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Only with the landlord’s written consent.

No, rent must be paid via standing order, generally on the date you moved into the property. Late payment of rent and subsequent rental visits will be subject to charges.

Most of our tenants are signed on a SAT (Short Assured Tenancy). This must run for 6 months or more, and is a joint and severally liable lease. What this means is explained further in the next FAQ.

Every tenant is responsible for any amount due to the landlord (e.g. rent, or money for damage to the property).

This means that, regardless of who ‘actually’ owes money to the landlord, the landlord is legally allowed to pursue any tenant for any money owed. An example: if one tenant doesn’t pay the rent, then if joint and several liability applies, all the other roommates are liable to the landlord for payment of that person’s share (or they can all be evicted for non-payment of rent). In this situation, it’s up to the other tenants, not the landlord, to collect from the non-paying tenant (say by suing them for damages).

The existence of joint and several liability means that, the more people you sign into a joint tenancy with, the more likely you are to be liable for more rent than you ‘should’ owe. Any guarantor for someone tied into a joint and several liability contract will also be potentially liable for the full sum owed for any rent payments or damages.

This is dependent on your individual landlord and how they decide to deal with repairs. Some landlords opt for a ‘tenant find’ service, which means they will deal with their own repairs. Alternatively, if they decide for a ‘fully managed’ service, then Empire manage the property and you will deal with our maintenance team. When viewing a property, you will be advised if the landlord or Empire will deal with the repairs and maintenance.

Yes, please contact our team and we will forward you a copy.

Yes, but all applicants must undergo our credit check procedure. The outgoing tenant must provide written authorisation of new incoming tenants (fee applies).

No, tenants are responsible for utility bills and council tax (full time students must apply for a full exemption – you can find out more here).

Check out our Testimonials page to read what our tenants have to say about their experience with us.

Have a question about maintenance? Find our FAQs about property maintenance here.