CPS Homes guide to being a student in Cardiff – moving in
When you move into your new home, there are a number of important things to sort out early on to ensure that your tenancy runs as smoothly as possible. Below is CPS Homes guide to making sure that you have all bases covered, and minimise the potential for arguments!
For our managed properties, an accompanied check in is conducted, and an inventory is completed prior to this. The inventory report will be given to you at the accompanied check in for you to confirm the condition of the property on your arrival, and can be amended by the tenants and agreed at the check in by the member of CPS Homes’ staff conducting the check in.
This inventory report will be used on check out at the end of your tenancy to confirm that the condition of the property has not been dramatically altered during your tenancy as a result of tenant damage.
Bills bills bills
So, you’ve finally moved into your new place, you’ve had your accompanied check in, and you’re all set to start partying! But wait! There are just a few things you need to ensure you do so that you can have a stress free year, starting with organising the payment of bills.
Assuming that the previous tenants have informed the energy suppliers that they have moved on, you should be greeted with a letter addressed to “The Occupier” when you move into your new property, or within a few weeks of doing so. If you have been in the property for a while and have not yet received such a letter, it would be sensible to contact the local electricity distribution company (for South Wales, the number is 01752 502299) to find out who supplies your electricity. To find out who your gas supplier is, contact the Meter Point Administration Service on 0870 608 1524. It is likely that the company that supplies you with gas will also supply you with electricity, but this is not always the case.
Once you know who your supplier is, the best thing to do is give them a call! They will of course want meter readings from you for the date that you moved in, so it is important to make sure you have these ready when you make the call. It is a really good idea to make this call early and speak to an advisor about your account, because it is more than likely that your supplier will automatically put you onto their standard plan, which will almost certainly be a lot more expensive than needs be.
There are a number of deals available from each of the suppliers that you may be with, and there is nothing stopping you from changing supplier should you feel able to get a better deal elsewhere. Choose a payment plan that best suits you and your housemates. Whether that involves paying by monthly direct debit or paying quarterly in your local Post Office, the plan has to suit everyone, to avoid conflict!
For your water supply (assuming it is not included in your rent), you cannot choose your supplier, and in Wales the supplier is Welsh Water. The website for Welsh Water can be found here, and will give you all the information you need in order to pay your water bill.
Once you’ve sorted out your utility bills, the next bill that needs to be addressed is your TV licence. If you or any of your housemates intend on watching television in any format (including watching online, on your mobile or through a games console), you will require a TV licence.
TV Licensing
There is often some confusion regarding TV licensing in student properties, and often students are misinformed as to the legal requirements relating to it. If you are living in Halls of Residence, you will need a TV licence, and you may well need your own individual one. This can be clarified by contacting TV Licensing, details on how to contact them can be found on their website.
Assuming that you are moving into your first student house or flat, and you will be sharing amenities such as kitchen facilities, bathroom/toilet facilities and a front door, then you will need one TV Licence for the whole household. The cost of a TV Licence for 12 months is £145.50 for colour, and £49 for black and white. For three people sharing, the cost for a colour TV licence will be less than £50 each for the year, and the fines for not having a licence can be nothing short of severe, so it makes sense to get this sorted as soon as you move into your new place. For more information on TV Licensing and how to obtain a licence, please refer to the website, found here.
Internet & Cable TV
Having sorted out your TV Licence, you may be interested in getting TV supplied to you as part of a package with internet (broadband) and phone, or any combination of these. Bundles are often the cheapest way to get more than one of the aforementioned services, and there are a couple of companies that you may have heard of that provide such bundles.
At CPS Homes we can offer you exclusive deals due to our partnership with Virgin Media. The popular choice for students in Cardiff, Virgin can offer you TV and internet at a great low monthly cost, but it’s important to get in quick! The longer you leave organising your installation, the longer you will have to wait, and as Virgin only offer 12 month contracts, you wont get your moneys worth unless you get in early!
Finally, for managed properties CPS Homes use the Deposit Protection Service to register all bonds, which will be explained to you in detail at your signing. Once you have moved into your property you should receive information on your bond and in particular, your repayment ID. Once you have received this information (or if you don’t receive it), get on to the DPS website and register your bond.
Now you’re done! All that is left is to enjoy your new property, look after it, and ensure you get the most out of your University experience!
CPS Homes guide to being a student in Cardiff – moving out
After an action packed and eventful year, it has finally come to that time where you need to start thinking about moving out of your student house. There are a number of items to consider when it comes to moving out of your student house, similar to those you considered when you first moved in.
Whenever students think about leaving their property, the first thought on every tenants mind is “how do I get my bond back?” – This is perfectly natural, and towards the end of this page you will find a helpful guide on how to ensure you maximise your opportunity to regain all of your bond money.
Initially when you decide you’re ready to leave, you will need to contact CPS Homes to arrange a check out appointment. This can be arranged for any point leading up towards the end of your tenancy, however if you do check out of the property early, you will still be liable for any rent up to the end of the tenancy.
The check out appointment will last for approximately one hour, and it is important that as many tenants as possible can be present. In particular, the head tenant should be present, as this will help in the return of your bond money. If the head tenant cannot be present, there is a form known as a “Speedy Bond Return” form, available for download from our website. This form can be completed by the head tenant, and lists the details of another person (does not have to be another tenant) who will take responsibility for completing the role of head tenant.
In preparation for your check out you should have the following sorted:
- All bills need to be paid up and utility companies informed of the end of your tenancy, with proof of the final bill being provided on check out.
- Council Tax exemption certificates – normally sent out to you by your University, however if you have not received one by the end of your tenancy you should make enquiries with your University Registry department.
- The property needs to be as close to empty as possible prior to the check out. There will be very little time available during the check out as a series of checks need to be performed.
- The property needs to be clean. Often an argument for the property not being clean is that the property was not clean when tenants moved in. If a property was not clean on check in, this should be addressed and resolved at the beginning of the tenancy; it cannot be used as an excuse for the property not being clean at check out. Items that require cleaning that are often overlooked include the oven, fridge and freezer (the latter two will need to be defrosted).
Assuming that all of the above issues are in order, on completion of the check out inspection, the member of CPS Homes’ staff will sit down with the tenants to discuss any issues raised such as damage or cleaning. On agreement with the tenants, the form is signed and repayment ID is given so as to arrange for the return of the designated amount of bond money.
Once this has been completed, the tenants hand over the keys and remove any final belongings from the property, and the doors are locked. Check out is complete, and you have successfully moved out of your property!
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