Our contracts are Joint and Several Liability


All our tenancies (with the exception of shared professional houses for working tenants) are on a Joint and Several Liability basis.


What does this mean?


This means that you are all jointly liable for the rent and any damages. As we have guarantors in the vast majority of cases we will attempt to resolve any arrears situations that arise, however you need to be aware that you will be entering into a Joint and Several Liability agreement.


Please seek advice if you are unsure as to what this means. Vitually all landlords require tenancies to be in this style.


What about Guarantors? Are they Jointly Liable for any arrears?


No. Our Guarantor Agreements are always strictly limited in liability for rent arrears to the person they are guaranteeing. We will not attempt to charge a guarantor for rent arrears incurred by the person they are not guaranteeing. This does not apply to damages, which in a shared house is a joint liability however in many cases it is clear to whom the damage is to be attributed to (eg damage in a bedroom). The limited guarantee is intended to remove the onerous burden of guaranteeing the significant liabilities of other parties to the contract. As with any legal agreement we always recommend tenants and guarantors seek legal advice before signing paperwork.

You can book viewings in the following ways:

1. Through the topproperty-services.com website. We list every single house on the website and properties are removed as soon as they are let, leading to an up to date list of houses. You can book either through the diary system, automatically entering the appointment, or by asking us for more information. We will then book you into a slot convenient to you.


2. Via phoning us and booking in a viewing.

Note: We always prefer appointments to be booked in online. You can add in the properties you most like, and at a time convenient to you. All available slots are shown, so you know someone will be available for that time. Once you book that slot, no-one else can.

Its easy!


You can apply for a tenancy in the Apply for a Tenancy area of our website.


The process is a basic process of submit tenancy details (including house you are applying for!) and making payment. This is all available on the Apply for a Tenancy area linked above.

While you are renting from us there may be some charges. The charges that are allowed - from 1st June 2019 - are strictly prescribed by the Tenant Fee Act and are outlined in your tenancy agreement. Since the introduction of the Tenant Fee Act we have ensured our tenancy agreement is in full compliance.
Tenancy Application Fees
We do not charge fees.


Fees incurred during the tenancy or after contract signing.


Fees that are not proscribed by the Tenant Fee Act are generally charged when you have been in default in some way; losing your keys (necessitating new keys) and rental payments are the main ones, or other breaches of the tenancy agreement.

Charge for replacement of keys: As per cost of key and reasonable costs for time to get cut.

•  Key deposit for borrowing an office set of keys to have them cut (refundable): £50

Change of locks

•  Individual Room: As per direct cost of key and locks and reasonable costs for our time to arrange.

•  Front or Rear door: As per cost of key and reasonable costs for time to get cut. Please note that reasonable costs may reflect time to get all keys cut and distribute keys to all tenants.

•  Out of hours callout to property to unlock house/room for you (lost keys out of hours/weekends): Please contact the out of hours number. As per contractors invoice, settled with contractor directly (normally, but not guaranteed to be, £80 for a weekend/night callout).

Interest
•  3% above the Bank of England base rate for the period the rent is overdue, starting 14 days after the rent is overdue.
•  Rent arrears requiring legal action against tenants/guarantors for recovery: for tenancy agreements entered into after 1st June 2019, any legal costs will be subject to a court decision on fees.
Rent charges
•  Cash : Not Accepted (we operate a cashless office and do not have facilities for holding or moving cash to a bank).
•  Debit cards: no charge
•  Credit cards: not accepted
•  Cheques: not accepted
Professional tenancy renewal
•  Tenancy Renewals from 1st June 2019 are at a cost to the landlord. They will only be entered into on the request of the tenant if the landlord agrees to this charge.
Note: We allow all tenancies to roll on to a periodic tenancy (contractural periodic). If you request a new tenancy agreement we will seek the agreement of the landlord. If the landlord requests a tenancy renewal this will be done at no cost to you.
Student tenancy renewal
No charge made. For "partial" re-lets (where one or more person changes) we will need to take a new deposit from all tenants as it will be a replacement tenancy.
Student tenancy changes
If there is a change of tenant on a tenancy agreement after it is signed this will be dealt with via a deed of variation. A reasonable charge for time taken will be made in this instance.

For student tenancies we always require guarantors.


We are aware that in certain circumstances you may be unable to obtain one - this is for example overseas students. In this cases we may ask for six or more months rent upfront. However please speak to us and we will see what is most suitable for your circumstances.


Guarantors need to be based in the UK (eg working or living in the UK) and meet income criteria. This is all detailed on your tenancy application pack.

For student houses we require a guarantor who is:


• Resident in the United Kingdom

• in employment

• is a homeowner

• and has a minimum gross annual income of £21,000 (subject to rent level being guaranteed). Higher rent level being guaranteed may require a higher income.


The guarantor is someone who is willing to pay your rent if you are unable to. They should seek legal advice before entering into any guarantee. Copies of the tenancy agreement will be provided before you sign the guarantee document.

Once you have applied online and made your deposit and application fee payment we will draw up the guarantor and contract paperwork.


The guarantor paperwork will be passed to you to enable you to get it completed by your guarantor.


We will then credit check the guarantors and perform our checks to ensure they meet our criteria.


Once that is done we will ask you to come to our office and sign the tenancy. In certain situations - for example if you are overseas - we will send the contracts out for electronic signing.

If your rent doesn't seem to work out on the contract, it's normally because you are working the monthly rent out based on a four week month.


For example, £75 per week looks like it should be £300 per month (based on four weeks a month), but its actually closer to £325 per month.


To work out the rent, multiply the weekly rent by 52 (weeks), then divide by 12 (months). This is the formula used within the Tenant Fee Act 2019 to ensure holding deposits do not exceed a weeks rent and is generally accepted as the correct way to calculate rent due on a calendar month basis from a weekly rent.

If you have found a genuine mistake in rent in your contract please let us know so we can amend the contract!

Our student tenancies are 11 month contracts, approximately 48 weeks. Rent is due in full for the full 11 months.The contract start date is usually 1st August.


This compares with the half rent for July and August many agents and landords charge.


Your first rental payment will be due on the 1st August.


Earlier contract start dates are possible depending on works needed to the property, subject to availability.

For all student tenancies we require the following:

Tenants:
Proof of ID (driving license, passport, etc)

Guarantor:
Proof of ID (driving license, passport, etc)
Proof of residence
Proof of salary/benefits to cover affordability in case of default in rent payments

Additionally, from 1st February 2016 we are legally required to prove you have a right to reside in the UK, either as a permanent right (most UK and EU nationals) or a limited right to reside.

Full details are available on the government guidance here and here

There are circumstances where we will refund your deposit if you apply then subsequently withdraw from your tenancy application:

The deposit is returned IN FULL in the following circumstances
•  The offer is not accepted by the Landlord
•  If within 72 hours the offer to rent the property is withdrawn by the tenants (includes one party withdrawing from a joint tenancy with no replacement)
•  The Landlord withdraws the property
•  If the Landlord decides that the reference replies are unsatisfactory

NO DEPOSIT RETURN in the following circumstances:
•  If after 72 hours you withdraw the offer to rent the property
•  Where you provide(s) false or misleading referencing information and it
is reasonable for the Landlord to take this information into account when deciding to grant a tenancy.
•  Where every effort has been made by The Agent in entering into an agreement within the agreed timescale (normally 21 days) and you have failed to comply with reasonable requests for information or document completion.
•  If you (or one of your group) failed a Right to Rent check (eg have no right to rent in the UK).

We always endeavor to be fair to all parties and our terms adhere with the spirit and wording of the Tenant Fee Act.

Providing all paperwork has been returned for all members of your group, and contracts have been signed, we can schedule a move in date.

Typically move ins are scheduled for the 1st September however you can move in during August.



Under very limited circumstances it may be possible for you to move in over the July - this is fully subject to the property being available and relies on factors that may be outside our control and as such we cannot guarantee the property is available for moving in over July. This will only be available by special agreement and the contract dating from the point you move in during July, with rent payable in full for the period of occupation.

If you are a current tenant and are staying for another year you are more than welcome to store your belongings in the property, however the insurers our property owners havedo not cover tenants belongings (even during occupation) and therefore we recommend that you take any valuable items home with you over the summer month.



If you are new to your property you cannot store your belongings in the property over the summer.



We have work carried out over the summer by contractors, often under direct instruction from our clients, and we cannot guarantee the safety of stored items, and the inadvertent disposal of items is a very real risk and is not covered by any insurance.



There are multiple storage facilities throughout the city and we can highly recommend Yellow Box Storage on edge lane.

Keys can be collected for your property on your tenancy start date (unless you are contacted to inform you otherwise).

In order to collect your keys the following must be done:

• All tenancy paperwork must be completed for your group.
• All members of the household will need to be up to date on rental payments - the first rental payment should be made 3 days prior to moving in to allow funds to clear and prevent any disappointment. 
• Right to rent must be provided upon visit (see below - "Checks that we do").
• You should have a key collection appointment booked and stick to your booking. 

Closer to the move in date you will all be sent an email with a link to booking in a key collection appointment, this is to allow move in day to run smoothly.  There is a chance that if you turn up at the office without an appointment you may be asked to come back at a quieter time - this is particularly a problem during our most busy periods. 

We need to verify that you have the right to rent in England.  Although we may have been provided with a document during your application process as a copy (eg uploaded/scanned), we are required by law to physically verify the original document provided before the tenancy starts and you move in.

When we email you asking to book in a key pickup appointment we will provide examples of valid right to rent documents.  You must bring these with you to the key pickup appointment. 

If you are still unable to provide any of the documents, please contact us and a member of staff will be able to help.

Keys can to be collected from our office, the address is provided below. 

TopProperty Student Homes
337 Smithdown Road
Wavertree
Liverpool
L15 3JJ

During the application process, you will have received a payment plan for your property, bank details can be found on the second page of your plan.

If you are unable to find your payment plan please contact the applications team at applications@topproperty-services.com

Rent is always due for your property on the first of each month and your payment plan will list the payments in this way.


In some cases we receive requests to pay rent when the loan is received. We are happy to accommodation this, note that while we are happy to accept payment for rent in advance (via the loan), the rent will still be charged against your account monthly on the 1st of each month.

The last date you can move out is the 30th June.

We often have groups moving in or moving belongings in on the 1st July, so need to know for sure that we will have the house back by this date.

.

We always issue a "Section 21" notice in April that notifies you of the move out date - this is to protect the landlords position and is nothing to worry about - it just informs you that the tenancy will end on the June 30th and you need to vacate on that day at the latest.

Before moving out you must return the property to it's move-in condition. There will be an allowance for fair wear and tear, however the property must be cleaned to the same standard it was when you moved in.

As part of our checkout process at the end of the tenancy we perform a closing inspection/checkout on the property.


This includes any defects in the property for the landlords attention, as well as any areas where damage has occurred. We will note if it appears to be beyond normal wear and tear.


The landlord will consider the report, and decide if any charges need to be made. For bills inclusive contracts the landlord will also look at energy consumption to ensure you have not exceeded your inclusive allowance.


We will then seek your agreement for any charges to be deducted from the deposit.


If agreement cannot be reached the deposit scheme used (either the custodial DPS or the insurance backed my|deposits) will have a dispute service that can be used, subject to both parties agreement.

We are registered with Liverpool Student Homes.

All properties under management are registered with Liverpool Student Homes. In the rare cases where a house is not it is usually because it is a new property under refurbishment and we are awaiting the property being signed off and certified for gas and electrical safety. This is generally only done at the end of refurbishment.

We are happy to provide copies or gas and electrical certificates, as well as Energy Performance Certificates.

We are registered with TPO - The Property Ombudsman. This is a code of conduct that we have to follow. Thus gives you redress in cases where you feel you have to raise a complaint.


We are also registered with Liverpool Student Homes as well as corporate members of the Residential Landlords Association.


We treat our role as managing agents very seriously and continuously progress our staff with Continual Professional Development training and the owner of Topproperty Servides is a member of Liverpool Councils Landlord Advisiory Panel, helping Liverpool Council in raising the standards in private rented accommodation.

Under the Housing Act 2004 all deposits paid for Assurred Shorthold Tenancy are required to be protected under a tenancy deposit scheme.


We are members of the Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS) and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). You can visit the DPS website here. You can visit the TDS website here. Some properties may also have different deposit protection depending on requests from our landlord clients - for example some landlords protect the deposit using my|deposits, which is also a prescribed deposit scheme.

Your deposit will always be registered in one of these schemes.


As part of your application you will be given information about the use of the deposit. This is legally required and called "Prescribed Information".

Due to changes coming in from 1st June 2019, there is a change to the deposits paid. We will now charge one weeks rent (or less) for the initial holding deposit, with the balance due once the tenancy agreement is signed.

Once we have received the full deposit for all tenants the deposit will be protected within the statutory 28 days period, and prescribed information will be sent to you.

For managed houses we have an out of hours contact number for emergencies. We will give you this number when you sign the contract (it appears on the front page of the tenancy). Where you are letting the property on a "let only" service the landlord will give you contact numbers for his contractors.


All repairs must be reported via the online tenant area here. If you are unable to report repairs online please call us.


We have a team of dedicated contractors who work on our properties full time. They can attend any maintenance issues as required once issues have been raised. Please note that during Covid-19, contractor response times are slower, however issues are prioritised and dealt with as quickly as possible.

If you decide you cannot take a house, you can withdraw from the application. Note that once the tenancy is signed, you are committed to renting the house; there is no cooling off period in law for a tenancy agreement.


There is a refund policy for deposits;


The holding deposit is refunded IN FULL in the following circumstances

• The offer is not accepted by the Landlord
• If within 72 hours the offer to rent the property is withdrawn by the tenants (includes one party withdrawing from a joint tenancy with no replacement)
• The Landlord withdraws the property
• If the Landlord decides that the reference replies are unsatisfactory

The holding deposit is not returned in the following circumstances:

• If after 72 hours the tenants withdraw the offer to rent the property
• Where the Tenant(s) provide(s) false or misleading referencing information and it is reasonable for the Landlord to take this information into account when deciding to grant a tenancy.
• Where every effort has been made by The Agent in entering into an agreement within the agreed timescale (normally 21 days) and the tenant has failed to comply with reasonable requests for information or document completion.
• If the tenant failed a Right to Rent check (eg have no right to rent in the UK).

We are registered with the ICO, registration number Z1712743.

As part of carrying out our duties, we need to process personal data. For the majority of these uses we need use the Legitimate Interest reason.

Use of data for tenants includes:

Application Stage
We may pass your data to the following people using the legitimate interest basis. This is to allow us to assess your suitability for a tenancy.
•  Credit Reference agencies
•  Agencies conducting Right to Rent checks.
•  Former landlords
•  The landlord of this property
•  Current employer
•  Fraud prevention agencies

At the application stage we require you to agree to our use of data for this legitimate interest.
As part of your application we ask the lead tenant to provide contact details for your co-tenants if the lead tenant is part of a group. We will use this information to send texts with links to the house being applied for, and may use it to call others in the group.
Retention period for data captured during tenancy signups will be for 12 months from point of application if the application is not successful. Your data will be used for your tenancy if your application is successful and will be kept for up to 10 years to allow up to comply with our legal requirements.

Active Tenancies
Once you are an active tenant we will use your data under the legitimate interest basis which you will have granted consent for at application stage. This consent will be used going forward for the duration of the tenancy.
During your tenancy we will use your data to manage your tenancy. The data may be used in the following ways:
•  Passing of data to third parties such as credit reference agencies, previous landlords, etc.
•  Passing of data to contractors for arranging works.
•  Passing of data to the local authority to enable you to be correctly charged for council tax (and for student tenancies, to have an exemption applies).
•  Use of data for marketing for houses from us.
•  Passing of data to third parties so they can contact you to set up a broadband account (for non-inclusive houses).
•  Passing of data to relevant agencies to allow the continual approval for right to rent.
Retention of data for tenancies will be up to 10 years. This is to allow us to respond to post tenancy queries and to allow us to fulfil our legal obligations.

Please note that in tenancies with more than one tenant you will have a joint obligation to pay rent and an individual (or number of tenants) not paying rent may have an impact on other tenants in the property because of this joint and several obligation.  We may discuss rent arrears with all members of a tenancy as all members have a right to know of rent arrears and the potential impact on them.

Use of data for landlord clients includes:

•  Processing data to enable us to market and let your property.
•  Disclosure to HMRC
•  Processing data to enable us to effectively manage your property.
•  Passing of data to third parties in the execution of our services, including local authorities, utility companies etc.

Third party marketing

We will NEVER share personal data with external companies for marketing services to you unrelated to your tenancy.

Marketing from us

We may market services to you via mail providers such as MailChimp. For tenants this will in most cases be to offer houses to re-let or for new houses coming to market when your tenancy ends. For landlords it may be to keep you updated about our services. You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time however if you receive such marketing without an unsubscribe option you can contact us directly to be removed from our list. For these reasons we require your consent. In the majority of cases we will use the email contact provided when you registered online to view a property. If you were not asked for consent at that stage, or did not select to grant consent when asked, we will not use your information for marketing.

Guarantors
If you have applied to be a guarantor we will use the legitimate interest basis to manage your data.
which you will have granted consent for at application stage. This consent will be used going forward for the duration of the tenancy you are acting as a guarantor for and for as long as your obligation as guarantor remains.
The data may be used in the following ways:
•  Passing of data to credit reference agencies.
•  Passing of data to third parties for debt collection if such need arises.
We will never use this data to market to you.

Storage of personal data:

We retain data for as long as necessary to carry out our duties. Tenancy Agreements and guarantor deeds will normally be kept for up to six years after your tenancy ends. Information about you may be kept for up to 10 years. Ancillary documents will be deleted and destroyed when no longer required and will vary depending on document type and use.

Coronavirus update
We have started to collect data for viewings that come under Special Category Data. This is to safeguard our viewers and tenants for viewings and house visits. This is handled under the basis Group Public Interest. This is restricted to use to office staff when booking in visits and determining the risk of visits to properties. The retention policy for this information is secure deletion of records once the Coronovirus emergency ends as this information will no longer be needed.

Our disclaimer is hosted online to allow emails to be shorter, saving on paper if printed.



Emails sent from Topproperty Services and the information they contain may be privileged and/or confidential. It is for the intended addressee(s) only. The unauthorised use, disclosure or copying emails, or any information they contain, is prohibited and could, in certain circumstances, be a criminal offence. If you are not the intended recipient please email info@topproperty-services.com or reply to the email immediately. Internet Communications are not secure and therefore Topproperty Services does not communicate formally by email and does not accept legal liability for the contents of this message.



Topproperty Services, Topproperty Lettings and Topproperty Sales and Lettings are the trading names of Topproperty Lettings Limited registered in England and Wales - company number 05820819

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Cookies may also be used to allow us to better track visitors to identify traffic sources (where you found us) as well as website visitor numbers and locations.

Our contracts are Joint and Several Liability


All our tenancies (with the exception of shared professional houses for working tenants) are on a Joint and Several Liability basis.


What does this mean?


This means that you are all jointly liable for the rent and any damages. As we have guarantors in the vast majority of cases we will attempt to resolve any arrears situations that arise, however you need to be aware that you will be entering into a Joint and Several Liability agreement.


Please seek advice if you are unsure as to what this means. Vitually all landlords require tenancies to be in this style.


What about Guarantors? Are they Jointly Liable for any arrears?


No. Our Guarantor Agreements are always strictly limited in liability for rent arrears to the person they are guaranteeing. We will not attempt to charge a guarantor for rent arrears incurred by the person they are not guaranteeing. This does not apply to damages, which in a shared house is a joint liability however in many cases it is clear to whom the damage is to be attributed to (eg damage in a bedroom). The limited guarantee is intended to remove the onerous burden of guaranteeing the significant liabilities of other parties to the contract. As with any legal agreement we always recommend tenants and guarantors seek legal advice before signing paperwork.

You can book viewings in the following ways:

1. Through the topproperty-services.com website. We list every single house on the website and properties are removed as soon as they are let, leading to an up to date list of houses. You can book either through the diary system, automatically entering the appointment, or by asking us for more information. We will then book you into a slot convenient to you.


2. Via phoning us and booking in a viewing.

Note: We always prefer appointments to be booked in online. You can add in the properties you most like, and at a time convenient to you. All available slots are shown, so you know someone will be available for that time. Once you book that slot, no-one else can.

Its easy!


You can apply for a tenancy in the Apply for a Tenancy area of our website.


The process is a basic process of submit tenancy details (including house you are applying for!) and making payment. This is all available on the Apply for a Tenancy area linked above.

While you are renting from us there may be some charges. The charges that are allowed - from 1st June 2019 - are strictly prescribed by the Tenant Fee Act and are outlined in your tenancy agreement. Since the introduction of the Tenant Fee Act we have ensured our tenancy agreement is in full compliance.
Tenancy Application Fees
We do not charge fees.


Fees incurred during the tenancy or after contract signing.


Fees that are not proscribed by the Tenant Fee Act are generally charged when you have been in default in some way; losing your keys (necessitating new keys) and rental payments are the main ones, or other breaches of the tenancy agreement.

Charge for replacement of keys: As per cost of key and reasonable costs for time to get cut.

•  Key deposit for borrowing an office set of keys to have them cut (refundable): £50

Change of locks

•  Individual Room: As per direct cost of key and locks and reasonable costs for our time to arrange.

•  Front or Rear door: As per cost of key and reasonable costs for time to get cut. Please note that reasonable costs may reflect time to get all keys cut and distribute keys to all tenants.

•  Out of hours callout to property to unlock house/room for you (lost keys out of hours/weekends): Please contact the out of hours number. As per contractors invoice, settled with contractor directly (normally, but not guaranteed to be, £80 for a weekend/night callout).

Interest
•  3% above the Bank of England base rate for the period the rent is overdue, starting 14 days after the rent is overdue.
•  Rent arrears requiring legal action against tenants/guarantors for recovery: for tenancy agreements entered into after 1st June 2019, any legal costs will be subject to a court decision on fees.
Rent charges
•  Cash : Not Accepted (we operate a cashless office and do not have facilities for holding or moving cash to a bank).
•  Debit cards: no charge
•  Credit cards: not accepted
•  Cheques: not accepted
Professional tenancy renewal
•  Tenancy Renewals from 1st June 2019 are at a cost to the landlord. They will only be entered into on the request of the tenant if the landlord agrees to this charge.
Note: We allow all tenancies to roll on to a periodic tenancy (contractural periodic). If you request a new tenancy agreement we will seek the agreement of the landlord. If the landlord requests a tenancy renewal this will be done at no cost to you.
Student tenancy renewal
No charge made. For "partial" re-lets (where one or more person changes) we will need to take a new deposit from all tenants as it will be a replacement tenancy.
Student tenancy changes
If there is a change of tenant on a tenancy agreement after it is signed this will be dealt with via a deed of variation. A reasonable charge for time taken will be made in this instance.

For student tenancies we always require guarantors.


We are aware that in certain circumstances you may be unable to obtain one - this is for example overseas students. In this cases we may ask for six or more months rent upfront. However please speak to us and we will see what is most suitable for your circumstances.


Guarantors need to be based in the UK (eg working or living in the UK) and meet income criteria. This is all detailed on your tenancy application pack.

For student houses we require a guarantor who is:


• Resident in the United Kingdom

• in employment

• is a homeowner

• and has a minimum gross annual income of £21,000 (subject to rent level being guaranteed). Higher rent level being guaranteed may require a higher income.


The guarantor is someone who is willing to pay your rent if you are unable to. They should seek legal advice before entering into any guarantee. Copies of the tenancy agreement will be provided before you sign the guarantee document.

Once you have applied online and made your deposit and application fee payment we will draw up the guarantor and contract paperwork.


The guarantor paperwork will be passed to you to enable you to get it completed by your guarantor.


We will then credit check the guarantors and perform our checks to ensure they meet our criteria.


Once that is done we will ask you to come to our office and sign the tenancy. In certain situations - for example if you are overseas - we will send the contracts out for electronic signing.

If your rent doesn't seem to work out on the contract, it's normally because you are working the monthly rent out based on a four week month.


For example, £75 per week looks like it should be £300 per month (based on four weeks a month), but its actually closer to £325 per month.


To work out the rent, multiply the weekly rent by 52 (weeks), then divide by 12 (months). This is the formula used within the Tenant Fee Act 2019 to ensure holding deposits do not exceed a weeks rent and is generally accepted as the correct way to calculate rent due on a calendar month basis from a weekly rent.

If you have found a genuine mistake in rent in your contract please let us know so we can amend the contract!

Our student tenancies are 11 month contracts, approximately 48 weeks. Rent is due in full for the full 11 months.The contract start date is usually 1st August.


This compares with the half rent for July and August many agents and landords charge.


Your first rental payment will be due on the 1st August.


Earlier contract start dates are possible depending on works needed to the property, subject to availability.

For all student tenancies we require the following:

Tenants:
Proof of ID (driving license, passport, etc)

Guarantor:
Proof of ID (driving license, passport, etc)
Proof of residence
Proof of salary/benefits to cover affordability in case of default in rent payments

Additionally, from 1st February 2016 we are legally required to prove you have a right to reside in the UK, either as a permanent right (most UK and EU nationals) or a limited right to reside.

Full details are available on the government guidance here and here

There are circumstances where we will refund your deposit if you apply then subsequently withdraw from your tenancy application:

The deposit is returned IN FULL in the following circumstances
•  The offer is not accepted by the Landlord
•  If within 72 hours the offer to rent the property is withdrawn by the tenants (includes one party withdrawing from a joint tenancy with no replacement)
•  The Landlord withdraws the property
•  If the Landlord decides that the reference replies are unsatisfactory

NO DEPOSIT RETURN in the following circumstances:
•  If after 72 hours you withdraw the offer to rent the property
•  Where you provide(s) false or misleading referencing information and it
is reasonable for the Landlord to take this information into account when deciding to grant a tenancy.
•  Where every effort has been made by The Agent in entering into an agreement within the agreed timescale (normally 21 days) and you have failed to comply with reasonable requests for information or document completion.
•  If you (or one of your group) failed a Right to Rent check (eg have no right to rent in the UK).

We always endeavor to be fair to all parties and our terms adhere with the spirit and wording of the Tenant Fee Act.

Providing all paperwork has been returned for all members of your group, and contracts have been signed, we can schedule a move in date.

Typically move ins are scheduled for the 1st September however you can move in during August.



Under very limited circumstances it may be possible for you to move in over the July - this is fully subject to the property being available and relies on factors that may be outside our control and as such we cannot guarantee the property is available for moving in over July. This will only be available by special agreement and the contract dating from the point you move in during July, with rent payable in full for the period of occupation.

If you are a current tenant and are staying for another year you are more than welcome to store your belongings in the property, however the insurers our property owners havedo not cover tenants belongings (even during occupation) and therefore we recommend that you take any valuable items home with you over the summer month.



If you are new to your property you cannot store your belongings in the property over the summer.



We have work carried out over the summer by contractors, often under direct instruction from our clients, and we cannot guarantee the safety of stored items, and the inadvertent disposal of items is a very real risk and is not covered by any insurance.



There are multiple storage facilities throughout the city and we can highly recommend Yellow Box Storage on edge lane.

Keys can be collected for your property on your tenancy start date (unless you are contacted to inform you otherwise).

In order to collect your keys the following must be done:

• All tenancy paperwork must be completed for your group.
• All members of the household will need to be up to date on rental payments - the first rental payment should be made 3 days prior to moving in to allow funds to clear and prevent any disappointment. 
• Right to rent must be provided upon visit (see below - "Checks that we do").
• You should have a key collection appointment booked and stick to your booking. 

Closer to the move in date you will all be sent an email with a link to booking in a key collection appointment, this is to allow move in day to run smoothly.  There is a chance that if you turn up at the office without an appointment you may be asked to come back at a quieter time - this is particularly a problem during our most busy periods. 

We need to verify that you have the right to rent in England.  Although we may have been provided with a document during your application process as a copy (eg uploaded/scanned), we are required by law to physically verify the original document provided before the tenancy starts and you move in.

When we email you asking to book in a key pickup appointment we will provide examples of valid right to rent documents.  You must bring these with you to the key pickup appointment. 

If you are still unable to provide any of the documents, please contact us and a member of staff will be able to help.

Keys can to be collected from our office, the address is provided below. 

TopProperty Student Homes
337 Smithdown Road
Wavertree
Liverpool
L15 3JJ

During the application process, you will have received a payment plan for your property, bank details can be found on the second page of your plan.

If you are unable to find your payment plan please contact the applications team at applications@topproperty-services.com

Rent is always due for your property on the first of each month and your payment plan will list the payments in this way.


In some cases we receive requests to pay rent when the loan is received. We are happy to accommodation this, note that while we are happy to accept payment for rent in advance (via the loan), the rent will still be charged against your account monthly on the 1st of each month.

The last date you can move out is the 30th June.

We often have groups moving in or moving belongings in on the 1st July, so need to know for sure that we will have the house back by this date.

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We always issue a "Section 21" notice in April that notifies you of the move out date - this is to protect the landlords position and is nothing to worry about - it just informs you that the tenancy will end on the June 30th and you need to vacate on that day at the latest.

Before moving out you must return the property to it's move-in condition. There will be an allowance for fair wear and tear, however the property must be cleaned to the same standard it was when you moved in.

As part of our checkout process at the end of the tenancy we perform a closing inspection/checkout on the property.


This includes any defects in the property for the landlords attention, as well as any areas where damage has occurred. We will note if it appears to be beyond normal wear and tear.


The landlord will consider the report, and decide if any charges need to be made. For bills inclusive contracts the landlord will also look at energy consumption to ensure you have not exceeded your inclusive allowance.


We will then seek your agreement for any charges to be deducted from the deposit.


If agreement cannot be reached the deposit scheme used (either the custodial DPS or the insurance backed my|deposits) will have a dispute service that can be used, subject to both parties agreement.

We are registered with Liverpool Student Homes.

All properties under management are registered with Liverpool Student Homes. In the rare cases where a house is not it is usually because it is a new property under refurbishment and we are awaiting the property being signed off and certified for gas and electrical safety. This is generally only done at the end of refurbishment.

We are happy to provide copies or gas and electrical certificates, as well as Energy Performance Certificates.

We are registered with TPO - The Property Ombudsman. This is a code of conduct that we have to follow. Thus gives you redress in cases where you feel you have to raise a complaint.


We are also registered with Liverpool Student Homes as well as corporate members of the Residential Landlords Association.


We treat our role as managing agents very seriously and continuously progress our staff with Continual Professional Development training and the owner of Topproperty Servides is a member of Liverpool Councils Landlord Advisiory Panel, helping Liverpool Council in raising the standards in private rented accommodation.

Under the Housing Act 2004 all deposits paid for Assurred Shorthold Tenancy are required to be protected under a tenancy deposit scheme.


We are members of the Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS) and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). You can visit the DPS website here. You can visit the TDS website here. Some properties may also have different deposit protection depending on requests from our landlord clients - for example some landlords protect the deposit using my|deposits, which is also a prescribed deposit scheme.

Your deposit will always be registered in one of these schemes.


As part of your application you will be given information about the use of the deposit. This is legally required and called "Prescribed Information".

Due to changes coming in from 1st June 2019, there is a change to the deposits paid. We will now charge one weeks rent (or less) for the initial holding deposit, with the balance due once the tenancy agreement is signed.

Once we have received the full deposit for all tenants the deposit will be protected within the statutory 28 days period, and prescribed information will be sent to you.

For managed houses we have an out of hours contact number for emergencies. We will give you this number when you sign the contract (it appears on the front page of the tenancy). Where you are letting the property on a "let only" service the landlord will give you contact numbers for his contractors.


All repairs must be reported via the online tenant area here. If you are unable to report repairs online please call us.


We have a team of dedicated contractors who work on our properties full time. They can attend any maintenance issues as required once issues have been raised. Please note that during Covid-19, contractor response times are slower, however issues are prioritised and dealt with as quickly as possible.

If you decide you cannot take a house, you can withdraw from the application. Note that once the tenancy is signed, you are committed to renting the house; there is no cooling off period in law for a tenancy agreement.


There is a refund policy for deposits;


The holding deposit is refunded IN FULL in the following circumstances

• The offer is not accepted by the Landlord
• If within 72 hours the offer to rent the property is withdrawn by the tenants (includes one party withdrawing from a joint tenancy with no replacement)
• The Landlord withdraws the property
• If the Landlord decides that the reference replies are unsatisfactory

The holding deposit is not returned in the following circumstances:

• If after 72 hours the tenants withdraw the offer to rent the property
• Where the Tenant(s) provide(s) false or misleading referencing information and it is reasonable for the Landlord to take this information into account when deciding to grant a tenancy.
• Where every effort has been made by The Agent in entering into an agreement within the agreed timescale (normally 21 days) and the tenant has failed to comply with reasonable requests for information or document completion.
• If the tenant failed a Right to Rent check (eg have no right to rent in the UK).

We are registered with the ICO, registration number Z1712743.

As part of carrying out our duties, we need to process personal data. For the majority of these uses we need use the Legitimate Interest reason.

Use of data for tenants includes:

Application Stage
We may pass your data to the following people using the legitimate interest basis. This is to allow us to assess your suitability for a tenancy.
•  Credit Reference agencies
•  Agencies conducting Right to Rent checks.
•  Former landlords
•  The landlord of this property
•  Current employer
•  Fraud prevention agencies

At the application stage we require you to agree to our use of data for this legitimate interest.
As part of your application we ask the lead tenant to provide contact details for your co-tenants if the lead tenant is part of a group. We will use this information to send texts with links to the house being applied for, and may use it to call others in the group.
Retention period for data captured during tenancy signups will be for 12 months from point of application if the application is not successful. Your data will be used for your tenancy if your application is successful and will be kept for up to 10 years to allow up to comply with our legal requirements.

Active Tenancies
Once you are an active tenant we will use your data under the legitimate interest basis which you will have granted consent for at application stage. This consent will be used going forward for the duration of the tenancy.
During your tenancy we will use your data to manage your tenancy. The data may be used in the following ways:
•  Passing of data to third parties such as credit reference agencies, previous landlords, etc.
•  Passing of data to contractors for arranging works.
•  Passing of data to the local authority to enable you to be correctly charged for council tax (and for student tenancies, to have an exemption applies).
•  Use of data for marketing for houses from us.
•  Passing of data to third parties so they can contact you to set up a broadband account (for non-inclusive houses).
•  Passing of data to relevant agencies to allow the continual approval for right to rent.
Retention of data for tenancies will be up to 10 years. This is to allow us to respond to post tenancy queries and to allow us to fulfil our legal obligations.

Please note that in tenancies with more than one tenant you will have a joint obligation to pay rent and an individual (or number of tenants) not paying rent may have an impact on other tenants in the property because of this joint and several obligation.  We may discuss rent arrears with all members of a tenancy as all members have a right to know of rent arrears and the potential impact on them.

Use of data for landlord clients includes:

•  Processing data to enable us to market and let your property.
•  Disclosure to HMRC
•  Processing data to enable us to effectively manage your property.
•  Passing of data to third parties in the execution of our services, including local authorities, utility companies etc.

Third party marketing

We will NEVER share personal data with external companies for marketing services to you unrelated to your tenancy.

Marketing from us

We may market services to you via mail providers such as MailChimp. For tenants this will in most cases be to offer houses to re-let or for new houses coming to market when your tenancy ends. For landlords it may be to keep you updated about our services. You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time however if you receive such marketing without an unsubscribe option you can contact us directly to be removed from our list. For these reasons we require your consent. In the majority of cases we will use the email contact provided when you registered online to view a property. If you were not asked for consent at that stage, or did not select to grant consent when asked, we will not use your information for marketing.

Guarantors
If you have applied to be a guarantor we will use the legitimate interest basis to manage your data.
which you will have granted consent for at application stage. This consent will be used going forward for the duration of the tenancy you are acting as a guarantor for and for as long as your obligation as guarantor remains.
The data may be used in the following ways:
•  Passing of data to credit reference agencies.
•  Passing of data to third parties for debt collection if such need arises.
We will never use this data to market to you.

Storage of personal data:

We retain data for as long as necessary to carry out our duties. Tenancy Agreements and guarantor deeds will normally be kept for up to six years after your tenancy ends. Information about you may be kept for up to 10 years. Ancillary documents will be deleted and destroyed when no longer required and will vary depending on document type and use.

Coronavirus update
We have started to collect data for viewings that come under Special Category Data. This is to safeguard our viewers and tenants for viewings and house visits. This is handled under the basis Group Public Interest. This is restricted to use to office staff when booking in visits and determining the risk of visits to properties. The retention policy for this information is secure deletion of records once the Coronovirus emergency ends as this information will no longer be needed.

Our disclaimer is hosted online to allow emails to be shorter, saving on paper if printed.



Emails sent from Topproperty Services and the information they contain may be privileged and/or confidential. It is for the intended addressee(s) only. The unauthorised use, disclosure or copying emails, or any information they contain, is prohibited and could, in certain circumstances, be a criminal offence. If you are not the intended recipient please email info@topproperty-services.com or reply to the email immediately. Internet Communications are not secure and therefore Topproperty Services does not communicate formally by email and does not accept legal liability for the contents of this message.



Topproperty Services, Topproperty Lettings and Topproperty Sales and Lettings are the trading names of Topproperty Lettings Limited registered in England and Wales - company number 05820819

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