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Can I tell you something in confidence ?
We treat as confidential, all conversations which tenants consider to be confidential. However, do bear in mind that some revelations once known create a legal obligation upon us to act or re-convey information. E.g. you tell me you are relocating and are leaving but ask that for now we do not tell the other housemates. The difficulty here is that some of the information you are communicating affects your other housemates or our tenants! Were it to later transpire that we knew something which materially affected the housemates and our agreement with them but failed to communicate this, then we ourselves can become embroiled in any blameworthy action or inaction. To answer your question we will not tell the others you are relocating but we may be legally obliged to advise that you are leaving.
Can I have a reference for my future, Employer, Bank, Landlord, Mortgage Lender, Character reference, etc.
Yes we are always happy to oblige. We keep records for several years and regularly oblige in this way.
Can I have a reference but please do not say anything out my arrears, noise, damage, other?
Our mission statement claims, "Alpine Real Estate Ltd aims to provide quality accommodation with integrity." Although the word integrity comes last it is nevertheless first in our ethos. We cannot be true to our claim if we convey a dishonest reference. Were we to do this, even once, then this could be detrimental to any future reference provided for worthy tenants with no arrears etc, since it could not be relied upon as trustworthy. We consciously try never to give a reference which may be harmful to you, so if asked something which would harm your prospects, we may simply decline to comment and leave it to the reference recipient to form their own conclusions. Our awards are an automatic way of securing a glowing reference as this is something we provide our best tenants with for eight categories of good conduct.If you have behaved badly and you leave Alpine Real Estate Ltd owing rent it is possible to find your name on this register. Similarly if tenant cases goes to court for non payment they are likely to have their name entered on a County Court Register of Judgments - CCJ. This can make it very difficult to secure a job, housing, loan etc., until the debt has been repaid.
How big are the bedrooms?
Minimum size of room is 6.5 sq.m.
Do you only let double rooms with double beds to couples?
At the time of writing we have no couples or coupleson contract, although a number of properties would be eminently suitable. Within a shared house we only accept couples if we are confident they will live in harmony with the whole group.
My room is the only one without an en-suite, why didn't you just fit one in every room during the original renovation?
The good news is that the more en-suites there are the less traffic in the communal bathrooms, so everyone benefits. Having some en-suites avoids queues of crossed legged students outside the bathroom door 10 minutes before the 9am deadline to hand in a college assignment. We do have one house with more bathrooms but this is not the norm. The cost of maintaining en-suites is very expensive with the need to replace shower units from time to time, repair leaks and replace defective components makes it impractical to have one in every bedroom of every house.
I had an en-suite whilst and I have got used to this. What amenities do Alpine Real Estate Ltd provide?
Kitchen have Oven, Hob, Fridge, Freezer, Microwave, Kettle, Toaster
All bedrooms have double bed if its a double room or Single bed if its a single room.
Bathroom have showers,Mirror, Shower curtain or screen
All Shared Properties have Washing Machine,Vaccum Cleaner, Mop, Bucket,Dustpan and Brush
Premier properties get Dishwasher and some even have Jacuzzi's and Swimming Pool
Will big is the box room?
All our box roomscan easily fit in Single bed and a Wardrobe.
How much per room?
Full En-suite bedrooms are prices from around £89 per week. Non en-suite bedrooms are normally priced just under £45 per week, depending on room size.
Do double-bed-rooms cost more than single beds?
Yes we charge on the basis of the room size. The guide price we suggest as between yourselves is ordinary rooms with single bed is average £45 pw and double bedroom £70 pw. Should you wish to share then an additional charge would be made - normally extra £25.
What happens if you discover we have or had non paying guests - I am worried that I may be implicated by my housemates dishonesty?
Person in a breach will be charged £120 penanlty plus £25 per day of the guest stay. Guests are allowed but if they stay longer than 3 days then tenant is responsible to inform us in writing and there will be an additional charge of £4 per day.
Do you price rooms individually or is it the same for each room?
We suggest a price for each room reflecting many differentials between rooms. We feel this is the fairest way. En-suites currently cost around £89 pw. Our smallest rooms measuring 6.5sqm. start at only £45. Double beds are so popular we provide them as an added bonus for one rather than necessity for two. So the overall room rents will reflect the amenities enjoyed by all occupants.
When is my first rent payment due?
Rent is payable monthly in advance of each month normally 1st of each month unless other date stated in the contract. If you cannot provide a suitable guarantor, rent is payable six months in advance. Where rent is paid annually the Booking fee is reduced by 75%.
How do I pay my rent?
Please check How to Make Payment link on this website for different ways to pay your rent
Will you collect my rent from me?
We do not collect rent. If we collect then ther will be a charge of £10
Why should I pay a late payment fee?
There are exceptions, e.g. if your rent is in line with our arrangement. Otherwise late payments are disproportionally expensive in time to handle. Not only do we have to identify late payers, we then have to isolate them and chase the payment. This can involve a series of dialog as to the reason for the late payment and for an explanation of when the account will be brought up to date. Finally when a tenant makes a payment we receive a further request to confirm receipt of the payment even before the payment has cleared, so we take further time to reply, "your payment has not yet cleared into our account". Ironically the minority of late payments take far longer to process than the majority of timely payments. The late payment charge does not actually cover our loss of time but merely acts as a deterrent to those who may otherwise prioritise e.g. Christmas shopping over rent. Late payments are so costly we provide a positive incentive for you to do what our contract legally demands anyway; by rewarding.
Sorry I am late to pay my rent, it was deposited into your account today, can you confirm you have received it?
It may be impossible for us to confirm the same day since bank transfers can take up to 4 days to clear in the UK, and longer from other countries. We download batches of payments from our bank when payments are expected at agreed dates. If you pay late you may need to wait, firstly for your payment to clear, and then for us to check with our bank, and then to update our files and communicate your payment. Payments made on the agreed dates are really simple to process as a batch of payments. Out of sequence a single payment takes disproportionally longer to process. It is time consuming so you may have to wait longer for confirmation. We will keep an eye open for your payment, provided it has your specific payment reference, we can match your payment to your account and confirm receipt.
What is my 'payment reference'?
Your reference includes 3 parts: a)your surname and initial e.g. P. Hall, b)your house initials e.g. 1 Birmingham Road = 1BR, c)your room number 1,2,3 or 4. Even if we have three people with the same name they are very unlikely to share the same house initials or number and room numbers so we can distinguish between each payment.
I made a payment on time but I forgot to include the reference. Can you confirm you have received it. My rent is £325 pcm.
Without a reference it may take longer via the process of elimination, to establish which of the unreferenced payments is yours.
Most rents are £325pm so it is not easy to isolate yours from the other unreferenced payments. You would not want us to allocate your payment to someone else! We will therefore need specific information to help us to identify any payment as yours:
Please provide the:
Account holders name as on the statement or card of the payer: e.g. Ms A Jones
Amount of your payment,
Date of your payment,
Bank name from which your payment was made, e.g., Barclays Bank, Abbey Bank, HSBC Bank, Halifax Bank, etc.,
Bank Address from which the payment was made or the City, Town or Village if unsure of exact address
Bank account number this is normally an 8 digit number 00000001
Bank sort code this is normally a 6 digit number e.g. 00-00-01.
Payment method, e.g. cash; cheque; standing Order; direct transfer online banking; direct transfer at your bank branch;
Are utility bills included in the rent?
Bills are not included in the rent but we do offer a bills package at £10.00 each per week see below to include television license, water and sewage. Any liability for council tax is the tenant’s responsibility. Full time students are normally exempt from council tax provided they submit council tax exemption forms to Local City Council - forms are available on request from university colleges.
How much are utility bills?
This varies from house and season and number of occupants as well as the efficiency of the central heating system. At a huge cost 92.59% of all our heating boilers have been completely replaced with new energy efficient boilers since 2006 and some are fitted with Electric timer heaters. If you opt for our bills package you pay a fee of £32.00 per person per week for all the utilities including:
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Broadband
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Incoming telephone line
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TV
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TV licence (if you are on a joint tenancy you will only need one license for the whole house)
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DVD player
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Free view where reception is available
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Gas
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Electricity
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Water
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Sewage
Do we get compensation or a discount on bills for an interruption in any of the services?
It is unlikely. We organize the various utilities for you to make life easier for you and us - we do not actually provide the service. In the event that we do agree to compensation, the amount will never exceed the actual cost of the service interrupted and will not include damage caused, except in the case of our negligence. Tenants must insure their own contents, including frozen food. We do not accept damage to, for example, a computer in the event of a power failure.
Is council tax included in the rent?
No. If all the residents are students then the house is normally said to have "student exempt status". No payment is required. The City Council will require each house mate to provide evidence from a college that all the residents letting a house are full time qualifying students, before granting exemption.
How do we get student council tax exemption?
You need to contact your universities and ask them to issue you a council tax exemption certificate. Your certificate should be posted to the Local Coucil. You can contact us for any guidance.
How much is Council Tax?
On average Council Tax is around £790 per year. Students are normally exempt provided the council received every tenants student council tax exemption form (see above).
Why might I not qualify for council tax exemption?
You do not qualify if you are not in full time education. If you are a part time student you do not qualify for council tax exemption. If your course if full time for 6 months and then part time you also may not qualify.
What do we do about council tax if some of our group are professionals?
If you have one or more professionals in your group and the rest are students the whole house becomes liable for council tax. As joint tenants it is your responsibility to pay this and the council will contact you regarding payment. If there is only one professional in the house and the rest of the group are students the professional can apply for a discount of 25%.
What is the Booking fee for?
When a prospective tenant pays a Booking Fee and a company accepts it to secure a house a mini-legally binding agreement is formed. The compnay must hold the house for you until you sign the agreement subject to the terms of the contract. In other words upon accepting your Booking Fee are legally bound to let the house to your group and no other. You have bought our promise to keep the accomodation for you. Alpine Real Estate Ltd cannot later accept a better offer from other tenants after accepting your Booking Fee. If you change your mind after confirming you wish to reserve a house then you break this mini agreement, and you may have prevented others from securing the house instead. You will also cause the company additional administrative time and costs to find suitable replacements possibly after the main season for letting has passed. If you break your part of the agreement you could lose your Booking Fee- so you must not take this decision lightly!
The Booking Fee is held as insurance in case you fail to meet your commitments after signing the agreement . The holding Booking fee is from £200 to £1500 per person depending upon the type of accomodation and this simply converts to the security at the point of signing the agreement. So no additional amount is actually paid by the tenant to the company prior to signing the tenancy agreement. At the end of the tenancy, if the tenant has paid all bills and left the house in its original condition, allowing for normal wear and tear, the booking fee is returned in full within 28 days of the tenancy determination date and the entire accomodation being vacated and the inventory agreed in writing and keys returned. Delays in returning the Booking fee can occur if significant damage is caused to the house and contents or if left unclean. We first have to assess the cost of any damage and cleaning and deduct this from the Booking Fee.
How much is the administration fee?
Nothing
How do we know you will return our Booking Fee? Our last landlord made an excuse not to pay us!
We have a good reputation and we want to keep it; not your Booking Fee. Most tenants are more careful with our properties having paid a Booking Fee. We want to return it to you in full and on time as soon as we have ensured you have paid all your bills and left the property as you found it. We expect normal wear and tear.
I have changed my bank details (not the same as provided on the standing order for rent payments). Do I need to send you my new bank details?
You have a standing order which means only you can speak to your bank about any alterations. If you are with the same bank ask for the details to be transferred to the relevant account within the same bank. If you are with a new bank you will need to set up a new Standing Order.
My Salary is late can you collect the money later?
You need to inform us at first instance in writing with a proof eg a letter from you employer and an approximate date of your salary.
Do all our housemates have to be present to sign the contract?
No
How long does it take to sign the contract?
The contract takes around 30 minutes to an hour to sign depending upon your individual circumstances and whether you have provided the required details and forms. Invariably questions arise most of which are answered in FAQs. We allow an hour and a half between appointments just in case you have not read the FAQs or wish to discuss matters not provided in the FAQs.
What information do we have to provide before we sign the contract?
The following information and forms need to be completed before contract signing:
1. Tenancy application form
2. Bank details for standing order form. If company will be paying your rent please ask them to complete, sign and return the standing order form before contract signing.
3. Renatl guarantee form signed by your chosen guarantor
4. Your ID eg Passport or Driving Licence
5. Recent Payslip and Bank Statement
How long does the Tenancy Agreement last?
Its Minimum 3 months terms unless agreed with us.
What is a Tenancy Agreement?
The Tenancy Agreement is an agreement signed by the Company and the tenants. This sets out the terms and conditions of the tenancy clearly so that all parties have a legal copy of what they are agreeing to. It is important to read this carefully before signing as both the landlord and the tenants are binding themselves to a legal contract. Most of the terms refer to common courtesy and consideration issues but the main terms concern the address of the property, booking fee, rent, duration of the agreement and the return of Booking fee if required.
What happens if I want to leave during the academic year or before the agreement expires?
You are responsible for the rent for the duration of your tenancy agreement. However if you cannot continue your tenancy, provided you find a replacement to take over your room and rent, then liability will normally be passed to the replacement tenant when a prospective tenant signs an agreement to take over your tenancy otherwise you are liable for the rent for the duration of your tenancy and could loose Booking Fee.
Who can be my guarantor?
Guarantors must be resident in the UK and are usually parents and home owners. If your parents are unable or unsuitable to act as guarantors another family member or friend in a responsible position may be chosen. An unemployed relative is unlikely to be suitable. Alternatively by paying all rent and bills for the year in advance, a guarantor may not be required and you also get a discount (see discounts).
When can we move in?
You can only move in on the date agreed at the time of signing the agreement
How do we know you are a reputable Company
We work in harmony with other organizations. We consult with City Council (Planning; Building Control and Housing) as regards Health and safety regulations. We have been letting properties for many years. We are recognized as pioneers raising the standards of professional accommodation. See Testimonials for specific comments.
What happens if we lose our keys?
We keep spare keys for emergencies. We do not enter your house or rooms without your permission! A charge may be made reflecting the cost of callouts and key-cutting.An extra Key is charged from £10-£15 and key fobs from £20
Do all the bedrooms have locks fitted?
Yes, We insist you do not write house numbers or addresses on key tags or rings to avoid the need to replace locks in the event of loss.
What about insurance - who pays?
Tenants are responsible for insurance in the event of theft or loss or damage of personal items. The Company has insurance for other matters but cannot be held responsible for tenant possessions as this could be open to abuse in the unlikely event an insurer would consider it. Specialist insurers e.g. Lloyds, found on most compasses provide affordable contents cover for about £130pa.
What are the statistics for crime in the area?
The Statistics for Birmingham as a whole are more favourable than the national average and several times better than other towns. Click on this link for numbers of actual burglaries in the area. In almost 10 years we have no evidence of an actual break in to any of our houses. We have had no reports of theft from within a house including pinching each other's milk! For specific details of more serious crime click the link upmystreet.com
How do I book a house?
To book an accomodation, check How to Book Accomodation Link
Tell me how I can get loyalty discounts?
These are subject to review and can be withdrawn without notice and are normally available to current tenants only and include rent free month etc..
Who is responsible for maintenance?
Wilful neglect or damage giving rise to maintenance or repair is the tenants responsibility. It is the tenants responsibility to report any damage immediately it becomes apparent. It is then the Company's responsibility for the supply of labour and materials to rectify the problem. The Companydoes not permit the tenants to carry out any maintenance without written permission.
It is tempting to make do with things which still function despite showing signs of damage. It is important to report any damage as soon as you identify it. It can often mean the difference between repair or replacement. If you neglect to bring to the attention to the Company something which results in more serious damage you could be held responsible since this is deemed negligent. An example would be if there was a leak or flood and you presumed someone else in the house must have reported it or you were too busy with exams to be bothered. Were there a laminate floor being soaked it would likely be ruined incurring substantial costs.
Do you provide a lawnmower?
Yes, upon request
What if I leave a window or back door open on a windy day and the wind smashes the glass - who's fault is that?
The short answer is, your fault. Company let the house and do not live in it and cannot bare such costs when they have no control over such events. Tenants live in the area and need to be aware that if it is windy and the window is not properly fastened it is very likely to get broken.
What if our drains block - our last landlord actually charged us for unblocking saying it was our fault?
We take the view that this will probably happen to most houses at some point and is no ones fault. We will always get your drain unblocked without charge unless the blockage is caused by negligence rather than just the build up of a plug of long hair etc which can be chemically removed with a drain unblocker from most local DIY stores. However, flushing a toilet rim-block cleaner or shampoo bottle down the toilet is recklessly negligent with predictable consequences and you could be charged for this - in almost 20 years of letting we have never have charged in any event. We find that during the colder weather liquid fat from food cooking and washing up solidifies within pipes if you are not careful. Some soap power and boiling water down the plug hole will generally clear the sink pipes. Following the autumn, leaves can accumulate in gullies outside the kitchen if the grill is removed. This needs to be removed to unblock or prevent blockages. We now ban the use of rim-block cleaners (plastic holders of coloured chemical cleaning blocks clipped to the side of the toilet) which can become dislodged and get flushed down the drain pipe blocking the entire drain run!
What if a stranger steals our wheelie bin ...surely that is not our fault?
If you will pardon the pun this is a "rubbish issue". You need to distinguish between fault and liability. No it is not your fault; but it is your responsibility to take out and bring in bins following collection not least to prevent a burglar using it as a step ladder to break in to yours or a neighbouring house. Avoid leaving bins close to the front door as if it were set on fire by vandals it could prevent escape if it caught fire to the house - you could be trapped! The company cannot be held responsible for the actions of another when he has no control over how long the bin is left out. In our experience bin theft is most likely to happen during vacation periods when the house is empty, which is why it is important to get rid of as much rubbish prior to the vacation as possible. Unfortunately the reality is that it is precisely at the end of term when you have a clear-out and you need to rely on the wheelie bin to get rid of it. By planning ahead you can avoid such dilemmas. By recycling properly you can fit more rubbish into the wheelie bin whilst helping the environment.
What if the bins are not collected just before we leave? With fortnightly collections there could be almost two weeks of rubbish in the wheelie bin when we leave. You can't expect students to take it home in order to leave the bin clean and empty and safe round the back of the house when full of rubbish?
This was a real dilemma for us. We know you can't get rid of it but neither can we! Fortunately Birmingham City Council have come to the rescue with special purple coloured refuse sacks. These cost about £1 each and if you are careful you can fit two black bin bags inside one sack. You are permitted to leave these out for collection just by the highway at any normal landfill (black bin) collection date. If you do this even if not technically the correct day it is our understanding and experience that your rubbish will be removed. |
Pease contact us, if you are unsure of anything.