Tenant FAQs

A. Renting in retirement, especially on an Assured Tenancy, may be particularly beneficial in later life. It is unlikely that you will wish to take on another financial burden, such as a mortgage, and if you are a homeowner, selling your property outright on the open market means you release all your capital and are free to invest or spend the money in any way you choose.  

A. An Assured Tenancy is a contract between you and the landlord which means you are entitled to stay in the property for as long as you wish. This is known as ‘Security of Tenure’. There is an initial 12 month fixed term, after that it is your choice when to leave, you can stay for life if you wish.  

A. With an Assured Tenancy you have the right to remain in residence for as long as you wish – minimum one year (provided you are keeping to the terms of the tenancy agreement). An Assured Shorthold Tenancy or Short Assured in Scotland is a fixed term tenancy which can be as little as six months, but more usually with Girlings is for two to five years, during which time you have security of tenure.  At the end of the fixed term, either a new tenancy will be negotiated and offered to you or the landlord may wish to regain possession.  The Landlord can only regain possession at the end of a fixed term, and he must give you at least 2 months Notice in writing.  

A. Retirement developments are purpose built and designed to provide comfort, security and peace of mind for the residents.  Included in the rent is the cost of services such as the provision of a House Manager; 24 hour emergency cover; the cleaning and upkeep of a residents’ lounge and other common areas; the upkeep and maintenance of the external areas to include the gardens; the external maintenance of the building; lift maintenance and buildings insurance. In addition, at some of the properties we let, the rent includes the cost of the water that you use.  Furthermore, we offer an Assured Tenancy on most properties, giving long-term security of tenure to our tenants.  For this reason, it is difficult to compare our rent levels with those of the non-retirement market, where fewer services are provided and where the normal tenancy is an AST for 6-months or 1–year.  

A. The majority of retirement developments offer the services of a House Manager to look after the running of the development. Most work Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm and some live on site. The majority of developments switch to 24 hour Emergency Care i.e. Careline or similar when the House Manager goes off duty. All emergency calls are answered by trained operators who are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. When the House Manager is off duty or unavailable, these operators will be in contact with the resident to establish the nature of the emergency and will call out the emergency services should this prove necessary.   

A. If you choose to take an Assured Tenancy you can stay in the property for life. It is your choice to leave and then you must give one month’s notice after the first year.
If you rent on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy it will be agreed for a fixed term, usually one to five years and you have security of tenure for the agreed period.  Thereafter the Landlord may require possession and can gain this by giving you 2 months’ notice. If you have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy you will be notified at least two months before the end of the agreed term. We will then ask you whether you would like to renew the tenancy or if you wish to leave at the end of the term. If your landlord does not wish to renew the agreement for a further term, we will do our best to find other suitable accommodation for you.
 

A. All our properties are qualified by age. You are eligible if you are aged 60 years and over (in the case of a couple, one must be 60 and over and the other 55 and over). In some developments the minimum age is 55 years and in others there is a lower minimum age for the second occupant.  

A. Yes. There is no obstacle to renting a private retirement property if you need LHA (Local Housing Allowance). If you are considering moving into private rented accommodation contact your local council for the current LHA rates for your area, alternatively you may find it helpful to access the LHA website. This will give you a statement of the maximum rent that LHA will cover and will exclude any service charges which LHA cannot pay for. However, it will not calculate the actual amount of LHA you may be entitled to, as your income and capital, or any reduction due to an adult who lives with you and could pay towards the rent, may still affect the amount of LHA you get. To obtain your LHA figure for your area, you will have to give details of the size of accommodation you are looking to rent. Contact the Government’s Benefits Enquiry Line 0800 882 200 for further information or ring our Letting Centre on 0800 52 51 84 for help and advice.  

A.  In order to reserve a property you will need to pay a reservation fee of £300, £100 of which will go towards your advance rent when your tenancy starts. In the unlikely event that you change your mind within seven days of reserving the property, the fee will be refunded less a handling charge of £50. After seven days, the reservation fee is non-refundable.  Just before your tenancy starts we will require a deposit to be paid. This is usually equal to a months rent. We also ask for your rent in advance, which can be up to 6 weeks rent depending on your tenancy start date.  If this is going to pose difficulties for you please call our lettings team to discuss your situation.  

A. Yes. We ask for three references; financial, usually from your bank or current landlord, medical from your GP and personal from a friend or neighbour.  In addition to the referees that you supply we may require that a credit reference be obtained from a recognised credit bureau such as Equifax. References are important and are necessary to satisfy the owner of the property as well as the freeholder of the development and to give comfort to other residents within the building (references remain confidential) and are not a slur on your integrity.  

A. Your deposit is held is held in a secure account , managed by Girlings.  At the end of your tenancy we carry out an inspection to ensure the property is left in a clean and tidy order, as required by your tenancy agreement.  In the majority of cases the deposit is returned within 14 days of the tenancy ending.  If there is a requirement for repair and/or cleaning of the property then providing the tenancy agreement allows, the Landlord can request that an amount be withheld from the deposit.  However, Girlings holds all deposits as ‘Stakeholder’ which means that any amount in dispute cannot be released unless agreed by both parties.  If you do not agree with the Landlord about deposit deductions, then we are not able to return the amount until an agreement is reached. Any amount which is not disputed will be returned to you.  Girlings is a member of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) and if you are renting your property on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, any dispute relating to your deposit must be passed to the scheme to resolve.
 

A. We normally expect a tenancy to start within four weeks of the property being reserved, subject to all the paperwork being completed promptly. We can move very swiftly and sometimes have tenancies start within days of reserving.  On the other hand if the reserved property is still occupied by the outgoing tenant it may take a little longer to ensure the property is ready to be re-let.  

A. We are in close communication with the House Manager who will greet you and show you around the development. He/she will explain the 24 hour emergency Careline system which is on hand to help you with any emergency which may arise whether medical or otherwise, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  

A. Yes, as a tenant you are responsible for paying your own Contents Insurance. Please ensure this is arranged at the outset of the tenancy; remember you cannot insure property belonging to the Landlord.  

A. As a tenant you are responsible for paying the Council Tax for the property (the local council may contact you as the occupier). You are also responsible for all personal bills e.g. telephone, electricity/gas and television licence (don’t forget you are entitled to a FREE television licence if you are aged 75 and over.)  

A. Yes and many of our tenants do, be it on a paid or voluntary basis.  But under the terms of the tenancy you are not permitted to run a business from the property.  

A. Yes. If you are on an Assured Tenancy and have been in residence for the initial 12 month term, you can reserve another Girlings’ property and move within 4 weeks. You will be required to pay another reservation fee, deposit and rent in advance, but once your old tenancy has come to an end and we have confirmed that the property has been left in good order, we will refund your deposit for your old tenancy.  If a year has not elapsed some people may be prepared to pay dual rents for a period in order to secure the new property of their choice. We will aim to re-let the first property as quickly as possible so any responsibility towards that tenancy can be ended.  Just pick up the phone to the Lettings team on 0800 52 51 84 who will talk you through the procedure.  

A. Sometimes it is necessary for additional care to be provided. You may be taken ill or have an accident. Don’t worry, your tenancy will continue whilst you are in hospital or need a short time in a nursing home, as long as the rent continues to be paid. If you find that you need permanent additional care, there are ways to have this provided in your own home.  Your local Social Services department can help with various support packages, and these may vary by area. Sometimes there is a waiting list for adaptations and these will be based on eligibility.  You are most likely to be entitled to receive Attendance Allowance, a non means tested entitlement which pays £50 - £80 per week.  We urge you to claim this with the help of your GP.  The Government’s Benefits Enquiry Line 0800 882 200 can give you further advice.  In other cases you may find that you need to move to a residential care home. If this is the case and you wish to terminate your tenancy, you will need to confirm in writing that you wish to terminate your tenancy.  The tenancy will then be brought to an end under the terms of the Agreement, which will normally be the last day of the following calendar month.
 

A. Other help and advice is sometimes available from the RBL, SSAFA and other military organisations. The RBL Women’s Section Allowance is an annuity of £15.00 per week, provided on a quarterly basis and granted to ex-Service personnel, wives and widows/widowers of ex-Service personnel who are over 60 and live alone, who are on a very low income or are in real hardship owing to age, ill-health or other difficulties. Women and men under 60 may qualify for this allowance if they are in receipt of a disability allowance. Please note your Local Housing Allowance will not be affected if you are granted this Allowance. Also remember to apply for Attendance Allowance, a non-means tested entitlement which pays £50 - £80 per week. Your GP should be able to help you with this claim.  Social services may pay if you need adaptations to the property, for example, grab rails or a walk-in shower to replace a bath.  

A.  A tenancy, like many other legal contracts, does not automatically end on the death of one of the parties. Your Estate will be required to serve notice that the tenancy is to end, and make arrangements to clear the property of your possessions.  Once the tenancy has ended and the property is handed back in good order, your deposit will be returned to your appointed representatives.  

A. Your tenancy agreement is always made out in the names of both parties (if applicable).  An Assured Tenancy gives security of tenure for life, so if one of you dies the surviving spouse/partner can continue to live in the property for as long as they wish with no further agreement to be made.    If you have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy the surviving partner has the same right to continue the tenancy for the agreed term.
If you wish for a new partner/spouse to live with you in the property and they are not on the tenancy agreement, we will need to obtain references for them and a new tenancy agreement will have to be signed, with an additional fee.  
 

A. Yes you can, although permission is needed from the Managing Agent for which a fee is payable and you will need to sign a Pet Agreement. One of the terms of the Agreement is to not exercise pets on the grounds of the developments and this can be a problem for people with cats that like to go outside.   It is worth emphasising that you are living within a retirement development which is designed to provide peace of mind, security and independence to all who live there. It will be your responsibility to ensure that your pet is well mannered, well trained and not likely to cause a nuisance to other residents within the development.  

A.  Most developments have car parking although the car parking policy can differ from development to development; some developments operate allocated parking on a ‘first come, first served’ policy, and some have no set policy. We are happy to enquire about car parking on your behalf; however we cannot guarantee that you will be allocated a space. It is worth noting that the majority of retirement developments are situated close to local shops and amenities, with public transport easily accessible. Many have a bus stop just outside the entrance and many developments are on the ‘free’ local supermarket bus route.  

A. Yes. As a tenant you are a resident and so may attend residents’ meetings although the Landlord has the voting right.  

A. Yes. The majority of retirement developments have a Guest Suite which is available for a small charge and booked through the House Manager. These are usually very well appointed; with television, tea and coffee making facilities and ensuite bathroom, so your family and friends can enjoy visiting you in comfort.  You can take advantage of this yourselves should you wish to visit family or friends in another town and take a short break in another development.  You are only permitted to have guests stay in your property with you for a maximum of 14 consecutive nights without permission of the Landlord/Agent.  

A. Lifts are available in the majority of developments where there are two or more floors. If you feel this is a requirement then please call our Lettings Team on 0800 52 51 84 who will be happy to advise.  

A. Yes. The majority of developments offer a residents’ lounge, laundry and communal gardens. The upkeep and maintenance of these areas is included in your rent.