Hyson House, Nottingham

The property will require a security deposit to be paid before they will allow you to sign a contract. This is a refundable sum of money taken at the start of your tenancy and the property will protect it with a government-backed scheme called ‘My Deposits’.

The deposit is normally used at the end of your tenancy for any tenant negligence or rent arrears outstanding on the tenancy, but below is a more detailed list of what it can be used towards.

• Any damage that exceeds the normal limits of wear and tear
• Cleaning
• Lost keys and/or replacing locks
• Any waste or belongings left in the property
• Rent arrears

It is important to note that the tenant cannot choose what their deposit goes to and that you realise that rent and deposits are two separate entities. If you have damaged the property and/or have rent arrears and the deposit does not cover the costs, the landlord reserves the right to take you to court.

In joint tenancies, the guarantee agreement will cover the whole rent and/or other liabilities under the tenancy. This means that if the tenant you are guaranteeing is in rent arrears, the landlord reserve the right to come to you as the guarantor. It also means that under the joint and several AST, The property also reserve the right to come to you for any of the tenancies rent arrears. However, for any of the joint tenancies, all tenants on the AST will have a guarantor in place. Any tenant that does not will be asked to pay their rent in full before the tenants take possession of the property.

Rent – The tenants are all responsible equally for the rent, while you will be asked on each instalment to pay your share, if rent arrears occur, the landlord reserves the right to ask for any outstanding rent from the tenancy as a whole, irrespective of who has and has not paid.

Damage – You are jointly responsible for taking care of the property including communal areas.

Deposits – When you sign up with the property, you will each be asked to pay a share of the total deposit for the tenancy, however, the deposit much like the tenancy is still considered as one. This means at the end of your tenancy, any damages to the house, irrespective of whose room the damage is in, or who cause the damage, will be deducted as a one charge to all relevant tenants.

Leaving a tenancy – It’s a good idea to discuss your plans with the other tenants if you want to leave your tenancy throughout the academic year, as your tenancy is joint and several, the remaining tenants will need to agree that they are happy for someone to take over your current tenancy. It’s all down to communication, as the remaining tenants do reserve the right to say no if they are not happy with the replacement tenant you have found.