Holding deposits protect landlords from unpaid rents and damage to properties that may typically arise with Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreements (ASTs). Due to the individual nature of AST tenants, there is a higher flight risk or failure to pay rent.

However, as an established company, Flex Living contracts do not hold the same risk and we therefore do not provide deposits designed to protect risks found in AST agreements.

The company is legally liable to fulfil its obligations regarding property upkeep and timely rental payments. We have a reputation to uphold that is valued over any minor savings resulting from a failure to cover our responsibilities.

Unlike ASTs, all Flex Living contracts permit landlords to re-enter their properties within a short period and with no eviction proceedings, so there is minimal risk for Flex Living landlords.

As a landlord you must:

• Provide accurate and up-to-date certification for your property when a tenant moves in, including: EPC, Gas Safety and EICR certificates.

• Notify Flex Living about any issues with the property’s safety or certification before we move anyone into the property.

• Carry out all necessary work to ensure the property meets the government recommendations for safety and performance if required to do so

Any insurance the landlord decides to take out protecting the contents of a property is completely discretionary and not part of any agreement with Flex Living. The landlord is not liable for any of the tenant’s possessions at the property.

However, all of our landlords are responsible for Buildings Insurance where not provided under a service agreement with a building management company.

Landlords may wish to seek additional cover under a Landlord’s Insurance policy, however, this is not mandatory.

We don’t require an inventory report upon taking over a property, however, we can carry out an inventory report on your behalf if requested.

Flex Living pays for all utility bills and council tax at the property. We request that our landlords to keep the council tax under their name throughout the agreement. Like the rent, we will pay for the cost of council tax upfront ahead of each month.

The Landlord is responsible for the service charge and ground rent if the property is owned under a leasehold agreement.

•  Our maintenance team carries out an initial inspection as soon as an issue becomes apparent, this is free of charge and 90% of issues are fixed on the spot without having to schedule another visit. 
•  If we cannot repair the issue we will seek to use external contractors at fair market rates
•  We notify the Landlord as soon as a contractor is required, providing an opportunity to source your own contractor or seek the use of an insurance policy if necessary. 
•  Where the cost of repair is expected to exceed £250 we will seek the Landlord’s approval to proceed
• We minimise the need to pay call-out charges by sending members of our own property maintenance team first to assess the problem. This offers further savings to landlords on potentially expensive chargers just to check for easily fixable problems!