Hafan Student - FAQs

Please find contact details here. Please use the Enquiry form, we will get back to you.

An overview of our properties are available here. Further information can be found by clicking through to the individual property page. For more information, please use our Enquiry form and we will get back to you.

To protect our existing tenants as well as potential tenants who have shown interest in a property, Hafan Student have introduced a number of the guidelines in line with those provided by the Welsh Government. Full details of our current arrangements for property viewing can be found here

There are a number of things to consider, and we have provided a checklist within our Property Viewing Guidelines which you may find useful. We would aim to answer any questions that you may have during an initial call ahead of making an appointment to view the property

You will get most of the information about the property from the website and by contacting us to discuss any specific queries. So when you go for a viewing, it is most likely that you will be happy with everything that you already know. During the viewing, you can look at the actual size of the rooms, the furniture, layout, appliances, outside area, provisions such as chairs, mattresses, size of beds, views from the property, neighbourhood, etc.

If you are happy with the viewing and would like to reserve the room or the property, you will need to pay a holding fee of £100/room. This ensures that we hold the property for you for the next 7 days.
A template of our standard tenancy agreement can be found in the Tenant download page of our website, we would encourage you to read through this before you pay a holding fee.
During this holding period, you will need to pay the full security deposit and sign a tenancy agreement. The holding fee becomes a part of the security deposit.
Once the security deposit and the tenancy agreement are in place, your room/property is secured for you for the period of the tenancy. The holding fee will be non-refundable if the tenancy is not secured before the end of the 7 day period. (This is because we cannot hold the property for longer from other prospective tenants).

Your deposit will be protected, as per the U.K law, with a deposit protection scheme. If you are not familiar with this, this is a government scheme that enables tenant’s deposits to be safeguarded so that neither the tenant nor the landlord can take any money out of it without the consent of the other. The scheme we use is the Deposit Protection Scheme and details can be found in the Tenant download page of our website.
The deposit is used as a security against any rent arrears or other payments, and towards deductions for damages or cleaning at the end of the tenancy, the terms of which are provided in the tenancy agreement. The deposit is refundable after any deductions at the end of the tenancy.

You will need to complete the form for deposit protection, and a guarantor form. These can each be found in the Tenant download page of our website.
We will also need proof of your ID which can be in the form of your passport/driving license. We will also need your student ID as proof of your student status.

A guarantor is a person based in the U.K, who has proof of regular income who agrees to accept responsibility for making any payments dues in the event that the contract holder does not make payments due under the terms of this contract on the date that payment become liable. Payment may include, but is not limited to rent, deposit, damages and council tax (if liable)
Your guarantor will be required to complete a separate agreement in acceptance of this responsibility – this agreement can be found HERE
Failure to provide a guarantor may mean that you will be unable to enter into a rental agreement with us, or that a larger deposit will be required.

The only way we can accept you as a tenant without a guarantor is if you pay the full rent for the period of tenancy upfront, so we know that there won’t be any rent arrear.

Payments are usually done by bank transfer. We provide details of the account on the tenancy agreement. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept cheques or credit cards. For international transfers, any bank charges towards the transfer are paid by the tenants.

The rent is quoted on a weekly basis per person. This weekly rent is then converted to a monthly amount ((365/(7x12))x[weekly rent]) for ease of regular payment.
Most of our contracts are for an 11 month period (1 Aug – 30 June), and rent is due in four termly payments to coincide with receipt of student loan payments:
Summer rent is payable by 1st August and is equivalent to 2 months
This is followed by 3 termly rent instalments equivalent to 3 months each
A full payment schedule will be provided for you at the beginning of your contract
It is possible to arrange monthly instalments if you prefer, but you should contact prior to the beginning of your contract

Almost all our properties are rented out on an all-inclusive basis which include all utilities such as gas, electric, water, broadband and tv license. Please note that utilities usage is subject to our Fair Use Policy which can be found HERE
We do not include council tax as usually students are exempt from council tax, but if you become liable for council tax due to your student status being affected for any reason, you will be liable to pay the resulting council tax for the property (unless arranged otherwise in the tenancy agreement).

No. Tenants are responsible for maintaining the property clean and tidy, inside and out, and for disposing rubbish in the property, leaving bins out for collection etc. All the information you need is on the Tenant Information page of the website.

Yes, there is washing machine and tumble dryer available at all our properties. This is an advantage for our tenants as there is no separate cost for washing and drying as in many other accommodations, and they do not have to go to a laundry facility to wash.
All we ask is for you to be responsible and not misuse them (using a whole dryer cycle for drying a pair of socks!!). Information on efficient use of laundry facilities can be found in the Tenant information page of our website.

Yes. The council is very strict with rubbish outside of student properties as they can sometimes get into a poor State. The local gull population further exacerbate the problem as they will tear into any bag left out.
Recycling containers are provided and are clearly labelled to show what can be placed in each container. Large Wheelie bins should only be used for waste that cannot be recycled.
Kerbside waste collection dates are displayed on the house noticeboard. Recycling is collected weekly, and wheelie bins are emptied every 3 weeks. All containers/bins must be placed by the kerb the night before collection.

You can move in any day from the start of your tenancy.

If you contact us a few days before you intend to check in, we will provide you with instructions for key access. You will be able to self-check in with the keys provided and your keys will be ready for you in your room.

The boilers are set at comfortable temperatures and programmed for efficient use of energy and to maintain a comfortable temperature through the day. Hot water is available 24/7.

We would not recommend this, as we have provided all the furniture that a student room needs. More importantly, any furnishing will need to meet safety standards and whilst we ensure that our furniture does, we can’t be sure about anything you have provided. All our electrical appliances are regularly checked, and PAT tested. We need to ensure the safety of our tenants and carry out all the safety checks, and we request that you stick to the rules to make it safe for you to live in.

We do an annual gas safety check, fire alarm and equipment check, and also an electrical installation check every 5 years. We are also licenced by the HMO authorities to ensure standard requirements are met.

If you wish to move in earlier for any reason, it may be possible depending on whether the room is available and ready for you to move in. If we can accommodate you earlier, we will agree for you to move in early and charge you from the moving in date.

Usually, it will be a cupboard and one fridge and freezer shelf per person. This will usually be adjusted between the tenants as required. We would expect everyone to be considerate of the others and share responsibly.

You can go to Contact Us page on the website and choose maintenance issue under “nature of enquiry” and let us know. We have also provided contact details for you to get in touch by phone or email.
Each year we create a house Whatsapp group for each property which is usually used to report any maintenance issues and to update tenants.

If you decide not to take up your tenancy, you will still be liable for the payments for the tenancy period, unless you can find a student to replace you in the tenancy for the tenancy period, and someone that is acceptable by the landlord.

If you wish to leave the contract early for any reason, you will still be liable for the period of the tenancy unless you can find someone to replace you for the period of the tenancy.

Some of our properties come with parking and some don’t, so you will need to check this before you book the property.

No, you will need your own insurance for your contents. The landlord’s insurance will only cover the building and contents of the landlord.

We provide a Kettle, toaster, fridge/freezer, microwave, hob and oven. A vacuum cleaner will be provided for cleaning, and also dustpan/brush.

You will need to bring your own cutleries, crockeries, pans, cleaning products, etc.

There is a washing machine and dryer in every property

Almost all rooms will have beds/mattresses (double or single depending on the size of the rooms), mattress protector, wardrobes, chest of draws, desk/chair.

Bedding – duvet, pillows, bed cover, fitted sheets, hangers for clothes, table lamps if you need one.

If you lose your keys, you will need to let us know so we can provide a replacement, for which you will be charged.

If you get locked out, you will need to let us know so we can bring our keys to open your room. A charge will be levied which is explained in the tenancy agreement.

There is no cap on utilities, but we do expect tenants to be responsible and adhere to a fair use policy – switch off heating when/where it is not necessary. Use hot water without wasting it. Do not allow others who are not tenants to use the property.

You will need to pay your rents on or before the dates agreed on the tenancy agreements. Interest will be charged on late payments, so you will need to contact us if you are in financial difficulties so we can contact your guarantor or arrange a payment plan.

Once your tenancy is finished, we will assess any charge for damages and cleaning, and then request the Deposit Protection Service for repayment of your deposit after deductions if any. The DPS will then process your deposit and contact you by email with instructions.

The housemates should agree upon and draw up a schedule to share the responsibilities, such as leaving bins for collection, emptying bins inside the shared areas, cleaning of shared areas etc. Tenants should also make it a habit to clean after themselves when they use communal areas so it is ready for the others to use.

For cleaning or damages to communal areas, the charges will be split equally between the tenants, unless someone owns up to it.