At RentHappily, we think that renting a property is an important decision, and we give you a dedicated viewing, with enough time to get a feeling of the place and ask any questions you may have. We also minimize viewings in order to avoid disappointments, as we know how heartbreaking it is to be turned down. 

To book a viewing, you will be required to give your personal details and answer some questions regarding your household, your references (past and present), and your requirements. If your answers are a good fit for the property and/or the landlord's requirements, you will be given an appointment and we will meet you at the property to view it. If you like it, you will be invited to apply for the rental price it was advertised for, and your application will be submitted to the landlord for their final decision. 

We only accept your application if we are certain that you will meet the requirements of the property. This means that once you have applied and paid your holding deposit, we only have to confirm your references in writing. So far, we have always been able to confirm references, and all tenants got their holding deposit back with the first month's rent.

The referencing includes checking employer (accountant if self-employed), landlord (present or last one), and affordability test. A guarantor will be required in case references are missing or if housing benefit or Universal Credit is involved. We will also check ID and Right to Rent in the UK, and we require proof of address and proof of income in all cases. We will also verify credit check and require a clean CCJ. In order to afford the rent, you must earn 30 times your rent per annum (gross).

Each applicant pays a Holding Deposit of £75.00 which is fully refundable provided the application is successful.  In the event of an applicant withdrawing, the Holding Deposit will not be returned.  If the tenancy is declined due to insufficient references or credit checks, the Holding Deposit will be returned minus an administration fee of £50.00 and the application will be declined.

In general, we require tenant(s) to pay a dilapidations deposit equal to one month’s rent, unless special circumstances apply.

You can get the Gas supplier details via https://findmysupplier.energy and call South West England Western Power Distribution on 0845 601 5972 for Electricity supply.

To be in line with the requirements of the Bristol City Council and the West of England Code of Good Management Practice, we apply the following guidelines:

In case of emergency, we endeavour to respond immediately to the request, and try to solve the issue within 24h whenever possible in order to protect your home from further damage and/or to protect the health and safety of tenants.

For urgent repairs affecting material comfort e.g. loss of hot water and heating (where it is not the boiler pressure), power outage, fridge or washing machine failure, serious roof leak, etc will be dealt with within 5 working days. In all cases we will attempt to repair/replace the items as soon as possible depending on availability of contractor, delivery dates etc.

We are members of the Property Redress Scheme - the PRS-, and we abide by the Code of Practice of this organisation. Our complaint procedure is compliant with the standard imposed by the Redress Schemes for Lettings Agency Work and Property Management Work (Approval and Designation of Schemes) (England) Order 2013. Please see the enclosed Complaints Procedure.

We will offer our mediation service and endeavour to solve any complaint internally and reach a common ground with the complainant in all cases. Failing that, you will be able to refer your case to the PRS' Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism for assistance, and their final decision will be binding to all parties.

As part of our duty to ensure safety in your home, we carry out a regular Fire Safety Evaluation following the Bristol City Council Fire Safety Standards. This is carried out every three years -or at the onset of every new tenancy- when we manage the property, and for Let Only contracts, unless the landlord has taken their own measures to ensure the safety of the dwelling.

Besides this, we also recommend our tenants to follow the prescriptions of the Advice to Occupiers of Dwellings in Residential Buildings, BS9999:2008, which is extensible to all dwellings in general.

At Rent Happily, we want you to enjoy your home at every moment, and it is important to properly look after it so that it keeps giving you satisfaction over the years. We have compiled a manual for reference where you can find some tips on energy saving, damp & condensation, hygiene, etc, which is available for download.

If anything goes wrong in your dwelling, we are here to help, just get in touch with our dedicated maintenance management software.

As part of our duty to ensure your safety in your new home, we conduct a Risk Assessment for the Legionnaires' disease before you move in, just to make sure everything is in order and the information and amenities are adequate for you to live there. We ask you some standard questions about your lifestyle to assess the level of risk in every single case, and we assess the property with the following Legionnaires' Risk Assessment.

More information about Legionella can be found on our Legionnaires' Leaflet.