If there’s one thing that we pride ourselves on at flatfair (well there’s a few things really) our end of tenancy process (EOT) is without question one of them. Our EOT process helps to ensure that moving out goes smoothly, landlords are put back in pocket quickly and everyone is happy with the outcome.
Extending a flatfair plan
We know that often tenants decide to stay in their home for longer than originally planned, and want to extend their tenancy. If that is the case then it needs to be agreed by all parties beforehand and the flatfair plan simply needs to be extended by the landlord or agent, via our easy to use platform. The good news is that there are no renewal fees or extra costs, we just need to update it on our portal.
flatfair’s one-time fee covers the duration of the tenancy for that property, but if tenants decide to move into a different property at the end of their agreement, but still wish to use flatfair, then they will need to pay a new membership fee of 1 weeks’ rent +VAT, just like they would when using a traditional deposit.
The end of tenancy journey
When a tenancy does come to an end, our high-tech platform and end of tenancy experts are here to help. When joining flatfair, tenants simply pay a one-off fee of up to 1 weeks’ rent +VAT instead of a traditional deposit. We work on a more hotel-like basis, whereby you pay when you check-in and then in the case of any damages or unpaid rent, these are paid when moving out. flatfair is completely impartial and simply facilitates any potential negotiations between tenants, landlords and agents, via our easy to use tech platform.
If there are any charges at the end of tenancy, then the process will look like this:
Once the routine end of tenancy checks are complete, if there is any outstanding rent or damages, they can be uploaded to our simple, transparent platform, along with any evidence
The end of tenancy team will share them with the tenants, giving them a 10 day window to respond. If there is no interaction within 10 days, then we deem the charges accepted if there is sufficient evidence. Tenants, let your voice be heard and make sure you have your say if something doesn’t look quite right
If tenants feel that the charges are unfair or not correct, they can respond or counter them on our secure portal, and upload any evidence to support their claim. If the charges are agreed, the landlord is put back in pocket within 10 days and the tenant is invoiced for the payment
If negotiations on the charges can’t be agreed upon, they’ll be sent off to a government backed, independent adjudicator for a fair resolution
flatfair’s process fosters the best kind of tenants
We appreciate that disputes between tenants and landlords do happen, but they’re quite uncommon here at flatfair. In fact, through October to December last year, 83.8% of our move-outs closed without any charges or the charge was paid right away by the tenant.
Don’t forget that if tenants leave the property in tip top condition while sticking to rent schedules, then we offer a 20% discount if they secure their next home with flatfair No Deposit.
Speedy charge recovery
If tenants accept and pay their charges within 10 days of their invoice being sent, then we can get landlords back in pocket right away. However if the tenant hasn’t paid within 10 days of the charges being established then we will compensate the landlord for the cover established in their plan.
If this is the case, then we will continue to communicate with tenants to recover the money that we have established with the landlord to speed the process along. If we then recover any additional charges above what is in their protection levels, we will pay these back to the agent or landlord, as and when we have them.
How we help
For the remaining 16.2% of move-out’s, where charges aren’t paid right away, the vast majority of these have set-up a repayment plan and flatfair will continue the collections process with our in-house debt collection service. Meanwhile, the agent or landlord is paid the full amount of money owed.
Our super saver tips
To maximise your chances of a smooth and speedy end of tenancy, we have put together 4 top tips:
- Be sure to collect and keep any relevant documents, such as invoices for cleaning services, which prove that you have put the property through a deep clean
- Take lots of photos upon arrival and leaving the property
- Do an inventory check to see if everything is in the same condition it was in at the start of the tenancy (of course there is likely to be a bit of wear and tear in longer tenancies)
- And finally, be sure to maintain communication with your tenant/landlord throughout your tenancy – if there’s no presumptions then there won’t be any charge consumptions
We hope that this gives you a better feel for our excellent end of tenancy process and puts you at ease knowing that your tenancy is in safe hands with flatfair. If you have any questions or want to find out more, speak to our end of tenancy experts endoftenancy@flatfair.co.uk.
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