Renting Process
Please start by going to our property pages, search through the available properties:
https://escapecampus.co.uk/all-listings/
1 - Read through the information on each property. Pay particular attention to the; start date of the contract (once a contract has been signed this can't be changed), the facilities that come with the property and inclusions that come with your rent.
2 - Wherever they are available watch the short 'walk-through' video, which is towards the bottom of each property page. This should help you get a really good feel for the layout of each property.
3 - Book viewings by clicking on ‘make enquiry’ on the property pages. Viewing appointments are for half an hour however if you want to see more than one property with us we will be able to block book you some time and, depending on travel time between viewings, we should be able to get through 3 or 4 viewings with you during an hour long appointment. We won't spend more than an hour with you initially, so please don't try and book to see more than 4 properties; if these don't work for you then we can always book another appointment to see some other options.
We never put pressure on people to sign contracts at viewings. The right time to sign is when you are sure you’ve made your mind up as a group; because of this we don’t offer a first come first serve system as we feel it promotes rush decisions. Just let us know when you have decided and we will arrange to take you through our process to the point where we sign a contract with you.
To secure a property once you have viewed it, everyone in your group will need to:
- Provide us with a full name, phone number and email address for everyone in your group by emailing that information over the enquiries@escapecampus.com.
- We will then send everyone in your group a digital application form to complete which will provide details of where to transfer the deposit to (typically £200 per tenant).
- If you are from the UK and/or have family or close friends in the UK we will expect you to provide a UK based guarantor, who guarantees the individual tenant's rent and cost of any damages. Providing a guarantor means you'll be able to pay rent at the start of each academic term (typically October, January and April).
- If you have provided a guarantor we will take them through our online guarantor process, which will mean running a 'soft' credit check on your guarantor. We ask that guarantors do not have any recent/unsettled Country Court Judgements, Bankruptcies or Individual Voluntary Arrangements.
- For international tenants or UK tenants with a very specific reason (being a care leaver for example)if you aren’t providing a guarantor, a different payment schedule will need to be arranged, typically paying the first rent instalment in July.
- We will then send you a copy of all the paperwork to sign online.
- Finally we’ll take information from you to complete ‘right to rent’ checks on behalf of the government.
We will stop other viewings at the property once everyone in your group has returned their application form and everyone's deposits have been received. As a group you will then get 7 days to work through things and sign the tenancy agreement, at which point you’ll have secured the property.
All of the processes we have can be completed on a smart phone, tablet or computer, and are really straightforward, with no reliance on the postal system, so 7 days is more than enough time. There’s no need to panic, just make sure you communicate with us when prompted, and with your guarantor; it’s going to be your house or flat after all so nobody will be more motivated than you to make sure everything happens quickly.
Contracts
The contracts you will sign with us are Assured Shorthold Tenancies which detail, when you are part of a group, that you are ‘jointly and severally liable’ for all the rent. This type of contract will protect the interests of all parties and are the most commonly used by landlords and letting agents, but there are a few features of the contract you need to be aware of before you get to the stage of thinking about signing it:
- It is a joint contract with your whole group. This means that you are liable for the whole of the rent, so you’re not just signing for your part of the rent, you’re signing for all of it which means if someone drops out of the contract, you could be asked to pay their part of the rent.
- We ask for a guarantor but they will only be guaranteeing your portion of the rent, which is the money you would actually pay if you lived there for the year, however if there is any damage that exceeds the value of the deposit they may be liable for it.
What if you drop out of your contract?
- We understand things happen and circumstances change.
- We make a commitment not to react with anger or be unreasonable.
- We can't help if we don't know there is an issue.
- As with everything, communication is the key.
If you let us know as soon as possible and then work hard with us it will minimise the chance of there being any long-lasting problems.
- You are contracted to the rent from when you go through the process of signing the contract.
- If you want to drop out of your contract it will be your responsibility to find a suitable replacement and that person has to go through the above process. A replacement is only suitable when all of the following conditions are met:
- Someone acceptable to the rest of the group, Escape Campus and the landlord.
- A person of similar circumstances, examples of which would be; undergraduate, post-graduate, full time student, similar age, same gender (if that is important to the other tenants).
- The new tenant must take over the whole remnants of the contract and agree to pay the same rent, or you will need to pay any agreed shortfall in advance of being released from the contract.
We will help you through this process but carrying out a tenants change is time consuming and has overhead expenses so:
- If you come to us with a replacement tenant who is suitable and we don't need to either advertise the room or conduct any viewings of it, then for processing their application and the paperwork for both you and them, we charge £50 + VAT, which will be deducted from your deposit.
- In the eventuality of you not having a replacement and us needing to advertise your room and conduct or coordinate viewings, as well as completing the relevant paperwork, we charge £100 + VAT, which will be deducted from your deposit. This higher fee would become applicable once you have asked us to advertise your room.
These charges will only go some way to covering the time and costs associated with the processes that go into someone being released from a contract. We would also remind you that all rent remains your responsibility until a replacement has been signed up and any residual rent has been paid.
If you are finding things difficult or your circumstances have changed, please contact us straight away; we are here to help wherever possible and will work with you to try and resolve any issues you're having.
If you are experiencing difficulties with money then consider contacting one of the following:
Citizens Advice Debt Line - 0800 240 4420
LUSU - 01524 593765 or email help@lancastersu.com
Nation Debt Line - 0808 808 4000