Hi this is my first time renting and the letting agency I have paid a holding deposit to for a flat are asking me to pay the tenancy deposit and 1st months rent. They have only sent me a blank sample tenancy agreement and not my actual tenancy agreement with dates and rent costs etc.
Are they supposed to send me my actual tenancy agreement before I pay the tenancy deposit?
Another alarming thing is the fire exit at the back is locked in the evening as businesses are next door and they keep the keys. In the event of a fire how would I escape? Surely they shouldnt have passed the fire safety inspections?
Also the EPC shows a rating of E - does that mean electricity bills will be high as its not very energy efficient
This is not yet a specific legal requirement and many landlords, myself included arrange for contracts and other paperwork to be signed on move-in day as a convenience. The law on this will change later this year. I would also do some checks that this is a bona-fide agency.
Yes, this is a concern and you should be satisfied about this before taking the property.
EPC E is the lowest legal grade for letting properties, so its possible that the heating costs will be higher than other similar properties. However EPCs are a crude system of measurement and theyre not updated when improvements are made, so its possible that the rating is out of date. Read the detail of the EPC report to check what upgrades were recommended.