Information for Tenants
Rent Payments
Rent should be paid monthly by standing order on the due date as stated on your tenancy agreement.
A standing order is an instruction that you give to your bank to make the payment each month. It can usually be set up online, using phone banking or in your local branch.
Please ensure you put a reference of the first line of your property address so that we can correctly allocate the money.
Payments are made each month until you instruct your bank to cancel or alter the payment.
Please note that Lester Smith Ltd does not ‘take’ money from your account – you instruct your bank to pay us an amount each month and it is only you who can cancel or alter this payment. Lester Smith Ltd cannot amend or cancel a standing order on your behalf.
Inventories
At the start of your tenancy an Inventory and Check-In report is prepared by an independent inventory clerk, detailing the condition of the property and furnishings. You will be provided with a copy of this and given an opportunity to check it and add any comments.
At the end of the tenancy an inventory clerk will check the condition of the property and contents against the Inventory. The property should be returned in good condition and cleaned to a professional standard.
Utilities
Gas and/or electricity, and the water supply will be connected when you move in to your property but the account will need to be changed into your names. Whilst we will notify the relevant utility suppliers and local authority of the tenancy, it is your responsibility to ensure all accounts for these are set up correctly at the start of the tenancy and closed down at the end of the tenancy.
To find out who supplies the gas and electricity for your property please you can contact:
Gas Supply Enquiries: 0870 608 1524
Electricity Supply Enquiries: 0845 601 5467
For Council Tax and Water Supply enquires you can contact:
Lambeth Council: 0345 302 2312
Wandsworth Council: 0208 871 6000
Thames Water: 0845 920 0800
Contents Insurance
Your landlord is responsible for taking out a building insurance policy for the property which covers risks to the building but not your personal possessions. We therefore strongly recommend you take out contents insurance in order to protect your own belongings, accidental damage to landlord’s belongings and cover for lost keys and/or lock replacements.
Repairs and Maintenance
For information on repairs and maintence please refer the other pages on this site:
Maintenance Trouble Shooting Guide
Renewals and changes in your tenancy
Break Options
The majority of tenancy agreements will have a clause giving the tenant or the landlord the option to end the tenancy (without penalty) before the end of the fixed term, usually after 6 months of the start of the tenancy. If all tenants wish to move out of the property early then this option can be used subject to the correct notice being served. If you are unsure of your rights to terminate the tenancy early please discuss this with us prior to making any other commitments.
Tenancy Assignments (Changeovers)
Where the property is let to more than one person it is done so on a single tenancy – this does not give individuals the automatic right to vacate the property or do “changeovers” during the course of the tenancy. However, it is common that landlords will permit an Assignment (changeover) of the tenancy subject to a suitable replacement tenant being found by the household and everyone signing a Deed of Assignment.
As soon as you know that someone wishes to move out of the property please contact Lester Smith ltd to discuss your options.
Please note there is an administration fee for dealing with assignments to cover the additional administrative work involved.
What is a Deed of Assignment?
A Deed of Assignment is a legal document which changes the parties of the existing Tenancy Agreement. Simply put it replaces person X with person Y. The terms of the existing Tenancy Agreement are still in place (rent, break clauses, expiry etc), except the occupiers.
What happens to the deposit when Assigning the Tenancy?
The deposit will remain in place and the relevant deposit protection provider will be notified of the assignment. The tenancy will continue to be based on the original inventory and check-in report. Therefore, it is up to the incoming tenant to pay a share towards the deposit to the household who should agree amongst themselves the amount refunded to the outgoing tenant, taking into account any anticipated deductions for damages, outstanding utility bills and contribution towards any final cleaning costs etc. If you are unable to reach agreement amongst yourselves you can request an interim Inventory Check to help you form an opinion but you would be liable for the cost of this.
Renewing or Terminating your Tenancy
We will generally contact you and your landlord two months before the end of the fixed term of your tenancy agreement to discuss the options for renewing the tenancy for another term and a review of the rent.
If you are renewing the tenancy we shall issue a new Tenancy Agreement which will need to be signed by yourselves and the landlord at least one month prior to the end of your existing tenancy.
If you do not wish to renew your tenancy please inform us no later than one month prior to the end of the tenancy so that we can confirm the check out arrangements. It is probable that access to the property will be required (by appointment) to carry out accompanied viewings with other prospective tenants during the final 2 months of your tenancy.
