Tenants and UKALA (The UK Association of Letting Agents)
Renting a residential property is much easier and safer since the Housing Act 1988 and the implementation of the 1996 ammendments.

Ensure the agent you rent from is a member of UKALA and subscribes to its Code of Practice - then you can be confident your rental will be professionally managed. UKALA members operate client accounts for landlord rent payments and also for tenants' security deposits. They will also be familiar with the statutory regulations to which you must comply.

How to contact a UKALA member in my area
Go to (Contact members in your area) button above.

Insurance
UKALA recommend that their members hold Professional Indemnity Insurance.The landlord is normally responsible for insuring the building and their furnishings. UKALA recommend you ensure that your possessions in the rental property are insured. It is important that you make it clear to the insurer that you are renting the property. You may well find that your UKALA agent can give advice and perhaps arrange the insurance on your behalf.

What do I need to supply before I receive the keys to a rental property?
The agent will request that you supply references. Typically these will include proof of identity (such as a passport), proof of employment or attendance on a course at a recognised university, and proof that you can pay the rent either in the form of a bank reference or recent bank statements showing that you have sufficient income to justify the rent. You may also be asked to supply character references, such as from a previous landlord who confirms that you paid the rent and that there were no problems. The agent may need a day or two to verify your references.

How much money will I need?
It is customary for agents to require the first month's rent in advance and the equivalent of six weeks' rent to be held as a security deposit. If a deposit is required against possible dilapidations then you will be informed how it is being held. It must be registered with one of the government insurance backed schemes, or passed to the government custodial scheme.

What other costs will I pay?
Most agents will offer to prepare the tenancy agreement. This is a legally binding document which will have been provided by solicitors. Although very simple ones are obtainable from stationers, they are rarely adequate and can leave either landlord or tenant or both vulnerable. Your UKALA agent will be able to provide a more comprehensive agreement that is acceptable to the landlord and will still be fair to you as tenant. You will be asked to pay half the cost of preparing the agreement and the landlord will pay the other half.

It is also necessary to have an inventory prepared which lists the contents of the property and also describes the condition of both the property and contents. The agent can offer to compile this or suggest that a third party us used (inventory clerks). Whatever arrangements are made, which must also be acceptable to the landlord, you will pay half. This normally means that the landlord will pay for the inventory when you first move in, and you will be required to pay for the check out inventory.

What about utilities, council tax etc.?
In addition to paying the rent you will almost certainly be required to pay the personal charges. Typically these will include electricity, gas, water charges, telephone, television licence and any charges for satellite or cable television, if available. All this will be clearly set out in the tenancy agreement.

You will also pay the Council Tax at the rate applicable to your circumstances. Students pay less or possibly not at all.

All the above are really personal charges and obviously you can exercise considerable control over such things as the amount of electricity and gas used, and the number and duration of telephone calls made.

If you rent a flat in a block, then it is most likely that the landlord will continue to pay the service charge which good news for the tenant, as usually this is the most expensive charge of all!

Is there a difference between a short and a long tenancy?
The shortest tenancy is for a holiday let and in many parts of the country, such as central London, these are not allowed unless it is a guest house or similar. For example, Westminster Council will not agree to short holiday lets in property classified for residential purposes. The vast majority of residential tenancies are called Assured Shorthold Tenancies and are usually for a minimum of six months and many landlords will not accept less than six months. Probably the most common tenancy is for 12 months, although if a property is available for long term rent it is likely, if all has gone well in the first 12 months, that the landlord will offer a further 12 months. This may well continue for year-after-year but gives both landlord and tenant the opportunity to review the arrangement annually. This means that as a tenant you can decide to leave at the end of any 12 month period, however, it also means that the landlord may request an increase in rent particularly if market rents have moved higher.

Assured Shorthold Tenancies are probably the best from the point of view of both landlord and tenant. However, you cannot have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy if the tenant is a company or if the rental value of the property is over £25,000 in a year. Under these circumstances the law of contract will apply.

What happens when I leave?
When you leave it is important that you return the flat to the same condition as when you originally moved in. The key document here is the inventory and you should ensure that the contents are as listed in the inventory, and you clean up and return the flat to the condition as described in the inventory. If there is any damage or missing items then these will be deducted from your deposit as well as any additional cleaning if it is judged that you have not cleaned the property to the standard described in the inventory.

The balance of the deposit will then be returned to you. Ensure that you give a forwarding address and make sure that this address is accurate with the correct post code. If there are no problems on the conclusion of a tenancy you may well receive it within ten working days. However if, for example, an electrical appliance has been damaged by a tenant and requires a new part to be sent and fitted, then occurrences like this can delay the return of the deposit.

What if I am not happy with the performance of the UKALA agent?
If you are not happy with the performance of your agent then firstly talk seriously to them about your concerns. The majority of disputes involving landlords and tenants come about because either landlord or tenant or both misunderstand their responsibilities. Therefore read your tenancy agreement very carefully and make sure that you are keeping to your side of the agreement. If you still believe that the performance of your UKALA agent is unacceptable then you can request that we consider the situation.

The procedure for making a complaint against a member is for you to put it in writing to this office, clearly explaining the circumstances and the reason for your complaint. Your letter will then be sent to the member against whom you are making the complaint, with a request that they put in writing their side of the story. Their letter will then be sent to you together with the conclusions of this Association.

Please note that we must receive a letter over your original signature. We cannot accept anonymous complaints or e-mails.

We should explain what this Association is and is not. We are a trade association funded by subscriptions from the member letting agencies. We are not an ombudsman, Trading Standards or a replacement for the county court service. Our primary concern is whether a member agency has complied, or not, with our Code of Practice.