We saw a place on Saturday, came to an agreement with landlord and submitted holding deposit later the same day. Today (Monday) I received contract to sign, which I did and returned immediately. The proposed contract start date is next Monday. How long does it usually take for the landlord to sign the contract? Since the landlord has approved sending it to me, that indicates I have passed the referencing (or that referencing has not been asked for).
I can’t press the button on removal etc until I know that I really do have the property, and until the contract is signed there is (I think) no legal obligation.
you might as well ask how long is a piece of string ?
The OpenRent site is excellent in many ways and the system works well. However, at the contract signature stage it appears to break down. A conventional contract would usually be signed with both parties in presence: they would know before they left that the agreement was in place. However, with the digital signature and no time limit on when people sign, both landlords and tenants are potentially at risk. In my position, as a prospective tenant, should I or shouldn’t I look elsewhere? I have signed, but I need to get accommodation urgently. Clearly that isn’t of importance to the landlord, although they would like to rent their place asap. However, the contract start date is written into the contract, so they probably have up to then to sign.
Wouldn’t it be an improvement to give both tenants and landlords a limit, say 24 hours, to sign their side of the digital contract? That way at least both parties know where they stand.
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