HOW TO RENT FROM US AS A
COMPANY TENANT

1. Will my Company be able to rent a house or flat from Simply Rent?
2. What are the standard terms for a Company renting a property
3. What will the Company need to provide in order to rent a property
4. How does the Company apply to rent a property?
   • Step 1: view the property
   • Step 2: complete the application forms
   • Step 3: pay the deposit
   • Step 4: take over the property
5. How do I complete the application form?
6. How does the Guarantor apply if necessary?
7. Does the Guarantor need to provide proof of identity and proof of address?
8. What would be the key terms of thetenancy?
9. Where can I get the necessary application forms?
10. What do I do with the forms when I have completed them?
11. What will you do with the information I provide?

1. To rent a property from us as a company you must:

• intend to use the property solely for residential use AND
• be a Limited Company registered at Companies House AND
• have annual returns and accounts filed up to date at Companies House AND
  EITHER
  
have annual returns and accounts filed up to date at Companies House
OR (for new companies with no filed accounts)
provide a Director's Guarantee

If you cannot meet these conditions please contact us as we can often agree special arrangements such as an additional deposit or the payment of additional rent in advance.

2. Our standard terms for all properties are:

• your tenancy will be a Company Let for an agreed fixed term, with mutually agreed break clauses if appropriate
• you must pay a deposit (bond) normally equal to one month's rent when you apply for the property and we will hold this until you move out
• you must pay the rent on the day you move in and each month after that; you must pay this by bank standing order

  We are normally prepared to discuss non standard terms.

3. To rent a property from us you will need to provide the following:

• an application from from the Company
• the deposit and the first month's rent in cleared funds
• a bank standing order for payment of the rent from the second month onwards
• a signed and witnessed Tenancy Agreement (we will provide the Tenancy Agreement)

If you require a Director' Guarantee you will also need to provide:

• an application from the Company's Guarantor with every question answered satisfactorily
• a signed and witnessed Guarantee Agreement (we will provide the Guarantee Agreement)
• proof of your Guarantor's identity and residence at his/her current address

4. Applying for a tenancy

To rent a property from us you will need to do the following:

Step 1: view the property

When you have identified a property that interests you we will arrange an appointment for you to view the property; you may be shown around by ourselves, by the landlord, or by the current tenant

If you cannot keep an appointment we have agreed you must inform us in plenty of time; if you do not do so we will not make any other appointments for you to see any property

If, having viewed the property, you decide that you want to rent it you should tell us immediately; you should also tell us if you have any special requirements or are unsure of any point relating to the property or the proposed tenancy; we will provide a copy of our standard tenancy agreement if you ask us.

Step 2: complete application forms

Once you have told us that you would like to rent the property you should complete the necessary application forms and send them to us

You can download the application forms or we can send them to you by email or by post; we recommend that you send the applications back to us by fax if you can

It normally takes about 2 working days to validate your application once we start to process it

Step 3: pay the deposit

We will not process your application until we have received your deposit; we will tell you how much deposit we require; it will normally be the same amount as one month's rent

You must pay the deposit in one of the following ways:

• by transfer direct from your bank account to our bank account (this is the safest option, is free, and will take 3 working days)
• by CHAPS payment direct from your bank account to our bank account (your bank will charge you for this service but we will receive the money the same day)
• by sending us a Building Society cheque or Banker's Draft (we recommend that you use Royal Mail Special Delivery)
• in cash (which you can send to us by Royal Mail Special Delivery)
• by company or personal cheque payable to "Simply Rent"; if you pay the deposit by cheque we will wait 10 days for the cheque to clear before processing your application

If your application is rejected we will refund your deposit in full (unless you have made a false statement on the application in which case we will retain £100.00 + VAT to cover our costs in processing your application)

If your application is accepted we will contact you; if you decide at this stage not to proceed we will refund your deposit in full less £100.00 + VAT to cover our costs in processing your application; if you confirm that you wish to rent the property you will be contractually bound to do so and your deposit will not be refunded if you later change your mind

If you proceed with the tenancy we will hold your deposit throughout your tenancy; at the end of the tenancy we will refund it to you providing that the property is in good order and there are no arrears or rent or other charges.

Step 4: take over the property

We will make an appointment with you to meet at the property you are renting and hand it over to you; this will take between 30 minutes and 1 hour. If you are providing a Director's Guarantee then he/she must also attend this meeting if he/she has not already signed the Agreement.

You will need to bring with you (unless we have already received them):

• the first month's rent in cash
• the documents proving the identity and address of your Guarantor and copies for us to retain

We will bring:

• the keys to the property
• the Tenancy Agreements and the Guarantee Agreement if required
• 2 copies of the Inventory and the Tenants' Instructions for the property
• a Bank Standing Order mandate for you to sign to pay the rent

Together we will need to:

• read the gas and electricity meters
• check the Inventory and record any defects or deficiencies
• ensure that you know how to work any appliances

5. Application Form

We will require an Application Form from the Company.

You must ensure that:

• every box outlined in bold (and as many other boxes as possible) on the application form is completed
• you include a postcode with every address you enter on the form
• you include a fax number and/or email address for the accountant if they have one

If you do not do this the form may have to be returned to you and you may lose the property.

6. Director's Guarantee

A Guarantor is someone who agrees to pay the rent or other money that you owe if you don't.

We will require a Guarantor's Application Form if you have to provide a Guarantor.

Your Guarantor will be required to sign a legally binding agreement to pay all rent and other charges due if you fail to do so. If your Guarantor later decides to end his/her Guarantee Agreement you may have to leave the property.

7. Proof of identity and residency at current address

We require the following for the guarantor (if applicable) (you should give us a photocopy of each document and show us the original):

Proof of identity

This should be one of the following:

• passport
• photographic ID card
• new style driving licence

Proof of residency

This should be one of the following:

• signed driving licence showing your current address (providing you have not used this to prove your identity)
• a recent (no older than 3 months) gas, electric, water, or telephone/mobile bill
• a council tax bill showing your name and current address
• a letter from the Personnel/Human Resources department of the Company confirming the address; this must be signed and dated by the payroll department or a Finance Director and contain the printed name and position of the signatory

8. Your tenancy

Once you have taken over the flat or house the most important fact to remember is that the property is the landlord's private property. As a tenant company you have the right to live in the property without interference by the landlord, but the landlord is entitled to expect that you will look after the property as he/she would if they were living in the property themselves.

The terms of all tenancies may be varied by agreement between the landlord and the tenant, but you should assume that the following terms will be included unless we have specifically told you otherwise.

Rent

You must pay the rent in full and on time by bank standing order. We allow 3 working days from the date your rent is due for it to reach our account. If we have agreed that you can pay rent in any other way you must ensure that we receive it by 5.00 pm on the day it is due. If we do not receive your rent in time we will charge you for the work we have to do in keeping the landlord informed and in chasing you for payment.

What you must do:

The following is a brief list of some of your obligations:

• lock all doors and windows whenever you go out
• take good care of the property and its contents and repair any damage (we suggest you take out insurance to cover this)
• keep the property heated, especially in winter
• allow us (or workmen) into the property to repair or inspect it
• keep the garden tidy and mow the grass in summer
• pay the utility bills (gas, water, electricity, council tax, telephone, etc)

What you must not do:

The following is a brief list of some of the things you must not do:

• cause a nuisance to the neighbours
• do anything to adversely affect the landlord's insurance
• leave the property empty for more than 30 days
• use the property for any illegal or immoral purpose
• use the property for anything other than to live in it (eg you must not run a business from it)
• take in lodgers (whether they pay you or not)
• sub-let the property
• damage the property
• alter the outside of the property
• put up notices or signs outside the property
• make any alterations to the electrical wiring or the plumbing
• change the locks without our permission
• keep pets without our permission
• allow anyone to smoke in the property without our permission
• allow ventilation to become obstructed

Ending the tenancy

The tenancy will automatically end at the end of the initial fixed term unless an extension has been specifically agreed in writing.

Moving out

When you come to move out of the property you must ensure that the property is clean and tidy throughout (both interior and exterior), and that all the items listed on the Inventory are clean and undamaged and in the room against which they are listed in the Inventory.

Once you have returned the keys to us we cannot allow you back into the property to clean it or put right any damage. If the property needs cleaning or damage needs repairing we would be obliged to engage contractors to complete the necessary work; you would have to pay for this.

Deposit

We hold deposits as "stakeholder" on behalf of both the Company and the landlord. When the property is vacated we will refund this deposit providing that the rent is up to date and the property in at least the condition it was in when it was occupied.

We aim to refund the deposit within a few days. If, however, there are faults or damage to be repaired we cannot release the deposit until these repairs are completed.

9. Where can I get the forms and documents required?

We can send you the necessary form by post or email.

You can also download them using the links below. We recommend that you print off sufficient copies of the form, complete and sign them, and send them to us by post or fax (we need signed hard copies for legal reasons).

If the form does not download when you click on it please try right-clicking on it with your mouse..

To read and use these forms you will need an up to date version of Adobe Acrobat Reader which you can download free of charge via this button.

10. What do I do with the forms and documents?

All completed forms and other documents should be sent to us by fax or by post. Please remember that we will not process your application until we have eceived your deposit in cleared funds.

11. What will you do with the information I provide?

DATA PROTECTION ACT: all information provided may be subjected to verification; all information provided and the results of any verification process may be held in computer or paper records by us and may be released to the landlord or to any other person or organisation entitled by law to receive it; it may also be passed to any credit referencing tracing or other agency if the property is vacated in an unsatisfactory condition or leaving monies owing to us, the Landlord, or to any other person or organisation connected in any way with the property or the landlord.