Rent Payment Dates

• Initial payments – rent installments and deposit must be received in cleared funds no later than our receipt of the signed Tenancy Agreement.
• Your payment date will be noted on your lease agreement – it usually the first of every month

After the initial payment, rent must be paid by one standing order for each payment period. The standing order form will be given to you upon signing the Tenancy Agreement. It is the your responsibility to submit the completed form to your bank in good time and to provide us with a copy as proof that payment arrangements have been put in place with your bank. We require this proof before access can be allowed to the property at the commencement of the tenancy. To ensure that your rent arrives on the correct day, it is important to date the standing order at least three days before the rent is due.

An administration charge, where Rent is paid by means other than as stated in your agreement, is £35.00 for each occasion. If rent payments are more than 14 days late, they will attract interest at 3% above the Bank of England base rate and a late payment penalty fee of £25.00 will be issued.

We have a zero tolerance policy on rent arrears. If for any reason your rent payments are late, administration fees of £25.00 maybe incurred. This will also apply in the event that a Standing Order is cancelled during the term of the lease without prior agreement with Home Lettings Scotland and thus causing rent to be outstanding or paid late.

If further reminders to pay outstanding rent, including letters, texts or emails are required, tenants will be charged further administration fees of £25.00 for each reminder sent.

If the rent/late fee still remains outstanding, additional charges may apply including debt recovery costs which will be charged at the percentage set by the recovery agent.

Payment Methods

Internet Banking

With Internet Banking making payments is easy.  We will provide you with our bank account details and you can then transfer the required sum of money.  Most payments show in our bank account within hours but please check with your own bank first as keys to your property will not be released until either cleared funds are showing in our bank account .

Standing Order

When setting up your first standing order payment you need to complete the instruction at least five bank working days before the 1st of the month.

For a subsequent payment which reuses the same standing order you need to allow at least three bank working days. Bank working days are Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.

Please note that any Standing Order payments you create will not be visible online for up to 36 hours.

Click here to download our standing order form

Cheques

If payment of the initial costs is to be made by cheque, a period of 10 working Days prior to the commencement of the Tenancy is required for clearance. Cheques shoucl be made payable to Home Lettings Scotland.  Any cheque that has to be re-presented is subject to a charge of £75.

BACS/CHAPS transfers

If payment is by BACS transfer, allow four working Days for clearance.

If payment is by CHAPS/EFT/Fastpay transfer, allow two working Days for clearance. CHAPS transfers also incur extra costs.
Any bank charges on money transfers will be added to the total.

International Payments

You will be informed by letter when you move in whether we, the Landlord, or the Landlord’s representative will be managing the property during the Tenancy.

During your tenancy it will be necessary for us to arrange Gas and/or Electrical Safety inspections. We will write to inform you when the service company will be visiting.  It is your responsibility to ensure the service company is given access to the property.

If you arrange an appointment with the service company and access is not given to the company then you will be charged for the call out.

The Landlord is responsible for providing buildings insurance, and contents insurance for their own belongings, but they are not responsible for your possessions. You are strongly advised to make arrangements to insure your own contents and valuables. You are also responsible for any injury or death at the property caused by you or your guests’ fault. You are strongly advised to take out insurance to cover this. We have a range of Tenant Insurances available. Please contact us if you wish to receive a quotation.

If we are managing the property, we will wish to ensure that it is being kept in good order. For this reason it will be necessary to arrange periodic inspections under the terms of the Tenancy Agreement. It is important that these visits are organised in advance in order that you are put to the minimum inconvenience.

We will write to inform you when we will be visiting. We hope that you will be present during the visit. However, if you are unable to attend, we will use our security key. We will carry out the following inspections;

• 6-8 weeks inspection  – we will visit the property to ensure you have settled into the property
• bi-annual inspections are carried out so we are able to pick up on any issues or problems before they become serious eg, build-up of mould, damp, unreported damages.

We will carrying out an inspection one month before you are due to depart is as it will allow us to identify any issues that may occur at check out, allowing the you to address any issues you may be responsible for which then reduces the potential for dispute and/or delay new tenants moving in.

This will also provide us chance to remind you of your contractual obligations, e.g. replacing light bulbs, returning keys, make sure final bills are paid and any possible charges or deductions to the deposit.

As part of our reporting process to Landlords, Tenants should be aware we will be taking photographs of the property.

Utilities

The Tenancy Agreement makes you (the Tenant) responsible for the payment of gas, electricity, telephone and water charges. It is important that you register with each of the local utility companies directly in order to ensure continuity of service, and billing in your name.

Your other responsibilities are

• The Television License,
• burglar alarm,
• cable/sky TV charges
• telephone
• local parking permits
• common stair cleaning costs (if applicable)

Council Tax

The Tenant is liable for paying Council Tax whilst Tenants are occupying the property so it is important that Tenants register with the Local Authority.

Keys

At the start of the tenancy each tenant named of the lease agreement will be provided with a set of keys.

The set of keys ill include all types keys –

• swipe cards/electronic key cards/fobs.
• keys to lockable areas that the tenant is allowed to access.

It is the landlords responsibility to make sure that the property has secured locks. This means that if the locks get damaged because they are defective in the first place, the landlord is responsible to replace them.

If Home Lettings Scotland is managing the property – we will hold a set of keys in the office.

Lost Keys

It is the tenants responsibility to take care of the keys to all of the lockable areas.  In case that the tenant loses the keys, the tenant will be responsible for the replacement. Lost keys may mean that the security of the property has been compromised; therefore, the tenant will be required by the landlord to handle the costs incurred in changing the locks as well. If that so happens, the tenant will be required to pay for the repair or replacement of the locks.

Locked Out

If you lock yourself out of the property keys are available from the office during normal working hours however £30 must be left as deposit.

If you lock yourself out out-with our opening times then the cost of any emergency contractor would have to be met by you and probably will have to be settled on the spot.  Our emergency contractors do not have access to our keys.

Tenants changing the locks and keys

Your tenancy agreement prohibits changing the locks without permission of the landlord. If you are unable to secure your property due to the locks being faulty then you must contact us immediately – we will then arrange for our approved locksmith to contact you directly to resolve the issue.

Returning Keys at the end of the tenancy

Each tenant will receive one full set of keys, which must be returned at the end of the tenancy.  All keys should be returned to Home Lettings Scotland on the day of check-out in working order. Failure to return all keys issued will result in the locks being changed and deductions made from your deposit.

It is ultimately the tenant’s responsibility to allow access or be available to allow access for any repairs, inspections  to be carried out in the property.

If you are willing to allow contractors access to carry out a repair while you are not present in the property, we will ask you if we may give keys to them. This is a service which Home Lettings Scotland offers as a convenience to tenants.

If you have agreed to be at home to give a contractor access to carry out a repair or to take delivery of an item, but are not there when they call, you will be charged for any costs associated with the delivery or the repair.

Stair Cleaning

If you live in flatted accommodation you must take your turn cleaning the stairs either by local arrangement or established rota. If the stairs are cleaned and monies are due from each flat, you must ensure you pay your share.

Tenants are not responsible for factoring fees, these will be paid by the landlord. Outstanding stair cleaning bills will be deducted from deposit at the end of the tenancy.

Rubbish

It is your responsibility to dispose of all rubbish in an appropriate manner. Tenants must ensure rubbish is never left in any common area and is disposed of correctly on the day it is to be uplifted. Contact your local council office for details. Please also be aware that rubbish should not be allowed to pile up inside a property as this will encourage vermin.

Window Cleaning

It is your responsibility to make sure that your windows are regularly cleaned. If your windows open in to the property we ask that you clean both the inside and outside. If you have windows which do not open inside (i.e. sash cord) you are required to clean the insides and arrange for a professional window cleaner to clean the outsides. We can provide window cleaning company details, if required.

Smoking Policy

All our properties are non–smoking. Any damage caused by tenants or tenants’ visitors who smoke in the property, such as repainting or specialist cleaning, will be deducted from your deposit.

• Individuals renting a property together (sharers) are all required to be named on the Tenancy Agreement as tenants.
• Under the terms of the Tenancy Agreement sharer tenants have ‘joint and several liability’ which gives them all equal responsibility for adhering to the terms and conditions  of the Tenancy Agreement. This makes each one of them responsible for the full amount of the rent. Should one of the sharers default in their rental payment, the other sharers are liable and responsible for the outstanding balance.
• Also should one of the sharers leave the FULL rent remains payable.
• In the case of damage to the property, if damage is caused by one sharer, the other sharers are held to be equally responsible when  deductions are made  from the security  deposit (see  later).
• Any disputes between sharing tenants relating to the security deposit are the sole responsibility of the tenants to resolve and we will not act as mediators in such disputes. See notes regarding sharers’ responsibilities.
• The joint and several liability also applies to the termination of a tenancy, one sharer  wishing to end a tenancy (provided there  is provision to do so within the terms of the Tenancy Agreement) is considered to be doing so on behalf of all the tenants.
• We, or our appointed contractor, will require access to the property from time to time. There will be a clause to this effect in your Tenancy Agreement to which you will give permission on receiving reasonable warning, unless it is an emergency.
• We will require access towards the end of the term of the tenancy to report  on the physical state  of the property  and make recommendations on decorating,  repairs  etc,  even  if you are intending  to renew  your tenancy and stay on for a further

Lead Tenant

To avoid unnecessary confusion, we ask that each property appoint a lead tenant who will be responsible for communicating information to the others. Home Lettings Scotland will initially contact this tenant regarding all tenant matters. This arrangement does not obligate this person in any way.

The conditions laid out in your tenancy agreement are legally binding and enforceable by law. If for any reason you want to leave your lease early we can advertise your property for you for a fee of £250.00 to help you to find someone to take over the property.   You will still be liable for the rent until either a new tenant is found or until the end of your contract.