and referencing associated with finding new tenants.

* A default payment for late payment of rent. This would be a daily charge of 3% (+ the Bank of England Base rate) of rent.

* A replacement cost (of £24) for lost keys or security devices.

* Where a tenant makes an emergency service call-out and the repair is due to either negligence or misuse on the part of the tenant, or the repair is not considered to be an emergency.

* Where additional cleaning is required at the end of a tenancy, the outgoing tenant(s) will bear the cost of any cleaning required.

This will be advertised with the property and is usually 5 weeks rent. While the deposit is related to the property, if the agreement relates to a house share, we can accept the deposit in more than one payment if they add up to the full amount. Please note, that any deposit is returned as a single sum to the nominated head tenant.

As a member of the tenancy deposit scheme, your deposit for an assured shorthold tenancy with us is safeguarded. Find out more here.

You’ll need to provide references to demonstrate your financial capability and your suitability as a tenant, as well as carrying out a credit check.

Typically, references include:

– Your current landlord, and possibly previous landlords.
– Your employer, to confirm your employment and its stability.

At the beginning of your tenancy, you’ll be given two copies of a detailed Inventory and Schedule of Condition. You should check this thoroughly, before returning it, signed and dated, with any necessary amendments, within one week of the start of your Tenancy. Please email a separate list to us for any maintenance issues that need immediate attention.

If we don’t receive a signed copy of the inventory, it will be deemed that you accept the inventory as a true statement of the condition of the Property. It’s in your best interests to keep a copy safe for reference at the accompanied checkout appointment at the end of your Tenancy.

The rent is payable in equal monthly payments (12 equal monthly payments for a 12-month tenancy term). Payments are made monthly by Standing Order, and at the signing appointment, we’ll expect you to complete a standing order mandate.

If the property is with our let-only service (where we don’t manage the property), then a full month’s rent will be payable before you move in. The remaining monthly rental payments will then be payable directly to the landlord.

If any rent payment is received late, then late payment charges are due as stated in the tenancy agreement.

You’re responsible for paying council tax while your tenancy is running on the property.

For most properties, tenants are responsible for utilities, unless bills are expressly covered in the monthly payment. We can help with any relevant utility information, but please note that we may not have details on the current suppliers. But we can give you with agency contact numbers to confirm the current supplier details. At the start of your tenancy, we’ll take the opening meter readings with you and supply contact details to transfer the gas, electric, and water supplies to your name.

Regarding internet access, please speak to BT to find out if the property already has a phone line – they need direct communication from tenants for reconnection services. Any reconnection by BT may be subject to a fee, and the duration can vary, often between one and thirty days. We suggest getting in touch with them a week before moving in. Please remember that access to the property is only permitted after the start of your tenancy. Alternatively, you could think about Virgin Media for internet services. If the property doesn’t have a Virgin Media setup, let us know, and we’ll liaise with the landlord for the necessary permissions.

If we’re managing the property on the landlord’s behalf, all correspondence should be directed through us.

The name of your Landlord will be shown on your Tenancy Agreement. We’re also obliged, within 28 days of your written request, to give you, in writing, the address of the Landlord. Unless the Landlord agrees, we aren’t obliged to provide you with their contact phone numbers or email addresses.

The majority of our correspondence is through email, and you should check your inbox regularly to make sure you’re up to date. We’ll email you to advise you of any inspections, maintenance visits and viewings.

Our email addresses is letting-enquiries@prolet.co.uk

The landlord provides building insurance for the property. However, we recommend our tenants have contents insurance for their personal belongings inside the property. This insurance should also include third-party coverage for unintentional damage to any items the landlord has in the property. Please make sure that the property remains secure at all times.

Please look at www.norwich.gov.uk to check if you’re entitled to a parking permit. There are planning restrictions on some premises which don’t allow any permits to be issued.

Yes, we will, if we’re managing the property. We normally carry out our initial property visit within 4-6 weeks of you moving in and notify you by email approximately a week in advance of the visit.

The purpose of the visit is to confirm that both parties are fulfilling their contractual responsibilities. We’ll let you know if we see anything that might cause the landlord to take money out of the deposit when you move out, and we’ll give you tips on how to avoid that.

We also carry out periodic inspections to check the property, alongside a full annual maintenance inspection.

Tenants can’t provide notice during an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement, which has a set duration. So, if any or all tenants want to leave before the contract ends, the responsibility for rent remains until the term concludes.

But we understand that unforeseen situations happen. If there’s a need to adjust the agreement before its completion, we might be able to help, provided the landlord agrees. Any agreement modifications will incur administrative fees, which will depend on the specific legal considerations. For more details, please get in touch. We always recommend consulting with an independent legal expert for things like this.

We operate a 24/7 online maintenance system, which allows repairs for non-emergencies to be dealt with quickly. To access the system please go to Report a Repair. Once you’re registered and need to report a repair, a guided process helps us get the information we need to start any maintenance or for tenants to solve issues themselves quickly and efficiently.

If maintenance is needed, you can upload photos of your problem that may help our contractors bring the right tools and equipment to fix it.

PLEASE NOTE: Emergencies must be reported to us by telephone.
Please see our emergency procedures for more information.

With maintenance, our role is to process requests from tenants and forward them to the landlord. As some of our landlords have their own maintenance teams, we might no be using our contractors to carry out the work, although we‘ll arrange for the landlords to organise the work. If there are delays in undertaking urgent maintenance, we’ll chase to make sure the necessary work is completed as quickly as possible, but Prolet can’t be held responsible for delays.

Where there is a health or safety issue, or a breach of the agreement, Prolet will intervene if the owner is slow to respond. Most repairs and faults are fair wear and tear and will be settled on behalf of your landlord. But, you should be aware that in the event of the repairer telling us the fault is clearly a result of misuse – for example, a blocked drain caused by putting food, fat or grease down the kitchen sink; or that no fault exists – we reserve the right to hold the tenants responsible for the call-out.

These are the end of tenancy procedures:

1. Final Inspection: After this, you’ll get a report highlighting potential repairs or updates you might need to make to avoid possible deposit deductions.

2. Check-out Appointment:
Scheduled on the last day of your tenancy.
The inventory clerk will meet you at the property.
Here, you’ll hand over the property’s vacant possession.

3. Inventory Assessment:

The clerk will note normal wear and tear (landlord’s charge) versus damage beyond that (tenant’s charge).
Any requirements for gardening, cleaning, or carpet/upholstery refreshment will be identified.

4. Presence is Crucial: Please make sure a tenant or their representative is present to:

Record final meter readings.
Hand over all the keys.
Discuss the inventory clerk’s observations.

5. Property Condition: The property should be returned clean, reflecting a professional standard with no signs of the previous occupants. If further cleaning is needed, a professional will handle it the day after you leave, with costs charged to the outgoing tenant.

6. Forwarding Address: Make sure you provide us or the landlord with a forwarding address by the tenancy’s last day for any outstanding bills.

We’ll let the nominated Head Tenant, within 10 working days of the check-out, know of any proposed deductions to the deposit.

Once we have your approval, we’ll arrange payment of the agreed amount as long as all terms and conditions have been met as stated in the Tenancy Agreement. This should reach you within 10 working days.

You should also be aware that we automatically arrange for properties to be cleaned to a professional standard at the end of each tenancy, and that you’ll be charged the cost of cleaning, based on the time spent. Your property will have been cleaned before you move in, and experience has shown us that this is the only way that we can maintain a consistent standard between tenancies. However, if, after you leave we find the property has already been cleaned to a professional standard, we’ll cancel the cleaners.

FOR INFO: Professional cleaning charges in Norwich are approximately £150 for a light clean; £250 for a standard clean, and £350 for a deep clean. We also charge for any lost keys.