Guide To Oxford Student Accommodation
Student Accommodation Oxford – What You Need to Know
When you rent your first house or flat through a student letting agent, there can be a lot to take on board. If you have never been through the student lettings process, you should be aware that there are a number of things you will need to pay for and you will be taking on an important responsibility. Your accommodation will be your home for the year so you will pay for the rent and utilities. Remember, it is very important that you look after your property well and tell us straight away if a problem arises. It is always better to sort things out in good time, rather than waiting until you have your Check Out report.
Passport
The government has announced that from 1 February 2016, all private landlords and agents in England will have to check new tenants have the right to be in the UK before renting out their property. All tenants are required to prove their right to rent.
Referencing process
We will take a one week holding deposit which will go towards your final damages deposit of 5 weeks rent. All forms that are required to be completed in order to proceed with a move in are found below as PDF files. When signing we will inform you of everything that is required in order to proceed with your tenancy. Generally you will need to supply a College reference/enrolment letter which is relevant to the academic year in which you will be residing in the property and a Guarantor. The Guarantor will need to complete the Guarantor form whilst providing relevant identification as stated on the form and provide an employment/pension/accountant reference of their own. There are other circumstances where more or less is required from prospective tenants, especially regarding overseas students, however this will all be decided before any payment or legal commitment is made.
Deposit
Payment of your first accounts which includes deposit and first months rent will be required one month before your move in date. This must be paid in full via bank transfer or by Debit card. Your deposit will subsequently be protected with MyDeposits and you will receive a copy of this certificate.
Rent Due Dates
Your first month’s rent will be an apportioned rent which means that you will pay from the day you move in until the end of the month. For the rest of your tenancy your rent will always be due on the 1st of the month. Rent is to be paid direct into North Oxford Property Services Bank by bank transfer or Debit card.
Key Collection
Providing all your first accounts have been paid, references and guarantors are received for everyone moving into the house, we can issue the all keys at 4pm on the tenancy start date, or anytime after (within office hours). If you would like to collect keys on Saturday they will need to be collected before 12.30pm as this is when the office closes.
Inventory
A copy of your ingoing Schedule of Condition report and inventory will be emailed to all tenants via the InventoryBase app. Any discrepancies should be recorded, and supporting photographs uploaded to the document within seven days of receipt to ensure our system is accurately updated. If no comments are submitted within this timeframe, the report will be deemed accurate in its entirety and will be used as the reference point during the final check-out report at the end of your tenancy.
Utilities
You are responsible for the payment of all utilities. Once you have moved into your property you should contact your utility company to inform them of your move in date. You will also need to contact your utility companies at the end of the tenancy to give them all your final meter readings so that you can provide us with paid utility bills.
Council Tax
You will not need to worry about Council Tax as students are exempt however it is the responsibility of the tenants to inform the Council when you have moved into the property and that you are students. You can contact complete this process here; https://www.oxford.gov.uk/student-council-tax-exemption.
Maintenance Issues
All maintenance issues must be reported through the PropertyFile app. You will receive an invitation to access the app prior to the start of your tenancy.
Emergencies
We are on call 24-hour call should you have a genuine emergency (07960 021899).
Property Managers
We have a team of property managers ready to assist you. We ask for all information to be reported by the Propertyfile app which you will be invited to join at the beginning of your tenancy. Our office is always open for you to visit if this is preferable.
Renewing your Tenancy
You will be sent a renewal letter in October offering you the chance to re-new your tenancy with us for the next academic year. If you decide to re-new you will need to sign a renewal agreement which can be arranged online. If only one of you decide to resign and want to find other tenants to join you we will draw up a tenancy agreement in just your name until you have found new house-mates.
Early Termination of your Tenancy
Once you have signed your tenancy agreement you are legally bound by the terms of the agreement. You landlord is under no obligation to release you from this tenancy early so you would have to find suitable replacement tenants. You will still be liable for the house (and rent) until a new tenancy agreement has been signed and satisfactory references have been received.
Change of Tenant in Shared Property
Should a tenant decide that they need to leave the tenancy early they will need to inform North Oxford Property Services and find a suitable replacement tenant. Once a replacement has been found all existing, leaving and new tenants will be required to sign new documentation to confirm the change.
Guarantors
Your Guarantor will need to be aware that they will be joint and severally liable for the tenancy. The liability will cover the rent and any other terms set out in the Tenancy Agreement in the event that any named tenant does not meet their tenancy agreement. We require your guarantor to be a home owner living in the UK and to be someone we can perform a credit check on. Should you not be able to provide us with a suitable guarantor then we will require 12 months rent in advance.
Insurance
Your Landlord will retain buildings insurance on the property, however this will not cover your own personal belongings or furniture. You must therefore insure your own possessions and the policy must include personal liability and accidental damage to the Landlords possessions.
Check Outs
A check out will take place on the final day of your Tenancy with a member of our Property Management Team.