Rent Lift · Birmingham
Questions owners ask
Plain answers. If yours is not here, call us.
Rent Lift pays you. Your rent comes from Naras Real Estate Ltd under the lease you sign with us, on the same date every month. The council pays Rent Lift separately for the accommodation it uses. Whether or when the council pays us has no effect on what you receive.
Your lease is with Rent Lift, not the council. If the council no longer needs the property, we continue to pay your rent for the rest of the term and place another household within the rules of the scheme. Nothing changes for you.
Rent Lift, for the full term. We arrange and pay for day-to-day repairs and maintenance and for keeping the certificates current. Buildings insurance remains with you as owner, and we tell you promptly if anything structural arises.
Yes, in most cases. Most mortgages require the lender’s consent before a property is let on a lease of this kind. We provide the lease terms in writing so you can ask, and we help with the paperwork. We do not sign until consent is in place.
Usually, yes. Most long leases permit subletting with the freeholder’s consent. We check the head lease with you and handle the request to the freeholder or management company. If consent cannot be obtained, we tell you before anything is signed.
Between two years and ten years and a day. You choose the term when you accept the offer. Longer terms suit owners who want the longest period of fixed income; shorter terms suit those who may want the property back sooner.
Yes. The property remains yours and can be sold with the lease in place, so the buyer takes over the rent. Talk to us first and we will supply what your solicitor needs.
A household placed by Birmingham City Council from its temporary accommodation list, usually a family. The council assesses the household and manages their placement and support. We manage the property, inspect it quarterly and remain the point of contact for repairs.
It is inspected against the full photographic inventory taken at the start. Fair wear and tear aside, it comes back in the condition we received it, with gas, electrical and energy certificates up to date. Any damage beyond wear and tear is put right by us before handover.
After the visit. We look at the property, its size, condition and location, then put a fixed monthly figure in writing. You are free to accept, decline or ask questions. There is no obligation at any stage before signing.
The rent is fixed for the term you choose. On longer leases we can include a review at agreed points, set out in the lease before signing. There are no surprise changes and no reductions during the term.
No. Most properties are taken unfurnished and we provide what the council requires, including white goods and flooring where needed. If the property is already furnished we can discuss keeping items in place.
We arrange gas safety, electrical (EICR) and energy performance certificates, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and any selective licence the ward requires. If you already hold valid certificates we use them. The cost of arranging new ones sits with us unless agreed otherwise.
We call within 24 hours of your enquiry and usually visit within a few days. A written offer follows the visit. If the property is ready to let and consents are in place, signing and handover can take place within a few weeks.