Our office is open
Monday-Friday 9:30am-5:00pm
Saturdays 10:00am-1:00pm

We are closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

You can telephone the office on 0161 224 2134, or, email us using info@drakes.co.uk. You can also pop into the office to arrange a viewing if this is more convenient for you, we are based on Dickenson Road in Rusholme.

If you have seen a property advert online and are interested in viewing that particular property, you must quote the P reference number stated in the advert description so that we can easily identify which property you are interested in. We can show you up-to three properties during your viewing appointment, so choose your favourite three and provide the reference numbers for each.

If you have a general idea of what you are looking for but haven’t found anything specific online, please contact us to discuss. We can provide you with advice and our recommendations, then book you in to view some properties that we think you would like based on the details that you provide.

Please be aware, all of our properties are currently occupied, therefore we must be able to provide our current tenants with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice prior to conducting a viewing.

A minimum of half of the group must attend the viewing where possible e.g. if you are viewing a six bedroom property, three tenants must be present. This is to ensure that as many tenants have the opportunity to view the property and this causes less disruption to the current tenants.

Please email the office using info@drakes.co.uk to inform us that you wish to secure a property, you must include the address and/or P reference number. An email will be sent with a breakdown of what tenants are required to complete in order to secure the property. This will include information regarding holding deposits, application forms, rent and deposit amounts, etc.

The first step is for each tenant to pay the holding deposit and complete the application form on the following link: www.drakes.co.uk/tablet/login.php. This will provide us with all tenants details and enable us to send the Tenancy Agreement electronically via email using DocuSign, so tenants can sign this on their mobile/tablet.

Tenants can access an example copy of the Tenancy Agreement via our website, prior to receiving/signing the contract via DocuSign. Click on the “Tenants” section which will display “Downloads.” Tenants can view the example Tenancy Agreement, as well as other useful documents. Alternatively, tenants can visit the office where a member of staff can provide assistance.

Please be aware: Drake & Co work on a first come first-served basis. If you wish to secure a property, it is important to complete the necessary steps as soon as possible, otherwise you run the risk of missing out and/or the property being secured by another group. The property will not be secured unless tenants have paid the holding deposits and signed the Tenancy Agreement.

All tenants are required to complete an application form which is on our website (Click Here). Should any of the details provided within the application form change at any time throughout the application process and/or the period of the tenancy, tenants must inform us immediately via email so that we can update our records accordingly. Drake & Co will not be liable for any problems or missed correspondence that may ocurr due to tenants failing to provide up to date information.

Each tenant is also required to pay a holding deposit to secure the property. The holding deposit will reserve the property for a period of five working days, unless it is mutually agreed in writing to extend this period. After this period, if the tenants have failed to complete the relevant steps, we will begin re-advertising the property and the holding deposit will be non-refundable. If tenants complete the steps and secure the property, the holding deposits go towards the total deposit due.

We also require:

• A copy of your Student ID Card and/or evidence of your student status
• A copy of your Passport and/or Right to Rent documents

Each tenant will be required to provide a Guarantor for their tenancy, the Guarantor Agreement along with more information about this process will be provided to you via email.

If you are unable to provide a guarantor, there are alternative options available, please contact us to discuss these.

A Tenancy Application Guide will be sent to tenants when you enquire about securing a property with us. This will include lots of information about the process and what we require from you. If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact our office on 0161 224 2134 or via email using info@drakes.co.uk.

No, Drake & Co do not charge agency fees.

Drake & Co secure a deposit for all of the properties which we manage, to protect the Landlord’s property.

The deposit on each property is equivalent to five times the weekly rent. For example, if the rent is £123 per person per week excluding utilities, the deposit would be £615 per person.

All deposits are held within the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) and are fully refundable at the end of the tenancy, subject to damages, outstanding charges and/or cleanliness within the property.

Tenancies are usually offered for twelve months less a day.

Tenants will sign a Joint and Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement from 1st July-30th June (unless your Tenancy Agreement states otherwise). We would recommend checking your agreements and our correspondence to confirm the exact tenancy period.

Bills Paid Ltd are a bills management company who manage the utilities at most, if not all of Drake & Co’s managed properties.

The Inclusive Bills Agreement is a contract between Tenant and Bills Paid Ltd. Drake & Co act as Agent on behalf of Bills Paid.

Bills Paid Ltd’s Inclusive Bills Package is offered at £26 per person per week (for 3+ bedroom properties) and £33 per person per week (for 2 bedroom properties). Unfortunately, Bills Paid Ltd cannot offer an Inclusive Bills Package for one bedroom properties.

The Inclusive Bills Package covers the following utilities (where applicable):

• Gas
• Electricity
• Water
• TV licence
• Broadband
• Telephone line (for installation purposes only, tenants do not have access to this)

*All utilities are subject to Bills Paid Ltd’s Fair and Acceptable Usage Policy*

More information about the bills package and the Fair Usage Policy can be found on Bills Paid’s website: www.bills-paid.co.uk

Each tenant must have a UK Guarantor over the age of 21 with sufficient income to cover any rent arrears/damages, should this occur over the duration of the tenancy.

The Guarantor is only liable for the tenant named on the guarantor form.

A copy of the Guarantor Agreement is available to view/download from our website (www.drakes.co.uk/tenants/downloads/).

Please be aware, the Guarantor Agreement forms a separate contract to the Tenancy Agreement. Staff members are unable to discuss any details relating to the tenancy with anyone other the tenants named on the tenancy due to Data Protection and GDPR legislation.

Don’t worry if you are unable to provide a UK Guarantor. Please email the office using info@drakes.co.uk so we are able to explain the alternative options that are available.

Drake & Co do not take payments from your account. Tenants must send any/all payments to us via BACS (bank transfer) and/or Standing Order. Drake & Co’s bank details are sent in emails, newsletters and are also listed in the Tenancy Application Guide and the Moving in Guide.

Payment information/reminders will be sent to tenants via email. It is essential that tenants regularly check their emails and inform our office if contact details change, so we can update our records.

For monthly rent payments, you can set up a standing order so that your bank automatically sends the amount to us each month. The Standing Order Form is available to download from our website (Click Here).

We also offer a termly payment schedule as many tenants choose to pay rent in lump sums using their student loans, see the next section (“Can I pay my rent termly?”) for more information about this.

Rent is due on or before the 1st of each month (unless your Tenancy Agreement states otherwise). You can send payments in advance if you wish. However, if a payment is made later than the due date, a late payment charge may apply. Please check your Tenancy and/or Inclusive Bills Agreement for more details regarding late payment charges.

Some tenants may choose to pay rent in termly instalments, in line with their student loans. Tenants do not have to pay termly, this is an option which is available for your own convenience.

Please be reminded that rent is still due on or before 1st each month (unless your Tenancy Agreement states a different rent due date), however paying termly allows you to send lump sums in advance. You must ensure that there is a minimum of one month’s rent on your account on or before the rent due date each month, otherwise you may be subject to additional charges.

If you wish to pay your rent termly, your July, August and September rent must be paid by the agreed dates stated in your Tenancy Agreement. After this, we would recommend that tenants follow the schedule below.

• 1st October-31st January – paid using September loan
• 1st February-30th April – paid using January loan
• 1st May-30th June – paid using April loan

This is the payment schedule that we recommend, however it is up to you whether you choose to follow this. You can send as many months’ rent in advance as you wish.

Rent payment dates are non-negotiable and do not always correspond with student loan dates (which can differ per tenant). It is the tenants’ responsibility to manage their finances and ensure that rent payments are sent on or before the rent due date.

Most of our tenancies begin on 1st July, Tenants are usually allowed full access to the property from this date onwards, meaning you can live in and/or store belongings in the property over the summer if you wish. Please refer to your Tenancy Agreement and/or contact us for confirmation of this.

If Tenants choose to move into the property during the summer, they must take into consideration that the previous tenants may have only just moved out of the property and this is the time any maintenance work and/or cleaning will be completed, if agreeable to the Agent/Landlord. Tenants should take this opportunity to visit and note the condition of the property, as well as any repairs that may need to be completed during this time.

The Landlord will have Buildings Insurance which covers the properties’ fixtures and furniture etc. However, this does not cover tenants personal belongings.

It is essential that each tenant has their own Contents Insurance Policy. We would recommend checking your parents/guardians policy beforehand, as they may be able to cover your belongings away from home for free.

Don’t worry if not, it is easy to enquire about Contents Insurance policies using price comparison websites such as: Go Compare and Compare the Market to obtain comparable quotes. Or, you may wish to look into the company NUS recommends (Endsleigh), as they specialise in Contents Insurance policies.

Under no circumstances are pets allowed in any of the properties managed by Drake & Co.

Tenants can collect keys from our office anytime after 2pm on the tenancy start date.

Address: Anson Parade, 161a Dickenson Road, Rusholme, M14 5HZ

Make sure that you check our office open hours before beginning your journey, as keys can only be collected when our office is open.

If you are unable to collect your keys and would like someone to collect on your behalf, (other than a co-tenant) you MUST inform us of the person and make sure that they have photo ID with them e.g. passport or drivers licence.

Please be aware: We are unable to release keys to any of our properties until all relevant documents and payments have been completed.

Under no circumstances can we post keys to any of our tenants.

All keys for the property must be returned to the office no later than (12 noon) on the tenancy end date. Keys must be clearly labelled, so members of staff can identify who has returned them and which property they are for.

If we do not receive keys back on time you may be charged for a lock replacement.

If you leave Manchester with your keys before your initial move out date, you can post the keys in a secure envelope using recorded delivery. However, should they go missing, you will be liable for the cost of replacing the keys and/or locks.

Do NOT under any circumstance leave keys in the property.

All repairs must be reported via the Repair Request on our website.

Maintenance will be unable to attend until repairs have been reported correctly.

If you call the office to report an emergency repair, this must be followed up by completing the Repair Request using the online portal, so it is properly documented.

Drake & Co have a team of contractors available to carry out repairs. All repairs will be completed in order of priority.

If the office is closed and there is an emergency, tenants can call our emergency contractors/consultants using the numbers provided in the Moving in Guide and our office answering machine.

The following examples qualify as emergencies:

• Being locked out of the property
• No heating and/or hot water
• An urgent leak (repairing this may be subject to weather conditions)
• Burglary (please contact the Police to report this, prior to calling the emergency contractors)
• Security risk (e.g. broken external door lock or smashed window)

If an emergency contractor attends and there is no emergency, tenants will be responsible to pay a call out charge. All non-urgent repairs must be reported online using the Repair Request form.

If a tenant is locked out due to losing their keys/leaving them at home etc and our office is closed, you can contact the emergency contractors for assistance, however, a call out charge will apply. Alternatively, tenants can visit our office during the next working day to collect our master set of keys to let yourself back in again. The master set of keys must be returned to the office the same day that they are taken, otherwise, tenants would be responsible to pay for a complete lock change throughout the property.

More information regarding out of hours emergencies can be found on the following page: Out of Hours Emergencies

We’ll be sorry to hear that you no longer require our accommodation! Please inform our office of this decision via email, so we can send you the Tenant Change Over Procedure.

The Tenancy Agreement is legally binding, therefore, you must continue with all payment obligations until the tenancy ends. Or, find another student to take over your tenancy (with the consent from the other tenants, if applicable).

Once you found a potential tenant, they must sign a new Tenancy Agreement along with the other tenants in the property and pay the deposit and/or rent. You will be released from the contract once all documentation and payments have been completed.

Please be aware, there will be a £50 administration fee paid by the tenant vacating the property, as stated in the Tenancy Agreement. This will need to be paid before we can begin the process. If you have taken a bills package, please refer to the terms of your bills contract for any other charges that may apply.

Important: Drake & Co/your Landlord are unable to facilitate a tenant changeover if your tenancy has less than six months until the end date. For example: if you have signed a Tenancy Agreement for 1st July 2023 – 30th June 2024, the latest we can complete a tenant swap over is 1st January 2024. If you are unable to find a tenant by this time, or wish to end your tenancy early after this e.g. two months prior to the tenancy end date, we are unable to accommodate this request and you will be required to continue with all obligations until the end of the tenancy.

Tenants are responsible for:

• Paying rent on time and in full
• Cleanliness and refuse disposal internal and externally
• Reporting all issues as soon as they occur via the Repair Request
• Changing bulbs throughout the property (unless they are dangerous to reach or sealed unit light fittings)
• Reducing condensation issues (ventilating the property as much as possible, especially in the kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms)
• Heating the property adequately
• Cleaning filters on appliances such as: washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners etc.

A list of all tenant responsibilities can be found in the Tenancy Agreement and Moving in Guide.

Drake & Co hold all deposits in the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) which are fully refundable at the end of the tenancy, subject to damages, outstanding charges and/or cleanliness of the property.

ALL tenants must have returned their keys by 12pm on the tenancy end date. If tenants have opted to organise their own utilities for the duration of the tenancy, proof of final bill payments (gas/water/electric) must be provided via email before the deposit can be processed.

Deposits will not be refunded if the tenancy has any form of rent arrears outstanding, until these have been settled.

Staff members will use the bank account number and sort code detailed on your application form (completed at the beginning of the tenancy) to return your deposit back to you. If your details have changed since then, or you did not list your bank details this will delay the return of your deposit.

If there are any deductions for damages, outstanding charges and/or cleanliness, an email will be sent to all tenants to inform them of this.

It is a tenant’s responsibility to ensure that they are paying for the correct amount of council tax throughout the tenancy.

If you are a student in full time education, you are entitled to apply for an exemption from council tax.

If you are a working professional within a student household, you will be liable for council tax for the entire property. However, you may be able to apply for a discount as you live with students.

For more information, see our “Council Tax” page, or refer to the Manchester City Council’s website: https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200028/council_tax