Fees and compliance
How deposits are protected, which certificates a tenancy needs, what we may and may not charge, and what we keep on file.
How a deposit is lodged, step by step
Receipt is recorded, the scheme is chosen, the deposit is lodged within 30 days, and the prescribed information is issued to the tenant with the scheme’s dispute procedure. At the end of the tenancy the same paper trail runs in reverse.
Deposit protection
Three government-approved schemes; the deposit never sits in our own account.
The certificates a tenancy needs
- Gas safety certificate – renewed annually
- Electrical installation condition report – every five years
- Smoke alarms on every storey; carbon monoxide alarms where a solid fuel appliance is present
- Energy performance certificate – rating of at least E
The landlord is responsible for providing them; we check them before advertising and track the renewal dates on managed instructions.
Permitted charges, and everything else
Tenant charges are limited by the Tenant Fees Act 2019 to a short list. Anything outside it is not chargeable – by us or by a landlord.
| May be charged | May not be charged |
|---|---|
| Rent; holding deposit (capped at one week); tenancy deposit (capped at five weeks) | Referencing fees; admin fees; viewing fees |
| Tenancy variation at the tenant’s request | Inventory and check-out fees |
| Lost key or security device replacement (evidenced) | Third-party fees dressed up as charges |
| Early termination at the tenant’s request (capped re-letting cost) | Charges for services not agreed in advance |
What we keep on file
The agreement, the inventory, the certificates, the deposit prescribed information and the correspondence – kept together for six years after the tenancy ends, so any question about a tenancy can be answered from the file rather than from memory.
If something goes wrong
Complaints: write to the office or email us. We acknowledge in writing within three working days and set out how the matter will be handled. Deposit disputes: every government-approved scheme runs a free dispute service, and we will tell you how to use it.
A compliance question we have not answered here?
Ask it – the answer goes in writing, like everything else.