Operational Handover Pack · Sold Tenanted
Infinity House 18-bed student HMO, Stoke-on-Trent. Handed over as a running operation with tenants in situ.
Property at a glance
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 |
| Rent basis | Let per room, inclusive of all bills — gas, electricity, water and broadband are landlord-provided (Section 10) |
| Academic year | Tenancies run 1 Aug – 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 |
Tenancies & the letting model
Let room-by-room on individual ASTs, sourced and managed by Greenpad. Rents are inclusive of all bills. Owner's role is oversight: fill rooms each year, check rents match, keep exemption paperwork current.
The cycle
- Tenancies renew each academic year (1 Aug – 31 Jul). Filling rooms ahead of the new academic year is the year's most time-sensitive task.
- Greenpad issues each AST in two stages — unsigned first, signed copy later (up to ~7 days).
- Each room is tracked: tenant, start/end dates, rent, exemption certificate received.
- Rent achieved is checked against the agreed rate; mismatches or part-year tenancies are queried.
Recurring situations
| 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 half 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.
Council tax — the exemption
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.
Principle
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.
- All students → 100% exemption (submit evidence for every occupied room).
- All but one → 25% discount.
- Certificates expire after 2 months — submissions timed to have as full a set as possible.
Each year
- Collect exemption certificates per tenant from the start of the year (chased via Greenpad).
- Log each against its room.
- Claim with Stoke-on-Trent City Council — schedule of tenants + move-in dates, ASTs, certificates.
- Three separate council tax accounts, one per floor — submissions and bills handled floor by floor.
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.
Who does what
A small set of roles. You slot your team into the owner/management side; agent and on-site roles continue with the building.
Greenpad — letting & local agent
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
On-site warden
Resident student · changes yearly
A tenant who inspects and reports weekly (Section 9), and handles hands-on tasks like heating battery swaps.
Owner / management
Transfers to you
Oversight of the letting cycle, exemption, compliance, utilities and warden-reported issues — the role you're stepping into.
Cleaner — “E&C Clean”
In place · managed by Greenpad
Cleans the communal areas regularly and carries out end-of-tenancy cleans. Booked and coordinated through Greenpad.
Emma Kamara · emmakamara51@gmail.com · Carla Savatovich · carla.savatovich@gmail.com
Conversion contractor, roofing contact (Section 8), and Greenpad's handyman for minor fixes. Current details provided directly on completion.
Heating & smart controls
Room-by-room smart control keeps running costs down. One ongoing task: it's battery-powered, so batteries need monitoring and replacing.
Setup
- Each bedroom has a smart TRV plus motion sensor — heating responds to occupancy.
- Radiators in bedrooms, en-suites, corridors, kitchens, lounges — all zoned.
- Administered online across three logins, one per floor.
Batteries & full-replacement quantities
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.
CCTV & remote access
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 |
Viewing app
Live view and playback on mobile through the HiLook app (also available as desktop software).
Camera details and credentials transfer securely on completion.
Compliance & the annual cycle
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). |
Compliance documents
The current certificates live in a shared Google Drive folder. Individual documents are linked below for quick reference. [links to be added]
Open the compliance documents folderThe 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 15).
Because the property operates CCTV and holds tenant personal data, the operator must be registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and pay the annual data-protection fee. This does not transfer — the new owner must register in their own name and pay the fee (Section 15).
The live certificate set sits with the legal pack. Buildings insurance does not transfer — the buyer arranges their own cover (Section 15). Load every renewal date into one calendar on day one.
There is no local landlord accreditation scheme to join — the previous Stoke-on-Trent scheme was wound up in 2023. The HMO licence remains the operative permission.
Roof access
How the flat roof is reached, for repairs or inspection.
Getting onto the roof
- Access via a top-floor roof light, by ladder.
- The roof light is linked to the fire alarm — the alarm is taken out of service to open it; Greenpad coordinates with tenants and any contractor.
- Secured by a finger-tight nut and bolt; it must be re-secured afterwards.
- Access is arranged through Greenpad, who contact the roofing contractor used previously.
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 15).
On-site warden & weekly reporting
A built-in early-warning system: a resident warden inspects and reports weekly. Cheap, effective, worth keeping.
- Warden is a tenant (student); role typically changes yearly.
- Weekly (ideally Friday) they complete a short form flagging any building or tenant issue.
- On submission it automatically emails Greenpad (and any wider distribution list).
- Routine: check each week's report against the "all normal" baseline; anything different goes to the team.
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.
Utilities & meter readings
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 · SMETS2 smart meters |
|---|---|
| Water | Water Plus — 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 |
Meter & stopcock locations
| Gas meter & ECV | Basement lounge — half-height cupboard under the windows (Emergency Control Valve alongside) |
|---|---|
| Electric meter & consumer unit | Cupboard inside the building's front door, on the left |
| Water meter & stopcock | Boiler cupboard in the lounge — through the lounge door, on the right |
Cupboard keys are held in the key safes — see Section 12 for safe locations and contents.
Water meter reading
- Water supplier periodically requests a reading.
- Meter is in the lounge boiler cupboard, so Greenpad photographs it on their next visit — reading and serial number both legible.
- Reading submitted to the supplier and logged; next statement checked to confirm.
Key safes, cupboard keys and the door keypad codes are covered in full in Section 12 — Keys & access codes. All codes are provided on handover.
Take opening meter readings and notify each supplier of the change of ownership at completion (Section 15). Confirm which supplier holds each account and where the meter-read obligation sits.
Inventory & contents
What comes with the building, room type by room type. For the definitive record, Greenpad hold a dated, photographic inventory for every room.
Bedrooms (each)
- 1× bed (sizes vary by room)
- Bedside table (some rooms have a desk at the bedside)
- Desk and chair
- Wardrobe and drawers
Communal & service areas
| Lounge | 1× 5-seater sofa · 8× metal stools · 6× plastic chairs · 1× coffee table · 1× wooden & metal table · 1× TV |
|---|---|
| Kitchens (each) | 2× bins · 2× fridge-freezers · 1× washing machine · 1× tumble drier |
| Cleaning supplies | 2× vacuum cleaners · 2× mop and bucket |
| Bin store | 6× bins |
Greenpad carry out a photographic check-in and check-out inventory for all new tenants. For clarification on any room, check Greenpad's photographic inventory for that room.
Appliance manuals
Manuals for the appliances and equipment are collected in one Google Drive folder.
Open the appliance manuals folderKeys & access codes
A nested set of key safes holds the keys to every room and service cupboard. Codes and the physical keys are provided on handover; Greenpad also hold a full set at their offices.
Key safes
| Key Safe 1 | Bottom of the cupboard next to Room 1. Contains the keys to the lounge under-stairs cupboard and to the two key safes inside it (Safes 2 & 3). Start here. |
|---|---|
| Key Safes 2 & 3 | Inside the walk-in cupboard under the stairs in the lounge. Contain the keys to all rooms. Reached using the keys from Key Safe 1. |
| Key Safe 4 | Next to the gas meter, in the half-height cupboard in the lounge. Contains the keys to the adjacent CCTV cupboard, the basement boiler cupboard, and the 2nd-floor boiler cupboard. |
Door codes
| Front door | Keypad entry code — [provided on handover] |
|---|---|
| Bin store internal door | Keypad code — [provided on handover] |
Greenpad hold a full set of keys at their offices. Cupboard keys for the meters and boilers are in the key safes above (Section 10 lists what each cupboard contains).
Live maintenance issues
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] |
|---|
What transfers on completion
This pack explains how the building runs. The following transfer securely on or around completion so your team can operate from day one.
Marketing & social channels transfer with the property
The established audience and listing come across too — keep them running from day one.
See the buyer checklist (Section 15) for the first-week actions that keep the building compliant and running.
Buyer checklist
The essential first actions to keep the building compliant and running from day one. Tick them off as you go.
- Apply for your own HMO licence.The existing licence cannot be transferred — apply to Stoke-on-Trent City Council as early as possible (Section 7).
- Arrange buildings insurance.The seller's policy does not transfer. Put your own cover in place for completion.
- Register with the ICO and pay the data-protection fee.Required because the property runs CCTV and holds tenant data — register in your own name (Section 7).
- Take meter readings and notify the suppliers.Gas & electricity (Pozitive Energy, SMETS2), water (Water Plus) and Virgin Media broadband — give each the change of ownership and opening reads (Section 10).
- Notify the council for council tax.Three floor accounts with Stoke-on-Trent City Council; re-establish the full-time-student exemption (Section 3).
- Transfer or recreate the warden Google Form.Keep the weekly inspection report flowing to Greenpad (Section 9).
- Collect all keys and access codes.Work through the key safes, cupboard keys and the front-door & bin-store codes (Section 12).
- Take over the app logins.CCTV — HiLook (Section 6); heating — Genius Hub, one login per floor (Section 5).
- Load every compliance renewal date into one calendar.Gas, electrical, fire and life-safety (Section 7).
- Pick up any live maintenance items.Work through the issues logged on the day of transfer (Section 13).
- Introduce your team to Greenpad.Your first point of contact for tenants and the building (Section 4).