Creating a joint tenancy

In Alto, you can create a joint tenancy where there are two or more tenants sharing a property. During this process, you can add additional tenants to a preparing tenancy and determine who will be the lead tenant.

This article includes: 

• Making a lettings property active to be able to add a tenancy
• Adding all applicants to be included on the joint tenancy
• Creating a joint tenancy
• How to share charges between the tenants

Making a lettings property active to be able to add a tenancy

Adding all applicants to be included on the joint tenancy

Once you have made your lettings property Available, you'll need to ensure that all applicants to be included in the joint tenancy, are in Alto.

Creating a joint tenancy

Once you've made your property available and added all your applicants, you can set up your joint tenancy. Follow the steps set out in Creating and starting a tenancy, but with the following differences.

How to make an offer

At this stage, you can choose a maximum of 2 applicants for the offer (you can add Tasks to link any other potential tenant records to the offer at this stage)

When you have accepted the offer

1. On the Tenancy Progressions screen, click Edit tenancy
2. The Tenancy Details window opens. Add additional tenants by typing the tenants name in the Search for Tenant bar, within the Tenant Names section
3. Click the tickbox alongside the tenants name to determine the lead tenant
4. All tenants added to the tenancy will appear in the Tenancy Agreement Names field. Enter the number of tenants in the No of Occupants field
5. Click Save

Receipting a holding deposit

When you receipt any monies or make any charges on a tenancy, Alto locks down the tenants associated with that tenancy. On preparing a joint tenancy where the shares haven't been finalised, you'll want to receipt any monies received onto the applicant record rather than onto the tenancy record.
For more information on Receipting monies on an applicant, click here
For more information on Receipting monies held on an applicant, click here
For more information on Receipting rent monies for an applicant, click here

When you are ready to Finalise the tenancy, you can move any held monies on the applicants records, but, don't actually pay the monies back to the applicant, go to the relevant tenancy.
For more information on Refunding an applicant, click here
For more information on Receipting money on a tenancy, click here

How to share charges between the tenants

When raising the initial invoice for this tenancy, the Charges for This Tenancy window opens, showing the charges for the deposit and initial rent. 

Once you reach the step How to finalise a tenancy to make it active, set out in Creating and starting a tenancy:

1. Click Edit next to the charge that you want to split between the tenants
2. Click Share Charge to share the charge between the tenants. Alto will automatically split the charge equally between all the tenants (you can edit the amount each tenant is responsible for, but these must add up to the total being charged)
3. Click the Options tab to add a Payment Reference and set whether to Produce and Send Documents automatically when the charge is raised
4. Click OK
5. To raise the charge now, click the relevant Raise Now tickbox(es)
6. Click Raise Selected
7. Confirm you want to continue by clicking Raise Selected

Related articles: 

Deposit and tenancy fee warning triangles

How to produce a tenancy agreement

Creating an Initial Invoice for a new tenancy

Renewing or editing a tenancy

Uploading documents to a tenancy