Questions & answers · Landlords and agents
Every question.Straight answers.Nothing dodged.
Everything landlords and agents ask us, answered in plain English, including the four the rest of the market tends to skip: how you get your property back, who is responsible for licensing, whether you can sell during the term, and what your mortgage lender needs to be told. If your question is not here, call 0330 133 1164 and ask it.
6 questions
The basics
What the arrangement actually is, how it differs from an agent, and where we work.
What is guaranteed rent?
Guaranteed rent means we sign a lease, become your tenant, and pay you a fixed sum on a fixed date every month for the length of the agreement. Occupied, empty or between families, the payment does not change. Agreements run 3–5 years, with a minimum guaranteed period of 36 months. You receive one payment from one company and deal with nobody else.
How is guaranteed rent different from rent guarantee insurance?
It is not an insurance policy and there is nothing to claim. An insurer reimburses you after a tenant has stopped paying, subject to an excess, a list of exclusions and a claims process that you have to win. We are the tenant, so the obligation to pay you is ours from the day the lease is signed. There is no third party deciding whether you qualify and no gap while a claim is assessed.
Are you a letting agent?
No. An agent finds someone else to be your tenant, takes a fee out of your rent and leaves the risk with you. Under a guaranteed rent agreement we are the tenant, and our income comes from our housing contracts rather than from your rent. That is the reason we can charge you nothing.
What is the difference between your guaranteed rent and management models?
Guaranteed rent buys certainty: we become your tenant, the sum is fixed, the date is fixed, and maintenance is at our cost. Management buys yield: you keep the rental contract, we place and manage occupiers at premium nightly rates through our housing partnerships, and returns typically run 15–25% above traditional letting. Management income is variable and paid in arrears on local authority cycles, and maintenance is arranged by us but paid by you. Most landlords who want to stop thinking about the property choose guaranteed rent.
Which areas do you cover?
London & surrounding areas. We do not publish a borough list, because our competitors read it, but we will tell you on the first call whether your property is in range. If it is not, we will say so immediately rather than take your details and go quiet.
How long does it take to get started?
Once we have photos and your compliance documents, they go to our local authority housing contact and we usually hear back the same day or the next as to whether it is a property they need. After that it is a joint viewing with the authority, any remedial items agreed in writing, then signature. The first month’s rent is released on signature. Most of the elapsed time is other people’s diaries, not ours. If you want to move quickly, call 0330 133 1164 and say so.
7 questions
Money
What lands in your account, when it lands, and what comes out of it. Nothing comes out of it.
What happens if the property is empty?
You are paid exactly the same. Under a guaranteed rent agreement occupancy is our risk, not yours. Void periods, arrears and the cost of an empty property stopped being your problem on the day we signed. That is the entire point of the arrangement, and it is what the lease obliges us to do.
Are there any fees?
None. No management fee, no service fee, no letting fee, no renewal fee, no valuation fee and no charge for the inspections or the reports. The monthly figure we agree is the figure that reaches your account, with nothing deducted from it. If anyone quotes you a guaranteed rent that then has a percentage taken off it, that is not the same product.
When does the first payment arrive?
The first month’s rent is released on signature. After that the same amount lands on the same named date every calendar month, and if that date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday it moves to the next working day. The date is written into the agreement, so it is not left to whoever is doing the payment run.
Is there a rent-free period at the start?
Yes, a short one, and it is agreed with you before you sign and written into the lease. We use it to deep clean the property and produce the full inventory report before anyone moves in, which is what protects you at the other end of the term. It is never a surprise deduction and it is never applied retrospectively.
How do you work out the rent figure?
We look at the size, the condition and the location of the property, and at what our local authority housing contracts will support for it. Then we come back with a monthly figure and a term. It is usually a little below the top open-market rent, because what you are buying is certainty rather than a headline number: no voids, no arrears, no fees and no maintenance bills against it.
Who pays the council tax and the utility bills?
Under a guaranteed rent agreement the council tax and the utilities for the property sit with us as the tenant for the term, and the agreement says so in writing. Ground rent, service charge and the buildings insurance stay with you as the owner, exactly as they would under any let. If your property has an arrangement that does not fit that pattern, tell us early and we will set the split out explicitly before you sign.
Do I still need landlord insurance?
Yes, and you must tell your insurer what the arrangement is. Buildings cover and your own landlord policy remain yours, but a policy bought on the assumption of an ordinary assured shorthold tenancy may not respond to a company let for temporary accommodation. Ring your insurer, describe it as a commercial lease to a limited company, and get the position in writing. We will speak to them directly if that is easier.
8 questions
Your property
Condition, furnishing, repairs, inspections, damage and your right of access.
What kind of properties are you looking for?
1–4 bedrooms, in good condition and well connected. Studios, flats, houses and HMOs all work. Two bedrooms and above suit the small families we place most often. Condition and transport links matter more to us than the address, and we would rather look at a property and tell you honestly that it is not right than keep you waiting.
Does the property need to be furnished?
Speak to us before you buy anything. Some placements need a furnished property and some do not, and it depends on the housing contract the property goes on to. We will tell you exactly what is required for your property before you spend a pound, and we will never ask you to furnish it speculatively.
Does it need work before you take it on?
Sometimes, and you will know before you commit. Anything that needs attention is listed at the joint viewing with the local authority officer, room by room, and we start getting quotes there and then rather than waiting for the official report to land. Who pays for what is agreed in writing before the lease is signed: never assumed, never settled afterwards.
Who pays for maintenance and repairs?
We do. Day-to-day repairs and upkeep are handled and paid for by us for the whole term, and you do not receive a bill or, in most cases, a phone call. Structural items and anything that is the owner’s or the freeholder’s responsibility under the lease remain yours, as they would with any tenant. The split is written out line by line in the agreement so there is nothing to argue about later.
What happens if an appliance breaks?
We repair or replace it at our cost. On a first fault an appliance is replaced like-for-like and you are not charged for it. Where a fault is caused by misuse or is a repeat of one already put right, that sits with the occupier, not with you. Either way it is recorded and it appears in your next inspection report.
How often is the property inspected?
Quarterly, with at least twenty-four hours’ notice to the occupier. Every room is photographed and condition-rated in our inspection app: walls, ceilings, flooring, doors, windows and fixtures. Anything unusual is noted. A full written report comes to you afterwards. You are welcome to attend any inspection you like.
Can I visit my property?
Yes. Come to any inspection, and we will arrange access at other times with reasonable notice. The one thing we ask is that visits are booked through us rather than arranged directly with the family, because a household placed in temporary accommodation should not be answering the door to someone nobody told them about.
What if the property is damaged?
It is put right by us before the property comes back to you. A full inventory is prepared before anyone moves in and the quarterly reports track condition from there, so the state of the property on day one is documented rather than remembered. Damage beyond fair wear and tear is our cost to make good, and the inventory is what makes that straightforward instead of contentious.
5 questions
The occupiers
Who lives there, how they are placed, and why no tenancy attaches to your property.
Who will be living in my property?
Small families placed through local authorities and supported living partners, typically staying 12–24 months. They are households who need somewhere settled while their longer-term housing is resolved, and many arrive from difficult circumstances. We treat them as we would want our own families treated, which is also what keeps a property in good condition.
Are they vetted?
Twice. The placing local authority assesses the household before it refers them to us, and we carry out our own check before anyone is given keys. Check-in is done in person at the property: house rules, property guidelines, appliance condition, the inspection schedule and end-of-stay expectations are all walked through and logged.
Do they sign a tenancy agreement?
No. No assured shorthold tenancy is ever granted on your property. Because the work is local authority temporary accommodation, families occupy as licensed occupiers under the placement, closer to how a guest occupies a hotel room than how a tenant occupies a let, except that the stay runs months or years rather than nights. They hold a right to stay, not a right to the property.
How many people will live there?
The agreement names a maximum number of occupants for your property and that figure is fixed for the term. It is set at the start against the size of the property and its licensing position, and we do not exceed it. If a household’s circumstances change, the placement moves rather than the number.
What if there is a problem with an occupier?
You call us, and only us. Every issue routes through our office: day-to-day problems, out-of-hours calls, neighbours, anything. If a placement is not working we resolve it with the local authority, and your rent continues throughout because occupancy is our risk. You will never be asked to deal with an occupier directly.
8 questions
Legal & compliance
Licensing, your lender, the certificates, what the agreement says, how to complain, and the registers you can check us on.
Who is responsible for property licensing?
This is agreed explicitly in writing at the outset rather than assumed, because licensing obligations attach to the property and to the people holding an interest in it. Depending on the property and the scheme that applies to it, the licence may need to be held by you, held by us, or held with both of us named on it. Raise it with us on the first call: we will tell you what we understand the position to be, put the responsibility on the face of the agreement, and we would far rather your solicitor confirmed it than that you took our word for it.
Do I need to tell my mortgage lender and my freeholder?
Yes to both, and before you sign anything. A guaranteed rent agreement is a company let, and most buy-to-let lenders and most leases require consent for one. Some lenders permit it outright, some want a copy of the agreement, and a few will not allow it at all, which is much better to discover now than two years in. We are happy to speak to your lender, your broker or your managing agent directly and send them whatever they ask for.
Are you regulated?
We are a private limited company registered in England and Wales: company number 15682139, registered at 128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX. We are not a housing association, not a Registered Provider of Social Housing and not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and we will never imply otherwise. What we are is a commercial tenant that holds contracts with local authorities, and every obligation we take on is on the face of the lease you sign.
Who holds the compliance certificates?
A property needs gas safety, electrical condition and energy performance certificates in place before a local authority will accept it, and we submit them as part of the application. Who renews each one through the term is set out in the agreement rather than left open. We keep the current set on file and will send them to you or your solicitor whenever you ask.
What is in the agreement, and can I see it before I commit?
Yes, ask and we will send it. It is a commercial lease with us as the tenant, and it names the rent, the payment date, the term, the break provisions, the maximum number of occupants, the permitted use, the maintenance split and the condition the property is returned in. Nothing about the arrangement lives outside that document. We would encourage you to have a solicitor read it, and we will answer their questions directly.
How do I raise a complaint?
Call 0330 133 1164 or email info@signature-staycation.com and say that it is a complaint. You will be told who is handling it and you will get an answer rather than an acknowledgement. Our staff are instructed never to guess an answer for a landlord, a council officer or an occupier. If the person you speak to does not know, they will say so and refer it to the office the same day.
What protection do I have if something goes wrong?
We are an active member of the Property Redress Scheme, so if a complaint cannot be settled between us there is an independent body you can take it to. Raise it with us first through our complaints procedure, and if you are still not satisfied the scheme will consider it independently and can direct us to put things right. Operators in this market often argue that they are tenants rather than agents and so need not belong to a scheme at all: we belong to one anyway, listed under Signature Staycation LTD at 128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX, and the listing is public. Be clear about what it is, though: redress gives you independent adjudication on complaints, not an insurance policy, and it does not underwrite the rent or guarantee this company’s solvency.
What happens to the personal information I send you?
We use it to answer your enquiry, prepare a rent figure and, if we go ahead, run the agreement. Signature Staycation LTD is the data controller, and we are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under reference ZB685600, registered on 27 April 2024. That entry is on the ICO’s own public register, so you can check it rather than take our word for it. We do not sell personal information and we do not pass it to third parties for their own marketing, and our privacy notice sets out what we hold, why we hold it, who else sees it, how long we keep it and the rights you have over it.
4 questions
Ending the agreement
Getting the property back, selling during the term, and the honest answer on what happens if it goes wrong.
How do I get my property back, and what if you cannot deliver it?
You get it back at the end of the term, and the reason is structural rather than a promise. We never grant an assured shorthold tenancy: because the work is local authority temporary accommodation, families occupy as licensed occupiers under the placement, so no tenancy right attaches to your property and nothing survives the end of our agreement for you to inherit. Delivering the property empty on the end date is our obligation as the tenant under the lease. If it were ever not delivered on time, the obligation to put that right and to keep paying you would remain ours, because that is what the lease says. Ask us to walk your solicitor through the structure before you commit; most of them want to see it and we would rather they read it than that you took our word for it.
Can I sell the property during the term?
Yes, and it happens. The agreement runs with the property, so selling during the term means one of two things: you sell to an investor who takes the agreement on, or you agree an early end with us before completion. A property with a fixed income and no management attached is a straightforward thing to sell. There is a break mechanism either way: the earliest the agreement can be terminated is twelve months after it starts, on notice, with one month’s notice from us and two months’ from you, and no termination fee applies once that point has passed. Ending it inside the first twelve months needs our written agreement, so tell us as early as you can and we will work to your timetable rather than against it.
What happens at the end of the term?
Either we agree a new term or we hand the property back, and we start that conversation well before the end date rather than in the last fortnight. If you want it back, we give notice within the placement, clear the property and return it in the condition recorded in the inventory taken at the start, fair wear and tear excepted. If you want to continue, we agree a new term and the payments carry on without a gap.
What if you stop paying, or the company fails?
The rent is a contractual obligation on us, so a missed payment is a debt and the lease gives you the ordinary remedies a landlord has against a defaulting tenant, including ending the agreement. The part that matters most is that nothing complicating has attached to the property: no assured tenancy has been created, so there is no occupier with a right to remain and no possession action to bring. We would rather say that plainly than pretend the risk is zero, which is exactly why we want the agreement read properly before it is signed.
5 questions
For agents
Keeping the client, keeping the fee, and placing a difficult property fast.
What is in this for me as an agent?
You place a property that is not letting, your client gets a fixed income for three to five years, and you keep both the client and your fee. Your fee is agreed with you in writing before anything is introduced, so it is never a conversation had after the event. We take the property on the same terms we would take it from any landlord.
Will you go around me to my landlord?
No, and we will confirm that in writing before you send us a single address. You remain the client’s point of contact for as long as you want to be, and if your landlord approaches us directly we will tell you rather than take the introduction. Our business depends on agents sending us the next property, which only happens if we behave properly with this one.
What stock should you be sent?
1–4 bedrooms that is slow to let, churning too often, or coming back to you empty every twelve months. Two bedrooms and above suit the family placements we do most. Condition and connections matter more than the postcode, and we will look at anything within london & surrounding areas.
How fast can you move?
Send photographs and the compliance documents and we will usually know within a day whether it is a property our housing contacts need. From there it is a joint viewing with the local authority, remedials agreed in writing, signature, and the first month’s rent released. If it is not right for us you will be told immediately, so nothing sits on your desk waiting on a maybe.
What does my landlord actually sign?
A commercial lease with us as the tenant, naming the rent, the payment date, the term, the break provisions and the maximum number of occupants. No assured shorthold tenancy is created and no tenancy rights attach to their property. We will send the agreement to you or to their solicitor to read before anyone commits to anything.
Still have a question
Ask us the one that is not on this page.
Tell us about the property and we will come back with a figure and a term. No valuation fee, no obligation, and if it is not right for our housing requirements we will tell you that straight away rather than waste your time. Your solicitor is welcome on the call.