Moving into rented house for first time - what fees/costs are there?

locky123

We are relocating fron Kent to Nth Yorks in the summer. Just accepted offer on our house. We are a family of 4 so will be looking to rent a 3 bed house for up to 6 months, during which time we will hopefully find a house to buy. We have never rented so do not know what fees/costs to expect. From what I can tell they can vary a lot, but would like any advice/tips to understand what we can expect.

Regshoe

Compared to buying not too much really:

Application fees for credit referencing etc. will be anywhere from £75 to £200 per person. If they are asking more than around 200-250 for two of you to be referenced they are taking the Mickey (frankly even that level is a lot for what they do - but is often typical).

Deposit - typically around 1-2 months rent, unless you are particularly risky and trying to convince a land lord to take you on (by risky I mean unable to prove income adequetely, messy pets etc), then they might want a little more.

That's about all that's specific to renting.

Do bear in mind that most ASTs (Assured Shorthold Tenancy) tend to have either a 6 or 12 month minimum. I wouldn't think a 6 month minimum would be an issue, 12 months could be if you found somewhere to buy fairly quickly. Also have a look around on the forum at the advice regarding when to serve notice - if you are looking to rent short term then you may soon need to serve notice that you are leaving and it can be a little tricky with regards to when exactly this needs to be done.

C_Mababejive

The reference credit checks are a well known scam. In reality,such checks cost a fraction of what agencies rip off renters for.

locky123

Thanks, well i hope that the agents are not as greedy when we start looking up north!

How much negotiation is typically possible when agreeing to the fees and rental value?

elfen

Don't forget moving costs, these can vary as to how far you're moving and how much stuff you have -perfect time to declutter I think

locky123

elfen wrote: »

Don't forget moving costs, these can vary as to how far you're moving and how much stuff you have -perfect time to declutter I think

Another cost which seems to vary alot between companies for quoting exactly the same. Almost 1K difference in 3 quotes so far. One 18T lorry over 3 days. 250miles. Yes and we're decluttering every weekend. Charity shops know us quite well already.

tbs624

Contact the local LL association - they will be able to give you contact info for LLs who self-manage their properties and are only likely to charge you the actual costs of the credit fee check.

N79

Regshoe wrote: »

Compared to buying not too much really:

Application fees for credit referencing etc. will be anywhere from £75 to £200 per person. If they are asking more than around 200-250 for two of you to be referenced they are taking the Mickey (frankly even that level is a lot for what they do - but is often typical).

GBP75 is still high outside of London - eg I charge 50 for the first couple and 15 for each subsequent T which covers the check costs plus admin overheads.

Regshoe wrote: »

Deposit - typically around 1-2 months rent, unless you are particularly risky and trying to convince a land lord to take you on (by risky I mean unable to prove income adequetely, messy pets etc), then they might want a little more.

Any LL which takes more than 2 months rent needs their heads examining. It wont happen.