If you are looking to rent a property with a letting agent, ensure you check for any extra fees or charges first, and factor ’em in. These can add a huge whack to the cost of renting, and vary between agencies. Not all agents charge the same fees, so check out a list of all fees before you apply for a property so that you don’t come up against unexpected charges. Renting through an agent is the most secure way to source your new home and you are fully protected at all times during the tenancy. Remember, letting agents don’t only work for the landlords but they also work for you the tenants.
Here Belvoir Lettings Liverpool West Derby and Belvoir Lettings Liverpool Central we are a specialist residential letting agency that have a wide variety of flats, apartments, houses and homes to rent in Liverpool. We are open and honest with our fees and where your money is held, why it is held and what it is used for.
Your money will be held in a Client Account which is fully insured and audited annually by Propertymark and ARLA approved auditors which mean that your deposit is SAFE and fully protected unlike smaller independently run agents.
You will receive a comprehensive inventory of the fixtures and fittings of the property you are renting at the start of the tenancy which save guards you when you come to vacate the property. Belvoir Lettings Liverpool West Derby and Belvoir Lettings Liverpool Central register all deposits held with the Deposit Dispute Service www.thedisputeservice.co.uk and The Deposit Protection Service www.depositprotection.com and if you have any issues relating to the property and your deposit when you vacate, then you can ask them to act as an independent arbitrator. We are full members of the Propertymark Scheme http://www.nalscheme.co.uk/ and the Association of Residential Letting Agents www.arla.co.uk which means that we are a fully trusted competent letting agent based in Liverpool.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has given UK letting agents and private landlords until Fri 1 Nov to make sure non-optional fees are clearly displayed in ads alongside rental prices. Here at Belvoir Lettings Liverpool West Derby and Belvoir Lettings Liverpool Central we advertise all of our fees online along with our properties. We also very clearly display a list of our fees in our office windows. We are open with our fees and all fees are clearly listed on our application forms prior to signing the declaration that you are happy to proceed with your application.
After this date, if you find a letting agent or private landlord still isn’t clearly listing its fees, you can complain to the ASA, which can take action to have problem ads removed or amended, though it can’t give compensation. As there’s little other regulation over these charges in England, you should always ask to see ’em upfront.
Shockingly, some of the fees reported include £120 for permission to buy a dog or £60 for photocopying a contract. “My boyfriend and I rent and had to pay an additional £250 for our dog Tom, on top of the £900 deposit!”
An investigation by Shelter found renters are being hit by unfair letting agency fees of up to £700. It’s campaigning to end these fees.
Belvoir Lettings Liverpool West Derby Fee List:
Administration Fees
1. The administration fee is £125.00 plus VAT. This total is £150.00. The administration fee for any additional applicant or a guarantor is £37.50 plus VAT. This total is £45.00. Part or all may be non-refundable.
2. Please note that the referencing procedure will not begin until the administration fee is paid in full.
3. The move out fee is £25.00 plus VAT. This total is £30.00. This will be deducted from your deposit.
Arrears and Penalty Charges
1. Should rent be late, an arrears letter will be sent to you. Arrears letters carry a penalty charge of £16.67 plus VAT per letter (this totals £20.00) and the charge must be cleared immediately upon receipt of a letter. If the charge is unpaid by the end of the tenancy, it will be deducted from your deposit.
2. £5.00 per day will be charged for the 1st seven days that the rent is overdue. After the 1st seven days, a charge of 4% higher than Barclays minimum lending rate willbe charged for each subsequent day the rent remains unpaid.
Renewals and Fees
1. Should you extend your tenancy on a fixed terms or periodic basis, then a renewal fee of £16.67 plus VAT will be charged. This totals £20.00.
2. All tenancies maybe subject to an annual rental increase.
Other Fees
1. A fee of £29.17 plus VAT will be charged for any re-scheduled inspection appointments, due to us being unable to gain access as arranged or due to a second appointment to inspect recommended improvements to bring the property to a satisfactory standard have been acted upon. This totals £35.00 and becomes due when Belvoir attend the property.
2. A fee of £29.17 plus VAT will be charged for any call out to the property made by Belvoir upon your specific request. This totals £35.00 and becomes due when Belvoir attend the property. This fee will not apply if the call out is specifically related to a genuine maintenance/repair issue.
3. A fee of £33.33 plus VAT will be charged for any re-scheduled contractors appointments, due to them being unable to gain access as arranged. This totals £40.00 becomes due when you receive an invoice.
4. A fee of £20.00 plus VAT will be charged to extend your tenancy agreement after the initial period. This totals £24.00 becomes due prior to the new tenancy agreement being produced.
5. A fee of £0.83 plus VAT will be charged for per £100 paid in to Belvoir. This totals £1.00 per £100 and will become due when monies are paid.
6. All rental payments made with a debit card will incur an administration fee of £12.50 plus VAT. This totals £15. Payments made with a credit card will incur an additional 2.5% plus vat charge. This totals 3% of the total amount paid on the card.
7. Please be aware it will be in breach of your tenancy and a chargeable item against your deposit of £60 per meter if you allow a utility provider to install a pre-payment meter of any kind whilst you are a tenant.
If you are unsure of any fees listed or have any other questions please call our office and we will be happy to fully explain them to you 0151 256 0880. Or email us westderby@belvoirlettings.com
Let. us do all the work!
Belvoir
Liverpool West Derby
