Guide to Living
Issues in shared properties tend to arise from tenants not taking personal responsibility for communal areas – the ‘someone else will do it’ attitude. Living together can generate some disagreements. In this case we would advise calling an informal meeting of all the tenants to ensure a smooth running household. Most problems can be sorted out by talking.
The four main criteria for living together:
- Don’t be noisy
- Keep the place clean and tidy
- Pay the rent on time
- Have a mutual respect for others
Fire
The hall, landing and stairs must be kept completely clear of any obstruction, at all times – this is a requirement of the local authority – as they are a fire exit. Please store all your belongings in your room.
In the case of fire – raise the alarm, (Shout ‘Fire’ as loud you can!) call the fire brigade, 999, from a safe place, do not attempt to extinguish the fire and ensure all doors are closed behind you.
- This is a non smoking property, when smoking outside the property; please step away and close the door to prevent smoke entering the building.
- Please do not place toasters under kitchen units when in use.
- Do not use deep fat fryers at this property.
If you introduce any of your own furniture into the house, please ensure it complies with the safety fire regulations.
Fire alarm system
The fire alarm system is very sensitive and will be activated by the slightest whiff of smoke! The control panel will display the source of the smoke. A false alarm in which either an engineer or the Fire Brigade are called out, will result in a substantial payment being made by whichever tenant made the false call.
Kitchen Door
Be aware that if you decide to wedge open the kitchen door, smoke from cooking food in the kitchen may set off the smoke alarms, to the annoyance of anyone else in the house.
Cleaner
The communal areas are professionally cleaned every 2 weeks*. Tenants are expected to maintain the property to a good standard of cleanliness and hygiene constantly and should clean up after themselves. It is advisable to draw up a cleaning rota with other housemates. If you wish to engage the cleaner to clean your own space, this can be arranged at a small charge.
Viewings, Inspections & Maintenance
Viewings and maintenance will need to be carried out at the property from time to time. There will be a monthly check of the alarm system. Whole house inspections are carried out at 3 month intervals. All housemates will be informed by text 24 hours in advance. Please report any maintenance issues immediately.
Overnight Guests
It is a common courtesy to inform other housemates if you have the occasional overnight guest. It’s generally accepted that one night during the week and one night at the weekend acceptable for overnight guests. Please inform us if you think housemates are abusing this rule.
Your Contact information
Please inform us immediately of any change of email address and mobile number. Failure to do so could result in an embarrassing situation should we have to do a room inspection.
This will also benefit you in ensuring that your deposit is returned promptly.
Broadband Access Password
This is displayed at most properties in a communal area. Feel free to contact us for the passcode if you are unable to locate it at the property.
Man and a Van
If you need a hand moving, call us on 02381 849759 for a free estimate and we will help get this organised.
Security
It is very important to close all windows and external doors securely when leaving the property unattended. Please leave a light on in either the hall or landing when leaving the house unattended for long periods. The energy efficient bulbs cost very little to run. You may be liable for missing items if it is determined that it was ml: that left the door unlocked!
Keys
Please be careful with your keys – we charge £20 for replacements and a £50 call out fee if you have locked yourself out of the property.
Electrics and plumbing
Please familiarise yourself with the positions of the fuse-board and stopcock for turning off water.
Blocked drains
Take care not to allow excess hair to block the shower and basin. Also take care what is deposited into the kitchen sink and WC – You may have to pay for call outs and plumbers are very expensive!
Heating
In phases of cold weather, please do not turn off the heating when the property is left empty. Set the timer so that it switches on for two bursts a day. This is to ensure that pipes do not freeze. Failure to do so may result in tenants being charged for any subsequent damage and repairs and plumbers are very expensive!
The overall heat of the house can be adjusted with the thermostat. Individual room temperatures can be adjusted with the thermostats on the radiator in your room. No need to adjust the boiler and don’t forget to take into account your carbon footprint on your home planet.
If we believe the heating usage is being abused, we will investigate this and you may be liable for any extra charges.
Standing Order
As per your AST contract your MUST pay the rent via standing order. Failure to do so will break the terms of your contract. Any other method of payment may result in additional charges.
Monthly Bills
Gas and electric bills are capped at £200 per calendar month. If the monthly bill exceeds this amount, the excess will billed to tenants proportionately. It is therefore in the interest of all tenants to keep bills to a minimum.
Consumables
You have a responsibility to replace light bulbs/batteries. Please ensure communal bulbs are replaced immediately for safety. If in doubt, please contact the main office on 02381 849759.
Emergency Numbers
The number you should call should the property encounter any EMERGENCIES out of office hours. Please keep this safe:
- VieSpace main office : 02381 849759
- If there is a suspected gas leak, phone 02381 849759 immediately for further instruction.
This number is ONLY to be used in the case of an emergency. If the contractor deems the call out not to be an emergency, there will be a charge for their call out fees and you don’t really want to do that, do you?
Waste collection
See the notice in your green property information folder for collection dates. Please ensure you return the bin to its correct place ASAP after it has been emptied. Try to place all rubbish and rubbish bags in the bin with the lid closed to reduce the risk of pests.
There is also the usual array of recycling containers for plastic, cardboard, food, foil, cans, glass. If you use the food container, please ensure it is regularly cleaned – be the first to offer to clean it and earn the respect of the other housemates.
Condensation & Damp
We occasionally have complaints about damp or mould. This is usually caused by condensation. With several adults in the house showering every day, plus cooking and the sometimes necessity of drying clothes in the house, the moisture level in the air increases so much that it can’t all escape, causing damp and mould.
Here are a few points to avoid problem and treat this problem.
- Cooking – Cover pans when cooking, open a window and use the extractor fan. Make sure the fan is working correctly and if you find it is not, report it to us.
- Washing clothes – Put clothes out to dry whenever possible, if you do air them in your room, leave a window ajar.
- Close kitchen and bathroom doors – when these rooms are in use as these stops the moisture reaching bedrooms.
- Ventilate – cupboards and wardrobes. Don’t put too many things in them as it stops air from circulating.
- Moisture is produced every day by our breath. When at home it is a good idea to ventilate a room by leaving a window on its latch.
- It is also good practice to open windows wide for a few minutes every day to ‘air’ the house and let the moist air out. Dry air in a house makes it feel warmer, so a better aired house circulates heat more efficiently.
- When showering and bathing, ensure you ventilate the room afterwards by opening the window and using extractor fans where provided.
- In the morning, if condensation is spotted on the window, wipe it down with kitchen roll or a cloth.
- Don’t keep opened food in the fridge or cupboards past it’s sell by date.
- Do not dry clothes on the radiators in the house. This is usually the biggest cause of mould problems and prevents the heat circulating the room effectively.
If you start to see the first signs of black mould, it can be cleaned away easily using a bleach/water solution or specific mould spray. Dispose of the cloth afterwards to avoid further contamination and please inform us.
- The first signs could appear around windows, in the silicone sealant around the bath, shower, and sinks. Mould may also form in the washing machine powder drawer or inside the lip of the machine.
- If food is left in the fridge then it will form here too and this can spread to other foods. The longer the mould is left the worse it will get.
As tenants you have a responsibility to keep the property in a good state of repair, and you should take steps to ensure it does not become a problem. Work together to make sure you have a nice, safe environment to live in. If there is a damp mould problem when you leave the property you will be charged for the extra cleaning/remedial work involved.
Communal Areas
Please do not place ANY of your personal belongings in communal areas. Other tenants may be too polite to tell you it bothers them, if it takes up too much room. If you do place something in the communal space, other tenants may use it.
There are enough sets of crockery and cutlery etc in the house – please do not overload the cupboards with more!
Keep kitchen worktops free of clutter and clean at all times.
If you think an unused item has been ‘hanging around’ the kitchen or bathroom, check with other housemates as to who actually owns it – if no one, dispose of it.
General
We find that a house runs smoother when those who live there have a little respect for each other, this could be as simple as:
- Closing doors quietly. Shhhhhhhhh
- Cleaning up communal areas after use, 24 hours max!
- Not playing music too loud (use earphones?)
- Not turning TV up too loud (see above)
- Being considerate
- Sharing any house hold jobs or working out a rota
- No whining. Not about other tenants or any of the staff who may visit you. Please keep these opinions to yourself.
- No naked flames
- No pets are allowed at this property, if you are found to have an unauthorised animal, you will be fined and you will be asked to remove the animal or risk your tenancy.
Top Tips For Keeping the House Looking its Best
Here are some quick and simple cleaning tips to help keep the house and furniture looking its best, follow these to help save money and make sure you get your deposit returned. According to www.mydeposits.co.uk, one of the main reasons that landlords stop money from a tenants deposit is to cover the cost of cleaning, not just your room but your % of the house.
- The evening before the cleaner calls, put rubbish in the bin, do the dishes and clear the worktop – this will allow her to do her job effectively, instead of wasting her time clearing up after you.
- Tenants need to defrost freezer periodically.
- Oven: Place a layer of foil in the bottom of the oven to collect spills. Replace when dirty.
- Grill pan: Place a layer of foil in the pan so it covers the top edges. This will catch all grease and fat. Replace after use.
- Grills: Once every couple of months, soak these overnight in biological washing powder, they will come up as new!
- Shower: You can use a shower de-scale spray on the shower screen and shower head and ventilate the room, to avoid mould.
- If you spill something then treat immediately to avoid staining.
- Beds: Do not remove the mattress protector from your bed. You will be liable for any stains on the mattress.
- If you have failed to open a window and there is black mould on the walls, there is no point in painting over the mould because it is a living organism and will quickly return. The walls need to be cleaned, then neutralised with white wine vinegar to kill the mould and when it is dry a quick coat of emulsion will restore the wall to its former glory. This process has to be carried out by us, if it gets too much to handle yourself.
- A dirty microwave is easily cleaned with a cup of lemon juice mixed with sodium bicarbonate placed inside and micro-waved for a couple of minutes. The lemon will evaporate and condense onto the metal surfaces melting the grease ready for a quick wipe out. The same mixture can be warmed and used to clean and deodorise a fridge or freezer.
- If by some bizarre occurrence you create a dirty oven, there is an oven good product called ‘Oven Pride’. It comes with a bag into which you put your oven trays and pour some of the liquid. Leave over-night and in the morning the grease has melted leaving the trays shining like new. The product comes with full instructions – now all you need to do is pour the remaining liquid into the oven and spread it around, within a few hours the oven is clean and ready to wipe out – again, very little elbow grease is needed. Please ensure you use the correct PPE advertised when carrying out cleaning with any chemicals.
Living Together
- Make sure you avoid arguments about the bin by making a rule about it. The person who fills the bin puts the bin bag out. Always check if you are running close to the end of the bin liner roll.
- For some reason, the fridge is a particular bone of contention. If it drives you mad when other people take your milk then consider labelling it ‘Milk experiment #1′ or ‘Urine sample’. No one will touch it. In fact, you might free up a whole fridge shelf in this way.
- Make a rota. Some people find these restrictive and may claim to be illiterate, but it’s a fair system and if you work it out well beforehand, it can really pay off. However, it is essential that everyone sticks to the plan.
- From time to time remove ALL items from the fridge and give it a good clean. If a fridge becomes too neglected and needs a professional clean, there will be a charge of £30. The same applies for all appliances.
Deposits
Your deposit will be held with www.DepositProtectionService.com. Please save your deposit protection information – you will need this when you leave. Your deposit will normally be returned within 5 days.
End of Tenancy
- Clean your room and your % of the house, inc. fridge and oven.
- Remove marks and any blue-tac
- Replace broken or missing items
- Return furniture to original position
- Leave keys in room
- Arrange for your mail re-direct
- We will return 100% of your deposit if the property is 100%
If you have any ideas or suggestions or additional information with regard to the property – please let us know.
Thank you
If you have any concerns or complaints – feel free to contact us at anytime.