Why rent through The Jeffries Group?
We have properties available throughout Portsmouth and South East Hampshire and our extensive portfolio includes all types of properties at rents that might suit your budget. Register your details and requirements with any of The Jeffries Group branches and we will contact you via your chosen method(s) when suitable properties become available.
Exceptional customer care
Once we have found you a property, our team will look after you throughout your agreement ensuring your tenancy is a happy one. Our unique customer support department has access to all the services and supplies you will need from removals and storage to insurance and utilities. Contact our customer support team for details on 023 9264 7171.
Rapid Response
Our emergency and repair lines are monitored 24/7 by audited maintenance and contractor partners. Strict response times and service standards are employed to make your tenancy as comfortable as possible. Please ask for further details.
A range of property choices
Why spend hours visiting hundreds of agents when The Jeffries Group will probably have what you’re looking for? All details and information on our properties can be accessed personally from our branch network or here on our website.
Friendly, experienced managers & staff
Our locally owned business has thrived over the years by employing honest and experienced staff. Our attention to detail and strict customer support ethos ensures honest and accurate information about available properties and the areas they are in. We provide internal training for our staff and keep them up to date with legislation changes. Our membership of the NAEA propertymark, ARLA propertymark and redress schemes (such as the Ombudsman of Letting Agents) provides peace of mind to our customers.
ADVICE FOR TENANTS
We’ve listed useful information that will help tenants prepare for commencement of a tenancy, including costs and obligations.
Click here to view our tenant fees schedule for new assured shorthand tenancies signed on or after 1st June. These fees are required before the commencement of a tenancy.
Holding Deposit Explained
Before your application can be fully considered, you will need to pay to us a holding deposit equivalent to one weeks’ rent for the property you are interested in. The following explains what happens to that holding deposit and the circumstances in which the deposit will or will not be refunded. It is important that you know your legal rights and accordingly you should feel free to seek independent legal advice before signing this or indeed any other document which we might put before you.
Once we have your holding deposit, current legislation stipulates that the necessary paperwork should be completed within 15 days or longer period as might be agreed.
If at any time during the agreed period you decide not to proceed with the tenancy, then your holding deposit will be retained by our firm. By the same token, if during that period you unreasonably delay in responding to any reasonable request made by our firm, and if it turns out that you have provided us with false or misleading information as part of your tenancy application or if you fail any of the checks which the Landlord is required to undertake under the Immigration Act 2014, then again your holding deposit will not be returned. It will be retained by this firm.
However, if the Landlord decides not to offer you a tenancy for reasons unconnected with the above then your deposit will be refunded within 7 days. Should you be offered and you accept a tenancy with our Landlord, then your holding deposit will be credited to the first months’ rent due under that tenancy.
Where, for whatever reason, your holding deposit is neither refunded nor credited against any rental liability, you will be provided with written reasons for your holding deposit not being repaid within 7 days.
You will not be asked to pay any fees or charges in connection with your application for a tenancy. However, if your application is successful under our standard assured shorthold tenancy agreement, you will be required to pay certain fees for any breach of that tenancy agreement in line with the Tenant Fees Act 2019. In consideration of us processing your tenant application, you agree to pay those fees to us on request.
The Application Process
Conditions of offer
All properties are let “as seen” Please specify any requests or conditions attached to the offer you are making. These points will be included in your tenancy agreement if they are agreed by the property owner. On acceptance of your offer on a property all tenants and guarantors will be required to sign and return this form along with photo ID and Proof of address (dated within the last three months). Once received we will contact you for payment of the holding deposit. All tenants and guarantors will then be sent a link to complete an online application form, this must be done within 24 hours, we will automatically be notified once this has been completed. The property will then be withdrawn from the market subject to contract and satisfactory references.
Right to Rent
The Immigration Act 2014 now makes it a legal requirement for landlords and letting agents to perform basic ‘immigration status checks’ on all prospective tenants and permitted occupants over the age of 18 before allowing them to sign a tenancy agreement. These checks are required regardless of whether the prospective tenant(s) are UK citizens or not, and usually require nothing more than a simple passport check if you’re a UK or European citizen, or a simple visa/ permit check.
References
References are independently assessed by a credit referencing agency and usually checks consist of:
Credit check – to ensure you do not have any adverse credit including debt management plans, CCJS, IVA’S & Bankruptcies, if any adverse credit is found it will result in an automatic fail. Please consult with a member of staff if you think there will be an issue.
Landlord reference – this will check for any late rent payments, arrears and if you were a responsible tenant. If your rent was paid late even by 1 day, regardless if it was your fault, your reference will fail. Please consult with a member of staff if you think there will be an issue.
Confirmation of your income – (at least 2.5 x the annual rent) – this will need to be verified by an employer or accountant. If you are self employed you will be required to provide an accountants reference and your most recent 6 months personal bank statements, or 12 months if no accountants reference is available. The referencing company will not consider business accounts. Zero hour contracts, probationary periods, maternity pay and contracts that do not exceed the tenancy length will not be taken into account. Other means of income such as pensions or savings will be considered and proof of this required. Please advise the relevant people that they may be contacted for a reference.
Guarantor
In some cases due to insufficient income or financial history a guarantor may be required. You must confirm the nature of the relationship. The same references will be carried out on the guarantor although the income will need to be verified at least 3 x the annual rent. They will be responsible for the FULL amount of the rent for ALL tenants on the tenancy agreement if you are unable to pay at any time during the tenancy and also for any breach during the tenancy term. They will be required to sign a Deed of Guarantee and or the Tenancy Agreement prior to completion before any keys can be released.
Pets
Permission needs to be granted for pets to be kept at the property. A higher rent maybe charged for pets, this will be agreed and confirmed to you in writing prior to the tenancy commencing.
Security Deposit
In line with current legislation regarding tenancy deposits we are members of two Governments approved schemes, details will be set out in your tenancy agreement. The amount required is equivalent to five weeks rent. The amount is lodged as security against damage not considered fair wear and tear. This is payable prior to the start date of your contract in cleared funds. These monies cannot be used for payment of rent. If there are rent arrears at the time of your check out formal action will be taken through the courts to recover unpaid rent. This covers damages or defaults on the part of the tenant during the tenancy.
Five weeks rent Security Deposit: per tenancy. (Rent under £50,000 per year)
Six weeks rent Security Deposit: per tenancy. (Rent of £50,000 or over per year)
Tenancy Agreement
Once satisfactory references have been obtained we will notify you and prepare the tenancy agreement and all relevant paperwork required for you to sign on the agreed move in date. The Tenancy Agreement will be sent to you for digital signing. This will be sent to each individual tenant on the email addresses which have been provided. This must be signed within 5 days of receipt. It will detail how long you can occupy the property for. It is a legally binding contract, once you have read it and agreed the contents and signed it you are bound to pay the rent and behave in a certain way. Responsibilities include keeping the property clean and for doing those minor jobs which a homeowner would normally do.
Rent Payments
Rent is payable in advance and needs to be in our account on the rent due date as stated in your Tenancy Agreement. You will be required to set up a standing order mandate, we advise you to have this set up 3 days prior to your rent date to ensure rent is paid on time. Standing orders are your instructions to your bank, Jeffries and Dibbens Lettings Ltd cannot adjust or cancel these. If the date is not in line with your salary payment it is your responsibility to make sure that the monies are set aside to cover the payment.
Unpaid Rent
Interest at 3% above the Bank of England Base Rate from Rent Due Date until paid in order to pursue non-payment of rent. Please Note: This will not be levied until the rent is more than 14 days in arrears.
Inventory
Depending on the service we are providing for the landlord an external inventory company will be used to produce an inventory which will detail the condition and contents of the property. This is used to determine any damages which you may be charged for at the end of your tenancy. Whilst a degree of ‘wear and tear’ is to be expected, damages which include dirt and dust which was not present at the commencement of the tenancy will be your liability. At the end of the tenancy, the property must be returned to the same condition as stated in the inventory. Before putting any belongings into the property, the inventory needs to be checked room by room and any amendments noted within 48 hours. You will need to sign a declaration to confirm the condition and contents.
Check Out
Depending on the service provided to your landlord. A property clerk will attend the property to check the condition against the original inventory. The cost of any damage or missing items not to be considered fair wear and tear, will be assessed and upon agreement deducted from your security deposit and the balance returned to you.
Variation of Contract
If you wish to make any alterations to the tenancy after the commencement a fee will be charged of £50.00 Including VAT.
Renewal Fee
If you and your landlord agreed to renew the contract we will produce the appropriate paperwork. If rent has been paid in advance, the renewal will be under the same terms unless suitable references are obtained to confirm monthly rent payment.
Change of Sharer
To cover the costs associated with taking landlord’s instructions, new tenant referencing and Right-to-Rent checks, deposit registration as well as the preparation and execution of new legal documents. £50 (inc. VAT) per replacement tenant or any reasonable costs incurred if higher.
Early Termination
If you vacate the property prior to the end of the term, you will remain liable to pay rent until the term expires or the property is re-let whichever is earlier. Should you wish to leave the contract early, you shall be liable to the landlord’s costs in re-letting the property as well as all rent due under the tenancy until the start date of the replacement tenancy. These costs will be no more than the maximum amount of rent outstanding on the tenancy. You will also be responsible for any other reasonable costs (e.g. telephone lines, satellite television contracts, TV licences, cleaning etc) incurred from that point until the end of the term. For the avoidance of doubt this clause shall not take effect where you are operating a break clause within your Tenancy Agreement.
Electronic Documentation
Documents which have been signed electronically (including fax, email or website authentication) are binding and admissible in evidence. At times you may be asked to sign documents electronically. Tenancy Agreements which are signed by all parties (landlords and tenants) will become legally binding. Neither party can withdraw unless by mutual agreement.
Subletting
By completing this form you confirm that you intend to enter into a private residential tenancy in your name and that you will not sublet the property; take in paying guests or lodgers; or assign the tenancy, without the prior written consent of the landlord.
Management of the Property
At the start of the tenancy we will advise you who is responsible for managing the property. This is not always Jeffries or Dibbens. Where we are not managing the property we cannot authorise any repairs or maintenance or guarantee the speed at which repairs will be carried out. Where we are managing the property, we may have to obtain the landlord’s consent before proceeding with a repair. Where we manage a property and hold keys, we can usually provide access to Jeffries and Dibbens’ contractors (with your permission). However, where we do not hold keys or the contractor is not willing to collect keys, it is your responsibility to provide access.
Insurance
It is your responsibility to insure your own belongings throughout the tenancy.
Utilities
Jeffries and Dibbens’ provides a service to help tenants with the administration involved in moving. Homeshift acts on Jeffries and Dibbens’ behalf to notify the local council, water supplier(s) and energy provider(s) when your tenancy starts and ends. You do not have to take this service. If you do not want this service, please inform us and we will opt you out of this service. Homeshifts privacy policy can be found at www.homeshift.com/privacy-policy You will be responsible for the payment of telephone, gas, water and electricity accounts at the property during your tenancy, as well as council tax. It remains the tenant’s responsibility to ensure that utility and council tax accounts are opened in their name at the start of the tenancy and closed at the end of the tenancy.
Taxation
If you pay rent directly to your landlord’s bank account and your landlord is resident overseas, you will be responsible for applying the provisions of the HM Revenue and Customs Non- Resident Landlords scheme for taxing UK rental income and should ask us for advice on this. These provisions do not apply where you are paying your rent to Jeffries and Dibbens’.
COMMISSIONS AND INTEREST
Any commission, interest or other income earned by Jeffries and Dibbens while carrying out our duties as agent in the letting and or management of the property, for example by referrals or introductions made, to solicitors, tenant fees, EPC providers, contractors, Homeshift, Zero Deposit or inventory clerks will be retained by Jeffries and Dibbens . Vetted contractors may pay a referral fee. The fee paid will be included within the contractor’s invoice and could be up to 10% of the total invoice amount depending on the service provided.
Client Money Protection Scheme
Jeffries & Dibbens Lettings Ltd Client Money Protection is provided by Propertymark.
GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union. You can read more details about our data protection policy, privacy policy and how we treat your data by visiting our websites – www.dibbensproperty.co.uk or jeffries.bedevious.co.uk or by emailing us at [email protected]. By signing this document you agree for us to retain your personal data for use during your property rental. We do not sell personal data to third parties.
We may have to share personal information we process with others as part of our rental service, if we have to do this we will keep to data protection legislation. Depending on the circumstances, we may share information with:
- suppliers (including gas, electricity and water companies) and service providers;
- financial organisations (including banks);
- credit- and tenant-reference agencies;
- tenancy deposit schemes;
- debt-collection and tracing agencies;
- public and government bodies (including those who deal with benefits and council tax);
- contractors and repairers;
- letting and managing agents; and
- any future owner of the property.
Complaints procedure
We are a member of The Property Ombudsman Service (TPOS) and aim to provide the highest standard of service to all our customers. In order to ensure that your interests are safeguarded, we have put into place a set process by which any raised complaints are handled; this allows us to handle any issues or concerns effectively and wherever possible, as soon as they are raised. We receive very few complaints, however we understand that sometimes things don’t go exactly to plan and occasionally go wrong. If this occurs, we encourage you to try and resolve the situation with the member of our team you have been dealing with. We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and will undertake a full review of your complaint, including how it has been handled to date, which may include further investigations into the background of your concerns. Within fifteen working days from receipt of your correspondence, we will detail our findings and recommendations in a written response to confirm our opinion on the matter.
If you are still dissatisfied you can write to the Property Ombudsman Service (TPOS). Details of how to do this are contained within the final viewpoint letter alongside a link to The Property Ombudsman Service (TPOS) consumer guide at www.tpos.co.uk
Please note that if you do wish to contact The Property Ombudsman Service (TPOS), you must do so within twelve months of the date of the final viewpoint letter. It is also important to note that The Property Ombudsman Service (TPOS) will not consider your complaint until our internal complaints procedure has been exhausted.
VAT
All charges levied by Jeffries and Dibbens’ are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate.
