Housing |
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RENTING A PROPERTY
If you're considering renting in the UK for the first time, then it might be worth your while knowing a little bit about some of the options that are open to you in terms of the types of accommodation that are available for you to live in. This list is by no means exhaustive, as virtually any type of residential building can be found inhabited by rent paying tenants.
Halls, hostel or purpose built residence. University students and medical workers often have the option of living in a purpose built building that is occupied by other people from their academic or professional establishment. The exact nature of the living space can vary, but the most common scenario is to find 4 to 6 individual lockable rooms in a flat with a shared kitchen and bathroom. There is sometimes a lounge in the flat, though it is equally likely that there will be a shared common area for each floor of the building or each separate block. Many hostels work in much the same way, but allow people to stay for nightly, weekly or monthly durations.
Council accommodation. Council owned accommodation can take many shapes and forms. When most people conjure up a mental image of a council owned property, they probably think of large blocks of flats on a sprawling estate, or a terraced house on a street with hundreds of other identical properties. Many council properties are like this, but not all of them. Cumulatively, local authorities are one of the largest landowners in Britain, and so the type and range of properties they own is as diverse as you might expect. The quality and condition of the place you end up with is very much down to chance and the overall standard of the area you live in.
Lodging. It is still quite common for people to take in a lodger. The landlord may be renting a room out for one of a number of reasons: they may be an 'empty nester' (someone whose children have left home) with rooms to spare; they may simply be in need of some company or extra money; it could be a couple that have bought a bigger flat than they should have, and have found themselves financially overstretched, or it could be a family taking on a student or worker.
Bedsits. For many people, living in a bedsit is the first foray into the private rental sector. As with everything, standards vary, but all bedsits are much the same in concept. Essentially, you have one main self-contained small unit to live in. This will come with a living area which doubles as a bedroom and a mini kitchen area that is also part of the same room. You should also get a basic (and small) bathroom, but it is not uncommon to find a communal bathroom and kitchen shared between two or more bedsits in a building.
Studios. There is fine line between a studio and a bedsit. In fact, many people who apply to view a rental property that is advertised as a studio really find that it is a bedsit they are going to view. Essentially, a studio flat should always have bathroom and kitchen facilities. The kitchen may or may not be in a separate room to the main living area, but often will be. There should be no shared facilities with a studio flat and you should have your own lockable entrance door. Studio flats are more expensive than bedsits and often more spacious.
Flat or house share. A flat or house share is where people live together in a private residence and share all the facilities - the kitchen, living room, bathroom and any garden there may be. People living in such arrangements will normally share responsibility for payment of bills and council tax for the property. Flat or house shares are often arrangements favoured by groups of friends, though it is not uncommon for people that don't know each other to live in a shared house. You can even find many situations where some people know each other and some don't. The property itself can be anything from a two bedroom flat to an eight-bedroom house. As a rule of thumb, the more people, the better value.
Flat or house sole tenancy. This is exactly like a flat or house share, but without the other residents! There are a large number of individuals, couples and families that rent a property without sharing the responsibilities, costs or facilities with anyone else.
Some people have a very clear idea of where they want to live. They may be moving near to or in with friends or relatives, moving to a bigger or smaller home near to where they already live, or maybe moving to be close to work. Having a fixed area that you want to live in is great if there are suitable properties for rent in your price bracket. But if your tastes or needs are unusual, or there simply aren't many suitable properties available, your lack of flexibility could become frustrating. Either way, it certainly removes one of the major early activities in the house hunting process - deciding where you want to live. For those that are able to be flexible, the right choice of area can make the difference between happiness and horror, so think carefully about what you want from an area and why. The more time you spend in defining where you want to live, the easier it will be to focus your search, especially if there are quite a few potentially suitable areas. Make a checklist of all the factors that are important to you and then try to prioritise them. Spend a little time researching how some different areas square up under your most important headings.
Transport. Transport and connectivity is often one of the more important factors used to narrow down a search. If you are commuting then good rail or road access is vital. If peace and tranquillity is your thing, then you don't want to be a stone's throw from an airport.
Crime. Very few people want to move into an area with a high crime rate. The level of crime in an area can have wide ranging effects, from making you uncomfortable walking the streets, extremely wary of who your kids make friends with, to being downright scared in your own home. Crime can rip the soul out of a community and turn people's lives upside down.
Amenities. If you like the idea of leading a high-energy lifestyle but can't really be bothered all the time, you probably want as many things to do as close to home as possible. Or maybe you've got a special interest that is important to you that requires certain facilities such as golf or aerobics. Maybe you're not that mobile any more, don't drive and find it hard to get around. Think about what needs you have and whether an area will be able to meet them.
Physical landscape. Whether it's the seaside air, rolling green countryside, coastal cliffs, pretty woodland, or a modern urban jungle, most people know what they like to see when they draw the curtains in the morning. It can be worthwhile giving some consideration to the physical appearance of the area in which you want to live.
Neighbours. We all know that you can choose your friends and that you can't choose your family. But what about the neighbours? Over friendly, noisy, intrusive, argumentative, grumpy, nosey, untidy, competitive and downright rude - these are just some of the complaints that our neighbours have about us. Okay maybe not, but there is no real way of knowing what the neighbours will be like before you decide on a particular property, unless you are buying in an extremely sparsely populated area. The best course of action to follow is to talk to people. Again, this is not really possible if you are planning a long-distance move. But if you get the chance, talking to people in shops or in the vicinity of your new home can be a great indicator of what the people are actually like.
Check it out. It may not be possible for you to visit an area until it is time to start looking for somewhere to rent, especially if you are relocating some distance from where you live now. But the very least you can do is your homework on the area, especially as so many web sites make it easy to do on the Internet.
When to look. If you supply your details to an agent in advance of your search, most will not contact you until a few of weeks before you are due to move. That said, private landlords that do not rely on an agent are more prone to advance preparation and will often advertise their property a month or so before it becomes available. The advert should include the date on which the property is due to fall vacant.
Whose property? You basically have the options of renting through a lettings agent and renting directly from the landlord of the property. Of course, you don't necessarily have to exclusively choose one or other whilst you are searching, but you hopefully will not end up renting from both, as that could get expensive. Renting from a landlord is different to renting from an agent and the search mechanisms are slightly different too.
Furnished or unfurnished? One of the decisions you will have to face when entering the rental market is whether to go for a furnished or an unfurnished property. One of the biggest myths surrounding unfurnished properties is that they are much cheaper to rent. This is not true. There may be a slight price difference, but if it exists at all, it is just that - slight. Why then would you inconvenience yourself with the burden of having to buy all the furniture, fittings, equipment and everything else that is a part of modern day life? Here are three reasons for starters:
You may already have all of those things having already been living in unfurnished owned or rental property.
You have the advantage of not having to put up with the style selection of the landlord, which can often be far removed from your own.
You are less likely to lose your deposit. If all of the contents of the house are your own, then you have less of a worry about damaging the landlord's possessions and losing all or part of your bond money.
A couple of points to note:
Landlords are sometimes willing to furnish a property if the property has been vacant for a while and is proving difficult to let out.
Unfurnished doesn't always mean stark raving naked. You are fairly likely to get kitchen appliances and there may be other things such as wardrobes and even beds. Such properties sometimes get referred to as part furnished, but not always.
There is one other common scenario worth avoiding that involves unfurnished property. If you are renting an unfurnished flat, make sure that all any furniture left behind by the previous occupants is removed at the outgoing tenants' cost BEFORE you move in. If you don't do this, you will be liable for removing it at the end of your tenancy. Landlords will charge you the earth for removing property on your behalf, regardless of whether it was yours and regardless of whether they actually move it.
Lettings negotiators will often promise to have this sort of thing done, but it may not actually get done in the eventuality of you moving in. Make sure that if you agree to have anything delivered or taken away that it is included in the tenancy agreement and signed by the negotiator and yourself as a rider.
Here is some advice if you are thinking of renting a furnished property:
The standard of furnishing will vary across the properties that you view. Student houses will generally be kitted out with well-worn furniture and items that can't even remember when they last saw better days, it was so long ago. Then again, many rental properties are finished to such a high standard; you resent having people round for fear of disturbing the immaculate pristine new ambience.
Find out what's included. A furnished property may be completely decked out with TV, video, hi-fi, beds, bedding, curtains, carpets, wardrobes, washing machine and every other conceivable home comfort. Then again, since the industry is unregulated you will always get the odd landlord who attempts to take the Mickey and provide a furnished flat that comes with little more than a bathtub, a carpet and a bed. Be warned.
If there are certain things provided that you do not need as you already have your own ones, such as a bed, make sure that you get your landlord or agent to agree in writing to remove the unwanted item.
Check if the furnishings are fire regulated. They should be, and any lettings agent is required by law to make sure they are checked, but they can sometimes be lax over this issue.
Bear in mind that appliances will not be tested for you. It may look like you have a microwave, but if you move in only to find that it doesn't work, then you only have yourself to blame for not checking it when you viewed the property.
Finally, if you get carried away in a drunken fit of wildness, leading to you breaking up some furniture and burning it in the garden expect to lose your deposit.
Renting privately. A lot of people choose to rent directly from the landlord themselves, without paying for an intermediary. As ever, most people are reasonably happy with the solution they choose, but there are always a fair share of nightmares and horror stories, especially where private residential property rentals are concerned. The thing to remember is that the rented accommodation industry is largely unregulated. There are a reasonable number of laws in place to protect both tenants and landlords, but that does little to stop rogue landlords practicing their ploys, scams and schemes. Private landlords have no requirement to belong to any professional body or trade association and they have no reputation to uphold. This makes them more able to fleece you. Read about some of the bond scams that we have heard about. It also gives you little hope of any comeback if anything untoward does happen. Private landlords are also less likely to stick to health and safety, fire or gas regulations, so you should be extra vigilant when you check over the property before moving in.
Property search. If you have enough time and enough money, there are enough places to look for property to keep you occupied full time. Searching online is one of the easier ways to do it, but you are generally spoilt for choice if you don't have much joy with that route. There are a whole host of printed publications that can be a useful resource in finding that perfect place:
Free local press. Excellent for finding a range of local lettings agents.
Regional newspapers such as the Evening Standard, The Liverpool Echo or The Manchester Evening News will contain a mixture of private landlords and lettings agents.
Classifieds such as Loot and diamond free ads also contain a mixture of private landlords and lettings agents.
National press have property sections on specific days, though the rental homes tend to be for relatively high monthly sums.
There are specialist property publications, often with a regional focus, that are dedicated solely to advertising properties for sale and to let in the area.
Once again, bear in mind that not all adverts are genuine. Many lettings agents and private landlords will place adverts for non-existent properties, or homes that they have already let. They do this simply to try to attract you to their other properties.
Letting agents. Going direct to the lettings agents can be one of the most fruitful methods of finding a place. There are quite a few tricks and tips involved in dealing with lettings agents.
In the area. As with choosing an area in which to rent, one of the best ways to go about finding property is to actually go to the place you are interested in and have a look around:
Try to spot 'To let' signs. Many of the houses that are available at the time will have them. Then it's just a case of giving an agent a ring and having a look around.
You might well find lettings agents locally that do not advertise anywhere. There are still quite a few independent estate agents who have no website and don't actively promote their property portfolio, relying on word of mouth and passers by for their custom.
Relocation agents. The easiest - if most expensive - way to find a property to rent is to get someone to do it for you. If you are moving in relation to work, it is possible that your company may organise this for you. Even if they don't you can find plenty of relocation agents in the private sector. There are some on the web too.
Shop window & notice boards. Community centres, supermarkets, libraries and newsagents may all carry adverts from members of the public, rooms to let are one of the more common adverts found.
Accommodation registers. Some areas have accommodation centres run by the local council. They will have lists of local lettings agents and private landlords and some may even keep a list of properties that are available to rent. Many landlords will often contact local accommodation agencies as a cheap or free way of advertising their properties. Do not assume that just because a landlord is listed here that they will be a good landlord.
Personal contacts. Personal contacts, friends, family and colleagues can all be an occasional source of knowledge about people with rooms or properties available to rent out.
The process of getting in. Thankfully, the process for getting into a rented property is a lot more straightforward than it is when you are buying a place to live in. The basic steps can be outlined as follows:
1. Find it
2. View it
3. Put down holding deposit
4. Be referenced
5. Pay bond money & first rental instalment
6. Wait for check to clear if it is not a banker's draft
7. Get inventory (should be at this stage but is often later)
8. Sign agreement
9. Transfer utility accounts (not always done at this stage)
10. Get keys & move in
Things tenants should know
Take along a friend to view a property for a second opinion.
You will have to pay at least a month's rent in advance and a deposit of up to six weeks to cover potential damage. The letting agent holds this if there is one.
You must abide by the tenancy agreement that you should read carefully before you sign. This must comply with the Housing Act 1988.
The tenancy agreement is a legally binding document that states the length of the tenancy, amount of rent, and your rights and responsibilities.
If there is not a rent book, keep a record of all your payments to the landlord.
If insurance is included in the rent ask for a summary of the insurance cover.
Your landlord has a duty to carry out repairs.
You have a reciprocal duty to take care of the property.
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