The Letting Process
Our letting process follows five simple steps - brief details are given below. If you have any questions contact a member of the team on 0131 221 1818.STEP 1: Application for the Property
A non-refundable holding fee of £75 per tenant, which covers the cost of obtaining references, and completion of an information sheet, giving us details about you and your guarantor, will be required.
Cullen Property observes a non-smoking policy in all of our properties.
STEP 2: Application Forms
You will be asked to complete the following forms to enable us to take up references:
1) Personal Details Forms (name, current address, work/university details, bank details etc).
2) Direct Debit Mandate (all rent must be paid monthly in advance by this method, with the exclusion of the first month – see Step 5). Each named tenant on the lease must set up their own Direct Debit Mandate for their share of the rent.
These forms must be returned within 3 working days. The property will be remarketed if all forms are not returned within this time.
STEP 3: References
Once we have received your completed forms, we will then carry out credit and reference checks before your application can be approved.
The lease is prepared with the names and dates corresponding to the information that you have given to us. You will then be notified that the lease is ready to sign. The initial lease period is normally one year for students and six months for professionals, and can be renewed.
You then need to come to the office to sign the lease and pay the full deposit, which can be paid by cash, debit card, credit card or cheque*, as well as bring with you photographic identification.
STEP 4: Rent
Rent is due in advance in all cases. If your lease starts between the 1st and the 14th of the month you will need to pay from your lease starting date up to the end of the month by cash, debit card, credit card or cheque. If your lease starts between the 15th and the end of the month you will need to pay the remainder of that month plus the whole of the next month also. This is due to the delays that some banks have in setting up Direct Debits.
The Direct Debit Mandate will be set up to pay for whole calendar months and will come out of your (or your guarantor’s) bank account on the last bank working day of each month. The rent is due on the last working day of the month prior to the month that it is paying rent for i.e. April’s rent would come out of the account on the last working day of March.
STEP 5: Move In
After all documentation, deposit, rental payments and lease are fully completed by all tenants keys will then be given out and you are free to move into your new home.
We will contact you to arrange a check-in time for the day that you move into the property. You will be met by a member of our team who will carry out the check-in procedure, go through the inventory, record the condition of the property, and show you how everything works. You will need to sign for all sets of keys given to you. The Cullen Property representative will also take meter readings and arrange for utilities (gas and electricity) and Council Tax to be transferred into your name(s).
