FAQs: Student

In accordance with your tenancy agreement, you are responsible for keeping the property clear from rubbish and ensuring that it is regularly collected by the local authority. If there is an excessive amount of rubbish (more than 1 wheelie bin load), the council will not remove it. If you do not remove it at the end of your tenancy, we will be required to hire a rubbish removal company to ensure the property is clear of rubbish for the incoming tenants. If you think you have the wrong bin size, you can also request a new one from the Council during your tenancy – just follow this link. It’s important to know that if you don’t put your rubbish in the correct bin (e.g. soft furnishings, large bulky items etc.) then the council will not collect the rubbish.

The hourly rate is for a general clean that does not require specialist chemicals/equipment. Mattress sanitising is very time consuming and requires specialist equipment. This does not constitute general cleaning and you will therefore be charged separately. Sometimes accidents happen, and if you know that your mattress needs a clean and would like to organise one yourself, then we’d recommend finding a supplier on Checkatrade.

The cleanliness of the carpets are compared to the state they were in when you moved into the property. If the carpets were clean when you moved in but they are dirty when you vacate, you will be charged for the cleaning. In some cases, if carpets were showing stains when you moved in and then were in a worse state when you vacate, the cost of cleaning can be split between Landlord and Tenant. Again, carpet and mattress cleaning requires a large cleaning machine to be brought into the property. This is why carpet cleaning is charged separately, with a set up charge for the initial area cleaned.

The hourly rate is for general cleaning which only requires regular cleaning products (i.e bleach/antibacterial spray/vacuuming), not specialist chemicals/equipment. As specific chemicals must be used to clean an oven or defrost a freezer as well as the additional time this takes, the cost of this will be in excess of the hourly rate and you will therefore be charged separately. To avoid this, we recommend you do a deep clean before you leave the property (there are some excellent, if slightly cheesy videos on how to do this on YouTube like this one).

Before you leave the property, we send through several reminders to clean the property and provide you with information on how to do so. You are welcome to have the clean carried out before the last date of your tenancy by a cleaner of your choice (Checkatrade is a great place to look for someone), which you would need to organise yourselves. Unfortunately, due to the sheer volume of work that comes with cleaning around 500 houses in a 12-week window, the cleaning firms that we use have a number of experienced end-of-tenancy cleaners, office staff, cleaning supervisors, company vehicles, etc. meaning larger overheads than a much smaller cleaning firm. Therefore their rates from £23ph is higher than some smaller firms. They also have additional fixed costs for oven cleaning, freezer defrosts, rubbish removal, carpet and mattress cleaning.

After the check-out, we’ll give the cleaners guidance of how much cleaning is required as documented in the check out report. The cleaner will submit their invoice based on the amount of hours it takes to clean the property. We’ll double check this against the check out report and any additional cleaning will be paid for by the landlord.
We’ve worked with our cleaners for many years and they are all prepped in advance to clean efficiently in order to keep costs down.

We will provide a detailed breakdown of any deductions from your deposit on a room-by-room basis so you can easily negotiate any discrepancies with your housemates. There will be separate sections for items such as keys, unpaid rent etc. Each bedroom will also be itemised and there will be a cost per item listed. As the deposit is treated as a whole (due to a joint and severally liable tenancy agreement) this will help you to divide up who is responsible for each deduction, if at all.

We work really hard to get your deposit breakdown across to you within 1 month of your check-out as we know how important that money is in taking your next steps – whether you’re moving into a new place, paying of bills or treating yourself. We process returns in order of move out dates, so please do bear with us as it is an incredibly busy time of year. It helps us to process everyone’s breakdowns more quickly if we can focus on these, so please avoid contacting us within this period. If you have not heard from us within this timeframe, please email deposits@coapt.co.uk and we will let you know when you will receive your breakdown.

We do ask that all items are returned to the rooms they were in at the start of the tenancy to avoid any confusion on the check-out report. We will look at the check-out report when we visit the property to work out if any of the missing items have been left in a different room. Please note any large items (e.g. wardrobes etc.) that have been moved MUST be returned to the correct rooms as we may have to charge for a contractor to move these if they are too large for us to move (if it took four of you, it’s probably going to take that many of us!).

Yes, of course. We only require one spokesperson for each property. It is best if you nominate a person and all speak together before coming back to us with any points you do not agree with in one go. It does not need to be the lead tenant that is nominated for this.

Not necessarily. As the report is conducted by a third party company, they will not have been involved in your tenancy and therefore, will not be aware of certain changes. For example, they may list a blind as missing, however this could have been removed by the landlord mid-tenancy. Or they may list a washing machine as having been changed by the tenants, but this could have been replaced by the landlord mid-tenancy as the machine had broken. It is then our job to go through each check-out report and address these issues on a case-by-case basis and work out what has been legitimately changed and what has not. We will also look out for any items listed as missing that have actually been moved to other rooms. Please do not panic if there are lots of items that are listed that you feel you are not responsible for, we will look at these and work out if any of it is your responsibility. We do keep a log of changes like this on our management system (as long as we’ve been notified of them throughout your tenancy), so whilst it’s often a time-consuming tasks it’s usually very straightforward for us to work out what’s what.

Please do contact us and let us know if there is anything you have left in the property that you need back. There is a very short period of time where items can be returned and we will try our best to keep anything for you. However, we would recommend that you double check every room, cupboard etc. before you leave. It’s important that all of your belongings have been removed as we are unable to guarantee they can be returned to you after works have begun or the new tenants have moved in.

Once you have left the property and your check-out has been completed, you are not able to re-enter the property to carry out any cleaning etc. We will give you lots of notice and information in the months and weeks leading up to your check out, so you will know exactly what you need to do and when, before moving out. Unfortunately, due to the tight schedules in turning the property around for the new tenancy, we are unable to allow permission for you to go back to the property. We use tried and tested contractors to remedy any missed areas/items.

You don’t need to contact us about your deposit – we have a process in place to ensure we contact everyone after they have moved out. Once you have moved out we will send you an email confirming what happens next. If there are any deductions from your deposit these will be broken down clearly for you and sent to you, along with a copy of the check-out report, within one month of your check out date. As you can imagine, we have a lot of student tenants that move out at a similar time. We work through them in order of each property moving out and will send them across as quickly as possible.

Fair wear and tear is taken into account by the third party inventory company. They have undertaken thorough training to be able to decide what is fair wear and tear. It is dependent on many factors, for example the length of the tenancy, the type of tenancy and where in the property the affected area is. For example, if the tenancy was over 6 years it is expected that there will be more marks to walls than a tenancy of 6 months. The walls on a staircase or hallway are likely to become slightly marked as opposed to walls to a bedroom, due to heavier traffic.

There are items that will never be considered fair wear and tear. For example, but not limited to: Dirt and dust, burn marks or staining on floors and carpets, lost keys, broken windows, burnt on food to ovens / grills, grease build up on walls, hair, limescale, water marks, heavy scratching, pet hair / damage, avoidable damage to an item or area, staining to mattresses, allowing water damage to a property, misuse or abuse of an item, replacing an item with a similar one, but of poor quality,excessive usage causing damage, broken items disposed of, impact marks and blu tac.

No, you do not need to be at the property for your check-out. If you are present you will be asked to wait outside while our independent inventory company compiles the report. This is for two reasons; firstly because they want to be able to complete the report independently without distraction and need peace and quiet in order to record it, and secondly to make sure there is no bias affecting the report. The same rules apply to your landlord, so we feel like it’s pretty fair.

No, subletting is not permitted as part of your tenancy agreement. We know circumstances can change, so it is possible to exit your tenancy early. However, to do so you will need to find a suitable replacement and pay an exit fee. Please refer to your contract or contact us for more information.

Yes, small reasonable repairs that happen during your tenancy are your responsibility as tenants. We don’t expect you to be DIY SOS, but changing lightbulbs, replacing fuses, unblocking drains, tightening loose handles and bleeding radiators all fall under this category. If you are unsure of what to do, just call us and we’ll be happy to help guide you.

We generally conduct inspections twice a year. We do this to make sure the property is being looked after and to ensure it is safe and secure for you and your housemates. It’s also a good opportunity for you to let us know of any issues you’re having with your home or ask us any questions you might have. We will give you plenty of notice and we ask that at least one tenant is present. We do take photos to send to your landlord so please make sure the property is clean, tidy and free from rubbish. If we attend your property and we are unable to conduct the inspection because the property is in a poor condition or because there is no tenant present, please be aware there is a £30 re-inspection charge.

 

Please don’t panic! Instead, just contact the supplier and let them know you are not the tenants in question. They may ask to see a copy of your tenancy agreement to prove this. Please also take a picture of the bill and email it to us, or pop it into the office when you are next passing and we’ll provide the supplier with the forwarding address for the person responsible.

Don’t worry, these are not your responsibility. Phew! Please take a picture of the bill, email it to Fused and they’ll deal with it for you.

It is the tenants responsibility to maintain the garden throughout the duration of your tenancy unless it has been stipulated separately in your tenancy agreement under the ‘extra clauses’ section.

Meet your neighbours, find a home for your stuff and celebrate with your housemates. We hope you enjoy your new home and we’re really happy you’ve found where you belong. To help you settle in smoothly we’ve compiled a quick checklist below.

• Take meter readings and contact your utility providers (no need if you are bills-included!) Don’t know your supplier? Call 0870 6081524 for gas, 0845 6015467 for electricity and 0330 303 1263 for water.

 

• Contact Brighton & Hove City Council Full-time students are exempt from Council Tax during term time, in order to claim your discount you must register online. Or call the Council on 01273 291291 for further advice.

 

• Get a TV licence You need a TV licence if you watch or record live TV programmes on any channel, or if you watch or download programmes on BBC iPlayer http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk

 

• Set up Broadband, TV and Phone. If you haven’t opted to have these services included in a bills package, there are various suppliers available. Search the market for the best price, you’ll often find introductory offers available. Make sure you select a broadband speed suitable for the amount of tenants and devices online at any one time, the last thing you want is slow internet in the middle of conducting research for your dissertation because your housemates are playing FIFA!

 

• Check your refuse and recycling collection days. Missing a refuse bin or recycling box? You can order one online and find out the collection days for your street by calling 01273 292929 or by visiting www.brighton-hove.gov.uk.

 

• Get contents insurance (no need if you have it included!) We strongly advise you to invest in your own contents insurance as the landlords insurance does not cover your personal belongings in the event of a fire, burglary or leak. It may seem like an extra cost when living on a tight budget, but ask yourself if you could really afford to replace your things in the event they were damaged or stolen.
  If it’s included in your rent, please make sure you confirm you cover.

 

• Contact your neighbours. We recommend you introduce yourselves to your neighbours and exchange telephone numbers. After all, you may need them when you’ve run out of milk! Please always be respectful of your local community and keep noise to a minimum. We love turning the volume up and dancing in our rooms as much as the next person, but be considerate – your neighbours may work nights, have young children napping, or be older people who feel vulnerable.

 

• Keep on top of your garden. Gardens grow surprisingly quickly, particularly in the summer months! We would advise you to keep on top of it now and maintain it throughout the year to avoid complaints and a large gardening charge at the end! If you need any advice about what you need to do to maintain your garden just get in touch. If you’re a lucky tenant with a gardener included keep an eye on your emails for your the dates the garden will attend.

 

 

Please let us know as soon as you can if you are going to miss your appointment slot. We will try our best to be accommodating, please note we often have back to back appointments, so it may mean you might have to wait for the next available welcome rep. You can’t move in until you’ve completed your check-in appointment, so it’s super important you allow for traffic or delays and get to us in plenty of time.