Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Paying Rent
There are more than four weeks in one month, so we can’t just multiply weekly rent by 4 to get to the monthly rent.
To reach an average monthly rent, we do the following calculation:
(weekly rent / 7) = daily rent
daily rent x 365 = annual rent
annual rent / 12 = average monthly rent
Example: 140 per week
140 / 7 = 20 (daily rent)
20 x 365 = 7,300 (annual rent)
7,300 / 12 = 608.33 (average monthly rent)
The calculations might be different if it’s a leap year; in addition, if your tenancy is less than 12 months, we will calculate the total rent based on the number of days of your tenancy.
Your tenancy agreement sets out how you should pay your rent. If you live in a property managed by Purple Frog, payments must be made via direct debit using a link we email to you.
In accordance with the Tenant Fees Act 2019, landlords can charge interest for any late rent payments at a rate of 3% above the Bank of England base rate for any payments which are more than 14 days late.
Maintenance
For properties managed by Purple Frog, if there is a maintenance emergency which can’t wait until the next day, please call your local option and select option 7 and you will be put through to our out of hours emergency service.
If you have locked yourself out, you will be charged a fee for someone to come out and let you in, alternativley, your can borrow keys from our office during normal working hours for no charge. Make sure to call before you visit our office so we can make sure the keys are available for you. We will ask you to leave your ID with us until you return the keys.
In general, it is the tenants responsibility to change the lightbulbs in your property. In cases where the lights are complicated or unsafe to change, please get in touch with your landlord or Purple Frog to arrange for the lights to be changed.
Depending on where you live, the council may provide recycling boxes/bins and wheelie bins. It’s fairly easy to tell by keeping an eye on the street throughout the week to see what bins your neighbours put out.
If you are missing a bin, the first step is to have a look down the street, often waste services will return bins to the wrong properties so you’ll need to retrieve it after they have been.
If you still can’t find it, you’ll need to contact the council’s waste management services, search online for “the name of your council & bin replacement”.
There may be a charge for a replacement bin, which is your responsibility throughout your tenancy. If you’ve just moved into your property and the bin is missing then contact your landlord or agent who will arrange for a replacement.
Finding your new home
Step One: Find out which properties you like. Use the search functions on our website to identify the properties you would like to view, or you can call our team and let them know what you’re looking for and we’ll so the searching for us.
Step Two: You can then request viewings of the properties through our website, email us the links, or call us.
We’ll ask you when you are available to view the properties; if that date is more than two days into the future, we’ll contact you on the day before to confirm you’re still looking to view (this may be by phone or text, so keep an eye out for our messages), then we will confirm the arrangements and send you a text message.
Step Three: On the day of the viewing, we’ll message you again to confirm you are attending it’s very important that you reply to this message.
The instructions in our text messages will either say to meet us at the property, or at our office so make sure to check carefully. Enjoy your viewing!
If you’ve found a property you want to call your home, the next step is to make an application to reserve it. For residential property, click here, for student property, click here. You will need correct full names, email addresses and mobile numbers for everyone you will be living with.
Once you’ve completed the reservation application, we will check that the property is still available, and that the landlords wishes to progress with your application, we will then email you instruction about how to pay the Holding Deposit. This is normally the equivalent of one weeks’ rent, but may be less (it will be included on the property advert). If you proceed with the property and complete the paperwork in the required time (normally 7 days), the Holding Deposit will be used towards your deposit or 1st months’ rent. If you decide not to move forward with the property, or provide false information within your application, you will loose the Holding Deposit. You can read full details of the terms of the Holding Deposit here.
Once you’ve paid the Holding Deposit, we will stop marketing the property and start to prepare the paperwork for you to sign. This will all be done electronically and you will have 7 days to complete it from when we send it out to you.
Once you’ve reserved a property with Purple Frog (see the step above), we will send an email to you and your housemate setting out everything you need to do to secure the property. At about the same time you will receive an email from a service called “StuRents” who we use so you can complete your tenancy application online.
You will need to:
1.Read and sign the tenancy agreement. It is a legally binding agreement which you can not cancel, so please take independent legal advice if there is anythin you are not clear on.
2. Pay your deposit by card.
3. Provide proof of your identity and right to rent in the UK. This will normally be a passport AND driving licence or an official letter with your address dated within the last 3 months.
4. If you are a student you will be asked to provide your student ID number and proof of student status, your student ID card or a letter from the university confirming your space.
5. If you are working, we will ask for copies of recent pay slips and details of your current employer and accommodation provider so we can contact them to obtain references.
6,. If you are student, or do not pass our credit checks, we will ask for details of a UK based guarantor who will be asked to sign your tenancy agreement as a guarantor; their obligations will include being liable to pay your rent if you do not.
Our Operations Team (ops@purplefrogproperty.com, 0121 227 4188), will check all of your documentation, carry out credit checks as required, and if everything is acceptable, we will arrange for the contract to be signed on behalf of the landlord, at which point you will be sent a copy of the fully completed agreement.
What next?
Closer to move in time, either Purple Frog, or your landlord will reach out to get your rent payments set up and confirm how to collect your keys.