Some recent misfortune will probably see me having to rent a house on my own at some point next year. Having lived in provided accomodation for the last 10 years I am at a bit of a lose as to which direction to take when the inevitable finally happens.

Has anone got any tips on what to ask, look for when looking a flats/apartments to rent?

Cheers

Shaun

[Edited on 13/12/09 by prawnabie]

I've never rented a property myself and I'm probably going to state the bleeding obvious here but avoid Gumtree like the plague, don't pay a penny without seeing it and don't do anything in cash.

This probably sounds really dumb but I recently had a friends daughter come to me for advice as she had seen an amazing flat on Gumtree and when she called the guy told her someone else was looking at it but if she sent him £300 by Western Union he would reserve it for her. She duly sent him £300, then he asked for a further £300 to cover the fixtures and fittings........which she also duly sent via WU. She didn't come to see us until he asked for a further £150. She wanted my advice as a fraud investigator on what she should do, the short advice was go home, have a bit of a cry and wave goodbye to your £600!!

Ouch!

Good advice thank you!

If possible, always try and rent through an estate agent with a propper office and if possible a good reputation, and do everything through them.

Make sure you know precisly what you are renting, that might seem odd but I have made contact with agents to find things like integrated garages and driveways weren't included (On both occasions I simply said I wasn't intrested, the last thing you want is for someone else to be using a garage thats part of your house). Also check things like responsibilities and rights of way. Talk to the agent about what they think the vendors long term plans for the property are as the last thing you want is to find they bought the place as a short term investment and are going to sell it out from under you in a years time when you lease ends.

I'm in the same boat in that I've got to move soon and theres no way I can afford to buy, remember to think long term.

Also, avoid furnished places, white goods you want but you don't want to be leasing old tables and chairs that you could get for free.

Don't really have any solid advice apart from:

A lot of people that have their property rented out by lettings agents, receive (some or all) money whether someone is that property or not - so on't be pushed into going for something you don't want by the agent.

I'm sure I don't need to say this, but be respectful to your neighbours, they could own their property and make it difficult for you if they don't like you - Like I said, sure I didn't need to mention it...

ATB
Steve

My partner and I both have properties that we own but rent out due to trouble with ex's thinking they have part owbership (Grrrhhh) so we are landlords and manage our own properties. Due to the above situation we are also tennents and rrent the house we live in.

As a tennent then go through an agent. Biggest tip is NEGOTIATE and HAGGLE the price of the place you want. Like most other things for sale the price drop is usually built in to the asking price.

Good luck

My son & partner rent a house and I would totally agree go through an agent, make a list of what & what isn't include in the rent, agree about the maintainence ie who pays for what and the old "Fair wear & tear" as things neading replacing during the rental period.

I've rented since I left home in 1998 and now in my 7th place. Every time I say 'I'll buy next time', but renting is so much easier and stress free. Yes, you sink a lot of money down the drain and pay someone else's mortgage, but if you haggle it down, it's not *that* much more than a mortgage, lets you afford a place you would never get a mortgage on (value wise), and anything that goes wrong, you just pick up the phone and make it someone else's problem.

Anyway, bits of advice I'd give:

1. Avoid those 'new on the market' places where someone is renting out their old house and you're the first tenant in. Not only do they have their own expectations about how a tenancy should go, and have an emotional link to the house meaning they will be completely anal when it comes to wear and tear, they also often find they can't actually afford it, and towards the end of the first year, the 'for sale' sign will appear outside. This has happened to me twice!

2. The agent will take the first 6 weeks worth of rent depending on what they do in terms of management, so if you've got a seasoned landlord who manages the properties themselves, you can save an easy 10% by asking them to do an agreement direct. You can buy 'assured shorthold tenancy' packs from high street stationers that have all the contract documents in there for you both to sign

3. Don't ignore the hidden fees. The agent will charge you a contract fee (usually £50), credit reference fee (usually £30-odd for each name on the tenancy) plus you'll have to pay usually at least on of the check in and check out inventory at £100-ish (depending on size of house). All these costs are negotiable, and go in the agent's pocket (or a comission off them) so try to persuade the landlord that your previous reference (even if it's made up, they never check) is a good enough credit, that if it's unfurnished there is no need for an inventory, or that the landlord should pay for it, etc. It's all money off the bottom line!

4. Remember everything is negotiable, even the deposit. My last place was supposed to be £1500pcm with 2 months deposit. I paid 1 month deposit and £1150/month. This time of year is perfect for it too, as nobody wants to move around Christmas and landlords are faced with the reality that if their property hasn't rented by mid-December, it probably won't until at least March. Get in there now and push hard for a deal reminding them there will be three mortgage payments before March, that your discount only works out to X months over a year, 'Are you confident you'll have another tenant in here before Y date?' etc.

5. Don't be afraid to walk away if haggling doesn't work. You'll usually get a call back later from the agent

6. Don't believe a word a landlord says, they will do their best to avoid spending money. If you report a problem a couple of times (make sure it's in writing) and nothing happens, write a polite letter saying you are putting rent payments on hold in a seperate bank account until they comply with their duty. This works absolute wonders. If they do fix it, work out a price for your loss (eg if dishwasher breaks down, find out how much it would cost to rent one for that time period, get a written quote (or print out a web page) and knock the amount off any payment. Of course, if they fix it, you'll have to pay up the cash you've put aside. If they decide not to fix, you'll eventually get a letter saying 'pay up or go'. Now's the time to consider whether going is the best option, as very few landlords will bother to challenge it, especially if you forget to leave a forwarding address (just divert your mail at the post office). If it's a safety issue (eg boiler, electrics, gas, etc), they'll deffo keep quiet. I walked away from a property a couple of years ago with 5 months rent in my back pocket and never heard a peep.

7. The accepted life span for 'wall coverings' is 2 years, and for carpets is 3 years. That means the landlord should expect to replace them after that time period. Try to get the inventory clerk, if you use one, to specify approximate ages of these things in the inventory. If you can get them to put longer than these times, less the length of your tenancy, the landlord will have little chance of claiming any damage to them when you leave as you can easily claim they should be replaced anyway.

8. Finally, never, ever, ever pay the last X months rent, X being the length of deposit the landlord holds. They'll never get an eviction order in that time (it takes at least 3 months) and the ball is then in your court when it comes to paying for any damage. Of course, if you have damaged anything you MUST then pay up. But every agent will be a pain about getting your deposit back, will drag their heels over it, and every landlord will do their best to get you to pay for the spruce up the place will need for the next tenant. If you need the deposit for your next house, it's far better to do it that way. If you're clever, you'll have got your reference in advance saying what a wonderful tenant you are!

Hope those help!

Chris

Something that works wonders is taking a mountain of photos when you move in and email them to the agent (preferred as traceable) or physically take in a CD and get them to put it in your file. Photo evidence is priceless in deposit disputes.

Recording communication is also important, so use e-mail / paper if possible, but definitely keep names & dates of communication. It's a pain and seems over the top but, simply put, you can't be sure of trusting any agent / landlord so it's best to cover yourself.

I would say though that whenever possible it's also best to stay on good terms with them during and at the end of the deal. Agents must deal with some very dodgy people so they seem to expect the worst from you. Politeness and courtesy can help with how they view you and issues related to you. Also, some people won't accept written references and want to speak directly to a past landlord for confirmation.