Tenant Guide
Park Mill Properties welcomes all prospective tenants. Every year we find homes for families, for companies with visiting employees, for students and for retired people and we aim to assist everyone in finding the right home. Our trained and experienced staff will help you in any way they can. Please do not hesitate to ask questions.
Your Choice
Park Mill Properties always has an excellent choice of homes to rent:
furnished and unfurnished, studios, apartments, flats and houses.
We cover a large area from Grassington to Bingley including:
Skipton, Gargrave, Cowling, Carleton, Embsay, Farnhill, Silsden, Sutton in Craven, Eastburn, CrosshIlls, Ilkley, Otley, Addingham, Ridcllesden, Bingley, Shipley Menston, Burley in Wharfedale, Ben Rhyding to name but a few.
Our negotiators will advise you on local amenities such as schools, public transport and hospitals.
Your Security
We offer tenants security: most lets will be on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement for a minimum period of six months, unless agreed otherwise.
Your Safety
We take your safety very seriously. Our Landlords are advised of their responsibilities under safety regulations and every effort is made to ensure that appliances and heating systems are functioning properly and furnishings meet the requirements of the law.
The Tenancy Application Form
Please feel free to ask us to help you complete the Tenancy Application Form. The details given will in due course be used to draw up the legally binding lease.
References and Guarantees
To enable us to complete your Tenancy Application we need certain information: a reference from your employer and from a previous Landlord or friend to confirm your status. If you are self-employed we will need a reference from your accountant and your bank. If you have not been in full time employment for at least six months or perhaps you are a student, you will need a guarantor such as a parent, relative or close friend who will guarantee the rent and adherence to the Terms and Conditions of the Agreement.
Please ensure you complete the application form in full to enable us to process your references quickly.
Insurance
You will be required to insure your own contents in your new home, and the tenancy agreement specifically states that any insurance policy you have must also include provision for accidental damage to the landlord's contents.
Timescales
Subject to the date the property is available you will need to allow a minimum of 5 working days between submitting your application form and moving into your new home.
Initial Costs
On or before you collect keys to your new home, you will be required to pay the first month's rent and a security deposit equivalent to one month's rent. This can be paid by cash, cheque or bank transfer. Personal cheques can only be accepted 7 days before the tenancy begins.
Tenant deposits are held in The Deposit Protection Service (DPS) whose website is www.depositprotection.com
Rental Payments
Rent is to be paid by standing order each month. You will be issued with a standing order mandate at the commencement of the tenancy, Rental payments must be made promptly into our account on the due date each month and therefore we require that the standing order is set up to make payments 3 days before the rent is due to allow it time to clear the banking system.
Utilities
It is your responsibility to inform all the utility companies (including the gas/electricity board and the water board) of your move In date, since you will be responsible for all these as of that date. You will be issued with a form to sign at your move in appointment if you would like us to arrange this for you.
Council Tax
You should inform the appropriate Council that you are the new resident of the property and are responsible for all payments from the start of the tenancy.
Maintenance
Most properties are managed by Park Mill Properties, this means that when repairs are required you can simply contact your us and our staff will be pleased to arrange the necessary repairs.
If you have any maintenance problems which need attention, you should complete the maintenance request form or call or email us where it will be attended to and either an employee or an approved contractor will get in touch to arrange a convenient time and date to remedy the problem.
Maintenance problems which occur outside normal office hours should be reported to us by leaving a message on the answer phone and this will be dealt with promptly and efficiently when the office re-opens.
Property Inspections
At intervals during your tenancy, we will need to visit you to check that all is well with the property. This will be arranged with you in advance and benefits both Tenant and Landlord as any problems can be discussed and resolved.
Tenancy Status
Your tenancy will be for an initial fixed term usually of six months, after which the tenancy will automatically become a Statutory Periodic Tenancy on a month by month basis. You may leave the property by serving at least one months notice, the landlord is required to serve two months notice to terminate the tenancy, at the end of the fixed term or at any other time thereafter.
Requests for a further fixed term should be made to Park Mill Properties at least two months before the end date of your tenancy, in order that the Landlord's agreement may be sought and new documents processed.
Upon Taking Possession of the Property
You will be required to carefully check through the inventory Issued to you at the commencement of the tenancy. This is most important, as the inventory will be our record of contents, condition of contents and condition of property. The document must be signed and any comments recorded before returning to our office to be lodged with the lease documents, It is essential that the signed inventory is returned to us within 5 days of receipt. If we do not receive it within this tirnescale, the document will be deemed to be accepted as issued and you agree to take responsibility for any damage or missing Items.
Please also take time to read and understand your responsibilities as laid out in the lease, for example:
- In most cases gardens must be maintained by the Tenant and the property must be kept clean and tidy at all times.
- Park Mill Properties must be notified immediately should maintenance be required.
- Should you wish to terminate your agreement at the end of your initial fixed term, a minimum of one month's notice must be given in writing to Park Mill Properties.
Tenancy Deposit Protection
From April 2007, all tenants' deposits must be protected by law under statutory deposit protection. Your deposit will be protected by The Deposit Protection Scheme (DRS), For further details, please visit www.depositprotection.com
The End of Your Tenancy
As the tenancy ends, you will need to arrange an appointment with one of our representatives to carry out a final inspection of the property. Subject to the property being in a satisfactory state we will then arrange for your deposit to be returned, wherever possible within 7 working days, subject to that a satisfactory inspection. It is because of our unique experience that we are able to make a fair decision in matters of deposit dispute and are able to advise both Landlord and Tenant alike. Please ensure that you let us have your forwarding address so we may send a cheque to your new home.