Renting - Any advice please

laffer

Hi all.
I was wondering if some of you erstwhile MSE might be able to assist with a few questions I have. I am looking to rent a property. However, I have a few questions:

1. I currently share in a private arrangement with someone. I am not formally on the lease. I just pay a monthly rent. Will this be sufficient for reference purposes?

2. When you apply for a lease do you have to pay the agent a fee which is non refundable if your application is declined? I have had one agent suggest that I had to pay them the equivalent of one weeks rent to make the application for the property which was non refundable if my application was declined (references did not check out etc) which I think is awful so I walked out?

3. With the advertised rental - Can you offer a lower price? Some of the places I am interested in are over-priced in my view.

4. Are you able to secure 6 month tenancies or does it have to be 12 month?

5. At the moment we are both on fixed term contracts will that be a factor in the decision to lease to us?

Any assistance anyone might be able to provide would be greatly appreciated.

jackomk

It seems usual now for agents to charge a non refundable fee for checking refs, credit check ect. I know I certainly had to pay one, even though I was paying 6 months in advance. Shouldnt see why you cant get a tenancy agreement for 6 months, but its up to the landlord what they want I think.

Procrastinator333

Hello,

2) If they do say this, then get them to define what "reference not checking out" means, otherwise what is to stop them just keep on rejecting people and pocketing the money.

3) Absolutely! A useful tool is property bee, a bit of a pain to set up as you need firefox, but this will let yo know how long a property has been on the market and how many reductions it has had so far. Very useful for negotiations. If you know they have had a void for 2 months, then you can likely get a very large reduction. Haggle hard and get everything in writing.

When we moved recently, got them to confirm in writing quite a bit including having a dishwasher installed, provide hedge trimmer, touch up paintwork in various places etc. Trouble was we had seen multiple properties - we called them to ask if there was a washing machine (before we agreed the contract) - letting agent said yes - We didn't get that in writing - big mistake - there wasn't one. Then when we moved in they basically called us liars and said they didn't say that. Don't trust anything they say, get everything in writing!

6 months yes definately, they will still be 12 month contracts, but both parties are locked in for 6 months. After that either party can give notice. So if you want to leave on month 6 you must notify them on or before rent day 1 month in advance. They have to give you 2 months notice.

Possible, if you have 9 months left and you secure a 6 month contract they probably won't care too much

anyway, good luck, and remember, don't trust a word letting agents tell you - get everything in writing! I will never talk to them again on the phone because of this, they can put it in an email. Scumbags.

laffer

Thanks for your reply procrastinator. Your feelings about letting agents are a bit how I feel about them - so yes I will make sure I get everything in writing. I was tending to lean towards looking for a private landlord because of my desire to avoid letting agents.

I have set up property bee but for some reason I can never see any historical information on any of the properties which I click on. I only get the yellow box with information which seems to have been based on the date I click on. Perhaps I am doing something wrong?

princeofpounds

1. I currently share in a private arrangement with someone. I am not formally on the lease. I just pay a monthly rent. Will this be sufficient for reference purposes?

Probably yes, they normally don't require copies of documentation, just someone who can vouch for you as a tenant/lodger.

2. When you apply for a lease do you have to pay the agent a fee which is non refundable if your application is declined? I have had one agent suggest that I had to pay them the equivalent of one weeks rent to make the application for the property which was non refundable if my application was declined (references did not check out etc) which I think is awful so I walked out?

It's a pretty rubbish practice, but it's pretty standard now so I won't get into the specifics of my complaints. Normally they should only charge you for costs incurred (credit check fee and maybe 1hr admin) so make sure you get in writing what will be done. If you pull out, they should keep it all.

3. With the advertised rental - Can you offer a lower price? Some of the places I am interested in are over-priced in my view.

Yes, absolutely you can.

4. Are you able to secure 6 month tenancies or does it have to be 12 month?

6 months is fine. You can get a 12 month tenancy with a break clause also, which the landlord might prefer as it means there is no admin at 6 months. Make sure the break clause suits you.

5. At the moment we are both on fixed term contracts will that be a factor in the decision to lease to us?

Potentially, alhtough the checks are not normally that sophisticated. They will probably just want confirmation of wage. It will probably be ok but you might want to disclose this before paying for a credit check and get in writing they wouldn't refuse you for it.

Any assistance anyone might be able to provide would be greatly appreciated.

N79

laffer wrote: »

1. I currently share in a private arrangement with someone. I am not formally on the lease. I just pay a monthly rent. Will this be sufficient for reference purposes?

Up to the Agent

laffer wrote: »

2. When you apply for a lease do you have to pay the agent a fee which is non refundable if your application is declined? I have had one agent suggest that I had to pay them the equivalent of one weeks rent to make the application for the property which was non refundable if my application was declined (references did not check out etc) which I think is awful so I walked out?

Sadly horrendous fees are becoming more common. It is always worth asking the agent what they are looking for so you can assess whether you meet their criteria before paying the money

laffer wrote: »

3. With the advertised rental - Can you offer a lower price? Some of the places I am interested in are over-priced in my view.

Negotiate away - in general it is quite a good climate for this at the moment (your milage may vary).

laffer wrote: »

4. Are you able to secure 6 month tenancies or does it have to be 12 month?

ASTs can have a fixed period of any length. Leases over 3 years are a little more complicated. Fixed periods of 6 or 12 months are fairly standard. Just ask for what you want

laffer wrote: »

5. At the moment we are both on fixed term contracts will that be a factor in the decision to lease to us?

Will depend on the LL's criteria. Best to ask before paying to be referenced.