Cuckfield office

01444 451818

Hurstpierpoint office

01273 835104

Henfield office

01273 495220

Tenants fees

Following a change in legislation we no longer charge tenants an administration fee prior to taking up a new tenancy. Once you have passed through standard referencing you will need to have ready one month’s rent in advance and a further rent deposit equivalent to 5 weeks rent.

Pets

Some landlords will accept a well-behaved pet or pets in their property. We will require details of the pets, so that this information can be added to the tenancy agreement.

What to expect if you decide to rent a home through Marcus Grimes Estate Agents

Once an agreement to let a property to you has been made in principle, we will require confirmation of your identification to comply with our legal obligations under Anti Money Laundering regulations. Next you will complete a simple form providing us with the information we need to carry out a referencing. This is provided by a third party specialist referencing company who will contact you directly to complete an online form. This should take no longer than 10 days if your referees are efficient and prompt in responding to the questions posed by the referencing company. If the results determine you require a guarantor then this will be discussed with the landlord. If the landlord is still happy to proceed subject to a satisfactory guarantor, then the exact same process will need to be gone through.

On the day of taking up occupation, you will be met by a professional independent inventory clerk, who will have previously prepared a document which sets out a schedule of condition, together with photographs of every element of the property. You will be expected to go through this document with the clerk, agreeing any notable issues of condition. The meters will also be read at this point and we as agents will notify the utility companies and local authorities of the change of occupier details. You will have already paid across to us the rent and security deposit. Rent is payable monthly in advance and should paid on the same day each month. The security deposit is held in a protected clients account and is insured under the Tenants Deposit Scheme. www.tenantsdepositscheme.com

We will come and make an inspection of the property initially after 3 months and thereafter every 6 months. This gives you the chance to talk to us about anything that you think might be relevant to the property. Unless, specifically required by the landlord, our tenancy contracts are for a minimum period of 12 months.

When you come to leave

We will require one month’s notice in writing of your intention to quit the property and end the tenancy. This should be no earlier than the end of the initial contract period. For example. If you moved in on January 1st and wanted to leave after a year, you would be required to provide not less than a month’s notice in writing from not later than the 30th November.

Cleaning and gardens

We ask all our landlords, before letting their property for the first time to have their properties professionally cleaned internally together with the windows, oven and  to steam clean the fitted carpets. By providing this level of cleanliness at the outset it makes things easier for the tenants to understand the standard of cleanliness we expect the property to be in in when they leave. Tenants are therefore expected under the terms of their tenancy agreement to provide the same level of cleanliness when they leave. The same is set out regarding the gardens, if the property has any outside space.

Check out and return of deposit

We agree a convenient time for you to meet the inventory clerk on the day of your departure. They will assess the property inside and out, using the same document you signed at the outset of your tenancy. Any concerns are raised at this meeting. Meters are also read. If you decide not to attend the check out then any issues flagged by the clerk will be raised with you directly. Once the inventory clerk has completed the check out and returned the keys to us, you will not be allowed to return to the building, even to carry out works or repairs, so it’s highly advisable to attend to anything prior to this meeting. Assuming all is in order your security deposit will then be returned to you. If a dispute arises regarding the deposit, then the element which is not disputed is returned to you immediately and the monies which are disputed are sent to the TDS together with the correspondence, whereupon a case examiner will make a decision and an award. This decision is binding on both sides and is not subject to appeal. This would not effect either parties statutory rights under civil law.

NAEA ARLA The Property Ombudsman Trading Standards Tenancy Deposit Scheme Rightmove OnTheMarket