We have a near contactless application process, which makes things quick and easy to progress. Most aspects can be completed electronically and we may need to arrange a video call with you at some point to verify identities and other information. If you have any queries, please get in touch and we will be happy to help.
Worcester Office 01905 330530
Application Guide
Reserving a Property
Once you have viewed one of our Property Video Tours (click HERE) & read through our video tour Guide (click HERE), please telephone us for a chat and we can give you the relevant information if you wish to reserve a property and apply for a tenancy.
Holding Deposit
To reserve a property you will need to pay a Holding Deposit equivalent to 1 week’s rent.
We can only accept one holding deposit at a time by law, thus once we have received yours, the property will no longer be advertised as available “To Let” and we will not seek alternative tenants whilst we process your application.
If your application is successful:
The Holding Deposit will go towards the Tenancy Deposit sum of 5 weeks’ rent in total.
If the Landlord decides not to proceed with the letting:
The Holding Deposit will be refunded to you in full providing:
- You complete the application form and return it to us in a timely manner together with photo ID, proof of current address and 3 months’ recent bank statements for each applicant within 3 working days of paying the Holding Deposit and being provided with an application form; and
- You do not give any false or misleading information on your application form; and
- None of the applicants fail a Right to Rent check
If you withdraw from the letting or fail to provide information:
If you decide not to progress your application or fail to take all reasonable steps to respond within 15 calendar days to reasonable requests for information required to enable your application to be processed the Holding Deposit will be
non-refundable.
Completing your Application
Every person over 18 years old will need to complete a Tenancy Application Form and return it to us within 3 working days along with the following information for each person:
1. Colour photo ID (e.g. passport or driving licence)
2. Last 3 months bank statements
3. A recent bill or statement with current address on it (e.g. utility, council tax, mobile phone or credit card bill)
Please include telephone numbers and email addresses for employer(s) and current landlord. This will ensure we can get the referencing process underway swiftly for you.
If the form is incomplete or documents are missing it will inevitably cause delay and could mean that we will not be able to consider your application further.
Depending on your circumstances, a guarantor may be required for the tenancy. If this is the case, we will let you know and a Guarantor Application Form will be provided. This will need to be completed and returned by the proposed guarantor (who must be a homeowner) along with photo ID, 3 months bank statements and proof address, as above.
How long does the application process take?
Once we have your completed application form and all the required documents, we would normally expect to have a decision for you within 3-5 working days subject to employer(s) and existing landlord(s) replying swiftly to reference requests.
We want your application to have the best chance of success however and if we feel we need some additional information to help this, we will contact you before a final decision is made.
What happens once a decision has been made?
We will telephone you to let you know the outcome and, if it is good news, we will agree a tenancy start date with you.
To comply with regulations, we will need to send you documents known collectively as The Prescribed Information and we will need your consent to provide these to you by email. These include a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate, Gas Safety Certificate (if applicable), Electrical Certificate, the government’s How to Rent Guide and details of the Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme that your deposit sum will be protected with. We will also provide a general guide to Legionnaires and a copy of our standard Tenancy Agreement so you can see, well in advance, the obligations that you will be signing up to.
Electronic signing of documents
All documents will be signed electronically prior to the start of your tenancy using DocuSign.
These will be emailed to you and you simply open them and follow the prompts. You can choose to sign either manually (with a computer mouse) or with one of the pre-set signature styles. DocuSign shows you each place where you need to sign and once all parties have signed, a copy of each completed document will be emailed to you for safekeeping.
Please Note: You will have 7 days from the start of the tenancy to check over the Inventory and property photos and to
contact us with any comments.
Payment of move-in monies
We will let you know in plenty of time the amount that you need to pay prior to the start of your tenancy along with the relevant details to enable you to do so. This will be the first month’s rent in-advance plus the balance of the deposit sum being a further 4 week’s rent (which will be added to your 1 week’s Holding Deposit).
Payments must be made at least 2 working days prior to the tenancy start date to allow sufficient time for funds to clear in our commercial bank accounts and can be made via banking app/online payment or at a NatWest branch.
PLEASE NOTE: It is not possible to pay with a credit or debit card.
Collecting keys for your new home
On the start day of your tenancy (once all move-in monies have cleared), a member of our team will meet you outside the property with your keys to the property.
We will then have a quick chat and answer any questions you may have before leaving you to start enjoying your new home.
General Data Protection Regulations
Northwood is committed to GDPR. By submitting a tenancy application and (if successful) entering into a tenancy agreement, the parties will have provided various pieces of personal information which are needed for contract purposes and the letting and management of the Property.
Current and future contact details and other personal data will from time to time be passed between the landlord, the landlord’s agent and the tenant, utility companies, debt collectors, legal advisors, mortgage companies, banks, building societies, the operators of the Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme, contractors and other third parties involved with the property. Data will be used, processed, kept and ultimately disposed of in accordance with the principles of GDPR.
Click here to view our Privacy Policy and a printed copy will be provided upon request.
