Going to sign tenancy agreement first time

Zyx

Tomorrow I'll be handing over a lot of money, signing the tenancy agreement and also receive the key.

I want you to tell me what I need to be cautious of or what I should be demanding as this is the first time.

Is there anything I need to pay attention to? One thing I definitely won't do is hand over any money without getting the key as I am paying 6 months upfront and they did not sound sure that the old tenants will be gone.

HappyMJ

Not much really you hand over the money you sign the useless tenancy agreement which has many unenforceable terms which when you complain about as being unenforceable they say don't worry about that one -you can cross them out if you want although I wouldn't bother as it'll just delay you getting the keys many of the terms are unenforceable in any case- and they give you the key. A few weeks later you should get a certificate through the post letting you know where your deposit is kept.

First thing I'd do when I get the keys is go straight to the property and take photos especially of anything that might come up later as a potential dispute and if possible a walk through video showing the state of the property on your move in date. I'd write a letter detailing what damage you've found that isn't on the inventory and send it recorded delivery so that your back is covered at the end of the tenancy.

Agents get so much money yet do so little. My tenancy agreement is useless half of it is rubbish. According to the tenancy agreement I'm supposed to mow the lawn...it's a flat..the lawn is the landlord's responsibility. The inventory they never actually did...I crossed more than half of it out and sent it back. Supposed to be carpet in the bathroom and en-suite but last tenant said as we were viewing she didn't like it and changed it for tiles at her own cost years ago. There was so much more damage (all minor) it was like writing a book rather than a few short paragraphs....I paid the agent for this and ended up doing it myself. Really annoyed.

G_M

If given an inventory, don't sign it till you've been into the property and checked.

If there's any item on the inventory that's missing, cross it off the inventory and initial. If there's anything damaged (paintwork, furniture, carpet) note it on the inventory. Do NOT be talked into signing the inventory till you've checked.

Ask for the gas safety report (if there's gas) and EPC (legally required but pretty pointless).

Get signed receipts for all money.

zebulon

The first thing I do is take meters reading (+ pics of them)

Also I don't like when they make you feel like you should sign something here and there without reading. I always make the point of reading it in front of them and tough luck they'll just have to wait a few minutes - often this is just to make the point that I won't give way to pressure (though I would usually ask for an electronic copy a few days ahead and the check it's the same).

tripled

zebulon wrote: »

Also I don't like when they make you feel like you should sign something here and there without reading. I always make the point of reading it in front of them and tough luck they'll just have to wait a few minutes - often this is just to make the point that I won't give way to pressure (though I would usually ask for an electronic copy a few days ahead and the check it's the same).

This - I requested a copy of the tenancy agreement in advance from the letting agent for where I am now. They refused (citing some nonsense), but said they would supply me an "example" agreement - which had a lot of stuff not relevant (for example bills were supposed to be included but we were liable for them in the tenancy agreement). I email the agent back and was reminded this was just an example.

On the day, the letting agent was all "just sign here" but on making him wait and reading through found exactly the same issues (including paying rates where they were supposed to be included). His response being "oh, our admin team must have missed it, they can amend it next week, just sign here". When I got up to walk out, all of a sudden he was happy for the tenancy to be amended and countersigned by us both.

I was given the inventory to sign and return later, and sure enough there were numerous issues with it which I had to correct.

Don't feel guilty, don't feel pressurised - I would hazard a guess you are paying the agent handsomely to do a little admin work, as is the landlord, so you are entitled to take as long as you want to make sure they have done their well-rewarded work correctly. Some agents are probably ok, but there's a lot of shysters out there including some well-known chains. All of them can and will make mistakes, some genuine, some through sloppiness and some deliberate. Don't trust them an inch - you are signing a contract worth thousands to you and hundreds at the least in commission to them. Take a smartphone - any doubts come on this forum and refer to G_M's helpful guides, phone a friend, whatever you need to do.

Even now, at my the end of my fixed term, I'm getting letters through riddled with ommissions and blatant lies trying to pressure me to sign a new agreement. This being a well-known nation-wide chain with branches across the Country

G_M

tripled wrote: »

Even now, at my the end of my fixed term, I'm getting letters through riddled with ommissions and blatant lies trying to pressure me to sign a new agreement. This being a well-known nation-wide chain with branches across the Country

You say they have branches across the country- so are you saying they are a country-wide company?