Tenant FAQs

In order to reserve a property, you will have to pay a non-refundable holding deposit. This is normally £150 (inc. VAT) per person. We also charge an administration fee of £100 (inc. VAT) per person (min £200 per tenancy) to cover references, credit checks, tenancy agreement and deposit registration. Assuming the references etc. are fine, we will then ask you to come in and sign the tenancy agreement and pay the balance of the deposit and the first month’s rent. If the checks and references we receive are not satisfactory, we reserve the right to withdraw our offer of the property and keep the holding deposit. If you decide to withdraw before signing the tenancy then you lose the holding deposit.

If you breach your tenancy at all or require other services during the tenancy, then there may be other charges, e.g. late rent payments, noise nuisance, attending key lockouts, etc.

You will be asked to pay by standing order – normally monthly. If there are several of you renting one property, then you should pay in one lump sum, so one person will need to take responsibility for arranging this.

Your deposit will be protected under the government’s deposit protection scheme. All deposits we take are lodged with the Deposit Protection Service and any deductions we would want to make at the end have to be agreed with you or, if we are in dispute, arbitrated by the DPS.

You will be asked to sign an Assured Shorthold Tenancy for a minimum of 6 months. If you are taking the property with other people then you will usually all sign a joint tenancy. This means that you are jointly and severally responsible and liable for the tenancy – so, if one person is in breach, technically you can all be held liable for the breach. A good reason to be sure you trust who you will be living with!

In most cases you will be responsible for paying gas, electricity, water, council tax, telephone, TV licence, internet, etc. As part of our service we will transfer water, council tax, gas and electricity bills into your name and take meter readings at check in.

This depends on the service level your landlord has signed up to. If we are doing the Full Management or On Call service, then we will arrange for any maintenance problems to be sorted. If you have a problem, please let us know as soon as possible – preferably by either text or email so there is a written record. We will attend to any emergencies within 24 hours, and anything that seriously affects your comfort and inconvenience within 7 days. All minor repair requests will be dealt within 28 days.

We will give you 24 hours’ notice before any contractors attend for routine repairs. However, we cannot always give an exact time or date of them attending. Our regular handymen and contractors will have keys issued to them but they will always knock/ring before entering your property. If you would prefer to be present, then we will ask you to arrange a time/date direct with the contractor. If, however, they attend and you are not there to let them in, we will have to charge you their call-out fee.

You can text/call on the mobile number given to you at any time. However, if your problem is a genuine emergency, e.g. gas leak, massive water leak, etc. then you should follow the instructions in your house book as we are not able to attend calls in the middle of the night. However, we will contact you first thing in the morning to follow up on any problems.

You are bound by the terms of your tenancy. However, if you find a suitable replacement tenant to take over from you, then we can undertake a transfer of tenancy. There will be a fee for this as we will have to take up references, etc. and arrange for a new document to be signed.

CBR Property Management have an in-house complaints procedure that aims to investigate and respond to your complaint within 15 days. Should you be unhappy with the outcome of your complaint we will give you details of how you can contact the Property Ombudsman, of which we are a member. The Property Ombudsman Scheme has been providing consumers and property agents with an alternative dispute resolution service for 25 years and provides consumers with a free, impartial and independent alternative dispute resolution service.