Renting in Dundee - any tips?

Swan_2

hi anewmove,
I tried to reply last night but the forums were down when I had access ...

my daughter has a memory like a sieve, but she thinks it was Carol Whyte Properties she rented from, they seemed to be decent to deal with & the flat was lovely

newmove

Right, getting things together to look in a couple of weeks. A couple more questions - does it tend to be worth bargaining on rents in Dundee, or do prices tend to be fairly set? And would you expect a 6month or 1year contract, to start with?

Swan_2

newmove wrote: »

Right, getting things together to look in a couple of weeks. A couple more questions - does it tend to be worth bargaining on rents in Dundee, or do prices tend to be fairly set? And would you expect a 6month or 1year contract, to start with?

hi again,
I've never tried bargaining, I was in a 'beggars can't be choosers situation' but someone else may have more experience of doing that

I've been in 2 flats over the past 6 years ... 1st time the agreement was initially for 1 year with a company that was subsequently taken over by Shepherd (2 year stay) second time (Shepherd for real) was for 6 months, then renewed yearly to date

here's another letting agent Belvoir I don't know anything about them though, perhaps someone else will have experience of dealing with them?

remember it might be an idea to ask about the street/area, even in a good place there can be the odd 'hotspot'

ali-t

I live in dundee and many of the rental properties round the perth road and city centre are very studenty. I know of a few landlords (including family) and don't think things in Dundee are any different from anywhere else. All the suggestions you have had to date are good so good luck

newmove

Swan wrote: »

hi again,
I've never tried bargaining, I was in a 'beggars can't be choosers situation' but someone else may have more experience of doing that

I've been in 2 flats over the past 6 years ... 1st time the agreement was initially for 1 year with a company that was subsequently taken over by Shepherd (2 year stay) second time (Shepherd for real) was for 6 months, then renewed yearly to date

here's another letting agent I don't know anything about them though, perhaps someone else will have experience of dealing with them?

remember it might be an idea to ask about the street/area, even in a good place there can be the odd 'hotspot'

Thanks - I'll see what the situation's like in terms of supply/demand, I guess. Not the end of the world if I have to crash in a b&b for a few weeks - till I find something suitable - but far from ideal.

Thanks for offer about streets/areas, too.

newmove

ali-t wrote: »

I live in dundee and many of the rental properties round the perth road and city centre are very studenty. I know of a few landlords (including family) and don't think things in Dundee are any different from anywhere else. All the suggestions you have had to date are good so good luck

Thanks - so all I need to do is find a nice (not in the poor condition you often see with student houses) place in a studenty area, for a good price Need to get knuckled down to looking I guess.

ali-t

newmove wrote: »

Thanks - so all I need to do is find a nice (not in the poor condition you often see with student houses) place in a studenty area, for a good price Need to get knuckled down to looking I guess.

Most of the new student appartments in the area are townhouses fully equipped with ensuites and large lcd tv's (so the banners say) but there are also lots of tenements in blackness road and perth road that have very thick walls so even if you have noisy students in the block you are unlikely to hear much.

If you do stay in a b&b initially, Thursday is property day in the local paper. I had a look today but there wasn't much matching your needs.

BASSETT

I live in Dundee and also rent. I`ve rented from Belvoir previously, 2 different properties for a total of over 3 years and they are ok. Shepherd also quite good.
A word of warning, even though you rent through an agent, check that the landlord is registered.
If you try Belvoir, one of their landlords is one to avoid at all costs.
Pm me and I`ll provide further details.
There is purpose built student housing on Blackness Rd, called The Hub, it`s only a few years old and just 5 mins from Perth Rd.

newmove

There seem to be a lot of places on Shepherd for under £350/month (quite a few under £300) http://www.shepherdletting.com/property-search/ Anything to watch out for? - coming from a rather more expensive area, seems almost worryingly inexpensive :eek:

Swan_2

newmove wrote: »

There seem to be a lot of places on Shepherd for under £350/month (quite a few under £300) http://www.shepherdletting.com/property-search/ Anything to watch out for? - coming from a rather more expensive area, seems almost worryingly inexpensive :eek:

small flat, bad area, a bit run down???

do you want to be close to the uni?

you definitely don't want to be in the Hilltown, it's rough there
Peddie St is ok at the bottom (lower numbers) but not ok at the top
Roseberry St is a nice little street, but is a bit too close for comfort to Cleghorn St which is a bit rough
Blackness Road is long & has some nice quiet areas with lovely flats, & other bits best avoided
Stobswell, again good & bad depending on exactly where the flat is

I have to go out now, but I'll have another look at the listings later on