Renting with us - Students

Firstly, here is a suggestion of things to consider when looking for accommodation;

Form a group - most independent student landlords only let to groups as opposed to singles. Find out if any of your friends/current housemates/coursemates are interested in grouping together for the following year.

Be ahead of the game - the best houses are usually let in December or January so start looking before then.

Arrange a selection of viewings - this will give you a better idea of what you can get for your budget and for comparative purposes.

Step-by-step guide to renting with us;

The procedure for renting a property with Lets Direct is as follows:

1. Find a property that you like through our website or other advertising tools such as Gumtree.

2. Contact us via the form, by e-mail at letsdirect@outlook.com or on 07969 475035, to arrange a viewing. It is important that as many of the potential housemates attend the viewing as possible, ideally all.

3. Should you like the house, discuss amongst the group whether you would like to proceed.

4. If you all agree, contact us to advise us that you would like to reserve the property.

5. these are all received, the house is reserved. NB this is the only admin fee that is charged by us, and covers the cost of advertising, referencing, guarantor checks etc.

6. We will then send you a tenancy application form and a guarantor form. Both of these need to be completed - the application by yourselves and the guarantor form by your guarantor (usually a parent/guardian), and returned to us.

7. This is all we need from you until just before you move in. At that point we will need you to pay between one month and six weeks rent as a deposit (dependent on property, and fully refundable provided there are no deductions resulting from the tenancy), and one month's rent in advance. NB we are unable to release keys to any tenants unless all payments are cleared into our bank prior to the moving-in date.

8. We will arrange a convenient time on the moving-in date to meet, sign the tenancy agreement, hand over keys, take meter readings and undertake an inventory.

9. You are officially moved in!

Some additional points:

- We take rules and regulations seriously. Your deposit will be secured under the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (www.tenancydepositscheme.com), which is essentially an insurance policy against the funds. You will be issued a certificate confirming this.

- We also like to help out where we can. Advice can be provided on student council tax exemption, where to find the best energy deals, how to set up a broadband account - just ask!

- A draft copy of the tenancy agreement will be e-mailed you prior to moving in, so that you can peruse should you wish - we want you to be comfortable with it's content and liability. This is an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement (AST), and will be a joint and several liability contract which means you share responsibility for the rent, damages etc. This is regular practice in student housing.