Top Tips for Landlords and Tenants

Whether you are a landlord looking to let a property or a tenant looking to take on a tenancy, there are a few points to consider to ensure a smooth transaction:

LANDLORDS

1. Is the property up to standard?
Under the Residential Tenancy (Jersey) Law 2011 all landlords have a responsibility to ensure that the property they intend to let out is fit for purpose and is clean, safe and free from damp.

The Rent Safe scheme is a voluntary accreditation scheme for landlords to register their properties which confirms that a particular property has met the relevant criteria and that the landlord takes the welfare of the tenant seriously, takes action to resolve issues quickly and works to make sure the property continues to meet recognised housing standards

2. Prepare a condition report
A condition report is a compulsory report that records the condition and state of repair or disrepair of the property at the start of the tenancy and at the end of the tenancy. The report must be signed by both the landlord and tenant within seven days of the commencement and end of the tenancy.

3. Deposit
From 2 November 2015 all landlords and letting agents must protect tenancy deposits with MyDeposits Jersey within 30 days of receiving the deposit from the tenant. The scheme is designed to safeguard tenants’ deposits and regulate their return at the end of a tenancy.

TENANTS

4. Housing status
Make sure you know what your housing qualification is - entitled, licensed or registered as this must correspond with the property that you are looking to rent. Ensure that you have an updated registration card.

5. Property requirements
Let your agent know what your requirements are early on in terms of number of bedrooms, outside space, parking and whether you have any pets.

6. Have the deposit ready
Make sure that you have your deposit ready to avoid disappointment if there are others looking at the same property.