New renter - Help with fees!

tbs624

a6windows wrote: »

... .the landlord now has to privide you with a hips pack which is current and upto date wether you rent the property or not

Owners of rental properties do not need to provide a HIP (home information pack) - just the EPC (energy performance certificate) which is valid for 10 years. this can be given either when you view or when you are given any other written info on the property, but before the contract is signed.

BettyDebt

Sorry to jump on your post. But we are having the same problem! The fees are ridiculous. We are already having a hard time finding a place to rent because of pets so we're quite limited as to how far we can push for reductions on fees. Some of them want to keep the holding deposit until we leave the property, not deduct it from the deposit.

What sort of credit checks are they doing? What do they want to know? My husband and I have good jobs, decent wages etc but not the best credit history and would get turned down for a credit card if we applied anywhere else other than our own banks. Would we still pass the credit check for renting a house?

Vampgirl

abaxas wrote: »

Remember that you DONT want an inventory.

If the LL insists, insist he/she pays for it.

That might work if the property has been empty for a while or isn't very desirable, however if its the type of property thats in demand then you'll probably find that the agent will simply move on to the next set of potential tenants if you try this. The landlord for the property we're moving into uses an inventory clerk: we are paying the check-in fees and the landlord is paying the check-out.

BettyDebt wrote: »

What sort of credit checks are they doing? What do they want to know? My husband and I have good jobs, decent wages etc but not the best credit history and would get turned down for a credit card if we applied anywhere else other than our own banks. Would we still pass the credit check for renting a house?

As I understand it they are simply looking for reassurance that you can and will pay the rent and that you don't have any CCJs, rather than your general credit-worthiness. Often they will contact your employer to check that you really do receive the salary you claim and sometimes they contact ex landlords for a reference.
In terms of the criteria for the credit check itself, I think that depends on what service the landlord/agency are using but so long as you are honest and upfront about things there shouldn't be a problem. I would suggest talking it over with them in detail, explain your situation and try to find out from them whether you are the kind of tenant they are looking for or if there is anything you can do to improve your desirability.

BettyDebt

Vampgirl wrote: »

As I understand it they are simply looking for reassurance that you can and will pay the rent and that you don't have any CCJs, rather than your general credit-worthiness. Often they will contact your employer to check that you really do receive the salary you claim and sometimes they contact ex landlords for a reference.
In terms of the criteria for the credit check itself, I think that depends on what service the landlord/agency are using but so long as you are honest and upfront about things there shouldn't be a problem. I would suggest talking it over with them in detail, explain your situation and try to find out from them whether you are the kind of tenant they are looking for or if there is anything you can do to improve your desirability.

Thanks I think we should be ok then. Salary wise we're looking at properties in price ranges we could easily afford on our own taking up less than half our salary each. We both have previous landlord references, work references and other references (from volunteer work) so in most respects we should be ok. (Once they get over the shock of a tenant having pets )

franklee

So the agent's fees come to £396 for two tenants which is an extra £33 pcm on the rent for a year. last time I paid £100 for two of us to get in. But it depends where you are, I think £100 is on the cheaper side.

Don't forget to ask about renewal fees and checkout fees. I asked the renewal fee of £40 to be waived.

Don't forget to negotiate on the rent.

It's all up for negotiation.

Also have you read the tenancy agreement, if not ask for a copy now. Make sure you are happy with it and the agent as how well they treat you will affect your tenancy a great deal.

You could phone a few other agents local to you and ask what fees they charge a tenant. I rang round the nearest half dozen and they just told me over the phone. Best to get a reliable agent that will give you a reasonable contract and be good at getting repairs done etc. I would not rent even the nicest looking property with an agent I didn't "like".

tbs624

Coroona- why not try to find a LL who lets direct? If your local council runs a LL accreditation scheme (voluntary) they will be able to give you some contacts and the local LL association will too. If they aren't listed in the yellow pages try the local chamber of commerce or try contacting the national LL associations and getting a local contact from them.

Most LLs who let direct don't charge spurious admin/renewals fees & they only charge the true cost of the "credit check" (varies from £16 - 60, depending on how in depth it is) At least one of the firms that they are likely to use allows the tenant to input their own information with the result going direct to the LL. Remember to ask for a copy of the result by the way - you are entitled to see it.

You could try websites like letalife, vivastreet, gumtree or placing your own "wanted" ad.

As things stand, anyone can set up as a LA - no qualifications, no particular expertise, knowledge or training required and even the staff at those firms who have a partner/director registered with one of the "professional" bodies often don't seem to be fully aqcuainted with LL & T legalities. As FrankLee suggests, the way the LA deals with things can make a huge difference to your tenancy. ( Once you are signed up as a tenant you are legally entitled to the have the name & address of the LL: if you ask the LA for this in writing they have to comply with your request within 21 days. It's worthwhile doing this early on so that if you do have problems you can go direct)

If you*are* going with an LA it's worth noting that as from April 09 the Tenancy Deposit Scheme will not deal with either deposits or disputes for LAs who are "unregulated", ie not signed up to ARLA, NALs, OEA etc so it becoines even more important to ask about the safety of your tenancy deposit.

skint-student-nurse

the fees seem normal to me as well,and are about the same price as what i paid for the property im in atm. i think some LA do take the micky a bit, especially when they take a chunk out of the rent every month from the LL for their fees

hippy-chicy

That seems quite steep, maybe it is because of the property itself.

When i moved to my new apartment in December 2008 I paid a deposit which was £550, one months rent £450 , agent fees £117 (which covered tenancy, references etc ) and £10 bank reference fee !

Definately try and negotiate on the rent I got a fantastic deal on mine. £145 pcm off the advertised price. The other apartments in my block are renting for £595 to £650 pcm. The way things are at the moment it is definately a tenants market !

Coroona

Thanks again for the advice all, i've just taken a look through the tenancy agreement and there's also a renewal fee of £51.75 at the end of the years tenancy! The learning curve keeps getting steeper! I'd like this charged waived and not written into the contract however if I ask the LA for this whats to stop them saying no and keeping my £300 holding deposit.... Can't say im very happy at the moment!

tbs624

Coroona wrote: »

Thanks again for the advice all, i've just taken a look through the tenancy agreement and there's also a renewal fee of £51.75 at the end of the years tenancy! The learning curve keeps getting steeper! I'd like this charged waived and not written into the contract however if I ask the LA for this whats to stop them saying no and keeping my £300 holding deposit.... Can't say im very happy at the moment!

Were you given a copy of the contract or told about renewals fees *before* you handed over your holding deposit?