Frequently Asked Questions

If you believe your issue requires urgent attention, please give us a call 24/7 on 07376 224589 and we will respond accordingly.

If you have a leaking or burst pipe in your home, you should turn off your water supply and then call us immediately. You can do this by turning the stopcock. Stopcocks are often under the kitchen sink, but yours might be elsewhere in your home. If you believe the electric has been affected, quickly turn off the power supply.

If you think you have a gas leak or can smell gas, leave the house and phone National Gas Emergencies immediately on 0800 111 999 and then call us. If you’re at home, turn off your gas supply. The gas mains tap should be beside your gas meter. Turn the handle until it’s at 90 degrees from the pipe to shut off the gas supply.

In the event of a fire, alert everyone in the household immediately and get out of the house. Do not delay to save any valuables or try to investigate the fire. If there is smoke, crawl on the floor to escape. Once you’re out and safe, find a phone or ask a neighbour to call the emergency services on 999 immediately and then call us.

If you would like to report a non-urgent maintenance issue at your property, you will need to use the maintenance tab at the top right-hand side of your screen and fill in the blanks.

Alternatively, you can send us an email to hello@emuproperties.co.uk which will need to include your name, property address and maintenance issue.

Once we have received your request, a member of our team will be in contact with you to determine a solution and resolve the issue in a timely fashion.

Here at Emu Properties, we strive to be at the forefront of the industry and see no reason in using a landline which is almost always forwarded/diverted to a mobile when left unanswered or out of office.

We prefer the use of email as it is simply the most effective way to communicate with the ability to recall what has been discussed and to ensure quality assurance.

We do our best to stay as paperless as possible, this is for both the environment and to ensure you are not overloaded with clutter to store, however, some documents must be signed and this we accept.

How much notice you are required to provide depends on what type of tenancy you are on. The two main types of tenancies are ‘fixed term tenancies’ and ‘periodic tenancies’. If you are on a fixed term tenancy, you have to pay rent until at least the end of your fixed term. You will be required to pay rent if you stay in the property after your fixed term ends as this will transfer you onto a periodic tenancy. If you are on a periodic tenancy, you can end your tenancy at any time by providing 1 month’s written notice stating that you wish to vacate the premises.

If you have decided to relocate to move in with new friends, your dream job has just been handed to you in London or you’re just looking for a change of scenery, we will require a minimum of 1-month written notice.

Written notice can be delivered to Emu Properties via email.

You must pay your rent using the bank details Emu Properties has provided you with. We always recommend using the standing order (set and forget) method for recurring payments rather than having to remember to make a one-off manual payment each month, this also eliminates the chance of late rent payments.

Your monthly rent payment is due on the same date each month, this date is outlined on your tenancy agreement and is usually the exact date you moved into the property and when you paid your very first-month rent.

Yes, you must notify Emu Properties either via email or phone if your property will be empty for any longer than 1 month, this is for insurance purposes and to ensure a member of our team can keep an eye over your property whilst your away.

We would really appreciate it if you could also notify us of your return to the property, in order to prevent an unnecessary visit from us doing our routine checking up.

If your fixed term tenancy is coming to an end and you wish to stay in the property, you should contact us to request a renewal or extension to your tenancy. If you do not sign an extension or renewal, you will automatically transfer onto a periodic tenancy where you can provide one months’ written notice and the landlord can provide two months’ written notice for you to vacate the premises. It is strongly recommended to renew your contract where possible to secure your property or room for a specific period. If you do not wish to stay past your tenancy end date, you should notify us at least one month prior that you would like to vacate when the term ends.

No, under no circumstances are you allowed to make financial gains by subletting the property or part thereof.

All tenants (18+) must meet certain criteria and be named on the tenancy agreement in order to reside in the property.

If you live in a multi-let or student house then Emu Properties gardener will take care of your garden during your tenancy throughout the sunnier months where the grass grows at a rapid pace. This generally takes place from March to November and the gardener will attend periodically every 3 – 4 weeks (depending on the weather of course).

Family lets are responsible for maintaining their own gardens.

If the landlord, a tradesperson or Emu Properties require access to your property, then we will always notify you via email a minimum of 24 hours prior to attending.

No, smoking is strictly prohibited within the property. Should you wish to partake, please ensure you go outside and dispose of any cigarette butts.

When your bills are included, this means that your rent payment incorporates the following bills and Emu Properties will take care of account administration.

• Gas
• Electricity
• Water
• Council Tax
• Broadband & Line Rental
• TV Licence

If your bills are excluded, this means that your rent payment does not incorporate any of the above-mentioned bills and you as the tenant are responsible for paying an account administration.

From 1 June 2019, the only payments that landlords or letting agents can charge to tenants in relation to new contracts are;

• Rent
• A refundable tenancy deposit capped at no more than 5 weeks’ rent where the total annual rent is less than £50,000, or 6 weeks’ rent where the total annual rent is £50,000 or above
• A refundable holding deposit (to reserve a property) capped at no more than 1 week’s rent
• Payments associated with early termination of the tenancy, when requested by the tenant
• Payments capped at £50 (or reasonably incurred costs, if higher) for the variation, assignment or novation of a tenancy
• Payments in respect of utilities, communication services, TV licence and Council Tax
• A default fee for late payment of rent and replacement of a lost key/security device giving access to the housing, where required under a tenancy agreement

In the event of losing your key(s) to the property, you should contact us right away. You are responsible for the fees associated with their replacement which includes the cost of getting a replacement key(s) cut plus £25 for us to attend your property during office hours or £45 to attend outside of office hours. This charge also applies to individual bedroom locks in the event of you locking yourself out of your bedroom (if you were provided with a bedroom key).

No, pets are not allowed under any circumstances unless you are provided with written approval in advance from your Landlord explaining that they will accept or allow a pet.

Once you find a property online that ticks all your boxes, click the request a viewing button on the listing and fill in the blanks.

Alternatively, you can call Emu Properties on 07376 224589 and we will organise with you a convenient time to attend the property for a viewing.

Once Emu Properties receives your deposit, it is sent directly and in full across to a government-backed tenancy deposit scheme.

We use the custodial method through the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) who keep your deposit safe until the end of your tenancy, where at that point it can be released to you directly from TDS.

Within 30 days of receiving your deposit, Emu Properties will secure it and ensure you have received the scheme leaflet which explains how TDS works, the prescribed information and the deposit protection certificate.

You can rest assured knowing your money is safe.

Once you have viewed a property and decided its perfect for you, there are two options; first of all, you can take a hard copy of the application form on the day of your viewing which will need to be filled in and returned or alternatively you can fill in our online application form and return it to us once completed.

Our referencing checks take approximately one week, however, it may sometimes take a little longer depending on how quickly your previous letting agent/landlord responds to our request.

You can rest assured knowing that as soon as we have determined the status of your application, we will be in contact to inform you of the outcome.

The law allows landlords and letting agents too charge you the equivalent of 5 weeks rent as your deposit, however, at Emu Properties we only require 4 weeks rent.

This is the same amount as your monthly rent payment, for example, if you pay £400 PCM then we will require a £400 deposit which is secured in a government-approved protection scheme.

We believe this small upfront saving goes a long way in getting you settled into your new place that little bit quicker.

If you are a full time or part-time student, you will be required to provide a guarantor prior to being accepted a place. This is to guarantee that should any rental arrears accumulate the landlord is protected.

If you are a full time or part-time student and are unable to provide a guarantor, we will accept two months rent upfront as a form of security.

This will mean that you will not be required to pay the last two months rent during your tenancy due to this advance payment.

Once you have been approved and a move-in date has been set, Emu Properties will provide you with the following documents;

• A copy of the signed tenancy agreement (AST)
• A copy of the guide ‘How to rent: the checklist for renting in England’
• A copy of the Gas Safety Certificate CP12 (where applicable)
• A copy of the Deposit Scheme Leaflet, the Prescribed Information and the Deposit Protection Certificate
• A copy of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• A copy of the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

The majority of this information will be provided via email in PDF format to ensure you always have a copy of the documents available, however, were possible, we can also provide hard copies should you find this more convenient.

Student Let – 12 Month Tenancy Agreement

Group Let – 12 Month Tenancy Agreement

Family Let – 6 Month Tenancy Agreement

Multi-Let – 6 Month Tenancy Agreement