viewing our 1st house...

Katrina-trying_to_save!?!

Im going along with my OH to view our 1st rented house tonight. im only 20 so not wise on houses. anyone give me a checklist of what to look for and ask the landlord?

Astaroth

One trick I learnt (and only recently) is that you can negotiate on the rent!

If the place isnt vacant at the moment make sure you clarify exactly what comes with the it and what is the current tenants

Katrina-trying_to_save!?!

omg, i really cnt negoiate!!! what would i say!!!! eeeeeekkk im freaked out now.

Dead_Eye_Jones

well we used agents which made it easy, we just said we'll offer x pounds below the asking price, landlord agreed. Depends how long its been vacant for and your local market...

I think you learn a lot from experience, looking back after 4 rents it is clear that the first was not suitable, but seemed great when I went round. Things you might not consider are storage, noisy neighbours, is an agent doing the maintenance (preferable), does the landlord have good heating cover (great when our heating packed up, sorted same day), try and get a short notice period for you - 1 month, but long for them - 3 months.

When you move in, video the place, or second to that take photos, dont trust inventory agencies, had bad experiences from them. I just regret my missus didnt have a video camera when our guy, Nick, refused to take his muddy shoes off and said if she didnt clear up behind him as he walked he'd note the mess on our report. Would love to have seen that vid splashed over the internet .

Most landlords will think they can take your deposit for wear and tear so you need to toughen up if you dont want to lose out. Read up on your rights, we often found contracts that tried to shift landlord responsabilities onto us, these are unenforceable by law.

Id also suggest go and see a large number of properties over a short space of time. Go round all your agencies and book a whole weekend of viewings, then you will easily be able to compare places and will be able to move quick if something clearly stands out but wont take the first thing that seems 'adequate' out of fear it will go.

When I was looking, things moved fast. We saw a brand new block with 8 empty flats in and decided we liked, alas as we dithered we saw all the nicer ones go and got the one on the 2nd floor . The nice house we went for next (houses werent much more than flats tbh, so dont rule out) was under offer but the lady pulled out and we got it, apparently she changed her mind the next day but it was too late! The nice places go quick imo, this house had a top garden that really sold it, only £50 more than the pokey 2nd story flat we were booted out of!

Oh thats another thing, watch out for high flats, it doesnt seem like a big deal at the time but trust me - they are a total nightmare. Moving in was one of the worst experiences, especially as you know you have to move it all out again...