Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.
Money terms of your tenancy agreement on one page
Most tenancy agreements run to twenty pages, but the money in them comes down to about ten facts: the rent, the due date, how it must be paid, the deposit amount and where it is held, the length of the fixed term, any break clause, any rent review clause, permitted fees and who pays which bills.
First tasks
- Find the signed tenancy agreement and save a copy in your tenancy folder
- Ask the AI agent to list the money clauses, then check each against the agreement
- Write the one-page summary of rent, deposit, term, break and review clauses
- Send any unanswered questions to the landlord or agent in writing
Rent standing order timed to payday
A rent payment that leaves your account two days before your salary arrives is the most common reason rent goes late, and late rent can mean fees, a poor reference and in time a notice to leave. Setting a standing order for the exact amount, a day or two after pay lands and before the due date, with the reference the landlord asked for, makes paying rent something that happens without you.
First tasks
- Check your payday against the rent due date in the agreement
- Confirm the payee name, account details and reference with the agent by email
- Set up the standing order to leave a day after payday
- Ask the landlord or agent to confirm the first payment arrived
Deposit protection confirmation
In many countries a landlord must place your deposit in a government-backed protection scheme or with a bond authority within a set number of days, and give you the scheme's details. Renters who never check often discover at the end of the tenancy that their deposit was never protected, which makes getting it back slower and harder. Confirming protection now, while the landlord is responsive, costs half an hour.
First tasks
- Look up whether deposits must be protected where you rent and by when
- Ask the agent in writing for the scheme name and deposit reference
- Check the deposit on the scheme's website using that reference
- Recheck the protection is still in place after each renewal @recurring(yearly)
