Find your new home
- Buy
- Rent
Why Rent through Oakfield?
Oakfield are one of the largest and most recognised letting agents in East Sussex and often the first letting agent tenants turn to when the time comes to find a rental property. We offer an extensive choice of houses and flats to rent in Hastings, Bexhill and Eastbourne to suit all budgets.
Our Marketing Consultants are always well informed about the properties we are marketing as well as the amenities and schools throughout East Sussex.
We are a letting agent with over 20 years experience in the property rental industry, as members of ARLA and the Property Ombudsman, tenants know they are in the best hands when renting a property from us.
Get in touch with your local letting agent team who will be happy to help.
INFORMATION FOR TENANTS
Before we can let any of our properties we must ensure that you meet both ours and the Landlords requirements. To do this we carry out referencing and other checks on all our applicants.
Once you have viewed the property you’d like to rent and decided it is the one for you the next step is to place a holding deposit to secure it from the market. All properties are accepted on an ‘as seen’ basis and any issues will need to be brought to the attention of our Negotiator prior to proceeding. The payment of the holding deposit does not constitute a tenancy, or an offer of a tenancy, it is required to show a serious intention to proceed with the renting of the property.
Affordability
Before looking for a property to rent it is important to know your budget for a new property. To rent a property your annual gross income needs to be at least 2.5 times the annual rent, where there is more than one applicant then this would be based on your combined income. For ease we have a rent calculator tool here.
Financial stability
A credit check is carried out on all applicants and where there is a Guarantor they are also credit checked. The purpose of this check is to check for any bankruptcy orders, voluntary arrangements or county court judgements. In the event that you do have any of these or you think you might have adverse credit then advise us of this when you are putting your application forward so we can discuss your options.
Identification and Proof of Address
One of the first checks we have to make is to ensure that all Tenants over the age of 18 have the right to rent in the UK. This is a legal requirement and to make these checks we need to ensure we have a copy of your identification on file and that we have seen the original copy. A full list of the acceptable documents as well as information on right to rent can be found here.
As well as right to rent identification we may also require a document as proof of address, acceptable documents will need to be dated within 90 days and include the following;
- Council tax bill
- Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Credit card statement
- Letter from a Government department
References
The Lettings Hub carry out all referencing on behalf of Oakfield we work closely with you and them to ensure that the referencing process is quick and efficient for you.
What references do you need?
Employment reference – if you are employed we will require a reference from your employer confirming your employment along with your salary. In some circumstances we may also require a copy of your contract of employment, we will let you know if we need this but it might be worth ensuring you have this to hand in the event it is needed.
Self-Employment income – For all self-employed applicants we will require a reference from your accountant to confirm your annual income, in the event you do not have an accountant then we would accept your most recent tax return as proof of income. For all Applicants who have been self employed for less than 12 months a Guarantor will be required.
Unemployed – if you are currently not working then you will need to provide proof of income. If your income is made up of benefits then you will need to provide evidence of these payments the benefit income will need to meet our affordability requirements. If your income is made up of savings then we would need 6 months bank statements showing that you have consistently had 2.5 x the annual rent in savings for the past 6 months.
Retired – for all retired applicants we would need evidence that your income from Pensions meets our affordability requirements.
Landlord reference – If you are moving from another rental property or you have rented in the past then we will need a reference from your Landlord, this would need to be your most recent Landlord and confirm the rent has always been paid and the property was looked after.
Our requirements
As well as ensuring you meet our affordability requirements we also ask that our Tenants meet the following criteria;
- Be aged 18 or over
- Pay a deposit that is typically equal to one months rent or 5 weeks rent. Or take out a Zero DepositGuarantee
- Pay one month’s rent in advance
Guarantors
In the event a Guarantor is required, they will be credit checked and referenced the same as our Tenants to ensure that they meet our requirements. We require a Guarantor to be a Homeowner earning at least 2.5 x the annual rent.
Contact us
If you are looking for a house or flat to rent in Eastbourne, Hastings, Bexhill or throughout East Sussex, get in touch with us today and we will help you find your ideal rental property suited to your requirements.
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT US
Sam
Sam At Oakfield has literally been a God send .Not only has he helped us secure our dream property at the Sovereign Harbour Eastbourne but has exceeded our expectations. His knowledge and flexibility around viewings has been first class as has his assistance in securing our dream property. I would recommend Sam and Oakfield 100% for either selling or purchasing a property and my daughter will definitely be using them to hopefully purchase her first property within the next year.
Massive Thank You Sam
Nattasha
I recently completed on my house purchase with Oakfield, Bexhill. Everyone I met or spoke to had a sunny disposition, always upbeat and helpful. Nattasha dealt predominately with my purchase, who was always honest, friendly and proactive. Thank you to Oakfield for helping this process go as smoothly as possible. 5 stars.
Danielle and Georgia
Oakfield have adopted excellent staff from Smart Property and their team will be strengthened hugely by their new members. You guys are amazing.
Lucy
Me and my partner have been looking at moving for over a year now due to being in a very small property and with children wasn’t practical, we met Lucy White in June/July last year, we are so grateful to Lucy she is so understanding and helpful we felt like we could be really honest with her. we took a break from last year till now to sort ourselves out but recently went back to Lucy at oakfield and we now are currently in the process over the next few weeks of moving into a lovely spacious property thanks to her.. I most certainly couldn’t have asked for a better service. We are so grateful to you Lucy at oakfield and would recommend to anybody else trying to let/buy.
Lucy
Couldn’t recommend Lucy enough, Lucy was so helpful and made the process so easy and stress free! Me and my partners first flat together and was unaware of how the process worked and how much there was to it but Lucy was incredible and helped us understand anything we wasn’t sure on!
Phil Hall and Team
What should have been a straightforward sale with a cash buyer ran into huge difficulties and delays. With unfailing tenacity, professionalism and expertise, Oakfield got us through to exchange…with Phil Hall and his team, you are in safe hands.
Lauren Vousden & Heather Basson
We are very pleased with Oakfield Eastbourne having sold a property. Heather Basson did the negotiation and then Lauren Vousden supported us every step of the way. I felt I could trust them and sought Lauren’s advice a lot during the sale. Special mention should go to Rebecca Green who always answered the phone promptly and passed on messages to and from the branch efficiently. I would,and have, recommended Oakfield for both buying,selling and letting.
Lucy White
Finding a home to move to can be stressful and this is the first time we have rented in many years. Lucy was supportive and clear in the information she gave. She was on time for appointments and responded promptly to enquiries and contacts.
She enabled the process step by step with a polite and friendly professional manner. The whole process was managed without any significant delays and I felt informed at every point.
Rebecca Green & Kate Plows
I have lived in an Oakfield property for three years and during that time, have had incredible support from the team there. They have always been thoroughly professional and helpful with whatever queries I had. I had very few problems with the property during my tenancy but when I did encounter an issue, they were always quick to resolve it. The team have maintained a great communication with me throughout my tenancy and have always been very friendly. The only reason I have moved property is because my landlord wished to sell. This was something I was given plenty of notice of, and was at no stage pressured into vacating the property.
Amy Williams
From our first meeting I was sure Amy was a kind and consumate professional. She listened to what I had to say in regards to what kind of property I wanted and responded immediatly, even arranging a viewing of a house three weeks before the original date I was given to see it. When problems emerged regarding my references she moved mountains to put our landladies mind at ease and was always on the end of the phone talking me throught what was going on. Couldn’t ask for a more helpful and friendly agent.
Charlotte Wilkinson MARLA
From my first phone call to Oakfields I have been impressed by the way Charlotte has dealt with my property. She was friendly, clear, informative, and precise, answering my questions and giving me extra (and needed) information. She kept me up to date, did what she said she’d do, and I trusted her advice and judgement. Overall my experience was an extremely positive one, and I’m happy recommending Charlotte and Oakfields.
Rachel Evans
I have been using Oakfield Block Management for about 10 months now and have found their service exceptional compared to our previous Management Company. Rachel and her team are very approachable and always willing to help. They seem extremely organised and definitely go that extra mile.
I don’t find myself having to chase this company. They appear to be very good at what they do and I would say they offer a polished service.
Charlotte Wilkinson MARLA
& Chloe Fox MARLA MNAEA
I approached Oakfield to find me a tenant for my property on a Let Only basis. I had been stung by an agent before, losing £1000 due to a bad situation the agent created, so I was very wary and asked a lot of questions throughout the process. I mainly dealt with Charlotte and Chloe, and they were a pleasure to work with. Helpful and keen to make sure I had all the information I needed, that set my mind at ease, and ultimately the process was followed through from start to finish in a positive and very professional manner. Their 5-star reputation is very well deserved, both as individuals and as a company
Callum Smith & Hannah Stanbridge
Callum tied up a sale vey quickly on my house, and also give me feed back after every viewing (which was not many, as he sold it so quick).
Hannah did a great job with the sale progression, updating me on every step. It was a nice and easy – no had nothing to worry about.
Excellent job done, I would completely recommend Oakfield. When I was ringing around other local agents – they were by far the most professional agent I spoke to
Chloe Fox MARLA MNAEA & Phil Hall ANEA
Mainly dealt with Chloe who was brilliant in helping us in what was a lengthy exchange and completion.
The sellers solicitors seemed very slow in dealing with enquiries from our side and whenever I asked Chloe to get in contact with the seller it always speeded things up and we was always kept in the loop.
She was brilliant and was working after hours to help us out!
Had some dealings with phill in Chloe’s absence and again always got prompt reply and communication.
Excellent from beginning to end. emails answered promptly. phone calls taken and returned promptly. cannot find fault with this excellent service.