Understanding the ins and outs of renting with Varcity Living
We know that it can sometimes be difficult to get to grips with all the technical details of renting. That’s why we have prepared some important information that can help you to feel at ease throughout your time renting with us.
Inclusions, exclusions and bolt-ons
As you will see displayed in select property descriptions, some of our properties come inclusive of all utility charges, Wi-Fi and Sky + HD. For the properties listed as such, the charges for these extras are included in your rental payments. A tenancy agreement including utilities will be given to you as a result. A fair usage policy applies to ensure your energy usage is not excessive. You are unlikely to exceed our usage limits and keeping within them is much more beneficial to the environment. You can find out more in our Fair Usage Policy document.
In our standard properties however, rent is exclusive of all the above extras. If you would like to add your utility charges, such as Wi-Fi and Sky + HD to your rental payments, then our team can let you know what this total would be.
If you are at all uncertain about any of these inclusions and exclusions, or any other charges you may be concerned about, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our team can provide you with further insight into what your rental agreement includes and what utilities you may need to organise yourself.
Costs and deposits for our properties
All Varcity Living properties are fully furnished rooms for rent ready for you to move in. In the unfortunate event that any of these items become damaged there is an additional charge to the responsible tenant(s). The full list of estimated charges can be found here. Please contact the team if you have any queries. Our Varcity maintenance team are on hand to help with items that have broken down as a result of wear and tear.
All tenancy deposits with Varcity Living are held in a government approved protection scheme. These ensure that all parties receive the money they are owed, and any disputes are resolved by an authorised third party. Information on this scheme can be found at: www.depositprotection.com.
At Varcity Living, we offer two types of occupation contract: one specifically tailored towards year-round property occupation (in most cases for residential occupiers) and another designed to fit with the academic calendar. For a residential occupation contract, agreements are a minimum of six months long.
For our more student-tailored lettings, the occupation contract is 52 weeks long, however it can include an 8-week period over the summer months that is charged at half rent. Under both types of contract rent is paid in advance in installments and these will be specified on the Rent Schedule you receive with your occupation contract
See an example agreement here
Occupation contract exampleYour rights and obligations
As a tenant, your rights and obligations are found within the tenancy agreement document. In this document there is information on various items including the basic tenancy contract, your payment obligations and the do’s and don’ts of tenant life when renting with us.
Safety & Security
A large number of our properties are fitted with 5-lever UPVC locks to doors and windows. These locks are very secure and help to ensure maximum protection to your home and its contents. In some select properties and purpose-built blocks, insurance for tenants’ possessions is included and there is CCTV security for added peace of mind.
Credit Checks
Prior to renting a property with us we may carry out a credit check to ensure you meet our required criteria. For student tenants this is not applicable.
Details about your holding deposit
Your holding deposit will be put towards the security deposit which is secured for the duration of your tenancy. In accordance with the Renting Homes (Fees Etc.) (Wales) Act 2019, we retain the right to keep this holding deposit should a person choose not to enter into a tenancy agreement, or fail to take reasonable steps to enter a tenancy agreement. Reasonable steps would include providing the information we would require to set up a tenancy when requested.
In addition, you will be required to pay a deposit upon entering a tenancy agreement with us. This deposit will be returned to you at the end of your tenancy provided the property and included furnishings have incurred no damages during your tenancy and there are no rental arrears.
If you have any issues that you would like to talk to us about please get in touch with a member of our team who will be happy to help you resolve any problems you may have.
In order to secure Varcity housing, follow the simple steps found on our viewings and bookings page.
Yes, the process to do so is outlined on our viewings and bookings page.
A guarantor is someone who agrees to bear the responsibility of paying rent for a property if the tenant or tenants fail to do so. They also agree to be responsible for rent owed or damages caused to the property by the tenant if they don’t meet the full conditions of their contract. If you’re interested in our residential accommodation in Bangor, Wales then you may be required to find a willing guarantor who will also have to sign the contract with you. This will be at the discrepancy of the landlord.
At Varcity Living some of our properties include the cost of utilities in the monthly rental costs. However, for other properties this will depend on usage and tariffs. If you would like information on this about a specific property we will happily speak to the landlord or you can ask existing tenants of their current utility usage for a rough indication of the costs you can expect to pay each month.
For a complete guide to setting up utility bills in your new home and things you will need to be aware of please see our article on the subject. It has a breakdown on everything you need to know and should prove useful.
You are able to move out early of any of our houses to rent in Bangor, Gwynedd, but you will still be responsible to pay the rent and all bills until the end of your contract with us.
We’re sorry you have decided you no longer wish to continue with your Tenancy Agreement. However, this is a legally binding agreement which means you must pay the rents due in the terms of the Tenancy Agreement. Failure to meet these commitments may result in court action against you/your guarantor/your fellow tenants.
The options available to you are as follows:
- Search for a replacement tenant (we will assist as much as we can) to take over your liabilities. You will need to pay the rent due until the point at which the new tenant takes over your liabilities of the Tenancy Agreement.
- You can advertise your room for free on SpareRooms.com. If you need photographs of your bedroom please email us and we can provide you with these.
- Make a settlement offer to your landlord whereby an amount of money is offered in return for complete release of your individual liabilities to the Tenancy Agreement.
- Continue to live in the property as planned.
The sooner action is taken the better. Please note, late payment charges will occur if your rent is not received on time. If you have any further questions please contact us on 01248 719254 or email us at info@varcityltd.com.
You will be given a guide to moving out of our properties but in case you’re a little stuck, The Moving Out Checklist should help you keep track of what needs to be done. Some things you need to be aware of include:
- The last person leaving on the tenancy (if you live in a shared house or flat) will need to contact us to arrange a closing inspection. This should happen at least three days before your leaving date.
- This same person will have to return all keys to our College Road office.
- The property MUST be cleaned to the standard it was when you first moved in.
- All fridges and freezers must be fully defrosted, switched off and with doors left open.
- All utility accounts should be closed down on the 30th of June if you are responsible for these. Any unpaid bills will be deducted from your deposit and we ask that you take photographs of your utility meter readings before vacating the property. If you have a ‘Pay as you go’ meter at the property and you are leaving before the end of your tenancy then you will need to credit the meter with enough funds to cover the standing charges until the last day of your tenancy. For more information on standing charges, please refer to your utility provider.
Once your closing inspection has been issued to you, you will need to begin the deposit return process. For more information on how to do this please click the link and follow instructions for the custodial scheme.
This changes from property to property as well as the type of contract you have. If you need to move in early then please fill in the enquiry form and we’ll try our best to make this happen.
You will need to make sure all necessary paperwork has been filled in, signed where necessary and returned to us. In addition to this you will need to ensure you have paid your deposit and first rent installment before collecting your keys.
Your friends and family are very welcome to stay the night – or even a few nights – with you, so long as this is on a short-term basis and doesn’t disrupt other tenants in your building. If you’re short on space there is plenty of hotel accommodation available in the city, which you can find on our Parents page.
Personal possessions insurance is only included in some of our properties so please make sure you take out insurance if your property does not include this.
A lot of our rooms to rent in Bangor include Wi-Fi, but in ones that do not include this as standard you will have to organise your own wireless internet provider, or get in touch and we may be able to bolt this cost on to your rental payments.
We don’t charge for credit card payments, as in keeping with the Financial Conduct Authority regulations.
We do not allow smoking in any of our properties. It is against the law to smoke in a licensed HMO.
All our homes come equipped with washing machines, with some including drying machines as well.
Some of our properties will have on-site parking but unfortunately this is not the case for all of them. You can find out whether this is or is not the case for your new home by looking at the property general information.
We inspect all our properties to make sure you are living in a nice, clean environment. You will know well in advance of any inspections that take place throughout your tenancy.
We make sure all our properties are clean and tidy so that they’re ready for you to move in to but we don’t provide cleaning services for our properties. It is your responsibility to keep your rental property as clean as you found it, or you may risk getting charged.
If you are interested in weekly cleaning and laundry services we can arrange this for you at an extra cost. Contact us and we’ll let you know what we can do.
From 9am until 5:30pm throughout the week you can call the office for personal assistance with all our contact details to be found here. If the office is closed when your emergency happens then call our maintenance team on 07506580397.
Life isn’t straightforward and we know sometimes it can feel like you’re running out of options. Should something go wrong with your tenancy – such as if you are struggling to make rental payments – then please do get in touch with us to let us know as soon as you can. This way we can try to come up with a solution that works for everyone.
If you need advice and support then some great places to head to include Citizens Advice Cymru, Shelter Cymru or NUS Wales, if you’re a student.
