Hi
I have a tenant who can put down holding deposit later this week but is very interested in my property. Can I request openrent to start the referencing before the holding deposit come in?
Thank you.
Hi, yes it is possible. As long as the tenant consents, you can order referencing on a prospective tenant from this page.
Usually the holding deposit is placed first, but you can do this if you wish.
Sam
Hi Sam,
Thank you for your reply. I am currently in the stage where I have found my tenant who is part DSS and works part time. Can I use the AST agreement provided by Openrent in this case/ Or do I need to change it because it is DSS paid rent?
What sort of editing is relevant to make on a AST?
Thank you in advance.
Hi, No problem.
Yes you can use the OpenRent AST with tenants who receive benefits. I am not aware of any terms (clauses) that would be more or less appropriate in our AST by virtue of the tenant claiming benefits.
I don’t know if this is helpful, but here’s a piece that dispels a few myths about tenants who claim benefits.
https://blog.openrent.co.uk/8-things-landlords-need-know-universal-credit/
Sam
Such a very useful link you attached there. Many thanks for this.
Also I am giving my property mostly furnished including sofas and mattresses.
If there is a any fire caused by these furniture, would I be liable for it? Can I not edit the AST so that it says I am not liable or something like that.
Thank you.
Hi Silogini,
Yes, very possibly. It is the landlord’s duty to make sure all furnishings provided are fire safe. Lot’s more info here and on this Gov page:
It MAY be that if you SELL stuff to the tenant this is different. Howver it is far safer legal wise not to put in any furniture or white goods AT ALL. Put in the lease that anything they buy to put in your property has to be fire safe and electrically safe… colin.