We require a property holding deposit to reserve a property. This equates to one weeks’ rent and, with your agreement, will be held on account towards your first months’ rent. The property holding deposit is non-refundable after 7 days of the paperwork being sent.
We are not able to create a group on the portal until all Tenants have provided their Guarantor details. If you have not been added to a group, it is likely that a member of your group is yet to complete their details on the portal. We have processes in place to follow up with members of the group who have not completed the required information, however it is always helpful if you can liaise with each other to ensure that this is completed.
Once you have signed your documents our admin team will need to download them and update the system accordingly. Your documents will show as outstanding until approved and downloaded. Although this process is normally carried out within 2 – 4 working days, it may take up to 7 working days during busy periods. If your documents have been completed correctly, they will be changed from ‘outstanding’ to ‘acceptable’.
When you reserve a property, we ask for a property holding deposit. This is equivalent to one weeks’ rent and will be held on account towards the first month of rent at the property. Final monies refer to the remaining funds due before moving into the property and consist of the remainder of your first month of rent plus your security deposit. This is standard for all of our properties and will be clearly set out in the costing sheet, which is provided to you along with your paperwork.
The outstanding payments can be found on the portal. Simply log on, and click on ‘My Group Payments’. This page will show exactly how much each member of your group has left to pay. Please note, payments may take up to 3 working days to appear on the portal.
We do not have the facility for payments to be taken by card in the office. Payment must be made via electronic banking.
This is to show financial commitment to the property. The Landlord will be keen to know you are financially committed. As the year progresses it will become harder for the Landlord to let their property and therefore this is essential.
For all properties that are fully managed by mystudentpod.com, your deposit will be protected with a government approved scheme and you will be provided with a deposit protection certificate prior to moving in. If your property is managed by your Landlord, they will arrange to protect your deposit.
Paying all of your final monies by the given deadline is essential as it shows financial commitment to the Landlord. Without financial commitment the Landlord may wish to remarket the property. It is also important that all paperwork is complete in plenty of time to prepare your property ready for move in. Some extensions may be given in extreme circumstances. However, unless all paperwork is complete and monies paid by every member of the group no-one is allowed to move in to the property and therefore move in may be delayed regardless of the agreed tenancy start date.
Our properties are let as a whole and not on a room-by-room basis, and therefore our Tenancy Agreements are issued on a joint and several basis. This means that all Tenants are equally responsible for all Tenant liabilities, including any rental payments and the upkeep of the property.
A Lead Tenant is usually our first point of contact should we need to contact someone at the property on behalf of the group. In addition, the deposit is lodged in the name of the Lead Tenant, with all other Tenants’ names as interested parties. Any deposit funds due to be returned to the Tenants following the termination of the contract are returned to the Lead Tenant.
A Guarantor is required to receive an annual income of 3x the individual Tenants annual rent. If, for example, your Guarantor is employed part-time, but is also in receipt of a company pension, or has savings of £x amount that have been in an account for the last 30-day period, an accumulation of these “incomes” may allow them to still act as Guarantor. However, if you are not able to provide this financial information, we will not be able to accept your Guarantors application and you will either need to provide us with an alternative Guarantor or pay the rent in advance (with additional terms). A Guarantor is also required to pass a credit check. If you or your Guarantor are unsure if your individual circumstances are acceptable, please email admin@mystudentpod.com prior to completing any documentation.
It is a requirement of our referencing company that a Guarantor meets the financial criteria to act as a Guarantor.
The contract is joint and several with the property being let as a whole and not on the basis of individual rooms. Tenants have responsibility for the premises in its entirety and the Deed of Guarantee is drawn up to reflect the same terms as the Tenancy Agreement.
We can accept a company Guarantor known as Housing Hand. Housing Hand are the only approved company Guarantor we are able to accept. Please visit their website for further information;
Alternatively, you can pay the rent in advance, for the term of the contract.
All employment references and credit checks are carried out and processed in house by mystudentpod.com. If you and your Guarantor have completed the documents sent via DocuSign but the credit check and employment reference has not been marked as completed, this simply means that our admin team are still in the process of carrying out the referencing. These will be completed in due course, and if there are any issues that arise, we will contact the Guarantor directly.
All properties are part-furnished and bedrooms will be supplied with at least a bed, wardrobe/drawers, desk and chair, and white goods in the kitchen. We cannot be more specific as properties vary from one to another, however your Inventory will provide more detail and this will be provided to you upon commencement of your contract.
You are not able to move in to a property prior to the stat date of your contract.
Keys can be collected on or after the tenancy start date and only if all members of the group have completed all paperwork, and paid all monies due. Keys can be collected from our office at 690 Wimborne Road, Winton, Bournemouth, BH9 2EG. You will need to bring a copy of your passport with you in order to collect keys so we can carry out the Right to Rent check. Keys cannot be collected in advance of the tenancy start date.
Unfortunately, this is not possible, as we/the Landlord have to comply with the responsibilities of Right to Rent legislation. Each tenant must therefore collect their own key(s) for the property, bringing their passport as proof of identity.
Two original additional documents will be required; for example, a birth certificate and a photo driving licence. If you do not have your birth certificate, we can accept your driving licence along with a letter from your university dated within the last 3 months, confirming your full name, the course you are studying and the course dates. A full list of documents that we can accept can be found by referring to the following link.
The majority of our properties do not include bills, unless stated otherwise whilst attending the viewing. Tenants will be responsible for water, sewerage, gas (if applicable), electricity, TV Licence, and internet. Students are exempt from council tax for the duration of their course, and their university should provide them with an exemption certificate, which may need to be provided to the local council, in order to avoid being billed in error.
If your property is managed by mystudentpod.com, you will be provided an Inventory Report via email within 48 hours of your start date. You will be required to carefully review the Inventory Report and notify mystudentpod.com of any discrepancies/issues within 7 days of receipt. Any discrepancies noted after this time may not be taken into account when assessing the deposit return at the end of the contract.
Any maintenance issues can be reported directly to our maintenance team via our on-line portal - simply select the three lines at the top right of this page, and select ‘Maintenance Request’. Enter the details of your property, your name, contact details, and the nature of your issue, and our maintenance team will contact you directly to discuss the request.
We do not provide an out of hours service. If the request is not urgent it will be dealt with on the next working day. In a life-threatening situation please call the appropriate emergency services.
The property is let as a whole and not as individual rooms. The Council do not recommend locks on bedroom doors for health and safety reasons. Locks on bedroom doors can also have other implications at the property, i.e. insurances, TV licence(s) etc.
We will usually carry out 2 – 3 mid-term inspections throughout an 11-month contract. A third-party company will carry out the inspections on our behalf and will always provide 7 days’ notice, followed by a reminder 24 hours before these are due to be carried out. All Tenants will be provided with a copy of the inspection following the visit.
You are responsible for ensuring the garden is kept in the condition it was let to you in, as detailed in your Inventory report. You are required to maintain any patio areas, paths, and garden areas, including lawns, flowerbeds, shrubs/bushes and borders (where applicable). Please note; the Landlord is not obliged to provide a lawnmower or any gardening equipment.
We will always give current tenants the opportunity to renew their contract, before we market properties for the next academic year. Please be aware that re-marketing typically commences in October, as this is when students look to secure their accommodation for the next academic year. We would require at least 50% of the Tenants to stay on at the property in order to agree a renewal. For example, at least 3 people would need to renew in a 6-bedroom property.
Once you have signed your Contract, you are committed to the terms for the duration of the fixed term period. Circumstances do arise from time to time which result in tenants requesting to leave a contract. However, a tenant cannot be released from a contract until a suitable replacement has been found that the remaining tenants agree to, and after all administration and referencing has been satisfactorily completed. Costs are incurred by a tenant who wishes to be released from their contract and these are detailed on the Student Information Guide. The rent must continue to be paid by the outgoing Tenant until all documents have been completed by the replacement Tenant. This process can take up to 28 days.