Step by Step

1. Find a group amongst your friends/peers. Sometimes we do have individual rooms available so if looking for an individual room do contact us.
2. Choose a maximum of 3 possible houses on our housing list.
3. Email us enquires@key10.co.uk with the houses that you would like to view (with a time and date good for your group) to arrange a viewing.
4. Decide on a house (Read all the details / rents /what is included / length of contract etc) and contact us to reserve it.
5. Complete an Application Form.
6. Commit to your booking by paying a Holding Deposit and returning the Application Form.
7. Sign your Tenancy (Guarantors to sign where needed) and pay the remainder of the deposit.

What To Do If You Want To Reserve A House

1. Please have a good read through the terms displayed on our website.
2. Send an email to admin@key10.co.uk to confirm which house you want to reserve. We will email you a Rental Application form. This will include details of your guarantors.
3. A  Holding deposit of £70 per person is payable by bank transfer to Key10 Lettings Ltd to carry on reserving your house. The holding deposit should be made in one lump sum for the house (Do not make individual payments).
4. Once we have the group’s Application form and Holding deposit we will draw up a Tenancy Agreement. This Tenancy Agreement must be completed, fully signed by all tenants and guarantors (if required) with a copy of each person’s identification within two weeks of the application date or the property will be re-listed and the Holding Deposit will be lost.
5. Three forms of identification will be needed per person:
   • University Student ID
   • Identification with Home (parent’s) address e.g. phone bill
   • A copy of your passport/visa/ID card will be required
   • Guarantor’s ID and proof of address (if applicable)
6. The deposit (one month’s rent) must be paid in one lump sum, we will register the deposit for you in a deposit protection scheme.
7. The first month’s rent is due on the 1st day of the tenancy.

All houses have “Bills and broadband included” to make life easy

• “Bills included” will save you dealing with utility suppliers and hassling housemates for their share of the bill money, no large shocks at end of tenancy, no more getting up in the morning to a freezing house in winter!
• Broadband is included in all properties – this means that you are set up from day 1. No dealing with service providers at a time when they are very busy with thousands of other students moving in.

Gas and Electric and Fair Usage Clause

• For the Gas and Electric there is a fair usage allowance for the whole term of the contract.
• Any amounts over this will have to be paid for at the end of the contract. The fair usage clause is designed to ensure that all tenants use utilities responsibly and efficiently, and that no individual or household is burdened with an unfair share of the costs. This policy is to ensure usage is not excessive.
• At the start of your tenancy, either the landlord or KEY10 Lettings will record meter readings for all metered services e.g. Gas, Electricity and in some cases water supply/waste and take care of all account information.
• We will ask for meter readings through the year and will monitor usage. In the event of over-usage being identified during the term of the tenancy, we shall inform you by letter or by an arranged house meeting, where we will discuss the areas that need to be considered.

Council Tax

• Full-time student occupancy is exempt from council tax.
• We supply the council with student identification numbers and names of occupants and the council provide the property with a council tax exemption. With this exemption no council tax is payable.
• If there are any changes from full-time student occupancy council tax will become liable. Students who are in receipt of Housing Benefit or Income Support, or are only part-time or in the event they drop out of full-time university will cause the property to lose the Council Tax “Student Exemption” status. In such case, the tenant(s) become liable for the cost incurred.
• If there is one working person or “non-student” the house then the house will receive a 25% council tax discount. For two working persons then the full council tax will apply. Students on placements as long as they are registered full-time students will still receive the council tax exemption.

Broadband Internet

• In all properties, Broadband will be included and the service will be provided by a broadband supplier such as Virgin Media. The provision of this service will depend on the broadband suppliers conditions.
• You are responsible for all usage and all content of the internet used at the property. You are not allowed to undertake illegal activities or to access material of an unlawful nature through the internet and you are responsible for any actions. Copyright violations will be the responsibility of the users.
• Speed of the internet quoted is the providers quoted speed and is normally the maximum possible, any issues with provider speed we will be able to help notify the supplier of any problems.
• If your usage breaches this policy we reserve the right to cancel the service without notice.

Water

• Water supply in Portsmouth is provided by Southern Water and wastewater service is provided by Portsmouth Water.
• Both water bills will be paid for in a bills inclusive property. Sometimes water supply will be metered and if so will be covered by a fair usage policy.

TV licence

• TV licence is not normally provided, tenants are responsible for obtaining a TV licence if they will be watching live TV. Often tenants use an amazon fire stick to view catch up TV which is not liable to a licence (apart from BBC Iplayer for which you will need a licence).

Safety is our number one concern:

• All houses will have current Gas Safety Certificate, Mains Smoke Alarms will be fitted as required, Carbon Monoxide detectors provided, Fire blanket provided. All houses will have a current Electrical Safety certificate. All houses are registered with Portsmouth City Council and licensed. All electrical appliances will have been PAT tested as required.
• Once you have moved in, check that you can open any windows and doors that may be your escape route in the event of a fire.
• Check where your fire blankets and smoke alarms are.
• Practice a fire drill and work out a strategy for safe evacuation.
• Modern smoke and heat sensors are very sensitive and may annoyingly go off whilst cooking or burning toast! However, they are provided to save your life, which they cannot do if disconnected. Do not tamper with them or remove them. They are there for your safety.
• We do not allow candles or tea lights.

• Your contract will most likely be a joint (Group) contract in which case all the joint tenants are liable for the total rent and condition of the property.
• We do sometimes use individual contracts in specific cases, in this case, you will only be responsible for your own rent.
• We do also ask each person to have a guarantor to guarantee their commitments to the contract.
• Rent is due in advance on the 1st of each calendar month. We do ask that the house rent is paid by bank transfer in one lump monthly payment from one account. You can either set up a joint account from the group or ask one person to organise through their account.
• We also accept payments for 2/3/4/5/6 etc month block payments in advance. The payments must be whole month payments.
• We send a rent statement to all tenants a few days after the due date.

Use of deposits for rent

• Your deposits are registered in a tenancy deposit scheme and are intended to cover damage to the property and inventory items. It is not possible to use deposits as rent. The deposit will be refunded (subject to any damages/cleaning costs) at the end of the contract after final check out.

• For any repairs required please use the house Whatsapp group or email us on admin@key10.co.uk and we will have a tradesperson come round as soon as possible during normal working hours. The out of hours numbers are a backup service for real emergencies only.

Is it really an Emergency?

• The Emergency “Out Of Hours” phone numbers can be found on your House Notice Board. Please note that there is a difference between a genuine “Emergency” and “something you would like fixed very quickly”. It is very important that you understand the difference as Emergency call out charges are very high.
• If you call the emergency service for a non-emergency, we do reserve the right to charge you for this misuse.
• For example, if you have water leaking from a pipe and you can not turn the stopcock off and it’s causing a major leak, that would be an emergency. If the leak was small enough and you could put a bucket under it it is not an emergency and please just email and we will get fixed the next day.
• No hot water or heating at night is not an emergency as it can wait until the next day (as it would in your parent’s house).
• If the roof is leaking in a storm at night it would be impossible for someone to fix it at night in the rain so you would have to put a bucket under it, let us know and we have someone round the next day.
• If the power goes off at night, check the trip switches (see house booklet), and email us, we will have someone the next day.
• If your shower or bath has a leak, do not use it until we can fix it; if there is a large leak switch the water off at the mains. These are not emergencies as we can fix the next day.
• We do respond to requests to repair an item straight away, sometimes something like a boiler can not get fixed the next day as a new part may need to be ordered (for example), or you may have to wait a day or two for a new appliance to be delivered. We will ensure that all repairs are dealt with as soon as practically possible. Due to the number of houses we have and the good relationships with tradespersons we have, we would be able to have items repaired sooner than a normal residential property. 

Locked out:

• Be careful not to lock yourself out of your room or house with your key inside, sometimes the doors can slam with the wind.
• If you do get locked out, firstly use any spare keys provided or housemates keys; Secondly, the key contact on notice board may be able to arrange to let you in out of hours (at a sociable hour). We may also be able to arrange if you contact us. There is a call out charge for this service, which will be deducted from your deposit (see fees).
• Please respect our team and do not ring up at unsocial hours, if you have lost your key during unsocial hours you have a choice of sleeping on a friends sofa or calling a locksmith (please note… they are not cheap).
• If a locksmith has to let you in by changing the barrel on a front door lock, you will have to pay for new keys for all members of the house, plus a 3 spare copies for us in addition to the new lock and locksmiths charge. Also, any other incidental costs incurred by us in changing keys over.
• If a locksmith has to change an internal lock you will have to pay for keys for yourself and 3 copies for us in addition to the new lock and locksmiths charge.

• When you move into a managed property, you will be given a “House Booklet”. It has loads of helpful information, including an A-Z of practical advice to help with home maintenance.
• We will arrange a detailed check-in to show you how everything works in the house and answer your questions.
• We advise checking the instruction manuals to ensure everything works ok. If an instruction manual is not provided it is easy to download from the Internet.

Here are some basic A-Z tips on home maintenance:

Central Heating

• Gas and electric central heating boilers can be set for the heating and/or the hot water to come on at the times you choose. The heating should not be switched off between December and January, even if you are away from the house, in case of pipes freezing and bursting. If you are away just put it on minimum setting.
• Do not put clothes (wet or dry) on the heater (if one) as this can start a fire. Use a drying frame instead,
• In most student houses, water is heated by a combi boiler, this is a gas boiler that heats water for the central heating and also the hot water on demand. There will not be a water tank. A combi boiler will just produce hot water when you turn on the tap. Advantages are you never run out of hot water, a disadvantage is that if you have a shower upstairs and someone turns on the kitchen tap you may lose hot water.

Condensation & Ventilation

• In winter, the Portsmouth climate is damp. Following a few simple measures can help to avoid condensation:
• Keep the heating on consistently at a minimum of 15 degrees celsius
• Whenever possible when you are in the property open windows regularly to ventilate the house, particularly bedrooms
• Always use the extractor in the kitchen or bathrooms
• Draw back curtains during the day, and wipe off excess water condensation from window sills. Some windows have ‘trickle’ vents at the top of the window to leave open constantly.

Cookers & Extractors

• Many ovens have an automatic timer, and if this is activated or flashing the oven will not work.
• The kitchen extractor will have either a stainless steel filter or a paper filter. Stainless steel filters can be put in a dishwasher or cleaned in the sink, and paper filters just need to be replaced.

Electric Supply

• At the check-in, you will be shown where the fuse box is. Most fuse boxes have circuit breakers (these are switches which can be re-set by hand). In the event of a power failure to any part of the property, we would advise that you first check that none of the circuit breakers has ‘tripped’. If there is a complete power failure to the property, we recommend checking with your neighbours before contacting us, in case the power cut is local (rather than just your property).

Fridge & Freezer

• In order to keep your fridge and freezers working properly, they need to be cleaned/defrosted regularly. Be sure to use up all your food supplies before doing this! Scraping or chipping away at the ice may cause damage beyond repair.

Light bulbs

• Replacing a lightbulb is the tenant’s responsibility. We recommend finding out the type of the existing bulbs in the property, and buying a small supply to replace when they fail. Halogen bulbs should not have direct contact with your skin so use a piece of tissue to fit. If you get stuck (say with bathroom bulb) let us know and we will send someone to help.

Overflow pipes & plumbing

• All bathrooms & WC’s have an overflow pipe to prevent flooding. Sometimes overflowing water may appear outside the house. Whilst not being considered an emergency, it is important that you let your Property Manager know as soon as possible.
• It is advisable not to flush any paper product apart from toilet paper down the toilets.

Pictures & Posters

• Using Blu-Tack, White-Tack or clear tape to hang posters will leave an oily mark when removed, and you will have to pay for redecoration charges. We recommend only using proper picture hooks, after getting permission from your Property Manager by email.

Recycling

• Portsmouth council operates a recycling bin collection with green bins for recycling and black bags for landfill waste. Visiting Portsmouth City Council’s website will give you information on exactly what you can recycle and on which days your bins are collected.

Showers

• If you find you are getting less water from the showerhead, this could be due to a build-up of limescale. It is usually possible to take off the showerhead and put it in a limescale removing solution or vinegar, which you can buy at a supermarket.
• Cleaning the seal around the shower should prevent black mould appearing (which will damage the seal).
• Keeping the shower curtain inside the bath or the shower door closed will prevent water leaking onto the floor.

Telephone/Television

• Unless included in your package – Setting up the telephone and broadband accounts will need to be done by the tenants.
• If you have a television and you watch live TV on it then you need to make sure that you have a licence for it. You can buy this online at www.tvlicensing.co.uk or at a Post Office.

Tumble Dryer

• To reduce the chance of the filter becoming blocked, you could clean it each time the dryer is used. This is simple and easy to do.

Washer/Dryer

• If you have a combination washer/dryer, at the end of the washing programme, there will be a choice of drying cycles. The drying capacity of combined washer/dryers is reduced compared with separate tumble dryers. It is best to take out half the clothes and expect the cycle to take up to 2 hours for heavy cotton items such as towels.
• Most washer/dryers use a condensing system where the moisture extracted from the items being dried condenses back into water, and is removed through the outflow pipe.

Washing Machine

• Most machines will have a filter where foreign objects become trapped to avoid damage to the machine, it is the first thing to check should any problems arise with the machine.
• All machines have a soap dispenser: most have two compartments, the left-hand one is for the extra wash cycle. A third compartment is for the fabric conditioner. It is important to take out and scrub the soap drawer frequently to avoid a build-up of soap deposits, which clog up the machine.
• Only powder, liquid, liquid sachets or tablets for automatic machines should be used. Do not use a general detergent, which creates excessive soap bubbles and causes the machine to overflow and block up.
• Check your Operating Manual (on-line) for accurate information.

Water Supply

• At your check-in, you should be shown where your stopcock tap is. This tap is on the incoming water main and can be turned off in case of an emergency. If you have a major water leak, switch the stopcock off and call your Property Manager

• What do I need to do to reserve a property?
  See the tab on left called “How to Rent a Property”
• When do I have to pay the first month’s rent and deposit?
  The deposit (one month’s rent) – for most houses we are flexible as to the date paid (as long as by the end of the academic year) as long as you let us know when it will be paid in advance. The first month’s rent is due on the 1st day of the Tenancy Agreement payable by Bank transfer.
• What type of Tenancy Agreement will we sign?
  You will sign an Assured Shorthold Agreement for the fixed term of the tenancy. Most of our agreements are joint agreements. This means that you and your guarantors are all responsible for all the rent and the condition of the property. If one person fails to pay, the burden falls to the others. Please think twice about signing a contract with someone who is likely to cause problems. You don’t want in your group the person who never does the washing up, can’t ever pay their share of the rent and is likely to put their foot through the TV when back from a wild night out.
• When will we sign our Tenancy Agreement?
  The Tenancy Agreement should be signed within a couple of weeks of the application.
• How long does the Tenancy have to be for?
  All our student tenancies run for a fixed term, this will normally be for a period of 11 months, whole year terms can be arranged.
• What about insurance?
  The owner insures the property and his/her contents. Tenants will need to take out their own contents insurance to cover their personal belongings.
• What about repairs? For example, what if the central heating breaks down?
  The owner is responsible for internal and external repairs, if we are managing the property we will arrange all works. We have a maintenance team and 24 hr emergency numbers.  The tenant only pays if the breakdown or repair is due to negligence or misuse.
• What about emergencies?
  For emergencies, where we are the managing agents, we have 24-hour call Any out of hour call should be a genuine emergency otherwise a charge will be incurred. A list of these emergencies and numbers to call will be included in your house booklet.
• How and when do we pay our rent?
  Your rent must be paid on the first day of every month either directly to Key10 Lettings. Payment should be made by bank transfer. Rent should be paid in one single payment for the house. Alternately, term rent can be paid in advance.
• What is the guarantor agreeing to by signing the guarantor forms?
  A guarantor is undertaking to guarantee the commitment made by their child/ward (The Tenant). The tenant is agreeing to a joint and several agreement and, therefore, the guarantor is agreeing to guarantee a joint and several agreement. By guaranteeing the tenant you will be guaranteeing the whole tenancy. The contact details for all fellow guarantors will be provided, should you wish to discuss this tenancy with them.
• What happens if one or more of the students do not find a suitable guarantor?
  Each student must have a suitable guarantor or the tenancy will not proceed. We can advise in situations where this is difficult. We ask international students to contact us so we can give details of the process.
• Are students liable for Council Tax?
  If the tenant is a full-time student, they are exempt from paying this for the period of their studies. We require proof from each tenant that they are registered at full-time We will inform the council on your behalf. If a tenant is not a full-time student then the house will lose this exemption and the tenants will become liable.
• Why is the tenant not permitted to use Sellotape or Blu-Tak?
  Sellotape and Blu-Tak leave glue and oil marks on walls. If the tenant chooses to use them, they will probably have to pay for the entire room (or at least the wall concerned) to be repainted. If the tenant wishes to hang a framed picture on the wall, they must first check with the landlord or agent.
• Safety
  Safety is our number one concern.  All houses will have current Gas Safety Certificate, Mains Smoke Alarms will be fitted as required, Carbon Monoxide detectors provided, Fire blanket provided, all houses will have a current Electrical Safety certificate. All houses are registered with Portsmouth City Council and will be licensed. All electrical appliances will have been PAT tested as required.

Persons Dropping out.

• There are all sorts of reasons why members of a group may want to vacate, we do try to accommodate any changes.
• The important point to note is that the members of the current contract remain jointly liable for the rent up to the end of the contract until a replacement person is found and replaced on the contract. 

What to do if a tenant in your group wants to leave.

• Let everyone know in the group of your plans.
• Firstly decide which room will be re-let. The better the room size, the easier to re-let the room (double size rooms let easier than single rooms) .
• Decide on what type of person you would like as a replacement (male/female etc).
• Decide on how you want to meet any potential persons and how they will be able to meet the remaining tenants and view property etc. 

Once a new person is found as a Replacement

• All parties will need to sign a “Deed of Assignment” that basically transfers parties on and off a contract. All parties will have to agree to the transfer (the leaving tenant, all the remaining tenants and the landlord and the new person). As all persons have to agree, the person must be a suitable replacement that all parties will be happy with.
• It is important that the new person gets to meet the remaining tenants (if not in person then by Facebook etc) to establish they will all get on.
• Once a new person is found and the “Deed of Assignment” is signed by all persons, the person leaving is then no longer bound by the original contract. Up to this point, they remain liable for the rent up to the end of the contract. 

Where to find a new tenant yourselves?

• Ask friends
• Try Facebook – there is a Portsmouth Student Housing group
• Portsmouth University Housing Department will be able to give advice on where to advertise within the University.
• Let us know – we may have someone contact us directly looking for a room.
• Advertise on websites, the best ones for individual rooms are:

1. www.spareroom.co.uk
2. www.uk.easyroommate.com
3. www.accommodationforstudents.com
4. www.studentpad.co.uk

Our policy is to:

• We ask landlords to provide a green energy supplier for the house (where possible). The large majority of our houses managed provide 100% green energy. This is subject to pricing. Our recommended supplier is Octopus Energy).
• The houses have full loft insulation, cavity wall insulation where possible and house thermostat and controllable radiators, double glazing and low energy lighting.
• We will repair items until it gets to the point when better to replace. When repairs are needed, we try to source products that are trade quality and last as long as possible. We are aware that shared houses can get a lot of harder wear and tear than family houses and that items provided need to be robust and last.
• It is in our interest to only do repairs only once. It costs a lot for a tradesperson to visit the house to repair an item. Longer lasting items and well-done jobs help reduce these costs and resources so this is both good for the environment and good for our costs.
• We provide tenants with information on bins and recycling.
• We provide tenants with information on reducing condensation and how to manage and control heating a house. This is important as it may be the first house that tenants have lived in under their control. Condensation costs to rectify.
• We provide a washing line where possible so clothes can be dried outside when weather permits. 

You can help:

• Control the house heating for yours and the house’s requirements, use the thermostat and timer.
• Spend a few minutes less in the shower.
• Switch Appliances and lights off when not needed.
• Look after the house as repairs cost and use resources.
• Recycle – read the council recycling requirements.
• Use a water-bottle instead of buying plastic bottles of water (this saves you money as it is a lot cheaper)
• Dry clothes outside when possible.
• Don’t waste food.
• Use lids to pans when boiling water.
• Only fill the kettle with water that will be used.
• Walk or cycle when possible.
• Avoid buying goods you don’t need or have excess packaging and use your own bags, buy your fruit and veg loose (there are some great local Greengrocers).
• Bulk buy with housemates.
• Use eco shower products and avoid nasties on your skin and micro-beads down the drain.

• Students – to find information about your studies and services that University of Portsmouth provides for its students please visit https://myport.port.ac.uk/ 
• Well-being – if you find yourself in need of support from a specialist, please visit https://studentspace.org.uk/ where you can find more information about the University of Portsmouth Well-being Programme
• University Support Fund – if you find yourself struggling to pay rent, food, medical expenses or similar, the University Support Fund may be able to help you – for more information please visit https://myport.port.ac.uk/guidance-and-support/student-finance-support/hardship-fund
• University Bus – please visit https://myport.port.ac.uk/about-us/contact-us/getting-to-campus/university-buses to find out the latest University Bus Schedule and updates