Renting and Letting Property in Cardiff
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Because finding the time to view rental property in Cardiff can be hard between work and other commitments, we do all we can to accommodate evening and weekend after-hours viewings. We can also offer out-of-hours office appointments to allow you to complete the paperwork with us at a time to suit you.
Cardiff Homes knows that finding the best property to rent can seem daunting with many apartments, flats and houses available to let in Cardiff. To make things easy we won’t waste your time trying to push you into unsuitable accommodation. We prefer to be upfront and honest about a property’s downsides as well as ups, enabling you to shortlist your Cardiff rental properties effectively.
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How to find Properties to Let and Rent a Property in Cardiff
Application process
Once Cardiff Homes has helped you find the perfect Cardiff rental property, we’ll ask you to fill out a property application form. A fee is payable of £150.00 (inc VAT) for a single occupant, plus £30 per additional occupant, which covers the application, tenancy & administration fee.
We may also be required to undertake a credit check using a Credit Reference agency. This process can take between 48 and 72 hours. If your income is low or you have not been in your job a long time you may need a guarantor.
Once the credit checks come back we can arrange a move in date and a convenient time for you to sign the Tenancy Agreement. Anyone over the age of 18 must legally be on the Tenancy Agreement.
Your first month’s rent plus a deposit bond (usually also equal to one month’s rent) becomes payable upon signing the tenancy agreement. The Bond will be paid into the new Tenancy Deposit Protection scheme to ensure that its return is dealt quickly and fairly; you will also receive a reference number which must be kept safely.
At the point of signing the Tenancy Agreement, you will also receive the following documentation:
- A copy of the annual Landlords Gas Safety Certificate if applicable
- Inventory / check in Report
- Details of who you’ll need to contact for correspondence
- Details of who to contact if you have any problems or questions
- Standing Order Mandate
- Landlord details for future reference (if required)
- Receipt of first month’s rent and deposit paid
Once you’ve moved into your property, we will take meter readings for all utilities & inform the relevant utility companies of your new occupation including council tax.
Remember, Cardiff Homes have property to rent in Cardiff City Centre, Canton, Pontcanna, Llandaff, Whitchurch, Llandaff North, Gabalfa, Coryton, Fairwater, St Fagans, Heath, Radyr, Lisvane, Llanishen, Ely, Danescourt, Victoria Park, Cathays, Roath, Cardiff Bay and all surrounding areas.
- Viewings times are flexible to suit busy professional tenants and accompanied by trained staff.
- We make sure all Cardiff rental properties are cleaned and are of high standards.
- Deposits for Cardiff Homes property lettings are securely held by the Deposit Protection Service.
- The credit and referencing service enables you to have a very quick response usually within 48 Hours.
Tenants Guide
As soon as a suitable property has been found, you will need to complete reference application forms. Here is an example of just a few of the references sought:
- Confirmation of employment, salary confirmation.
- Personal & Photographic identification (passport or driving licence).
- Previous Landlord references.
- Students (Guarantor or proof or funding).
- Self-Employed (Accountants references, trading details etc)
Reserving a property
To reserve a Cardiff Homes rental property we require a holding deposit of £400.00 (not subject to VAT), payable at the same time as the administration fee. The holding deposit will be deducted from the first month’s rent.
The holding deposit shows good faith on the part of a prospective tenant and demonstrates that the applicant is serious and fully committed to the property. The landlord can then:
- Cancel any advertising for the letting
- Tell other applicants that the tenancy has been taken subject to satisfactory references
- Prepare a letting agreement
- Take up references
If you later withdraw from the proposed letting, through no fault of the landlord or the agent, all of the 'Holding Deposit' will be retained. None of the Holding Deposit will be retained should the Tenant's withdrawal be due to a breach of the proposed letting agreement by the landlord or managing agent.
Tenancy Agreement
Both the Landlord and tenant/s will be required to sign a tenancy agreement prior to the tenancy commencing, the agreement outlines both tenant and landlord obligations.
Tenancies tend to run for a period of six or twelve months, shortly before your agreement expires we will contact you to see whether you wish to renew your agreement for a further period. Should you wish to sign another agreement we will liaise with the landlord to organise the documentation.
Any tenancy agreement we issue you we ask you read very carefully, ensure you understand it and should you have any questions regarding this legal document we advise you to seek independent legal advice.
Payment / Rental Payment
Once we have agreed a moving date and references have all been approved by the landlord, the tenancy agreement will need to be signed by all parties. Upon signing of the agreement monies will be due in full (less any holding deposit previously paid).
This is made up of the following:
- Security deposit, normally the equivalent to one month’s rent.
- The first month’s rent in advance. (rent is worked out on a per calendar month basis), which is, if you are not aware; the weekly rent, multiplied by 52 weeks and divided by twelve months to give the per calendar month rental figure.
All monies can be paid either by a bankers draft, cash or paid directly into our client bank account, however please be aware, the payment needs to have cleared before the tenancy agreement is able to commence.
Further rental payments are always made by standing order from the tenants’ bank account to the landlord’s bank account, with the exception of managed properties whereby the rental payment is made to us.
Inventory
Cardiff Homes prepares an accurate description/inventory which is backed up with digital photos. This not only protects landlords but tenants alike, the description of the condition and contents of a property are taken at the start of a tenancy.
At the end or, the termination of the tenancy agreement the condition of the property and its contents is taken again. Any damage that has arisen during the tenancy is looked into to see whether or not it’s ‘fair wear and tear’. Should any damage not be down to ‘fair wear and tear’ the landlord will be notified to establish what further action is to be taken.
Cardiff Homes insists on taken its own inventories, should you need to attend court due to a dispute the judge will tend to look more favourably on an impartial, unbiased inventory prepared by a third party rather than inventories prepared by landlords which could be viewed as biased and one-sided.
Deposit Returns
Deposit returns will be actioned when your tenancy ends, all keys handed back, and an inspection of the property has been carried out, either by the landlord or Cardiff Homes.
Tenants’ obligations
The responsibility for the property lies with the tenant during the period of the tenancy agreement, and the tenant must always ensure that the property is fully secured and that during the winter month’s steps are taken to prevent freezing of the water and heating system.
Managed Properties / Property Management Inspections
We do fully manage some of our landlord’s properties, in this case we will inform you prior to your tenancy commencing. If we are managing the property then any faults with appliances or problems within the property will need to be reported to us immediately and we will deal with the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible. Failure to report an ongoing problem will result in the loss of some or all of your deposit. Ensure you report any problems you feel need attention.
If your property is managed by Cardiff homes we will need to carry out quarterly inspections to assess the condition of the property and that everything is being kept in a satisfactory condition. We can arrange this with you at a mutually convenient time.
Council Tax & Utilities
Tenants are responsible for informing all Utility companies and the Local Authorities (council tax) of when they signed of a property. Students, who may be exempt from the payment of council tax, are responsible for informing the Local Authority of this.
Terminating your tenancy agreement
To terminate your tenancy agreement you will be required to give us at least one month’s written notice in writing, unless you have specified something differently in your tenancy agreement.
The responsibility for all your personal belongings are down to you, you must ensure you have adequate contents insurance. Neither Cardiff Homes Ltd nor the property landlord can be held responsible or liable for any loss or damage to tenant’s possessions.