Booking a property with Ashbrookes
As a letting agent we understand that finding the right house can be a confusing. The process occurs in a city of which you may know nothing about, with landlords that you have never met and involving large sums of money. The choices of renting with friends is different from renting a flat or a family house and this layers complexity onto the tenant who is often under time and budget pressure to make a decision to secure a roof over their heads .
At Ashbrookes we will try to make this process as simple as possible. We have a prominent High Street office, unlike many private landlords, so that you are able to physically meet us and contact our experienced and friendly staff and talk to them about your requirements openly and confidentially.
All-Inclusive student accommodation
If you’re about to start the first year of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, you’ll want to be focused on getting the right grades at the end; not on ensuring you don’t pay more than expected for your electricity bills! This is where our all-inclusive properties come in.
All kinds of essentials expenses are included in the rental costs? Typically what is included is as follows:
• Gas electricity and water bills - there is a fair usage policy involved in these where if you use more than deemed reasonable, you will have to pay an additional charge. The cost of what is deemed fair value is in your lettings contract.
• Furniture - in most properties, this comprises of a sofa, chairs, tables/desks, a wardrobe, bed and chest of drawers
• Electrical appliances - an oven with cooking hobs, fridge and/or fridge freezer, electric or thermostatic shower, washing machine and in some properties a tumble dryer are generally also included. Smaller appliances such as kettles, toasters and health grills are not always included. Many of our properties do come with a flat-screen TV’s; but it it’s best to view the intended property to find out exactly what your chosen property comes with
• Broadband is typically provided across all properties as part of the all-inclusive package.
What type of accommodation is provided?
At Ashbrookes, we provide many different types of accommodation, just for students who are studying in Middlesbrough. They are as follows:
• One-bedroom flats - if you want to live alone and enjoy some privacy while you revise, these are just the ticket. These are typically smaller than house-shares
• En-suite bedrooms - just like the accommodation you might find at a halls of residence, these consist of bedrooms, an en-suite bathroom and a shared kitchen, kitted out with all the essential appliances including a fridge freezer, cooker and washing machine
• House-shares - ranging from two to 10 bedrooms, these properties are ideal for groups of friends or students all on the same course. They’re all fully furnished throughout and have spacious bedrooms for one or two housemates
• Studios - similar to one-bedroom flats, albeit a little smaller, they offer the ultimate in open-plan living. A kitchen/lounge area comes with a bedroom space and an en-suite bathroom. Like all other Ashbrookes properties, these are fully furnished
When choosing accommodation, make sure that it has enough room for all your belongings - clothes, gadgets, kitchenware and so on. If not, it’s worth moving into a more spacious property.
We offer accompanied viewings with experienced lettings agents who can help guide you towards the best property that meets your requirements from any landlord
Deposits
Tenant’s deposits are held in a government registered scheme. We currently use The TDS Deposit Protection Service, who can be contacted at the following address.
The Dispute Service Ltd, West Wing, First Floor, The Maylands Building, 200 Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 7TG
Deposits are returned at the end of the tenancy. Any deductions required for damages are reviewed with the tenant and if not agreed then the TDS dispute resolution process is engaged to provide an impartial and fair decision.
Guarantors
Normally we would credit reference a tenant to verify their suitability. This gives our landlords the reassurance that rent will be paid and if required the landlord can arrange rent payment protection insurance. However, our experience shows that students will not normally pass such a credit reference check, so we need a guarantor to ensure that financial safeguards are still in place for our landlords. The guarantor will in most circumstances be a UK-based parent/guardian of the tenant and will be in full time employment.
The guarantor will need to sign a document guaranteeing the payments due under the tenancy agreement and we cannot enter into a tenancy agreement without a signed guarantee form being in place.
Rent payment - monthly or quarterly or termly?
Rent for UK students is taken termly as this assists the many students who are reliant on the Student Loans Company for finance. International students will enter into either a monthly or termly arrangement depending on their finances.
Maintenance
If you have any maintenance issues, please call the office, or email us (not via Facebook or Instagram). We will respond to your maintenance request within 24 hours of you sending it. We have an emergency out of hours service via our security team but please note, ONLY emergencies will be responded to, such as no cold/hot water, no heating, a leak, or anything else deemed an emergency. If we call out our emergency contractor and your maintenance issue is deemed not to be an emergency after arrival, you will be charged a call out fee.
Emergencies should be reported via info@ashbrookes.co.uk 01642 213 213 (select the maintenance option)
We pride ourselves on using quality sub-contractors, so you’ll get the best service possible. We also pride ourselves on responding to maintenance requests quickly and efficiently.
When a member of our maintenance team visits your property, please ask for ID before allowing any trades people to enter the premises. If you need confirmation, then contact the ASHBROOKES office for confirmation of who the visiting contractor should be (as per telephone details above).
The need for repairs usually results from normal wear and tear but any other deliberate, careless, or accidental damage will be charged to those responsible (or to all residents if it is not possible to identify those who are specifically responsible).
What happens at the end of the tenancy?
Once tenants have reached the end of their tenancy and the keys have been returned to us, the property is checked out by the one of our Ashbrookes staff. We will then write to the lead tenant for the property (for shared accommodation) with a proposed refund - minus any deductions for damages (of which hopefully there will be none). Once this figure is agreed, the deposit will be refunded to the lead tenant or individually to each tenant as required.
Moving out
The period of occupancy ends on the date specified on your Licence Agreement and all residents must vacate their accommodation by 10 am on this day. Each room must be cleaned and left as it was found on the day you arrived. All en-suite shower rooms must be thoroughly cleaned on departure. Failure to do this will require us to have the property cleaned for you and the cost deducted from your deposit.
Any keys and fobs must be handed in personally to ASHBROOKES between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. Keys must be clearly identified.
