House hunting can be time-consuming and at times frustrating. Searching through thousands of online adverts, calling multiple estate agents and trying to find time to fit in viewings around other commitments can be difficult, especially when you're working to a tight deadline. To help make things easier, we have broken the process into five easy-to-follow steps.

STEP ONE - Register with Us

Register with us through our website, via email or over the phone and we will take a detailed summary of your requirements. Once we know what you are looking for, we will let you know as soon as a suitable property comes onto the market.

STEP TWO - Viewings

Once we have suggested a property that you like the look of, we will book you in for a viewing. For your convenience, we are available up to 8pm on weeknights and 10am-4pm on Saturdays.

STEP THREE – Making an Offer

If you would like to make an offer to rent one of the properties that we have shown you, we will ask you to pay a £400 holding deposit and complete a brief application form. This holding deposit is fully refundable should the landlord not accept your offer for any reason, and where your offer is accepted then it will be put towards your first month’s rent. Once your offer has been accepted, the holding deposit becomes non-refundable and the property is taken off the market.

Click here to download our Rental Application Form

Click here to download our Guarantor Form

Click here to download a sample of our Standard Tenancy Agreement

The application form gives you a full breakdown of the costs and explains the conditions of the tenancy. To ensure that you meet the criteria set by our preferred independent referencing agency please speak with one of our consultants or click here to read more about the application process.  For more information on our fees and charges, click here.

STEP FOUR – Referencing

After your offer has been accepted by the landlord, we then proceed to take up references. Our referencing is usually carried out by an independent referencing agency and they will request that you complete an online application form. Once this has been submitted, they will run a credit check and request references from your current landlord and employer. If you are self-employed your accountant may be contacted for a reference, or you may be asked to provide copies of your last tax returns. If you are a student or work on a temporary/contract basis, you may be required to provide a UK-based guarantor who will also undergo the same referencing procedure. Each tenant and guarantor is also required to provide photographic proof of identity and we may request recent bank statements to back up your references.

Once you have submitted your referencing application, we will keep you updated whilst the process is being completed and advise you if any of the referees have failed to respond.

STEP FIVE – Payments and Paperwork

Once the referencing has been completed, we will ask you to arrange for the final payment to be transferred to us. This will usually be for the first month’s rent, the security deposit (usually equal to six weeks rent) and our agency fee.

You will also be sent a copy of the tenancy agreement via an online platform that will enable you to electronically sign the document.  This will include the terms and conditions that apply to your tenancy, plus it will confirm details of the tenancy deposit protection scheme (click here for more information on deposit scheme).

Once the paperwork has been completed, we will hand over keys to the property and you can start unpacking your suitcase!

If you have any further questions or would like to register with our lettings department, please complete the form on our Contact Us page and one of our consultants will be in touch to discuss how we can help you.

Beresford Residential are committed to providing the highest standard of service to all of our customers. To safeguard your interests, we operate an internal complaints procedure which can be pursed in the event that a resolution has not been possible at branch level. This procedure involves an investigation of your complaint by a Senior Manager or Company Director. To read our full complaints procedure please click here.