How to handle enquiries to secure a let

You'll receive an email directly when a student requests a viewing of one of your properties via our website. You can opt-in to receive SMS notifications (via the Account section of the dashboard). However, enquiries come through 24 hours a day, so text notifications may not always be ideal.

The student who enquired will also receive a text and email to confirm their booking request. This notification states they should expect to hear from you within 24 hours.

You can view and manage all enquiries you have received in your dashboard under the Enquiries tab. 

You should contact the potential tenant within 24 hours of receiving the enquiry. This is the recommended time to respond, or you risk losing that enquiry to other bookings that may have been made. Students often become frustrated when they don't hear back from a letting agent within 24 hours. We aim to avoid this, as it can lead to a negative experience using our site.

It’s recommended that you book a viewing when all (or most) housemates are free to view the home together. This will avoid delays in the group signing up or requiring additional viewings.

When booking the viewing, we recommend informing your team that this appointment was sourced through UniHomes. This will remind the agent conducting the viewing that the enquiry is all-inclusive. The viewing and any other properties shown during it should be approached with this in mind.

Having submitted the enquiry through UniHomes.co.uk, the tenants are interested in renting this property on an all-inclusive basis. The agent leading the viewing should ensure they are prepared. Things to remember are:

- What’s included (Gas, Electricity, Water, TV Licence, Internet)

- The all-inclusive price (rent + utilities)

- The utility package price is subject to change, in line with our Terms and Conditions

When the group is ready to sign for the property, they should complete the tenancy agreement and the UniHomes utility form simultaneously.

You should ensure that students understand that they are signing two separate agreements:

- Your Tenancy Agreement

- UniHomes Utility Form

Upon signing, you should explain to the group that they will each receive a Direct Debit set-up request from UniHomes (via email). All tenants need to sign these requests ASAP.

Once the utility form is completed, it should be returned to us within 48 hours. To send this back, you can scan or take a photo of the form and return it to the UniHomes head office by emailing orders@unihomes.co.uk. If, for any reason, you are unable to complete the entire form (perhaps all tenants are unavailable to sign on the same day), send over the part-completed form. Follow up with the fully completed form at the first opportunity.