Tenant Responsibilities

In accordance with the terms of your tenancy agreement, you have two main obligations to consider when ending your tenancy:

  • The property and contents should be handed back in the same condition as they were at the beginning of the tenancy but allowing for normal wear and tear.

  • The rent must be up to date, and all bills settled.

Pre-Checkout Visit

It is our normal practice to carry out a pre-checkout visit to the property, about 2 weeks before you are due to leave. The purpose of this visit is to point out to you any particular areas which require your attention. Once the final checkout has taken place, you will not have access to the property, and therefore any remedial work will have to be carried out by contractors at your expense.

The Checkout

The appointed inventory Clerk shall contact you to make an appointment time for your actual checkout. This will need to be fixed for a time when you are literally ready to close the door and hand back the keys. During the checkout the clerk will check the condition of the entire property and contents against the inventory, and record gas and electricity meter readings if relevant.

The following notes are intended to help you prepare for the checkout, so that the event runs smoothly, and to minimise the risk of misunderstandings, deductions from your deposit, last minute problems or surprises.

The Inventory

It is a good idea to start your preparations by running through your copy of the inventory to remind yourself about the contents and condition at the start of the tenancy, and to check for damaged or missing items.

Normal Wear and Tear

Please note that normal wear and tear does not include damage.

Preparing the Property and Contents

  • All soft furnishings especially carpets, curtains and mattresses should be left clean, paying special attention to any heavy stains and marks if applicable. This may mean having carpets professionally cleaned, and curtains dry cleaned and pressed.

  • All kitchen utensils, equipment and appliances should be cleaned, the fridge and freezer defrosted, food should be removed from all the cupboards and all hard surfaces should be washed down and cleaned, including the kitchen floor, which must not be 'sticky'.

  • All bathroom/WC furniture and fittings should be thoroughly cleaned with a proprietary bathroom cleaner/disinfectant paying particular attention to any stains or marks.

  • All the woodwork, skirting boards etc. should be washed down.

  • Any linen, towels etc. should be laundered and pressed and left in the appropriate places.

  • All items of furniture should be dusted, cleaned and left in the appropriate rooms.

  • All electrical goods and appliances, including light bulbs and any garden equipment should be in good working order.

  • Gardens and patio should be free from weeds and lawns cut.

  • No rubbish should be left on the premises, except in the wheelie bin.

  • All sets of keys must be handed over. Internal keys for cupboards, windows etc. should be left in their locks.

Final Bills

You should contact the appropriate offices for telephone, water rates, and council tax and arrange for final bills. For gas and electricity, it is generally easier to inform them of the final meter reading after the checkout. We will record these reading during the checkout.

Mail Forwarding

You should make arrangements with the Royal Mail.

Viewings

It is possible that we may contact you to arrange to show the property to prospective tenants. It is a condition of your tenancy agreement that you allow us to do so. However, we will give reasonable notice, and endeavour to do so at your convenience.

Return of Deposit

Please note that your deposit will not be returned at the checkout. It will be refunded by the deposit protection scheme within 7 Days. Where it is necessary for us to obtain estimates for replacements or remedial works, there may be a further delay, but we will endeavour to keep this to a minimum.

Moving out early

In some circumstances the landlord may agree to ending your tenancy early. However, you remain responsible for the rent and utilities until the end of the tenancy term. If we are able to find a suitable tenant to take over from you, the landlord may consider limiting this obligation.

If you need to leave the property earlier than you originally intended, please contact your Property Manager to discuss how best to proceed. There are relatable costs to the tenant to do this.

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