FAQ's (Re. Student Properties)
In which areas of Sheffield are your Student properties located?
PC Properties provide a comprehensive range of student accommodation comprising of houses and flats ranging in size from 1 to 11 bedrooms and which are located in the following popular student areas of Sheffield:-
- Ecclesall - S11
- Broomhil - S10
- Broomhall - S10
- Hunters Bar - S11
- Crookesmoor - S10
- Crookes -S10
- Hanover Way - S3
Our properties range in size from 1 bedroom flats up to 11 bedroom shared houses. Please refer to the search facility on the Home page of this web site for the house of your choice.
What is the procedure for viewing a property?
Telephone our office on 0114-267-6177, visit our office, or email on info@pcproperties.co.uk. Please bare in mind that we always give our tenants at least 24 hours notice of any viewing. All viewings are accompanied by a PC Properties member of staff who will meet you at the property or alternatively you can meet at our office and we will arrange transport if required. To minimise the disruption to current tenants, please ensure wherever possible, that all members of your group are present to view the property. During your visit to the property, please feel free to ask the current tenants any relevant questions, e.g. how much are your utility bills, what is the neighbourhood like, what are the managing agents like, do they respond quickly to problems etc. Please note that during the busy student re-letting period, we are pleased to conduct evening and weekend viewings, including Sundays (subject of course to tenant agreement)
We have viewed the property and would like to take it, but what else do we need to consider and what other questions do we need to ask?
We must emphasise that you are about to enter in to a legally binding contract, and therefore before you sign any tenancy agreement, we strongly recommend that you obtain and carefully study a copy of the draft contract. We are pleased to answer any questions that you may have, but if you are in any doubt then we would suggest that you seek legal advice and we would also recommend that you make your parents fully aware of your intentions before signing any contractual agreement. Please be reminded that the tenancy agreement is a joint one, consequently the responsibility for payment of all rent and any possible damages to the property or other liabilities falling upon the tenants during the tenancy, as well as any breach of the Agreement are jointly shared by all tenants until all payments have been made in full. The following clause is quoted from page 2 of our Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement Under Part 1 Of The Housing Act 1988:
"The Tenant acknowledges that if more than one person is named on this agreement, the Tenant liability and obligations under this Agreement shall be joint and several between those named".
What type of tenancy agreement would I be entering in to?
PC Properties normally let their student accommodation on the basis of a 12 month term (1st July to 30th June of the following year) using an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement Under Part 1 Of The Housing Act 1988, As Amended By The Housing Act 1009. As stated in answer to the previous question, the tenancy agreement is a joint and several contract, which again means that all tenants are jointly responsible for the payment of all rents and liabilities falling upon the tenants during the tenancy, as well as any breach of the Tenancy Agreement until all payments have been made in full.
Note: A down loadable example Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement is available at the foot of this page in .pdf format
Note: If the annual rental income for any given property should exceed £25,000.00p, the property is then let on the basis of a Common Law Tenancy. It should be emphasised that in principal the same terms and conditions will apply as those contained within our Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement although it should be understood that a Common Law Tenancy agreement does not provide the same statutory protection as that of an Assured Shorthold TenancyAgreement (Common Law Tenancies are any tenancies which are not regulated by statutory law - this means your rights depend mainly on the terms in the tenancy agreement and is therefore not governed by the laws issued by Parliament). However, it should be stated Common Law Tenancies do provide some statutory protection, for example, tenants cannot be evicted against their will unless the Landlord obtains a court order. Common Law tenants also still have the protection of the unfair terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 and may other statutory provisions, such as the Landlord's repairing obligations in the Landlord & Tenants Act 1985, also apply. Furthermore, it should be stated that a Common Law Tenancy agreement does not require that any deposit is protected under the Government's deposit protection. However, PC Properties do lodge all deposits with a Government approved deposit protection scheme (The Deposit Protection Service) for both Assured Shorthold & Common Law Tenancies alike.
Are utility bills Included?
No, the tenants are responsible for payment of Gas, Electricity & Water bills. As an approximate guide, you should allow between £8.00 - £10.00p per person per week to cover payment of Gas, Electricity & Water charges.
Before committing to sign for any property, please carefully consider the cost of renting and plan ahead your budget for the year, taking into account rent, utility bills, telephone/internet, food and other day to day living expenses.
Do we have to pay council tax?
No, students are exempt from payment of Council Tax. PC Properties inform the council on your behalf and apply for your exemption from Council Tax.
Am I required to insure the property?
The tenants are only required to insure their own personal belongings. PC Properties insurance policy provides buildings insurance cover. Endsleigh insurance can provide a group or individual personal belongings insurance policy cover. We strongly recommend that tenants take out adequate insurance cover from day one of their tenancy.
Is Broadband Internet Included?
Most of out properties include a Category 5 network infrastructure which permits shared internet use from each bedroom from one internet connection. You must arrange for telephone line connection, ISP connection and provision of a router.
Is the property licensed with Sheffield Council?
In compliance with Government legislation (Housing Act 2004) which came in to force in July 2006, all properties which are let to 5 occupants and over and which provide 3 habitable storeys are are subject to mandatory licencing. Where any property meets this criteria, PC Properties have applied for a licence and which are currently being processed by Sheffield City Council. A copy can be made available upon request once it has been issued by Sheffield City Council. Alternatively, to verify that any property is licensed, please contact the Private Sector Housing Department at Sheffield City Council on 0114-273-4680
Does the property comply with current regulations?
All properties are checked annually and the appropriate certificates are issued, namely; Landlords Gas Safety Certificate. Where a full LD2 or LD3 mains wired interlinked Fire Alarm system is installed, an inspection certificate is provided annually, together with an emergency lighting certificate if appropriate. A full inspection of the electrical system is inspected and certified every 5 years. The household furniture & furnishings are compliant with Fire Safety Regulation Act 1988. An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is mandatory from the 1st October 2008 and is available for inspection.
Are locks fitted to bedroom doors?
Yes, all of our properties have a thumb turn lock fitted to each bedroom door. These are approved by Sheffield City Council and will allow exit from the bedroom in an emergency without the use of a key.
Will I require a a parking permit??
If the property does not have off road parking, then you will require a parking permit. Currently, Crookes does not require parking permits, although, Ecclesall, Broomhall, Broomhill and Crookesmoor do operate car parking permit schemes. For more information, please contact Sheffield City Council Parking Services on 0114-273-5469 or e-mail parkingservices@sheffield.gov.uk
What is included in the property?
Generally, each bedroom contains a bed (usually a double), wardrobe, chest of drawers, desk & chair. The lounge will have sofas and dining table & chairs.The kitchen provides electric cooker/hob, fridge/freezer, washing machine and microwave. For houses of 6 and above, there are usually 2 fridge/freezers, 2 ovens/hobs. Please note that the inventory of contents may vary from property to property. Cooking utensils, crockery, cutlery, kettles, toasters, waste bins, mops, buckets, cleaning materialsand bedding are not provided.
What fire prevention facilities does the property have?
All properties are fitted with a smoke alarm system covering all zones within the house and a heat detector is fitted to the kitchen. The kitchen is also provided with a dry powder extinguisher and fire blanket. Although not mandatory under current fire regulations, a fire extinguisher is usually sited on each landing.
If I were to sign for the property, could I leave or be released from the Tenancy Contract at any point?
In short, no! Legally you cannot do this and there is no provision within the tenancy agreement to terminate the agreement before the end of the agreed term. On signing any Assured Shorthold Tenancy Contract, you must understand that you have entered in to a legally binding agreement for the duration of the agreed term. However, should you request to be released from your contract, and providing that you find a replacement to take over your tenancy and that any such replacement is in full agreement with your co-tenants and the change in tenancy has been completed to the satisfaction of PC Properties, and providing that you have met all your obligations under the terms of your tenancy agreement and have paid all rents which may be due, you may then be released from your tenancy contract. In these circumstances, the outgoing tenant shall pay to PC Properties an administration fee of £50.00p.
Please note that in any circumstance, including that where the tenancy contract has not been fully completed, the administration fee is non refundable. The deposit or part of it may only be refunded at the discretion of the Landlord.
O.K. We understand the above, we wish to take the house and sign contracts - what next?
To reserve the property, all that we request is that you make a firm appointment within 5 days to to visit PC Properties offices to sign the contract, provide deposits, administration fees, post dated rent cheques, and complete a tenant details form. Once you have booked a time and date to visit our office to sign tennacy agreements etc, we undertake to reserve the property for you for up to a maximum of 5 days. Please note that if contract signings are not completed by the agreed date and within the specified 5 day period we will re-advertise the property for let.
All tenants must be present at the signing and they must provide the following payments:
- Refundable Deposit = £200.00p (payable by cheque or cash)
- Non Refundable Administration Fee = £50.00 (payable by cheque or cash)
- 3 x Post Dated Rent Cheques to cover the Rent for the period of the tenancy agreement (Please note that the post dated rent cheques are not cashed until the
due dates which are:
- 20th June (Covers the period 1st July to 31st October)
- 20th October (Covers the period 1st November to 28th February)
- 20th February (Covers the period 1st March to 30th June)
Upon receipt in cleared funds, your refundable deposit will be protected and lodged with a Government approved deposit scheme provider - The Deposit Protection Service Ltd (DPS). Once the DPS have received your deposit, each tenant will be sent confirmation to their home address and which will include a unique deposit ID and repayment ID number which is necessary to claim your deposit back from the DPS at the end of your tenancy. Repayment of your deposit may be done on-line or by written request to the DPS. It is therefore extremely important that you keep your deposit & repayment ID numbers secure. Please note that any deposit paid on or after the 6th April 2007 must be lodged with a Government approved deposit protection scheme)
Once our current tenancy agreement has expired, can we renew our tenancy for a further year?
Yes, prior to the end of your tenancy, we write to all our tenants to give them the opportunity of retaining the property and re-signing for a further term.
To obtain a copy of a draft Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement, please click on the down loadable PDF file link below:-
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