Most potential tenants will want to look at a number of rooms/properties in Chelmsford before they decide where they want to live. There is a massive range of quality and prices available in Chelmsford for people to pick from. In most cases the rule is that you effectively “get what you pay for” and this is common in a lot of situations not just the renting a room in Chelmsford.
To fully understand why some landlords price their rooms as they do I think it is important that you ask some key questions to every landlord that you meet because this will ultimately let you know what it is you are really getting.
1) What is actually included in the rent that they are quoting?
Most house sharing properties are advertised as being an all inclusive rent. It is important to clarify what that actually covers. If you need to pay for additional bills on top of the rent make sure you check how much this is and also what the process is for paying those extra costs. Do you pay for your own electric via a meter or all put some money into a general pot for bills to be paid as and when they come in? Who administers that general pot? What happens if someone in the house doesn’t pay etc?
Our definition of “all inclusive” is that the rent includes the gas, electric, water, Council tax, communal TV license, cleaner, gardener and wireless broadband. In a small number of the properties there are meters for some of the washing machines and tumble dryers but this is clearly explained at the property.
2) What is the process or who is responsible for maintenance at the property?
Some landlords live in the same property as the rooms they are renting out so effectively it should be easy to report any maintenance issues that need to be looked at. Where the landlord does not live at the property you need to ask if they are local to come out and fix any problems or whether they have a team of people/tradesmen that fix any issues. Also ask what the typical response time is to any issues. Some landlords will expect you just to put up with any problems or will not be very swift at responding to your issues as they might live a long way away and only really rent out rooms as a hobby rather than a business.
We have a full time Property Manager who is responsible for cleaning, maintaining and improving all our properties on a daily basis so we are never far away should a problem arise at one of the properties. We also have excellent relationships with local tradesmen should we not be able to fix the problem ourselves and again this means that problems get dealt with quickly.
3) What happens to the deposit that you pay?
If your landlord issues you with an AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy) then since April 6th 2007 it is law that the deposit money must be registered with 3rd party provider. Landlords can keep hold of the deposit money themselves but they must still pay a fee for doing. You should still be informed as to which scheme they are a part of. Any landlord that takes a “deposit” from a tenant must ensure that it is dealt with correctly to protect themselves and their tenant.
We register all deposits with The Deposit Protection Service www.depositprotection.com for any AST tenancies that we have issued.
4) If quickly after moving in you realise that this is not the property for you how quickly can you get out of the contract you have signed, what is the process and will there be any cost to do so? Also, do they have any other properties of a similar or better standard that you can move in to instead of potentially losing any money?
In most cases all landlords will ask you to sign a contract to move into a room or property and it will be stated upfront how long that initial contract lasts. Your circumstances can change quickly e.g. loss of job, relationship break up, family issues or simply a clash of personalities with other house mates. Please make sure you understand the implications of wanting to get out of the contract early or alternatively see if the landlord has other accommodation which might suit you better.
We have multiple properties in Chelmsford and are happy to ensure our tenants are happy by potentially moving them to other properties. With regards to leaving your contract early there are charges which we can help you to avoid as we understand that some things just can not be planned for. We will always require at least one months notice period and we will try to fill your room ASAP so that you only forfeit a small amount of money or in some cases none at all.
5) Who are the other tenants that live in the property?
In a house sharing situation this is important to know before you move in. Are they students, professionals, key workers, DSS/LHA tenants, how old or young? do they smoke etc. It is impossible to know every detail about every tenant but you should at least find out in general the basic details of age, sex, profession and how long they have lived there. If landlords have an interest in their tenants then they should at least be able to tell you a bit of information about the current tenants.
Our tenants in Chelmsford are generally between the ages of 20 & 40 with an average of 28. On average our tenants stay at the properties for approximately 8 months with a minimum stay of at least 3 months. All our tenants move in with a job and many are key workers such as teachers, hospital staff etc. We do not accept tenants on DSS/LHA and do not generally accept students unless they are on a years work placement or are a mature student who wants to live in a more professional household rather than a typical student property.
If you would like to find out more about our rooms to rent in Chelmsford please contact:
Tony Pepper (Lettings Manager)
Email: ppl@platinumpropertypartners.co.uk
Mobile: 07791 866602
Office: 01245 356039
245A Broomfield Rd, Chelmsford, Essex. CM1 4DP