FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT

If you are self employed you will need to have a minimum of 2 years worth of accounts to demonstrate the required income.

A landlord may accept your application if you can provide a guarantor earning 36 times the monthly rent as an annual income. For example on a £600 per calendar month property, your guarantor would need to demonstrate and income of £21, 600 per annum of more. You can earn as low as 60% of the required income if you can provide a guarantor.

Unfortunately not all our landlords are in a position to allow any form of benefit that you maybe entitled to support your application, such as part or full housing benefit, disability or incapacity benefit. This is usually due to the terms of business the landlord has within their mortgage agreement.

Please ask a member of staff if the landlord of the property you are interested in is able to accept benefits. Applicants on benefits will be required to provide a guarantor (sometimes family member only) . Your guarantor would need to demonstrate an annual income of 36 times the per calendar monthly rent or be able to be referenced on savings. In addition to a guarantor applicants would be required to pay a cleared fund bond, bond schemes, such as the Rightmove bond scheme and paper bond are rarely accepted by landlords.

Working tax credits can be taken into account as part of your income to support your application, you will be required to provide the relevant paper work to verify the amount.

Child tax credits cannot be taken into account as part of your income to support your application.

Private and government pensions can be referenced to support your application in full or to top up earnings from employment if required.

If you have no income or a low income but have savings that have been in an account for a minimum of 6 months, then please ask a member of staff if your savings amount would qualify to support your application for any properties that you are interested in viewing.

If you have pets please ask a member of staff if the landlord accepts pets at the property/properties you are interested in viewing. You will be in breach of your tenancy agreement if you do not inform us that pets will be at the property.

All our properties are non smoking, if a landlord allows applicants who are smokers to take tenancy at their property, it is on the understanding that tenants smoke outside the property. You will be in breach of your tenancy agreement should you, any permitted occupiers or visitors smoke at the property. Please ask a member of staff if the landlord of the property you are interested in viewing would consider having smokers residing at the property.

Should you be interested in sharing a property with a friend or friends please enquire with a member of staff to see if the landlord of the property you are interested in viewing would consider accepting sharers at the property.

The properties listed may not at the point of viewing comply with the Consumer Protection Act which includes the Gas Safety Regulations, the Electrical Safety Regulations, the Plugs and Sockets Safety Regulations and the other miscellaneous regulations as covered by the Act. Prior to entering into any Agreement the property will be checked so that it complies with the Regulations within the Act together with any amendments thereto.

Dependant on property location council tax and water enquires can be made on the numbers below, please asked a member of staff for the full property address.

• Monmouthshire County Council (01633 644 644)
• Forest of Dean District Council (01594 810 000)
• Newport City Council (01633 656 656)

• Welsh Water (0800 052 0140)
• Severn Trent (0845 7500 500)