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urgent - room renting

i moved into a room found on easyroomate.com last night. This evening I'm going to sign the bits and bobs and pay the landlord the deposit and first months rent. What bits do I need to sign to make sure my deposit is safe? anything else I need to be aware of?
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Comments

  • Jowo_2
    Jowo_2 Posts: 8,308 Forumite
    If you are living with the landlord (a lodger) then the tenancy deposit scheme is irrelevant and you should get a written receipt for your deposit.

    Don't sign the contract until you've read and understood all the clauses, including notice periods and the like. Make sure you have the address and contact details of the landlord.

    If there is a gas boiler or gas appliances, ask to see the Gas Safety certificate. I believe an EPC is also required.

    If you are a tenant with a live-out landlord in England/Wales, then ask the landlord which tenancy deposit scheme he is using. They obliged to give you information to confirm where its being held within 10 days of the start of the tenancy. If he hasn't heard of DPS, that's a bad sign as it's been going for years now. Ditto with gas safety. EPC is more recent.

    http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TenancyDeposit/index.htm
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    If there is a gas boiler or gas appliances, ask to see the Gas Safety certificate. I believe an EPC is also required.
    Not sure this applies to lodgers - only tenanted properties.

    Main thing is to a) get signed receipts for any money you pay out (rent, deposit etc) and b) make sure you understand and agree with everything you sign (lodgers agreement etc)
  • Jowo_2
    Jowo_2 Posts: 8,308 Forumite
    According to landlordzone, landlords with lodgers should have gas safety certs

    "
    Common sense tells you that you owe a duty of care to your lodger with regard to health & safety, and this is a common law duty. Your property therefore needs to comply with standard letting safety requirements.
    Annual gas safety checks are required, which means any gas boilers or appliances such as cookers need an annual gas check and safety certificate. If you are a landlord letting a property equipped with gas appliances you need to understand and comply with the law relating to gas safety."

    http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/lodgers_rent-a-room.htm
  • DomTom
    DomTom Posts: 299 Forumite
    Sorry forgot to say, I am a lodger.
    thanks for the tips so far
    So how can I make sure that at the end of the tenancy I get my deposit back? I don't want to just hand him £350 without a guarantee I'll get it back (provided I don't break anything)
  • DomTom
    DomTom Posts: 299 Forumite
    just read tht link, whats this about me needing my own tv license??
  • Jowo_2
    Jowo_2 Posts: 8,308 Forumite
    Get a receipt for your deposit.

    Understand about the concept of wear and tear and how it is defined - this means natural deterioration under normal usage and therefore excludes a lot of changes that tenants seem to think are FW&T.

    Understand that if the landlord doesn't produce an inventory/schedule of condition for the room, it's usually weakens the landlord should you dispute in court any of the deductions (because they can't prove the condition of it at the outset of the lodgings, therefore can't show that the tenant is responsible for any subsequent changes).

    any problems with unfair deductions that can't be resolved through negotiation have to go through the small claims court - look at the Shelter website to understand how to deal with non-TDS related deposit issues. The small claims court is a last resort.

    Make sure you establish with your landlord and understand if they have any house rules, such as the policy for smoking, guests and similar.
  • Jowo_2
    Jowo_2 Posts: 8,308 Forumite
    DomTom wrote: »
    just read tht link, whats this about me needing my own tv license??

    I'd imagine that, like gas safety certs, it's another little known requirement (by both lodgers and live in landlords) and rarely gets arranged.
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Jowo wrote: »
    According to landlordzone, landlords with lodgers should have gas safety certs

    "
    Common sense tells you that you owe a duty of care to your lodger with regard to health & safety, and this is a common law duty. Your property therefore needs to comply with standard letting safety requirements.
    Annual gas safety checks are required, which means any gas boilers or appliances such as cookers need an annual gas check and safety certificate. If you are a landlord letting a property equipped with gas appliances you need to understand and comply with the law relating to gas safety."

    http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/lodgers_rent-a-room.htm

    Thanks Jowo - you're right!
  • DomTom
    DomTom Posts: 299 Forumite
    I don't really fancy doing an inventory for a whole house... am I only responsible for my room? As I've already moved stuff into the room, If I take a video of the room would I have to take all of my own stuff out?
  • olly300
    olly300 Posts: 14,737 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    DomTom wrote: »
    I don't really fancy doing an inventory for a whole house... am I only responsible for my room? As I've already moved stuff into the room, If I take a video of the room would I have to take all of my own stuff out?

    The idea is to get how clean it is so zoom in on things like the carpet (particularly if there is a stained area) curtains, lampshade and skirting boards.
    I'm not cynical I'm realistic :p

    (If a link I give opens pop ups I won't know I don't use windows)
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