Student Letting

                                                   Students

Being part of the Students’ Union we are keen to ensure that tenants’ find a property in the right location, that suits their requirements and meets current safety regulations. We are aware of the financial burdens on students and therefore DO NOT CHARGE ANY AGENCY FEES to students. Our advice is to take your time before signing up to anything, there is plenty of good quality property out there and there is no need to take the first property you see. From January onwards we will be listing new properties on a daily basis so if we don’t have the right thing for you when you see us, we can register your details and we will notify you by text or email when anything new comes in. Our full Student Guideline booklet is available from the office or from the link on the home page.

Our top tips are;

   *   Don’t rush, there is more than enough houses for everyone so take your time. We will have new houses coming
       on from January right up until October

   *   Make a checklist of what you need from your accommodation; rent, location, facilities, condition etc.

   *   Come see us first, we will have a vast amount of quality properties available and we DO NOT CHARGE
       ANY AGENCY FEES

   *   If you use an external letting agent, before you sign anything, check what agency fees you will have to pay and
        question what it covers

   *   Ask to see the contract before you sign it and if in doubt get the Student Union Advice Centre to look over it for
        you before signing

  *   Make sure you are happy with who you will be living with. Once you sign the tenancy, you have entered a
       legally binding agreement

                                                      Houses

Like most letting agents, Glamorgan Student Letting offers the landlord two letting services, ‘Managed’ and ‘Find Tenant Only’ It is important that you understand the differences between the two and which service your new landlord has chosen as this will dictate whether you deal directly with the landlord or with Glamorgan Student Letting after you have moved in.

Managed

You always deal directly with Glamorgan Student Letting. Any problems, maintenance queries etc. should all be reported to Glamorgan Student Letting. The bond is held and protected by the Deposit Protection Service (DPS).

Find Tenant Only

Glamorgan Student Letting will provide the initial tenancy agreement (contract) for you and collect the first months rent and bond before passing it over to the landlord.

Once you have moved in you will be given your landlords contact details and any problems, maintenance queries etc. should all be reported directly to your landlord. Your bond will either be held by your landlord (but securely protected by one of two insurance based schemes), or held by the Deposit Protection Service until the end of the tenancy. You will be provided with full details of where your bond is held and the return procedure.

                                                      Deposits

Once you have decided on your accommodation a holding deposit may be required to secure the room until the contracts are drawn up. The bond is usually used to secure the property. Before the commencement of the tenancy, the first months rent will be required and the dilapidations deposit (Bond), in cleared funds i.e. Cash, banker’s draft or cleared cheque.

Most agents will also charge an administration fee and possibly a reference fee. These fees can turn out to be quite expensive (£35- £175). Note. Glamorgan Student Letting charges no Administration fees.

The amount asked for varies but is normally the equivalent of one months rent plus £100. e.g. Rent is £800pcm Bond would be £900. (This can then be broken down per room e.g. £200 each pcm with bond of £225 each).

You will pay your deposit to the agent. Within 30 days the agent must provide you with certain prescribed information including:

   •  Which of the three authorised schemes they are using
   •  How to apply to get your deposit back at the end of the tenancy
   •  An explanation of the purpose of the deposit
   •  What to do if there is a dispute

                                                    Guarantors

The majority of students will require a guarantor to cover their liability as they are unlikely to be able to prove an income. A guarantor is a person that will sign to say that they will cover any rent arrears or damages in excess of the bond held. This is someone who lives and works in the UK. They must be able to provide us with:

   1) Proof of Address: ie bank statement, utility bill.
   2) Proof of ID and signature: Copy of Passport or Driving Licence
   3) Proof of Income:

* If you are employed by a company, please provide one of the following:-

   •  Employers letter showing annual wage
   •  P60
   •  Copies of the last 3 consecutive bank statements

* If you are self employed please provide one of the following:-

   •  A letter from the company accountant stating income in the last 2 years
   •  The last consecutive 6 months bank statements. Please note the Guarantor Agreement must be returned within
       7 days in order to complete the final stages of the tenancy agreement and secure the property.