Information For Tenants

Information for Tenants in Exeter and East Devon

At East of Exe we have one of the largest property portfolios in East Devon and always have a good selection of properties available to let which means, whatever your budget, we can help.

We inspect all properties on our books to make sure they are of an acceptable standard and we also make sure landlords are aware of their legal obligations to their tenants. This means you can have peace of mind that our rental properties are well-maintained and safe to live in.

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The Tenancy Agreement

Your Tenancy Agreement should always be in writing and signed by both yourself and the landlord as it documents the legal terms and conditions of the rent contract. At East of Exe we draw up a Tenancy Agreement clearly setting out each party’s rights and obligations before anyone rents the property. In addition, we have full-time staff members dedicated to lettings who liaise closely with both landlord and tenant to help ensure any issues or concerns are quickly addressed.

At a minimum, your Tenancy Agreement will include:

The names of the landlord and tenant
The property address
The start and end date of the tenancy
The deposit amount and how it will be protected
The rental price and when and how it will be paid
The rights and duties of both landlord and tenant

We will take the time to fully and clearly explain the terms of your tenancy agreement to you before you sign.

Before you can sign a Tenancy Agreement

Before you can sign a tenancy agreement, however, we will require some other information from you including:

Evidence that you are able to pay the monthly rental: we normally ask for a minimum of one year’s continuous employment history, or three years’ audited accounts if you are self-employed. Remember, unless stated otherwise, you will also be responsible for paying all utility bills
Proof of your identity, eg, a passport or driving licence
A copy of a utility or mobile phone bill showing your current address
References from past landlords if you have rented before

The good news is, we have an employed a specilist company to carry out all necessary credit checks and obtain all references, which makes the process much quicker.

Before you can move in

Before you can collect the keys to your property, we require cleared payment of the first month’s rent together with your deposit. As members of the Deposit Protection Scheme, accredited by the Government, you can be sure that your deposit is securely held.

It will also be your responsibility to make sure you have adequate contents insurance in place during the tenancy and we may ask to see a copy of your policy before you move in.

Our tenant fees and charges

At East of Exe we want to ensure that any fees we charge tenants are clear and transparent and are some of the best value in the industry. Therefore please see below a detailed list of charges you will incur if you choose to rent a property through our company.

Referencing / property reservation fee
- To reserve a property we do not charge you a reservation fee, however we do ask you to put down a holding deposit equivalent to one weeks rent. We can take that over the phone or with a debit card. This holding deposit will go toward your full deposit which is normally 5 weeks rent which is held in an approved tenancy deposit scheme for the length of your tenancy. The holding deposit is fully refundable if the landlord doesnt go ahead with your application unless you have not given us full details regarding your income / referencing. We will hold the property for a maximum of 15 days for you whilst we undertake referencing, before the end of that deadline we will need you to have signed your tenancy agreement and paid the balance of your deposit.
- We do not charge any additional fees to undertake the property inventory or raise your tenancy agreement.
Lost keys & other potential tenant costs
- Should you lose keys or need us to come out to let you back into your property when you have been locked out we will charge you a reasonable cost to replace or attend your property. In addition if you ask us to assign, replace or vary a tenancy agreement we can charge you a reasonable cost, These costs can be up to a maximum of £50 (including VAT).

Our Professional Approach

We are members of ARLA Propertymark which means we meet higher industry standards than the law demands. Our staff undertake regular training to ensure they are up to date with best practice and complex legislative changes so they can offer you the best advice. We are also backed by a Client Money Protection (CMP) scheme which guarantees your money is protected.