The letting agents for tenants in Essex

A tenancy agreement is a contract signed by both the tenant and the landlord. It outlines all the rules to which both parties must comply.

Your landlord or letting agent will regularly schedule visits to the property. They want to make sure that the property is being looked after and maintained in a good condition, and they’ll be looking for any maintenance issues.

The landlord is responsible for maintaining the property in a good state of repair. They will either take care of this directly, or do so via a letting agent – make sure you know who to go to when there’s a fault at the beginning of the tenancy. If you do damage to the property you are expected to cover the cost of putting this right.

In most cases, a tenant can only decorate or make changes to the property with the express permission of the landlord. We recommend receiving this permission in writing.

Don’t worry – accidents happen. Tell whoever is responsible for the property maintenance (either the landlord or letting agent) as soon as possible. You will be expected to cover the cost of putting it right. Don’t try to ignore or hide damage because it could get worse, and it will only come out of your deposit at the end of the tenancy.

If a tenant believes the landlord is not keeping to their side of the agreement – for instance, not maintaining the property in a fit state of repair – then the first thing the tenant should do is speak to their letting agent. The letting agent has a duty of care to the tenant, and may be able to help to resolve issues. Alternatively, a tenant can find independent advice from The Citizens Advice Bureau.

A landlord has to give the tenant notice before entering the property unless it’s an emergency.

What if I want to end the tenancy?
If you are tied into a fixed-term contract, you will be liable for the rent until the fixed term is finished. If you are no longer in a fixed-term contract (ie. a rolling contract) your tenancy agreement will define the notice you need to give.

If you are tied into a fixed term contract, you will be liable for the rent until the fixed term is finished. If you are no longer in a fixed term contract (ie. a rolling contract) your tenancy agreement will define the notice you need to give.

It is always your responsibility to pay the rent, but circumstances change. What happens if you become unemployed or are unable to work due to sickness? The most important thing is not to let arrears pile up until they’re unmanageable. Speak to your landlord or letting agent and see if you can reschedule your payments. And don’t forget, you can get insured against sickness and unemployment to keep yourself protected.

As part of the referencing process and in order to satisfy Right to Rent legislation we will need to check certain ID and confirm a tenant is who they say they are. We will require proof of residency (such as a recent utility or council tax bill) and proof of ID (passport and driving licence) for all individual proposed tenants.

There can be circumstances where a tenant is not be approved immediately via referencing. Obvious examples are students without a regular income, or someone leaving their family home for the first time with no renting history. This is not uncommon, and there are still options for tenants in this position. With the Landlords agreement, they could pay the rent for the full term up front, or seek out a guarantor.