Renting a room in Chelmsford or house sharing is often seen as a short term or more flexible option than a normal tenancy however the documentation that is used is basically the same. We use AST’s or Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreements for our rooms and that is a standard document which is used by most landlords and letting agents and the rules and regulations for these documents are well known.
With house sharing often being seen as a short term option for some people it is important to know the length of contract you need to sign. Most landlords will want you to sign up for at least 6 months and that is our default position also. If you wish to stay longer than the initial period and you are up to date with your rent payments and generally get along with the rest of the house then you move onto a Periodic Tenancy upon which the terms of the original contract still apply. The required notice period to exit the tenancy is typically one month.
If you are looking to rent a room in Chelmsford and the landlord does not want or expect you to sign a contract then it would be advisable to steer clear of that option. Contracts protect you as the tenant and the landlord and not having a contract in place is a really amateur way of renting and we would not want you to take up that sort of offer.
We do offer some flexibility in the initial length of contract the we offer some tenants as there may be specific siutations in which it can be difficult for people to commit to the initial 6 month period. This is one of the advantages of house sharing where there can be more flexibility in the tenancy length.
In general our tenants often stay much longer than their initial contract period which is a great sign. It generally means that our tenants are happy to continue living in the property, they like the standard of accommodation we offer and we like having them as tenants also.
If you are in Chelmsford and looking for a room to rent or house share then please do contact us