Advice about son--wanting to rent with a mate!

gilly41

Hi
My son is 20 and after a lot of discussion left uni this summer with a Foundation degree in Sport(he was going to stop on for a final year but changed his mind!).He is now back living with his dad but he is selling up and my son will have to move out. He has found himself a job----really pleased as it was his first interview and he is loving it! His mate is wanting to rent a house and my son doesnt really want to come back to live with me as he has had his independence for 3 years(his dad was never there so he had the house to himself in holidays from Uni).
I was wondering if anyone could give him some advice---what is the best option re renting. Is it private, council, through an agency? He isnt really sure where to start and I dont have any experience of renting. Can anyone please advise him and his friend?
Thanks
x

lynzpower

he would be very unlikely to be able to rent from the council, being sa young single male its likely to be B&B/ hostel time, unless of course theres a surplus o council accomodation in the north east, and even then whether or not his mate would be able to share with his would be questionable, as they are 2 households ( ie not related or lovers) so thus council looks like its out.

His best bet, Id say is to have a look on rightmove & see whats available. See what the going rate is round your way etc.

Then go and view a few similar from loot/ gumtree etc

Everyone who lets houses be it through a letting agent or privately ( ie newsagent window/ loot/ internet

theres loads of sites like
moveflat.com
perfecthousemate.com
houselader do rentals as do a lot of the other private selling websites.

he will need a deposit or bond as its sometimes called

As hes never rented before he may well need a guarantor, check this, are you able to do this ( do you trust your son & mate to pay the rent, otherwie you are liable!) Saying that he may well not though, so do check

From a letting agent there is likely to be credit check fee and some other assorted fees

If the property has been vacant for a while, or even if not, try haggling for the price, and get the rent down, even if they only save a fiver a week, its gotta be worth a stab :money: No landlord wants voids

I take it he is looking at furnished? When he goes round places and is keen on anything, check those things which are periodically a bit "dodgy", bathroom window, does it close? Lights, do they work, oven hows that looking? Safe?
And so forth.

He should see the gas safety certs before signing anything if there is gas at the property.




He will need to

Tassotti

Did you have to rush off Lynz?

lynzpower

LOL :rotfl:

Im just soooooooooooooooo busy at the mo !

gilly41

Hi Lynz
Awww thanks for your help---there are loads of things on there I just wouldnt have thought of. I had thought it unlikely he would get anything with the council----as he isnt homeless and isnt a case of any sort of urgency!
He is very keen to get something but I have said dont rush in to it and that it would be best if either his mates mum or myself came along too and had a look round---you do see things differently at 20 dont you? LOL
They are looking at a 2 bedroomed terrace----these tend to range in price from about £300 to £350 a month. It would of course be better if furnished but if not they will have to go on freecycle. He does have enough for his share of the bond and I will stand as gurantor for him!
Thanks for your help
x

gilly41

Hi Lynz
Awww thanks for your help---there are loads of things on there I just wouldnt have thought of. I had thought it unlikely he would get anything with the council----as he isnt homeless and isnt a case of any sort of urgency!
He is very keen to get something but I have said dont rush in to it and that it would be best if either his mates mum or myself came along too and had a look round---you do see things differently at 20 dont you? LOL
They are looking at a 2 bedroomed terrace----these tend to range in price from about £300 to £350 a month. It would of course be better if furnished but if not they will have to go on freecycle. He does have enough for his share of the bond and I will stand as gurantor for him!
Thanks for your help
x

Guy_Montag

Check the local paper for a private landlord, that way they're not paying a large chunk to a letting agency for them to run a credit check. My worst experiences have been letting through an agent.

They (you) should decide if they should have a joint tennancy or two seperate tennancies. There are good & bad points to both.

View a few places, speak to the landlords. If anyone says, "we'll get that fixed in a couple of weeks" make sure it's fixed before you sign/pay anything.

PoorDave

I always found that local papers are the best place to start if you want somewhere to rent.