Top five things that stop you renting a place...

LandyAndy

Natty082 wrote: »

I could hear the bloke living upstairs having a wee.....

Paper thin floors put me off!

When we rented we could see the woman over the road having one...:eek: :rotfl: :eek: :rotfl:

Fly_Baby

1. The size of rooms. I wish all LAs provided a floorplan for all their listed properties so that I wouldn't waste my time viewing. Otherwise, you read the property description as 'airy', 'spacious', 'good size' and all you see at the viewing is practically a shoe box. The LAs even have the nerve to say, 'well, it IS a double bedroom because you see, there is a double bed in it'! Yes, but there is nothing else, because nothing else fits in!

2. Parking. It must have an allocated parking space.

3. Dampness. It is a curse really, it just follows you, it damages walls and you have to keep cleaning it, but it still stains the walls if they are whitish or yellowish. So in the end you live in the mould and get your deposit deducted because the landlord feels that you have damaged the property.

4. Price/the LA's price policy. I hate it when I say that I can afford up to 1200 pcm for a 2-3 bed place, and they only show you two-bed properties for 1250+. They say that there are no other available properties 'to fit your requirements' at a lower price, although it is a shameless lie - they have all their catalogue on their websites, and they do have cheaper ones. Are they just taking a prospective tenant for a fool?

5. Must be double glazing.

liz545

1) Dodgy estate agents - the type who don't reply to your emails, have extortionate charges, or try and tell you a 1BR with a bed in the lounge is actually a 2-bed!
2) Damp - if I can smell it or see it, I won't look any further. Once had an estate agent try and tell me that the black mould growing up the bathroom wall wasn't damp, it was "just the paint"!
3) No pets. I'm not going to rehome my cat for some landlord's whim.
4) Above commercial premises. It may be a bookshop now, but what's to say it won't be a KFC soon?
5) Ex council. I don't want to pay private rent rates to live on a housing estate, particularly given that private tenants get the short straw if the estate is earmarked for redevelopment.

Everything else (location, price, cleanliness, size) are all considerations, but these are my immediate deal breaker, won't go any further criteria...

Fly_Baby

liz545 wrote: »

5) Ex council. I don't want to pay private rent rates to live on a housing estate, particularly given that private tenants get the short straw if the estate is earmarked for redevelopment.

When I was house-hunting two years ago, an ex-council flat looked the best value for money. Actually the best all around (location, size, state of property, price). Not to mention a very nice landlady who brought me flowers 'to welcome you into the property' and has ever been very considerate to any requests/problems. The location is most fortunate, the neighbours are fine.

I have to admit, I was in very much doubt about this flat initially but it was meant as a temporary accommodation for me so I went ahead. Two years down the line, although now needing to move to a property with an extra bedroom (with a bigger family ), I am feeling very reluctant to give up this flat - and finding it impossible to find a place which would match my current home for the size of rooms and location, AND that would be reasonably priced at that (I am now facing having to pay in the area of £300-500 pcm more just for one extra bedroom, compared with what I am paying for my ex-council).

Notlob

mummyfrugal wrote: »

hmmmm well after renting what I thought was a lovely flat when I first saw it, what would put me off is:

1. An escort living upstairs. Cant tell you how many times I woke up cos she brought someone home and was having sex upstairs...some of the things I heard still make me shudder; ewwwwwww

OP said things to STOP you renting silly.

Notlob

uk_steve

mummyfrugal wrote: »

hmmmm well after renting what I thought was a lovely flat when I first saw it, what would put me off is:

1. An escort living upstairs. Cant tell you how many times I woke up cos she brought someone home and was having sex upstairs...some of the things I heard still make me shudder; ewwwwwww

2. Not a ground floor flat cos if you open your windows someone can easily pinch stuff off your windowsill or even worse get in and in summer its awful; and really nosey people look in at you (not that Im up to no good ;-) so you have to buy those thick granny net curtains.
....

sorry all this just made me laugth

so the punter nicks your gear on the window ledge and sells it, and come back and spends it upstairs :rotfl:

liz545

Fly_Baby wrote: »

When I was house-hunting two years ago, an ex-council flat looked the best value for money. Actually the best all around (location, size, state of property, price). Not to mention a very nice landlady who brought me flowers 'to welcome you into the property' and has ever been very considerate to any requests/problems. The location is most fortunate, the neighbours are fine.

I think in a lot of cases, ex-council flats offer good value for money, but in my area several large estates have been knocked down or are in the process of being cleared and redeveloped. Council tenants are re-homed, owners are compensated, but private tenants are just expected to leave - no compensation or assistance with leaving. I also would be concerned that the landlord might try to pass on the associated costs of things like maintenance and service charges, which can be very high in some properties. But as you say, the location is often very good, so YMMV

ModernSlave

1. Location. There needs to be ample parking (on or off street), no traffic noise, construction or rancid neighbours.
2. Storage. There needs to be ample storage throughout the flat. Otherwise you just get loads of clutter.
3. Kitchen/bathroom. Clean, mould-free, with working appliances and extractor fans/range hoods.
4. Build quality. The walls and floors need to be thick. I don't want to hear the neighbours and they don't want to hear me. If neighbour noise is audible then it's a no go.
5. Glazing. I don't want to pay for heating that goes out the window. Must be double glazed and won't look at a place without it.

lostinrates

1. price. I've never planned on being a long term renter, and we have moved around a lot. Its been important to us to minimise costs and be able to save while renting

2. Easy to clean. I quite enjoy housework, but I don't like it to be difficult. Bearing in mind its had other people in before me I like gloss painted doors, painted not papered walls (easier to clean) and hard floors. That way I can erradicate anyone else's dirt quickly and easily, and leave it clean more easily too.

3.Lots of soft furnishings. We've had to rent furnished when abroad. I might be saving money etc but I do have taste. I have throws for other peoples sofas and cheap curtains....I'd rather have my own both for hygiene and for reduced risk of damage to the ll's stuff.

4.bath tub. DH and I share a bath most nights we are together. We rented with out once and didn't like it. Our attempts to overcome this were extreme and funny, but not funny enough to want to try again soon.

5. no pets. we have pets, they are pretty non destructive and nonnegotiable. I'll pay at the end of a tenancy to have a place cleaned and fumigated and put any damage right (there has never been any) but they are part of the deal.

chewmylegoff

don't you hate it when your "E" key stops working!