How it works · From first call to first payment
Nine steps.Three thingswe need from you.
This is the whole process in order, from the first phone call to the day the property comes back to you. Who is in the room at each stage, what is decided there, and what we need from you and when. Where a step depends on the local authority rather than on us, we have said so.
Phase one · Steps 01–03
Before you commit to anything.
Nothing in this phase costs you money and none of it obliges you to proceed. You can stop after any one of these three steps and owe us nothing.
- 01
The first conversation
You tell us about the property: size, condition, where it sits and what it earns now. We come back with a monthly rent and a term. There is no valuation fee and no obligation to accept. If it is not right for our housing requirements we say so immediately, rather than leaving you waiting on an answer that was never coming.
- 02
The local authority check
Property details, photographs and compliance documents go to our housing contact. We usually have confirmation the same day or the next as to whether it is a property they need. Until that comes back, nothing is agreed and nothing is signed.
- 03
The joint viewing
The local authority officer, you and us at the property together. It is a straightforward inspection to verify condition, not a negotiation. Anything needing attention is listed room by room on the day, and we begin getting quotes immediately rather than waiting for the official report to arrive.
Phase two · Steps 04–05
The agreement is signed and the money moves.
This is the point at which the property starts costing us money instead of you. The rent we quoted is the rent that lands in your account. Nothing is deducted at signature, and nothing is deducted afterwards.
- 04
Remedials, if there are any
If minor items were raised at the viewing we agree in writing how each one is resolved, by whom, and in what order, before any work starts. If nothing was raised, we proceed straight away.
- 05
The agreement is signed
The lease is signed and the first month’s rent is released straight away. You are welcome to have a solicitor read it first, and we will walk them through the structure if that helps. From this date the rent is due on the same date every month, whether anyone is living in the property or not.
Agreements run 3–5 years, with a minimum of 36 months guaranteed. We will send the agreement to read before you are asked to sign anything, and we are happy to talk it through with your solicitor first.
Phase three · Steps 06–08
From here, it runs without you.
The set-up window, the check-in and the inspection cycle are ours. You receive a payment on a date you already know and a written report after every inspection. You get a phone call only when something genuinely needs your decision.
- 06
The set-up period
We ask for a short rent-free window at the start, purely so we can carry out a deep clean and prepare a full inventory report before anyone moves in. That inventory becomes the reference for the property’s condition for the rest of the term. It is the only concession we ask for, and it is written into the agreement rather than agreed on a handshake.
- 07
The occupier is placed and checked in
A member of our team meets the family at the property. They are walked through the house rules and property guidelines, every appliance is confirmed working, keys are handed over, and anything raised on the day is logged. Nobody receives keys without that visit happening.
- 08
The arrangement runs
Rent on the same date each month. Quarterly inspections, room by room, photographed and condition-rated, with a written report sent to you. You are welcome to attend any of them. Under a guaranteed rent agreement, maintenance is handled and paid for by us.
Phase four · Step 09
At the end of the term, you get the property back.
It is returned in the condition it was handed over in, fair wear and tear excepted, with the opening inventory as the reference. That is the reason we take that inventory before anyone moves in.
There is no tenancy to unwind. Families occupy as licensed occupiers under the local authority placement, so no tenancy rights ever attach to your property and there is no sitting occupier for you to inherit when our agreement ends.
If you would rather continue, we will raise renewal with you well before the term runs out.
What we need from you
Three things, and one of them is a decision.
The property details and photographs
Bedrooms, condition and where it is. Photographs of each room taken on a phone are enough. We do not need a professional set, and we do not need them staged.
Your compliance certificates
Gas safety, electrical and energy performance, and anything else already in place. If something has lapsed, tell us and we will work out the order things need to happen in.
A decision
Once we have come back with a figure and a term, we need a yes or a no. Everything after that is ours to organise.
That is the entire list. We do not ask you to arrange works, meet the occupiers, hold keys, chase payment or attend anything you would rather not attend.
Start at step one
Tell us about the property. We will come back with a figure and a term.
No valuation fee, no obligation and no pressure. If it is not right for our housing requirements we will tell you at the first conversation rather than the third.