Operational Handover Pack · Sold Tenanted
A converted, fully-fitted student HMO, let by the room and managed at arm's length through a local agent. The value is in the established processes — each section below covers one.
| Address | Infinity House, Shelton Old Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7RX |
|---|---|
| Configuration | 18 en-suite bedrooms · Ground (1–6), First (7–12), Second (13–18) |
| Shared areas | Kitchen/lounge and corridors per floor (heating zoned) |
| Use | Student HMO — full-time students, Staffordshire University and others |
| Academic year | Tenancies run 1 Sep – 31 Jul; some rooms carry summer tenancies or half-rent storage over the gap |
| Letting agent | Greenpad · 01782 422 300 · enquiries@greenpad.co.uk |
| Sale basis | Tenants in situ — existing ASTs and processes continue |
| Listing | Infinity House on greenpad.co.uk |
Let room-by-room on individual ASTs, sourced and managed by Greenpad. Owner's role is oversight: fill rooms each year, check rents match, keep exemption paperwork current.
| Continued tenancy | Same student, next year, no gap. Exemption re-submitted; no council tax due. |
|---|---|
| Summer storage | Belongings stored between tenancies — typically half rent. |
| Summer letting | Room re-let short-term; Greenpad seeks permission first. |
| Summer tenancy | Student stays across summer at full rent. |
| Early leavers | Liable for remaining period plus re-let fee, unless they find a replacement. |
| Visa cases | Extension must clear before expiry or tenant vacates by expiry date. |
| Dual-occupancy | Only the head tenant's details used for the council tax submission. |
| Voids | Any empty period between tenants = owner liable for council tax on the gap (Section 3). |
Current tenancy schedule and signed ASTs transfer on completion, subject to data-protection handling for tenant data.
The building's most important recurring process. All occupiers are full-time students, so it qualifies for full exemption — but only while paperwork supports it, and only if re-established each year. Miss it and the owner pays.
A property occupied solely by full-time students is exempt (Class N). Not automatic — claimed, evidenced, renewed. As an HMO, liability for any council tax due sits with the owner, not tenants.
Resets every academic year and depends on current certificates. Two risks: (1) a room sitting empty (owner liable for the gap), (2) certificates expiring before submission. Treat the Sep–Oct submission as a fixed annual deadline.
The online form needs a phone number and email per tenant (held on the ASTs) before it proceeds. On any void, check the council tax bill matches the recorded void period so only the correct period is paid.
Account references (per floor) and portal access transfer securely on completion.
A small set of roles. You slot your team into the owner/management side; agent and on-site roles continue with the building.
In place · continues
Sources and manages tenants, issues ASTs, chases certificates, does weekly visits, coordinates contractor access, relays maintenance. First point of contact for tenant- and building-facing matters.
Greenpad, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE · 01782 422 300 · enquiries@greenpad.co.uk
Resident student · changes yearly
A tenant who inspects and reports weekly (Section 9), and handles hands-on tasks like heating battery swaps.
Transfers to you
Oversight of the letting cycle, exemption, compliance, utilities and warden-reported issues — the role you're stepping into.
Conversion contractor, roofing contact (Section 8), and Greenpad's handyman for minor fixes. Current details provided directly on completion.
Room-by-room smart control keeps running costs down. One ongoing task: it's battery-powered, so batteries need monitoring and replacing.
The system is battery-powered throughout: a smart valve (TRV) on every radiator and a motion sensor in every bedroom. Quantities for a full replacement:
| Radiator valves (TRV) | Motion sensors |
|---|---|
| 2 × AA per valve | 1 × CR123 per sensor |
| 18 bedroom · 18 en-suite · 3 corridor · 3 kitchen · 2 lounge radiators = 44 valves | One in each bedroom = 18 sensors |
| 88 × AA for a full set | 18 × CR123 for a full set |
Battery levels are reviewed on a monthly cycle; any unit that reads low is flagged and the warden is asked to swap it. Standard cells throughout.
"Device not found" — usually a flat battery; replace. Radiator stuck on — valve popped off its thread; re-seat on site. Both quick.
Platform logins transfer securely on completion.
Multi-camera CCTV, viewable live and reviewable remotely on desktop and mobile.
| System | Multi-camera CCTV, entrances and common areas, desktop software |
|---|---|
| Capabilities | Live view + historic playback/download by camera and time |
| Remote access | Live view and playback over the internet |
Live view and playback on mobile through the HiLook app (also available as desktop software).
Camera details and credentials transfer securely on completion.
An 18-bed HMO carries a steady compliance load. Live certificates and renewal dates sit with the legal pack; this is the operational rhythm.
| Rolling / annual | Gas, electrical, fire & life-safety on their own cycles — in a compliance tracker. |
|---|---|
| Every autumn | Council tax exemption re-established (Section 3). Certificates Sept, submission Sep–Oct. |
| Weekly | Warden report (Section 9); Greenpad visit. |
| Monthly-ish | Heating battery review (Section 5). |
| Periodic | Water meter reads on request (Section 10). |
The HMO licence is personal to the current licence holder and cannot be transferred with the sale. The new owner must apply to Stoke-on-Trent City Council for their own licence — start this as early as possible, ideally before completion (Section 13).
The live certificate set sits with the legal pack. Buildings insurance does not transfer — the buyer arranges their own cover (Section 13). Load every renewal date into one calendar on day one.
How the flat roof is reached, for repairs or inspection.
Buildings insurance does not transfer on sale, so any previous roof-inspection condition falls away. The buyer should confirm what, if anything, their own insurer requires for the flat roof (Section 13).
A built-in early-warning system: a resident warden inspects and reports weekly. Cheap, effective, worth keeping.
No report for 10+ days is itself the flag — usually the form has stopped (warden moved on); re-establish via Greenpad.
The weekly inspection is a Google Form that automatically emails Greenpad the moment it is submitted. The form and its notification setup must be transferred to the buyer, or recreated by them, so the weekly report keeps reaching the agent.
Landlord-provided and included in the rents — standard for a student HMO. Suppliers are below; the one recurring task that needs a person is the periodic water meter read.
| Gas & electricity | Pozitive Energy |
|---|---|
| Water | Metered — meter in the basement (reading process below) |
| Internet | Virgin Media broadband, distributed through a Ubiquiti mesh network across the building |
| TV Licence | Each student arranges their own; the landlord holds the licence for the shared lounge only |
Several key lock boxes are sited around the property, and the front-door entrance has a keypad code. All codes are provided on handover.
Take opening meter readings and notify each supplier of the change of ownership at completion (Section 13). Confirm which supplier holds each account and where the meter-read obligation sits.
A snapshot of any open repairs or known issues as at the day of transfer — so nothing already in progress is lost in the handover.
This section is left open on purpose. It is filled in on the day of completion with any live maintenance items — outstanding repairs, jobs already booked with contractors, and anything the buyer should pick up immediately.
| Open items | [to be completed on the day of transfer] |
|---|
This pack explains how the building runs. The following transfer securely on or around completion so your team can operate from day one.
The property's marketing channels come across too — Facebook and YouTube — along with the Greenpad listing. See the buyer checklist (Section 13) for the first-week actions.
The essential first actions to keep the building compliant and running from day one. Tick them off as you go.
