Signing a tenancy agreement

Understanding Your Tenancy Agreement

• Video transcript

  [Introduction title slide showing the title ‘Understanding Tenancy Agreements: A practical guide to your rights and responsibilities’]

  Welcome to the University of Sussex’s guide to understanding tenancy agreements. This is a practical guide to your rights and responsibilities.

  [New slide titled ‘Main Elements of your Agreement: Types of Agreement’.
  Slide content reads:

  Two main types of agreement:
  AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy) or Lodging Agreement (also “License to Occupy”)]

  We’re going to walk you through the main elements of your agreement, and we're going to start with distinguishing between two types of agreement.
  The first is an assured shorthold tenancy (or AST). The second is the lodging agreement or license to occupy, and these are quite different.

  [New slide titled ‘Types of Agreement’.

  Slide content reads:

  AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy):
  •Fixed term (6 – 12 months, usually), and then proceeding to periodic monthly.
  •36x income or guarantor required to secure property.
  •Deposit must be protected in government-approved scheme.
  •Difficult to terminate early – replacement tenant typically required.
  •Cannot be evicted during fixed term using a Section 21 (no-fault) notice.
  •More protections, less flexibility.]

  With the assured shorthold tenancy, this is usually fixed term [from] 6 to 12 months, and then after that you would normally proceed into a periodic monthly contract - so that is in effect a rolling contract from month to month. A guarantor is usually required to secure the property under an AST agreement, and usually that guarantor has to be UK based with an income between 30 and 36 times the rental of the property. The deposit has to be protected in a government approved scheme. We'll talk a little bit more about that in the presentation.

  It's quite difficult and sometimes impossible to terminate these agreements early because these are legally binding contracts and it's only with the landlord's permission that you can then seek to replace a tenant, and this is a typical requirement in those contracts. You can't be evicted during the fixed term using a Section 21 ‘no-fault’ notice. I'm going to talk a little bit more about that too in the presentation.

  [New slide titled ‘Types of Agreement’.

  Slide content reads:

  Lodging Agreement (License):
  •No fixed term in most cases, monthly periodic contract.
  •No guarantor required.
  •Deposit not required to be protected.
  •In most cases, a month's notice can end the tenancy.
  •Can be told to leave at any time without a court order.
  •Fewer protections, more flexibility.]

  So in contrast, the License to Occupy or the lodging agreement, there is no fixed term in most cases. Usually this is a monthly periodic contract. There is no guarantor requirement. So in the situation where you are living in a landlord’s house and the landlord's property, the landlord is present, these types of agreements do not require a guarantor or a deposit.

  And in most cases, one month's notice can end the tenancy. But conversely, you can actually be asked to leave by the landlord without the landlord necessarily having to get a court order in order to do that.

  So the basic contrast here is between the AST, which allows you more protections but there is less flexibility, and contrast with the lodging agreement where there are fewer protections for you as a tenant, but you have more flexibility, for example, to move out in a relatively short space of time.

  [New slide titled ‘Types of Agreement’.

  Slide content reads:
  Contracts can be complex, and this advice may not be universal.
  Check your agreement in full!]

  Now contracts can be complex, and in this sense obviously what we're trying to do here is clarify what you need to be aware of when checking your agreement. You need to check your agreement in full, and you need to be careful not to sign a tenancy agreement unless you're absolutely certain about the terms and conditions that apply.

  [New slide titled ‘Sections to Expect’.

  Slide content reads:

  •Type of Agreement (AST/License plus bills inclusive/exclusive?)
  •Tenant, landlord, and property manager details
  •Costs, fees, and tenancy dates
  •Tenant Responsibilities
  •Landlord Responsibilities
  •Prescribed Information (How to Rent Guide, EPC, Gas Safety)]

  So the sections to expect in your agreement, it will state the type of agreement, just as we've explained, between an AST and a License to Occupy and also whether or not the contract is inclusive or exclusive of bills.

  All the details between the tenant, the landlord, the property manager, or the letting agent for example, should be within the contract, as should be the costs and any fees.

  And of course the tenancy dates themselves.

  Very importantly, you should read and make yourself aware of the tenancy with the tenants’ responsibilities. That means your responsibilities during the contract, during your tenancy, and also the landlord's responsibilities.

  You should also expect to get what's called prescribed information and we will talk a little bit more about that, but it includes things like the ‘How to Rent’ guide, the EPC, which is an electricity certificate, electricity rating and gas safety as well. So key things to do with health and safety, how to rent, and also if you are in an AST for example, you would expect to get information about your deposit protection scheme.

  [New slide titled ‘Guarantor Requirements’.

  Slide content reads:

  Most agents/landlords will require a guarantor when signing an AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy).
  They will usually require your guarantor to be a UK resident who owns a home, and/or has a yearly income of 36x your share of the monthly rent.
  Example: £500pcm rent = £18,000 per year]

  So we'll talk about guarantors now.

  Most agents and landlords will require a guarantor when signing an AST. They will usually require your guarantor to be a UK resident who owns a home and/or has a yearly income of 36 times your share of the monthly rent. So for example, if you pay £500 per month in rent, then that salary equivalent is £18,000 per year.

  [New slide titled ‘Guarantors: University Scheme’.

  Slide content reads:

  If you don't have a UK guarantor and need one to move into private sector accommodation, you can apply for the University to act as one on your behalf if moving into a Sussex StudentPad property.

  Also present are two QR codes which link to the following pages:

  Apply for the University Guarantor Scheme: https://student.sussex.ac.uk/accommodation/private/signing-tenancy/guarantor-scheme

  Find a property on Sussex Studentpad: https://sussexstudentpad.co.uk ]

  Now, Sussex University has its own guarantor scheme and if you don't have a UK guarantor and need one of those to move into private sector accommodation, you can apply to the University for them to act on your behalf as a guarantor if moving into a Sussex Studentpad property.

  Now you can see here that there are two QR codes that we've provided. One is to apply for the University of Sussex Guarantor scheme and the other one is to find a property on Sussex Studentpad, and we would encourage you to look on Sussex Studentpad at the properties that are available.

  [New slide titled ‘Commercial Guarantor Providers’. The slide contains the logos for ‘Housing Hand’ and ‘Rent Guarantor’, which are respectively accompanied by two QR codes which link to the following pages:

  Housing Hand: https://housinghand.co.uk
  Rent Guarantor: https://rentguarantor.com

  Text is present stating that other schemes/companies may be available.]

  In some cases, if you cannot find a property on Sussex Studentpad and you're still looking for a guarantor but are unable to provide one on the basis of the requirements previously outlined, then you can apply to a commercial guarantor. We’ve put two of those on our screens now - one is Housing Hand, as you can see, there is a QR code for that, and the other one is Rent Guarantor.

  Other schemes and companies may be available. These are commercial companies who will provide a guarantor service for a small fee.

  [New slide titled ‘Guarantor Alternatives’.

  Slide content reads:

  Some landlords will accept advance rent in lieu of a guarantor.
  This can sometimes be negotiated, although this can frequently amount to 6 or more months’ rent, which for many is unaffordable.

  Landlords should not ask to have BOTH a guarantor AND rent in advance.]

  So, guarantor alternatives.

  Some landlords will accept advance rent in lieu of a guarantor. This can sometimes be negotiated, although we have found that this can frequently amount to six or more months rent, which for many is simply unaffordable.

  Importantly, landlords should not ask to have both a guarantor and rent in advance.

  [New slide titled ‘University Hardship Fund’.

  Slide content reads:

  The University has a Hardship Fund which you can apply to in cases where financial difficulties are impacting significantly on your ability to study.

  Search for ‘Hardship Fund’ in the Student Hub webpages, or scan the QR code to access the page.

  Also displayed is a QR code linking to the follow page: https://student.sussex.ac.uk/money/help/hardship ]

  The University has a hardship fund for those who would find it difficult financially.

  You can apply to the Hardship Fund in cases where those financial difficulties are impacting significantly on your ability to study. Simply search for ‘Hardship Fund’ in the Student Hub webpages or scan the QR code that you can see on screen.

  [New title slide reading ‘Deposits’. The speaker changes for this section.]

  So there are a number of deposits that you'll be expected to pay before you move into the property, the first of which is the holding deposit.

  [New slide titled ‘Holding Deposit’.

  Slide content reads:
  •Capped at 1 weeks' rent.
  •Secures the property – the landlord cannot take multiple holding deposits at the same time.
  •The landlord should have the paperwork/referencing processed within 15 days.
  •Refundable after signing, unless you fail a Right to Rent check, give false/misleading information, or do not proceed with renting.]

  So, this is capped at one week's rent.

  This will secure the property for you, and the landlord cannot take multiple holding deposits at the same time. So usually, you'll view a property and in order to secure that and take it off the market, you'll pay a one week's rent holding deposit.

  The landlord should have the paperwork and referencing processed within 15 days from the holding deposit being paid.

  And this is refundable after you sign it, unless you file a ‘Right to Rent’ check, give false or misleading information, or do not proceed with renting. This will either be refunded to the account you used to pay for it or it will form part of the 5-week security deposit.

  [New slide titled ‘Security Deposit’.

  Slide content reads:

  •Capped at 5 weeks' rent.
  •Used for damages, cleaning costs, and unpaid charges throughout the tenancy.
  •MUST be protected within 30 days under an AST in a government-approved scheme (resident landlords excluded).
  •If not protected, you are entitled to 1-3x your deposit in compensation, and the landlord cannot evict you under Section 21 unless refunded/protected.]

  So, before the beginning of the tenancy, you'll also be asked to pay a security deposit.

  This is capped at five weeks rent and is used for damages, cleaning costs, and any unpaid charges throughout the tenancy.

  This has to be protected within 30 days under an AST in a government approved scheme, unless you're renting through a resident landlord, who do not need to protect the deposit.

  If you are renting through a resident landlord and you've been asked to pay a security deposit, you should ask for a receipt of the payment to prove at the end of the tenancy that you did pay this.

  If the security deposit isn't protected within the time[frame], you are entitled to between 1 and 3 times your deposit back in compensation and the landlord cannot evict you under a Section 21 notice unless refunded or protected.

  [New slide titled ‘Government-Approved Deposit Schemes’ showing the logos for TDS, DPS, and MyDeposits.]

  So these are the three government approved deposit schemes. So we have TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme), we have DPS (the Deposit Protection Service), and mydeposits.

  These largely function similarly and they can all provide free arbitration at the end of the tenancy if there are any disagreements around your security deposit and the deductions that the landlord is trying to make.

  [New slide titled ‘Security Deposit’. The slide displays for the formulas for calculating the security deposit, which is as follows:

  (Monthly Rent * 12) / 52 * 5

  e.g. For a rent of £500 a month:

  £500 * 12 = £6000 (yearly)
  £6000 / 52 = £115.38 (weekly)

  Five week security deposit:
  £115.38 * 5 = £576.92]

  So here is the formula to calculate the security deposit and we would always recommend double checking the amount listed on your tenancy agreement. So for example, for a £500 a month rent, the maximum you should be paying is £576.92.

  [New slide titled ‘Commercial Providers’. Slide content reads:

  1.You pay a fee to the company.
  2.The landlord raises any deductions at the end of the tenancy.
  3.The landlord is reimbursed by the company.
  4.The company then pursue you for the costs.

  Reposit offers dispute adjudication for a fee, refunded if they side with you.

  Also present is a screenshot of the Reposit website, and text stating that other schemes/companies may be available.]

  If you don't have a five week security deposit available, there are a number of commercial providers, including Reposit and Zero Deposit.

  The way that these work is that:

  1. You pay a fee to the company.
  2. At the end of the tenancy, the landlord will raise any deductions.
  3. The landlord will be reimbursed by the company for the deductions made and then;
  4. The company will pursue you for the costs.

  If you disagree with the landlord at the end of the tenancy around any of the deductions, you do have to pay a fee in order for this to be looked at through Reposit, and several other schemes have a number of different charges as well.

  We would typically never recommend using one of these schemes as it will cost you more money in the long run, but if you don't have the five week security deposit available, this is an option for you.

  [New title slide reading ‘Tenant Fees Act 2019’]

  So the Tenant Fees Act 2019 is an important piece of legislation.

  [New slide titled ‘What is the Tenant Fees Act?’. Slide content reads:

  •Letting agents used to be able to charge for signing contracts, check-ins, check-outs, amongst other costs.
  •The Tenant Fees Act 2019 was introduced for tenancies beginning 1 June 2019 onwards.
  •Bans the majority of default fees, and specifies the permitted fees that landlords are allowed to charge.
  •Applies to all tenancies.]

  It was introduced in 2019 for tenancies beginning from the 1st of June 2019 onwards.

  So letting agents used to be able to charge for signing contracts, check-ins, check-outs and a whole host of other costs as well. It wasn't uncommon to be charged £300 of fees in addition to security deposits and rents in advance.

  So, the Tenant Fees Act came in to band the majority of default fees and specifies the permitted fees that landlords are able to charge.

  This applies to all tenancies, including resident landlords.

  [New slide titled ‘Permitted Fees’. Slide content reads:

  •1 week refundable holding deposit.
  •5 weeks’ security deposit.
  •£50 for amendment to tenancy, unless costs can be proved to be higher.
  •£5 - £20 for a replacement key, unless costs can be proved to be higher (i.e. door fob).
  •Payments associated with utilities, council tax, TV License.]

  So - the permitted fees, the list is quite short:

  so they can charge a one week's refundable holding deposit;

  the five weeks rent security deposit;

  £50 for an amendment to the tenancy unless they can prove that the costs are higher;

  £5 to £20 for a replacement key, depending on the type of key, or if they can prove it to be higher than this cost, such as for a specialized security key, they can provide an invoice and charge you for this;

  And then any payments associated with utilities, council tax or TV license, if these are covered in the rent.

  [New slide titled ‘Permitted Fees’. Slide content reads:

  Essentially, all costs must be evidenced and reasonable.
  The landlord cannot be placed in a position of betterment.]

  So all costs that the landlord passes on must be evidenced and reasonable, and they cannot be placed in a position of betterment.

  So this means that the landlord cannot profit from the fees that they're charging.

  [New slide titled ‘Prohibited Fees’. Slide content reads:

  •Check-in costs
  •Overcharging utilities
  •Arbitrary maintenance costs
  •Viewing fees
  •Check-out fees
  •Fines for breaking clauses]

  So in terms of prohibited fees:

  check-in costs are now banned;

  overcharging for utilities, so if utilities are included in the rent, the landlord shouldn't be able to profit from these;

  Arbitrary maintenance costs. So, for instance, if they send you a letter for £10, that would be illegal. And also they can't charge you a profit on any repair works that are done;

  Viewing fees;

  Checking out of the property;

  And fines for breaking clauses. So, you can be expected to pay compensation to the landlord where you breaking a clause has caused an item of repair, or perhaps if their insurance premiums have gone up, but they can't arbitrarily charge you a flat fee just because you break one of the clauses.

  [New slide titled ‘Landlord Penalties’. A table is shown showing the nature of the breach (2 types of breach in total); the penalty for the first offence; and the penalty for a further breach of that offence within 5 years.

  First row:

  Breach: Charging unlawful fees

  First Offence: Civil breach – up to £5,000 fine

  Further breach within 5 years: Criminal offence but financial penalties of up to £30,000 can be issued as an alternative to prosecution. The criminal offence would be a banning order offence under section 14 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

  Second row:

  Breach: Unlawfully retaining the holding deposit

  First Offence: Civil breach – up to £5,000 fine

  Further breach within 5 years: Civil breach – financial penalty of up to £5,000 fineNot a banning order offence]

  So the penalties are quite severe if the landlord does break the Tenant Fees Act.

  So for a first offense, they could be charged up to £5,000 and then any further breaches within five years can result in prosecution a fine of up to £30,000 or a banning order being placed.

  [New slide titled ‘Prohibited Fees’. The slide shows a screenshot of a problematic clause found in a tenancy agreement.
  The clause in question reads:

  2.19.2 To clean to a professional standard, the Property, its Fixtures and Fittings, including the cleaning of any carpets, curtains (including net curtains), blankets, bedding, upholstery, etc which have become soiled, stained, or marked during the Tenancy. To provide, upon request, receipts to the Landlord or his Agent to demonstrate compliance with this clause.]

  So these are some examples of prohibited fees that we've come across. So we see it quite often in tenancy agreements that landlords will try to charge for a professional clean by default - they are not allowed to do this.

  If the property does need cleaning, they have to provide you with an invoice, ideally itemized, which details each of the items of cleaning which are required. They can't require you to professionally clean the property at the end. The only obligation is that it matches the inventory from when you moved in.

  [New slide titled ‘Landlord Penalties’. This shows three tables in the same format listing the room location, item, and condition of said item.

  Table 1: Condition on Inventory

  Item (Bedroom 1 FFR): Chest of drawers, white
  Condition: Clean, in good working order

  Table 2: Condition on Check-out Report
  Item (Bedroom 1 FFR): Chest of drawers, white
  Condition: Clean, in good working order

  Below the table is a label reading ‘Unable to charge’ with a red X.

  Table 3: Condition on Check-out Report:
  Item (Bedroom 1 FFR): Chest of drawers, white
  Condition: Dust and debris to interior of drawers, requires cleaning

  Below the table is a label reading ‘Reasonable Cleaning Fee’ with a green tick mark.]

  So this is an example of a check out report and an inventory. Typically, you'll be given these in quite a similar format. So it should list the room that you're in and the item itself and also the condition of the item.

  So if you moved into the property and on the inventory, a chest of drawers were shown to be in good, clean working order and on the checkout report that matched, the landlord would not be able to charge you for cleaning or repair.

  If you did leave it dirty, then the landlord would be able to charge you a reasonable cleaning fee for this item.

  [New slide titled ‘Government Tenants’ Q&A’. Slide content reads: Scan to view the Government’s Tenant Fees Act 2019 guidance, or visit https:// gov.uk/government/publications/tenant-fees-act-2019-guidance

  Slide also contains a QR code which links to https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f745d69d3bf7f287328e5a5/Tenant_Fees_Act_-_Tenant_Guidance.pdf ]

  So the government have provided a really useful Q and A for the Tenant Fees Act for tenants, and this is extremely useful in quoting to letting agents, so we would highly recommend scanning this QR code and keeping a copy at-hand just in case you do have any disagreements at the end of the tenancy, or alternatively, if there's anything in the tenancy agreement before you moved in, it's really good to check this across.

  [New title slide reading ‘Tenants & Landlord Responsibilities’. The speaker changes back to the original speaker for the final duration of the presentation.]

  So we'll talk now about tenant and landlord responsibilities.

  [New slide titled ‘Tenants’ Responsibilities’. Slide content reads:

  •Joint and Several liability
  •Gardening
  •Windows and doors
  •Mould/damp prevention
  •Cleanliness
  •Noise/ASB
  •Financial liability (inc. Termination of agreement)]

  Tenants’ responsibilities - joint and several liability. You'll see this term in contracts, and what that means is that you and the other people that you share the house with are all responsible for the rent and for any bills;

  You will often find a clause in your contract about gardening and the need to maintain the garden, keep it clean and tidy;

  The same with windows and doors;

  Making sure that you keep the house aerated and free from mould and damp prevention;

  Making sure that the house is clean;

  That you act as good neighbours and do not create excess noise or ASB, which stands for anti-social behaviour - these can cause complaints;

  And, financial liability - for example, the termination of the agreement.

  [New slide titled ‘Landlord’s Responsibilities’. Slide content reads:

  Mandatory clauses to be included:
  •Structural integrity and maintenance
  •Notice periods (e.g. rent increases, eviction notices, etc)
  •Landlord and trade visits, inspections, viewings
  •Late payments
  Preferred clauses to be included:
  •Check-ins/inventory.
  •Early termination conditions.]

  The landlord's responsibilities, which split into mandatory and preferred.

  Mandatory responsibilities include:

  The structural integrity and maintenance of the property;

  Any notice periods, for example, rent increases or eviction notices;

  Any visits that are planned either by the landlord, the letting agent, or any trade visits. For example, the electricians or any tradesmen that need access to the property, including inspections and also any viewings for future tenants;

  Late payments, and landlords would usually put clauses in about late payments and you should read those carefully.

  What is preferred in contracts is:

  To see a check-in or inventory, and that's important because it allows you the opportunity to make sure that that inventory is accurate;

  Sometimes you'll find that there are early termination conditions in a contract, and this can be helpful because it clarifies what would happen if you needed to leave the property before the end of the contract.

  [New slide titled ‘Landlord’s Responsibilities’. Slide content reads:

  ‘Preferred clauses to be included (example of inventory clause):’

  A screenshot from a tenancy agreement accompanies this, reading:

  ‘3. Contents

  3.1 The Tenant shall keep the Contents in good and clean condition and shall return the Contents to the Landlord at the end of the Tenancy in the same state (except for fair wear and tear) as detailed on the inventor and Schedule of Condition.

  3.2 The Landlord and Tenant consent to the use of the inventory and Schedule of Condition as evidence in any dispute aiding in connection with the Deposit if the dispute is referred to an adjudicator according to the TDS in which the Deposit is held.’]

  I mentioned the check-in inventory. This is an example of a clause that you might find, and this is related to the idea that in order to get your deposit back at the end of the contract, it's your responsibility to keep the property clean and more or less in the same condition as you find it when you moved in.

  This is why the inventory and the condition of the property on entry is really important - so you can compare that to the condition of the property when you leave, and if they are more or less the same, then you can argue to get most or all of your deposit back.

  [New slide titled ‘Landlord’s Responsibilities’. Slide content reads:

  ‘Preferred clauses to be included (Example of early termination clause):’

  A screenshot from a tenancy agreement accompanies this, reading:

  8. Assignment or Subletting

  8.1 The Tenant shall not assign, sublet, part with or share possession of the whole or any part of the Property without the prior written consent of the Landlord.

  8.2 The Tenant has agreed to occupy the Property for the Term. Where the Tenant is more than one person and any individual tenant wishes to vacate the Property during the Term, that individual tenant (‘the Exiting Tenant’) must obtain prior written consent from the Landlord or the Agent. The Exiting Tenant must find a Suitable Tenant replacement who will need to be approved by the Landlord or Agent. Before the Exiting Tenant can be released from their obligations under this agreement:

  (a) The Exiting Tenant must pay any costs incurred for amending the tenancy agreement in the sum of £50.00 (inc. VAT) or for any reasonable costs incurred if these are higher than £50.
  (b) The remaining Tenants(s) occupying the Property must confirm in writing that there are no outstanding monies payable, and that there are no further deposit deductions to be applied to the Exiting Tenant;
  (c) The Tenant must enter into a Surrender of Tenancy with the Landlord; and
  (d) The Suitable Tenant and the remaining Tenant(s) occupying the Property must enter into a new Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement with the Landlord by providing a satisfactory rental reference, guarantor and comply with right to rent checks.

  8.3 Where the Landlord agrees to early termination of the Term at the Tenant’s request, the Landlord or Agent will be entitled to recover their costs related to early termination of the Term, such costs not to exceed the loss incurred by the Landlord or reasonable costs incurred by the Agent in re-letting the Property.’]

  This is the sort of clause that you might see for early termination - some of this relates to not being allowed to sublet your room and the property. That is not allow someone else to stay there if you have to move out without the prior permission of the landlord or letting agent, and can include things like what would be required for you if you wanted to leave the property early.

  [New slide titled ‘Tenancy Issues: Common Issues’. Slide content reads:

  •Repairs / Damage
  •Inventory (items missing, not as described)
  •Finance (e.g. late payments, bills)
  •Deposit returns
  •Landlord communication
  •Disruptions by tradespeople, viewings, inspections, etc
  •Neighbour complaints]

  So, tenancy issues. Common issues that we find are:

  That at the end of the contract or during the contract there are repairs needed or there is damage to the property;

  And the inventory items might be missing or not as described. That's why it's important that you make a note of anything that is missing or not as described when you move into the property;

  Sometimes late payments can cause charges to be applied, and if bills are not paid, then again, that can cause some issues within the property;

  Deposit returns are the one issue that we find the most in terms of the contention between what the landlord is going to charge in terms of any deductions from the deposit and what the tenants usually consider to be what would be fair. So this can be an issue, and this is also why when we are talking about the inventory and the condition of the property, that it's really important that you record at the beginning and record at the end of your tenancy the condition of the property itself so that you can have an evidence base to argue for the maximum amount of the deposit to be returned;

  Sometimes communication between tenants and landlords and also letting agents can be problematic. The lack of communication sometimes, or for example, that the channels of communication are somehow not quite right. For example, if the telephone numbers that are in the tenancy agreement or the email addresses that are in the tenancy agreement have changed and so therefore it's difficult to make contact;

  We have found that sometimes disruptions to a tenancy, usually because of things like the arrival of tradespeople that need to do work, other viewings from tenants that might be looking to move in towards the end of your contract, or any inspections can sometimes happen at very short notice;

  And then finally, neighbour complaints. This is something that we have found with things like excessive noise if you're in the property and also if there were any anti-social behaviours that are in evidence.

  [New title slide reading ‘Tenancy Checklist’.]

  Now we've provided on our website a tenancy checklist, and we strongly recommend that you that you look at the pages, they’re comprehensive in terms of the guidance.

  [New slide titled ‘Tenancy Checklist’. Slide content reads:

  Tenancy agreements are legal documents. Once signed and dated by you and the landlord, you will be responsible for the duration of the agreement!

  Under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy you will usually be ‘Joint and severally liable’ - All equally responsible for the property and payments.

  Can be for a fixed period of time- e.g. 12 months or can be periodic - Month to month.]

  So, the tenancy checklist. We’ve put there the legal document - once signed and dated by you and the landlord, you will be responsible for the duration of the agreement. This is really important. It's very important you can commit to the entire length of your contract and make sure that you understand the terms and conditions within that legal document so that you know what you are signing up to.

  [New slide titled ‘Tenancy Checklist’. Slide content reads:

  •Type of agreement – AST or licence
  •Names of all people involved (Landlord and/or Agent and tenants)
  •Property address
  •Start/end date of the tenancy (contract dates)
  •Rental amount and how it’s paid
  •Deposit amount and deposit protection scheme information
  •When the deposit can be fully or partly withheld, e.g. to repair damage caused by tenants
  •Permitted fees during the tenancy
  •Tenant and Landlord obligations
  •Notice period for tenant and landlord
  •Which bills tenants are responsible for]

  Under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, you will usually be joint and severally liable. We discussed that before, where you are all equally responsible for the property and all the payments of that property.

  It's usually a fixed period of time for the contract 12 months or can be periodic month to month. But in the first instance you will usually find that you will have a fixed term of between 6 and 12 months.

  So look out for: The type of agreement;

  whether or not it's an Assured Shorthold Tenancy or License;

  the names of all the people involved; the property address;

  the start and end date of the tenancy; the rental amount and how it's paid;

  the deposit amount and deposit protection scheme information;

  when the deposit can be fully or partly withheld - for example, to repair damage caused by tenants;

  permitted fees during the tenancy;

  tenant and landlord obligations that we've just discussed;

  and the notice period for tenants and landlords;

  and also if applicable, which bills tenants are responsible for.

  [New title slide reading ‘University Support’.]

  Now, the University provides support for students who are in the private sector in Assured Shorthold Tenancies and with Licenses to Occupy.

  [New slide titled ‘Private Sector & Communities Team’ containing a QR code linking to the following page: https://student.sussex.ac.uk/accommodation/

  Slide content reads:

  •Private Sector Support Events
  •Sussex StudentPad
  •Community Ambassadors
  •Tenancy Agreement Checks
  •Advice Appointments
  •Student Hub Advice Pages]

  We've put the QR code on screens so that you can easily access the Housing Services Student Hub.

  The Private Sector and Communities Team offer private sector support events;

  We are administrators for the Sussex Studentpad site;

  We have a number of community ambassadors who are out in the community on a regular basis;

  We provide tenancy agreement checks themselves. So if you are unsure about anything in your tenancy agreement, you can send a PDF of that tenancy agreement to us at Housing Services and we will review that for you. Please note that we do not offer legal advice, but we have seen a lot of these agreements and can help spot any red flags or issues that you might want to clarify with your landlord or letting agent;

  We also have some appointments available for specific advice or if you have a specific issue about your tenancy;

  and we run the Student Hub advice pages, which are again comprehensive in terms of the amount of information and process that you need to follow. Sussex Students’ Union also provide support.

  [New slide titled ‘Sussex Students’ Union Support’ containing a QR code linking to the following page: https://sussexstudent.com/about-us/contact

  Slide content reads:

  The Student Union advice team provide advice on University-related issues and housing for every Sussex student.]

  The Students’ Union Advice team provide advice on University-related issues and housing for every Sussex student.

  Their pages are available through that QR code.

  [New title slide reading ‘External Support’]

  And there are also external support services too.

  [New slide titled ‘External Support: Shelter & Citizens Advice’ containing QR codes linking to the respective pages:

  Shelter: https://england.shelter.org.uk/
  Citizens Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

  Slide content reads:

  Shelter and Citizens Advice offer excellent support resources, and advisors can provide free legal advice.]

  The two most common advice and guidance sites that are available are Shelter and Citizens Advice. They offer excellent support resources and advisors can provide free legal advice. So please use these QR codes and check out Shelter and Citizens Advice - very, very useful sites for you.

  [New slide titled ‘Brighton & Hove City Council’ containing a QR code linking to the following page: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/ ]

  The local council, Brighton and Hove [City Council], also have information on housing and you can access that through the QR code on screen.

  [End of presentation.]