Rates, Booking & FAQ
Viewing & Booking Details
Get into your group:
Identify the group you wish to live with. We let our houses to groups of friends so it is very important to know who you want to live with. Browse our website and find the house you like. We have pictures and details about the properties to try and help you choose. Make sure it can accommodate your whole group of friends and that you are all happy.
Arrange a viewing:
Contact us to register your interest. We will ask you for the names of everyone in your group and arrange a convenient date and time to view the property. We will also email you an initial enquiry form to complete and return in advance. Try to make sure that all of your group can make the agreed viewing time as it makes sense for everyone to see the house and viewings can be disruptive for the existing tenants.
Reserve a house:
Now that you have viewed the house and you know you would all like to live there, you will be invited to reserve the property by paying a £100 per person “administration and holding” fee. This fee may, or may not be refundable depending on the type of tenancy you have opted for. The “administration and holding” fee is there to let us know you are serious about living at the house as there could be another group willing to take it. This fee holds the house for your group for an agreed timescale pending successful completion of your application. If you have applied for a ‘no fees’ tenancy the ‘administration and holding’ fee is refundable and is returned to you upon the successful completion of your application within the agreed timescale. It is important that you do not pay the “administration and holding” fee until you have seen a sample tenancy agreement. The tenancy agreement is an important document and will have all the information about your tenancy on it. This is normally sent by email to all prospective tenants. Be sure to read it carefully and make sure that you understand all the content in it, although should you have any queries I am always there to help. Due to a student's age and employment status, we may ask you to provide a guarantor. This is standard practice with student rental properties. A guarantor (usually a parent or guardian) agrees to pay your rent if you are unable to. If you have been asked to provide a guarantor for your tenancy it is important to check they are happy to act for you and that they are aware of what being a guarantor entails before you pay the fee.
Complete forms:
Once you have sent your “administration and holding” fee we will start the paperwork for your tenancy. If you have been asked to provide a guarantor we will email you a copy of the tenancy and the associated guarantor form and request that this form is returned signed within the agreed timescale. You will be contacted when the tenancy is prepared and ready for you to sign.
Pay deposit:
Upon signing the Tenancy Agreement your “administration and holding” fee will be returned to you if you have applied for a ‘no fees’ tenancy. You will now be asked to pay the deposit for your tenancy. Your deposit will then be forwarded to a third party authority that will protect and hold your deposit until the end of your tenancy.
The House Is Yours!
You have now completed the booking of your house and I look forward to welcoming you all at the start of your tenancy.
Deposit Information
Deposits are usually £200 per person. They are collected from all tenants to ensure that the property will be well looked after while they are living there. Your deposit is secured with the Deposit Protection Service (DPS) and they will hold your payment for you until the end of your Tenancy. A thorough Inventory is provided at the start of the tenancy which lists everything in the house and its condition. This is always accompanied with photographic evidence. It is essential that this is confirmed with each tenant on the first day of their tenancy or in all cases before any tenant moves in. This level of detail is essential to ensure there is no ambiguity for either party or anyone in the group. We understand that occasionally things can get damaged accidentally during the tenancy. If this happens please inform us immediately. We will always be reasonable and will attempt to get things repaired or replaced as economically as possible. You may be asked to pay for the repair or replacement in order to keep your full deposit held. Please do not attempt any repairs yourself.
Viewing & Booking Steps
Get into a Group. Arrange Viewing. Reserve a House. Complete Forms. Pay Deposit. The House is Yours!
Current Rates
Excluding bills:
We always strive to keep our rates fair and highly competitive. Our room rates for 2017/2018 currently range between £78 and £79.40 per person per week. We can offer flexible contract terms to suit you including ‘half rent over summer’. Please ‘Get in Touch’ for further details. Because our houses are energy efficient and well insulated, utility bills are currently within the range of £5 - £10 per person per week to include everything, even your broadband and TV license! I guide all new groups through the utilities changeover at the beginning of a tenancy and offer advice and monitoring. We suggest all groups set up a joint account into which they deposit an agreed amount (usually between £5 and £10 per person per week). This ensures the money is there to cover bills as they arrive.
All inclusive:
We can offer all inclusive rents for around an additional £15 per week per person. Please note, this would be a capped usage and you will always save money by choosing the “excluding bills” option and allowing me to help you with the utilities changeover, getting the best deals and monitoring usage. All inclusive rents may be offered through ourselves or through “Share the Bills” or “Glide”.
Length of Tenancy
Our tenancies typically run for 12 months and usually commence in June, July or August ready for the September term. We can offer flexible contract terms to suit you including ‘half rent over summer’. Please ‘Get in Touch’ for further details.
Enquiries And When To Book
We always welcome enquiries and it often helps to register an interest in our houses even before you come to Uni. We may be able to guide you as to the best time to register or book or even just to answer any questions you may have. If you are currently in halls of residence in Derby and are looking to become a little more independent and self contained with a group of friends in the future, please get in touch as early as possible as we may be able to keep you up to date with our likely future house availability. House booking usually commences 1st November.
Repeat Bookings
It is very encouraging and a testament to our houses that many of our groups stay with us for 2 years or longer, however there are often good reasons why your group size may change after your first year with us. It is becoming more usual for some students to accept work placements during their time at university. Therefore it is important to try to get an idea of who in your group would like to stay for a second year as early as possible before booking commences. You will need to allow time to ask around and choose another friend to make up for anyone who plans to leave at the end of your first tenancy. If you do leave to take up a work placement please keep in touch as we might have suitable accommodation for you on your return. If the size of your group changes after the first year, please ask as we may have another house available for you.
Are our Houses Energy Efficient?
One of the key advantages of our houses is their energy efficiency. All houses are double glazed throughout and have undergone extensive and major hard wall insulation to the outside solid walls. This expensive process dramatically reduces the cost of heating whilst increasing home comfort.
- All houses have the latest energy efficient condensing gas "combi" boilers.
- All major appliances carry a grade A or B energy efficiency rating.
- Certificates and energy efficiency scores are available on request.
- Home heating is fully regulated and automatically controllable.
- Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) can be viewed by clicking the tab on the relevant house page.
We are currently monitoring our houses to give a better understanding of the real life energy costs in relation to a set house heating pattern chosen by existing tenants. This will help us to demonstrate how the energy efficiency of our houses “pays back” in terms of your comfort and the lowering of the total house energy bills. We are happy to supply this up to date information for any house.