Full Guide

Finding a property
The first step is to find a property that you like. You can see all of our available properties listed on this site, on most of the property portals on the net, in the local lettings newspaper or you can pop into our office for a chat. We can advise you on every aspect of how the property letting process works.
Once you have found a property that you are interested in, we can organise a viewing for you. The process is simple; you can telephone our office or email us and we will book you a viewing at a time that is best suited to you including out of hours appointments if this is more convenient. You will be accompanied on the viewing by a member of staff who can give advice and answer any questions you may have. Please note: We cannot process a Tenancy application without you or your representative viewing the property in person first.

Application Process
Once you have viewed your chosen property, you may reserve it by paying a 'holding fee' of £100 which will be deducted from the monies due before you move in. You will also be required to provide two forms of identification and complete an application form for our referencing procedure which will be carried out by Homelet. There is an individual referencing fee with a concession for joint applications. If a Guarantor is required, the first application is free of charge. However, if a subsequent guarantor application is required, this will be subject to a fee and we can advise you of these costs at the time of your enquiry to view the property.
We must advise you that the fees will be forfeit if you fail to provide complete and accurate information in your application which results in an unsatisfactory reference or you choose not to proceed for any reason.

Benefit Recipients
We do have landlords who are able to consider Tenants in receipt of benefits depending on your circumstances and what benefits you are receiving. In order to meet our referencing criteria, you will need to be able to personally fund the first month's rent in advance; the full Security Deposit (approximately 5 weeks rent) and you would also need to provide a Guarantor that earns three times the annual rent on the property you are hoping to rent. Your first Guarantor's application would be free of charge but any subsequent Guarantor applications would be subject to a charge. Details of our fees will be provided at the time of your initial enquiry.

Tenancy Agreement
Our Tenancies are granted for a minimum Fixed Term of 6 months although longer Fixed Term Tenancies can also be negotiated with mutual agreement from the Landlord. A sample Tenancy Agreement can be seen at your request prior to proceeding with your application.

Rents
Rents are normally quoted per calendar month and payable monthly in advance. The Tenant is usually also responsible for Council Tax, Water Rates, Gas, Electricity and Telephone costs unless otherwise stated. All rents are payable by bank standing order to our company bank account.

Deposit
For our Fully Managed Properties, a security deposit of a minimum of five weeks rental must be paid, and will be held by ourselves in a secure client account throughout the Tenancy Term. This is held to cover damage, breakages, and any other liabilities under the terms of your Tenancy Agreement. Please note that under no circumstances can the deposit be used by the Tenant to cover rent. The deposit is registered with The Tenancy Dispute Service (TDS) and full details of the scheme can be found on their website www.thedisputeservice.co.uk
Some Landlords manage their own properties and you will be told about this prior to submitting an application on any property. In these cases, sometimes the deposits are held by us under the same terms as above or alternatively, the Landlord will hold the deposit and it will be registered in an approved scheme of their choice. The full details of this will be included within your Tenancy Agreement.

Move In
Once we have received completed and acceptable references from Homelet, we can organise a move in date and time. We would require that the first months rent (minus the holding fee) and the security deposit is received by us in CLEARED FUNDS 24 hours prior to your Tenancy start date. The best way to pay this is by bank transfer or debit card payment. On the day of move in we will meet you at the property where we will complete any outstanding paperwork. We will sign the Assured Short hold Tenancy Agreement (AST) and will walk through the property with you, providing you with a full Inventory of the property, information regarding your Tenancy, emergency information and utility details. On the day of the move in you will need to be able to provide us with your bank account details to complete a standing order mandate and we will also need to see the original versions of the 2 forms of identification submitted for referencing purposes (if these have not been seen by us previously). The Tenancy cannot proceed without these items.

After the Move In
Once you have moved into the property, you have the opportunity to make comments on the Inventory which should be noted in the appropriate column and returned to us within 7 days. It is essential that you are happy with the contents of the Inventory and you make any necessary amendments as this report will form the basis of your move out report at the end of your Tenancy. We will then carry out regular Periodic visits during the Tenancy to deal with any maintenance issues and to make sure your Tenancy runs smoothly.

© AcQuest Property Management Ltd. Lincoln Letting Agents. 2004-2011.