FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
for prospective tenants
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General Information
If we have to contact you regarding late payment of monthly rent, you will incur a fee of £30 (we strongly advise, if there are any problems with rent payment we are informed as we may be able to offer advice as per lease agreement).
Receipts are only issued on manual payments such as Debit Card payments which are made in our office. Unfortunately, we cannot provide receipts for online payments, Standing Orders or telephone payments as payments will be shown on your bank statements.
There are several ways you can pay your rent to Homeguard Leasing:
a. Standing Order – you will be e-mailed a Standing Order form which will be attached to an e-mail along with Lease and Lease
Please note property address on Standing Order form.
b. Online – payment can be made from your bank account online into the bank account which is stated on our Standing Order form. Please note you must quote your tenancy address.
c. By telephoning Homeguard Leasing’s office and paying rent with a UK Debit Card.
If the property is situated in Aberdeen City, please contact the Council’s Noise Team on 01224 523737. If the property is in Aberdeenshire, please contact the Council’s Noise Team on 01467 628159.
Property in Aberdeen, collection days can be found at:
www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/bins-and-recycling/check-bin-collection-days
Property in Aberdeenshire, collection days can be found at:
https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/waste/household-rubbish-collection
Maintenance
Please report any maintenance issues by e-mail to leasing@homeguard.co.uk or by telephoning 01224 647878.
Please report any maintenance problems on our online link or telephone our Maintenance Team on 01224 647878. Also within the first 7 days please note any issues on the Inventory.
Check the boiler is switched on at the wall and time clock.
Check the pressure gauge which should be between 1 – 2 bar.
Please check if there is a gas contract (this details would have been received on date of entry).
Please telephone Homeguard Leasing on 01224 647878 who will advise you if an Engineer will be required.
Immediately contact Scotland Gas Networks on 0800 111 999 and also report to Homeguard Leasing on 01224 647878.
If there is a break in at the property, please report to the Police as soon as possible and also inform Homeguard Leasing on 01224 647878.
Find the stopcock and turn off the water. Stopcocks are usually located under the kitchen sink, in a cupboard at or around the door entrance. Please contact Homeguard Leasing on 01224 646878. If the leak is “out of hours” contact Emergency Tradesmen (numbers of tradesmen will be supplied at the commencement of your Tenancy)?
Speak to the neighbour and make them aware. It is the neighbour’s responsibility to call a plumber and have the leak repaired. Please contact Homeguard Leasing to report any damage to the property.
If you have been given permission to authorise a repair or purchase a replacement item, you will need to provide Homeguard Leasing with an original receipt and supply your bank account details for reimbursement.
Permission to decorate the property must be given by the Landlord, please contact Homeguard Leasing on 01224 647878 to discuss.
Check the smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector and replace battery if necessary. (If the detector is not within safe reach, please contact our Maintenance Team on 01224 647878).
It is the Tenant’s responsibility to change any blown light bulbs including oven/fridge/extractor hood.
Please make sure that any food is away and not left on worktops and that rubbish is disposed of. Please put down mice repellent/traps or use a sonic repellent. If the problem persists, please telephone our Maintenance Team on 01224 647878 or complete our online maintenance section.
Please bleed the radiator using a radiator key. If there is not already a key in the property they can be purchased from a local hardware shop or possibly in a supermarket. Put the key into the valve at the top of the radiator, turn key anti clockwise until you hear a hissing noise and water comes out of the valve, and then close it. Make sure you have a bowl or towel to catch any water. If the problem persists, please telephone our Maintenance Team on 01224 647878 or complete our online maintenance section. Check the pressure gauge of the boiler as bleeding radiators could drop the pressure which you would then need to top up.
Please check the filter on the washing machine, normally found at the base of the appliance, make sure this is clean and free of foreign objects such as loose change, bra wires etc. If the problem persists, please telephone our Maintenance Team on 01224 647878 or complete our online maintenance section.
Use a fluid drain un-blocker – these can be brought from supermarkets and follow instructions or try plunging blockage. If the problem persists, please telephone our Maintenance Team on 01224 647878 or complete our online maintenance section.
Homeguard Leasing ask Landlords to leave any instruction manuals in the property. In the event there is no appliance manual, please try looking for a manual on the internet by using the appliance manufacturer and model number, alternatively there are some undernoted websites that might be useful.
www.instruction-manuals.co.uk or www.espares.co.uk/usermanuals
When Tenancy is Terminated
Termination notice must be in accordance with your Lease Agreement, we can accept termination notice by e-mail on leasing@homeguard.co.uk, all tenants in the property must be in agreement with terminating the tenancy.
Homeguard Leasing will send you written confirmation of your termination and this information will be provided in the letter. This can be paid either by online bank transfer or by UK Debit Card.
In our termination confirmation letter we advise you to cancel your Standing Order with your Bank, if any payments come in after the termination date we will contact you for bank details to return the overpayment to your bank account.
Once the Inventory has been rechecked, the Property Manager will inform you of their findings and discuss any deductions, if applicable. Homeguard Leasing will then contact Safe Deposits Scotland to inform them of their findings and the deposit amount to be refunded. Safe Deposits Scotland will then in turn, contact you for your agreement of our findings and the amount of deposit being refunded.
Once the process has begun, each party has 31 working days to respond. If both parties are in agreement to the amount of deposit being refunded, the amount will be released normally within 5 working days. If there is a dispute, any undisputed amount is refunded and the disputed amount goes into the adjudication process, this can take a further 6 to 8 weeks before decision is made.
We advise tenants to set up a mail redirection with the Post Office. The Post Office advise that you must apply at least 7 working days from when you want to start having your mail redirected.
Homeguard Leasing will advise your gas/electric provider of final meter readings and also inform the Council Tax Department at Aberdeen City/Aberdeenshire Council.
If you use a landline telephone or broadband, please finalise your account with the telephone provider.
Television Licence – inform TV Licensing of your new address.
Also inform any applicable from the following – Banks, Building Societies, pension provider, loan provider, Credit/Store Card provider, Inland Revenue, Insurance company, DVLA, Doctor, Dentist, your employer, Schools/Nursery/Childminder, magazine/charity subscriptions, friends and family, current neighbours, ebay, Amazon, Paypal or similar.
For any further information please refer to the Information Pack that you received on your entry to the property.
TERMINATION PROCESS CHECKLIST
Provide Homeguard Leasing with your up to date contact details including your forwarding address and current utility supplier.
The Inventory will be rechecked on the first working day after termination date.
Keys to be returned to Homeguard Leasing’s office at 115 Rosemount Place, Aberdeen on termination date (including any garage keys, parking fobs or permits)
If the keys are returned outwith office hours, we have a large letter box and ask that keys are returned in an envelope with only the tenants name on the envelope for security reasons.
CLEANING GUIDELINES CHECKLIST
| To-Do | Check |
|---|---|
| Kitchen worktops and splashbacks to be wiped | |
| Kitchen units to be emptied and cleaned | |
| Fridge/freezer to be defrosted and cleaned – all food to be removed | |
| Washing machine and tumble drier to be cleaned including drawers and filters | |
| Oven, hob, cooker hood/extractor, dishwasher, microwave oven to be cleaned internally and externally | |
| Dishes / glasses /cutlery, kitchen utensils / pans to be cleaned | |
| Light fittings / switches to be wiped | |
| Woodwork to be dusted / washed down | |
| All surfaces to be dusted / washed down | |
| Bath / shower cubicle / wash hand basin, wc, seat / lid / cistern to be washed down | |
| Carpets to be vacuumed | |
| Carpets to be shampooed (if necessary) | |
| Vinyl / laminate floors to be cleaned | |
| Light bulbs not working to be replaced | |
| Beds / mattresses / mattress protectors will be examined for staining and damage not recorded on inventory | |
| Linen / bedding to be laundered | |
| All refuse and rubbish to be removed from the property | |
| Garden to be in same condition as per inventory |
FINAL CHECKLIST
| To-Do | Check |
|---|---|
| Inform Homeguard Leasing of who supplies gas and electric | |
| Inform Homeguard Leasing of forwarding address | |
| Cancel any satellite television provider | |
| Cancel / transfer television licence | |
| Arrange mail redirection with post office at least 7 working days prior to termination date | |
| All keys to be returned to Homeguard Leasing |