Repatriating and Renting

clutton_2

providing credit checks and references and bank statement to rent a property is no different to the same amount of paperwork required to buy a house these days... since 9/11 the amount of "for your own protection" hoops we all have to jump through is utterly utterly ludicrous.....

what is even more ridiculous is that if someone pays cash into your bank account over the counter, it seems almost impossible for banks to tell you who it was who paid it in.. so what is the point of anti-terrorism measures......?

BitterAndTwisted

What, even though there's a signature on the paying-slip given to the bank with the cash deposit?

I dunno why I'm surprised, really. Computers everywhere and everything's still too difficult or not possible.

clutton_2

there will be a signature... but no requirement for the name to be printed nor for an address to be included.....

property.advert

I came back last year, also from Asia, so I empathise with the OP. If you have an employer, they may have corporate lets or can do something for you. If not, then it is harder.

I went to Gumtree and watched it for weeks. I learned to spot the scammers. I even paid for an advert requesting a property, saying I was a returning expat. If 80% of properties were scams at that time, then 95% of those who contacted me were scams. Easy to spot though. Most common one is them not wanting to send them money, but to send some to your friend and then scan the receipt to prove you actually have any money. Sure ! All unable to meet at the property, poor "african" English, bad grammar, photos not of the same property, a £1500 place for £1150, just to tempt you, no knowledge where the nearest supermarket was, not knowing the postcode or the telephone number of the property. Who is broadband with ? Is Virgin Cable available ?

You can pay £2 for a land registry search of who owns any property on the net. Do that for any property you are seriously considering. Ask where they will keep your deposit. Best of all, set up an email address just to deal with this one thing, then chuck it later.

Your bankers overseas can perhaps help with banks in the UK. At worst, debit cards available on some accounts from day one. Prepaid cards easy - Cashplus the best.

Dogs will be a big problem I'd guess.

I would seriously consider getting a one month rental and doing everything on the ground. Short term rentals are overpriced but they are flexible. Takes time to sort out the rubbish on the net though. I was planning for about 2 months seriously. If I hadn't it would have been an absolute nightmare.

Agents all want 6 months plus 2 deposit but they just pass the money on to the landlord. I had to go private but I would want an agent to keep the advance rent in a client account if paying 6 months in advance. Quite some risk if the landlord just blows your cash and doesn't pay the mortgage. Also, you'd need to include terms to revert to monthly after 6 moths or they will expect another 6 months advance money.

The key is to plan well and thoroughly.

clutton_2

depending on where you want to live, i would suggest putting your belongings in storage and using a Bed and Breakfast till you find somewhere... one months rentals are exceptionally rare, unless in central london where you would pay the earth.... once you have found a property you like, it should not take more than a few days for a decent agent to do all the checks

As a landlord myself, if someone has no "checkable" immediate history it does ring alarm bells and 6 monhts rent upfront is a very attractive proposition.

Ask your prospective landlord if they are members of National Landlords ASsociation or Residential Landlords Assocation (ask for their membership number and check it out) -

Me phoning someone in the Far East means nothing, i could be talking to anyone - what i would be looking for from you as a prospective tenant is sight of original bank statements for 6 months, proof of address in the Far East (utility bill) and a reference from someone in the UK who has known you for a long time.

The other way would be for you to find a UK guarantor who can sign a Deed of Guarantor - so that if you dont pay =- they will...... This would have to be a working person earning enough to pay their own bills as well as your rent if it went wrong.

kunekune

Another option is what we did for the 3 weeks before our furniture arrived and we could move in: we rented a holiday cottage. It was the end of season, and we got a fair price considering it was fully furnished. You might even find someone willing to take dogs.