What You Need To Know

Property guardianship is different from renting in the private sector as the main role of a guardian is to protect the property they are in from squatters and anti social behaviour and to keep an eye out for maintenance issues. This can be done by living in them as your home, so this doesn’t mean that you need to be there 24/7, but we are seeking reliable and flexible people who will look after the property.

The two legal differences between property guardians and tenants are:
1. the notice period to leave the building is just 28 days and there are fewer rights to contest this in court
2. they agree to a non-exclusive possession of the property (which means that the property guardian company or the property owner can enter the property without giving notice).

Crucially, outside these two differences, property guardians are entitled to the same protection as tenants with regard to health and safety, fire and HMO legislation as well as from the Protection from Eviction Act.

Properties are empty for a variety of reasons. For example the landlord may be changing the use of the property, redeveloping it, or even knocking it down. This process can be lengthy so in the meantime properties often stand empty and unused.

If the property owner needs the property back, then we will give you 28 days’ notice to leave. We will always try and rehouse guardians who are doing great voluntary work. However, this isn’t always possible so we cannot make any guarantees.

We pay considerable attention to attracting good people and the attention to detail in our vetting process means that our property guardians feel a strong connection to each other. Strong friendships and communities are created by Dot Dot Dot guardians.

To ensure that we are providing a great service to everyone involved, our Relationship Managers look after a smaller number of people and buildings than is normal in the sector. If you become a property guardian with Dot Dot Dot, you will know you are being looked after.

We also believe that consistency, predictability and transparency are key to providing an excellent property guardian service. In 2016 we published the standards we work to when providing housing to guardians.

Volunteering can seem like a surprising add-on to the list of requirements for Dot Dot Dot property guardians, however it is at the heart of our approach:

1. As a social enterprise, part of our mission is to create social value through the way we work. Supporting the volunteering efforts of our guardians is the way we do that.
2. People who consistently volunteer for charities and community groups are by definition conscientious, good people. This means they are particularly suited to being property guardians, as they will look out for the building and their neighbours.
3. Volunteering is not just for saints. It has a significant positive difference on the lives of people who undertake it – learning new skills, building new connections and finding a new focus. With time and money freed up by the reduced living costs involved in being a Dot Dot Dot guardian, you are able to give time to causes you care about.

No, not all of our guardians come to us with a volunteering experience or a set idea of what they want to be involved in. All we ask is that you are committed to starting, and we will give you help and support to find an opportunity.

If you do already volunteer, that’s great. We don’t ask you to start any new roles, and we love to hear from people who are already making a social impact and would like cheaper housing.

Yes but they will need to go through our application process too and be able to pay their own deposit and fees. There is a discount for couples, but fees are not halved.

It’s fine to have a couple of friends over now and then or to have a partner staying over occasionally.

Parties are absolutely not OK and this means having no more than three guests at a time.

We do not have a blanket response to applications from people on benefits. What is important for us is that our property guardians have a reliable source of funds in order to cover the licence fee and living costs.

However, we are transparent that our approach is not appropriate for everyone. We published a blog post on our website in 2017 entitled “Under the hood: who can be a property guardian with Dot Dot Dot?”, which goes into more detail on this point.

We are often unable to provide housing to people who exclusively rely on benefits in order to pay their licence fee, because there is the potential for timeframes of people’s housing with us to be much quicker and shorter than the benefit system can facilitate. In a time of housing shortage, we understand that this is not a perfect position. We are working with specialist providers in order to improve the journey for people in housing need to become Dot Dot Dot guardians and we will share more information when these partnerships are ready.

Yes, definitely. People who are up for living in a shared flat or house or sharing facilities in a large building will be invited to view a wider range of properties across the country and these are by far our most affordable options.

Don’t be nervous about meeting people; we’ll get you chatting to potential housemates at viewings and encourage you to follow up with those who you thought you’d be up for living with.

All of our Dot Dot Dot guardians go through the same application and checks process and generally have common ground because they’ve opted in to our approach and way of living. As Kit in Croydon put it, “Once I knew that everyone was up for 16 hours of volunteering a month, I felt pretty confident they’d be great, considerate housemates, and they are.”

We have always been transparent about our licence fees and we have never charged additional sign up costs or administration charges. As a Dot Dot Dot guardian, you will need to pay a deposit, your monthly licence fee and your utility bills and council tax.

Deposit

Each guardian will need to pay a security deposit before they sign up. This is calculated based on 5 weeks of fees, which will vary from property to property. For example:

• if the monthly fee is £500, then the deposit will be £500 x 12 ÷ 52 x 5 = £576.92.
• if the fee is £700, then the deposit will be £700 x 12 ÷ 52 x 5 = £807.69.

Where our fees are inclusive of Council Tax or utilities, these will be factored into deposit calculation.

We return deposits within 28 days of receiving all necessary information. We will only make reasonable deductions if there are belongings left behind, you haven’t paid your bills or there is significant damage to your property. Apart from in these cases, we have a consistent record of returning deposits in full without any deductions.

Fees

We have no administration or sign up fees.

Each guardian will need to pay a monthly licence fee, which varies according to location, size and amenities.

Utilities and council tax

In most cases, it is guardians’ responsibility to set up, and pay for the utilities (gas, electric, water) and council tax for where they are living.

In some of our properties, however, bills are included. We will specify what bills are included on the relevant property page.

Dispute resolution

We are members of The Property Ombudsman Scheme, which gives our guardians confidence that we have systems in place and gives them access to a redress scheme if and when Dot Dot Dot’s complaints process does not resolve the situation satisfactorily.

The 28 days notice goes both ways, you can give us notice if your situation changes and you need to move on.

Most of our properties are flats but we do have some more unusual commercial spaces which have included offices and an old GP’s surgery. Take a look at our current properties to see the types that we have available.

All of our properties are safe to live in and will have running water and electricity but some of them will need a little care and attention. They sometimes require a lick of paint, a good clean or a new floor covering, and we can give you tips on how to do this cheaply. We are always clear about the specific condition of each property.

No, most of our properties are unfurnished and have no white goods like ovens and fridges.

You might think that finding furniture can be daunting, but we’ve had a lot of experience helping guardians and can provide you with tips and tricks. Guardians often share things they no longer need with each other as well.

In most of our properties, yes, as long as you don’t make any structural changes. Painting and putting up shelves is great, and you have the freedom to be creative. Take a look at these blogs where guardians have made their space a home.

We protect properties for varying lengths of time, but typically our properties are available for 3-8 months. We rarely take on properties that are likely to be available for less than three months, and guardians can sometimes stay in properties for more than a year. However, as the notice is 28 days, we can only guarantee the property will be available for 28 days at any time.

This depends on the size of the property. Most of our guardians share with other guardians, but we do also get one bedroom properties for individuals or couples.