Gilyard Scarth Lettings has a wide range of properties ranging from one bedroom annexes to large country houses with rents from £300 to £3000 per calendar month. Our properties are located in North and West Dorset, South Somerset and West Wiltshire.
Arranging a Viewing
Please contact us on 01747 860 372 to arrange a viewing of any of the properties that appear on the website or to register interest in properties that may become available. We will be able to discuss your specific requirements with you.
Taking up References
Once you have viewed a property and made a decision that you would like to proceed, we will provide you with reference forms. Any person over the age of 18 years, residing at the property on a permanent basis, will be named tenant on the Tenancy Agreement and will need to be referenced. We use an external referencing agency called Rent Shield Direct to carry out the referencing, they require information including names and addresses of:-
§ Your employer (or if self-employed, a professional reference eg solicitor or accountant)
§ Your present Landlord or character reference
Please note it is advisable to contact these people in advance.
Rent Shield Direct will wish to see two and a half times the monthly rent as an income to cover your living costs, if your income is below this threshold you may be required to pay the full rent in advance or to have a suitable guarantor. A guarantor will be referenced through the same process as the tenant but will need to be earning at least three times the level of the rent.
Some of our Landlords will accept tenants who receive housing benefit; however we will require a suitable guarantor.
Administration Fee
As we use an external referencing company we ask you to pay an administration fee when forms are submitted. This is £75 + VAT (£90.00) per applicant and payment should be made payable to ‘Gilyard Scarth Lettings'. There is no charge for a guarantor to be referenced.
Next Steps and how much do I need to pay?
Once the referencing process has completed, Rent Shield Direct will send a report to Gilyard Scarth Lettings. This report will then be forwarded to the Landlord for their approval and we will then agree a start date for the tenancy to commence and request that you pay a non refundable holding deposit. The holding deposit is equivalent to one months rent and it will convert to the first months rent at the start of the tenancy.
If you do not begin your tenancy on the agreed commencement date then you will be liable to pay an amount equivalent to the rent for any period during which the property is held for you before it is released back onto the market for re-letting. If the Landlord decides not to proceed then the holding deposit is refundable in full.
If there is a short timescale between the referencing completing and the commencement of the tenancy agreement we will send you a confirmation letter and ask you to pay:-
§ One months rent in advance and
§ The equivalent of one and a half months rent as a deposit which is held for any damages and dilapidations.
For example if your monthly rental is £400 you will also need to pay a deposit of £600, a total payment of £1000 in advance.
Provided there is sufficient time (usually 7 working days) we can accept payment by cheque, otherwise building society cheque or a Bankers Draft will be accepted. You can also make payment directly into our bank account if you have online banking facilities. We do not accept payments by cash.
We will then confirm arrangements for you to sign the Tenancy Agreement collect the keys and take possession of the property. We will also provide you with a written schedule of condition/inventory and accompanying photographs. You will be asked to sign the schedule of condition and return it to this office within 7 days of the commencement of the tenancy. We undertake to notify all the utilities at the start and end of the tenancy (gas, electricity, water and council).
Rental Payments
The rent for each property is as displayed on our website and lettings lists and is generally quoted as monthly. Rent is payable in advance during the tenancy. Rent for the first month is payable in cleared funds prior to the commencement of the tenancy agreement. Rent payments after the first month will be by standing order mandate. Please note that the standing order mandate will be set up to leave your bank account a few days before the rent due date in order for your rental payment to be received by Gilyard Scarth Lettings or the Landlord on the rent due date. (Rent due date is the date each month that the tenancy commenced).
All rents (unless otherwise stated) are exclusive of utilities, council tax, water, electricity, oil, gas, drainage, telephone etc.
The Tenancy Deposit
Gilyard Scarth Lettings are members of the tenancy deposit scheme run by ‘The Dispute Service'. As members of this scheme we can hold your deposit as stakeholder and will register your deposit with the scheme within 30 days of receipt and provide you with a certificate to confirm registration. This deposit is held until the end of your tenancy when a check out is carried out and any deductions from the deposit agreed. Full details of how deductions can be made are detailed in the tenancy agreement and prescribed information which you will be given before the commencement of your tenancy.
Tenants Insurance
As a condition of renting a property through Gilyard Scarth Lettings we insist that tenants have Tenants Liability Cover to cover accidental damage to the Landlords possessions. We will ask you to provide evidence of a suitable policy being in place prior to the commencement of your tenancy.