Your No.1 renting Tip

Procrastinator333

thewinkshow wrote: »

since all this is new to me, i am wary of missing something or forgetting to get something in place, like tennant insurance or soemthing, is there a place i can get a checklist so i know i have ticked all the boxes before i move in?

whats like the top 5 things to get sorted?

You only need contents insurance if you want it. LL should insure property and their belongings. So look at what stuff you got and decide if you want to insure it. Contents will be something like £100 per year.

Next tip - Take meter readings and agree with letting agent / LL on the day you move in.

Then put water in your name (no choice on provider). Pick your electricity company - use confused or someoen to find a cheap provider.

Phone - be careful, if they need to drill or install anything, get permission in writting. In fact, that is another important tip. Anythign you change from the inventory , get it in writting first. Otherwise, you paint a room, put up a few hooks and suddenly the LL wants £500 to restore the room out of your deposit when you leave.

Council tax - Must tell the council your moving in date.

Electoral Roll - Put yourself on this soon after moving in, makes life easier for various things in future.

thewinkshow

procastintor your a legend. sorted me out big time.... very helpful

wouldnt have thought of half those things

cheers

Wee_Willy_Harris

Approach it as if you were buying. Look around at similar properties and what they are renting for, then adjust for whatever shortcomings your house may have. Expect less rent for fewer facilities.

At the viewing, whatever you see is what you get. They may well promise the earth (new windows, new kitchen, new bathroom, new carpets etc etc), but if it ain't there, it ain't there, so don't offer a rent level that pays for it.

A promise is a guarantee to a fool.

hazyjo

You'll have to ask about decorating. Most will say no, others will let you if you turn it back to 'neutral/magnolia' on leaving - the decorating standard may or may not be acceptable to them so don't risk your deposit on it. If you have a (nice!) colour in mind for one wall or room, mention it, but make it clear it's not a deal breaker.

If you just ask if you can change the colour of any room in the house at any time, they might find the bedroom's black, the ceilings are all purple and all the paintwork's now in red gloss. It just ain't worth their time allowing a tenant to be let loose with a paintbrush/roller. It can be an absolute nightmare painting over strong colours. When I moved into my current house (not rented), the entire kitchen had been painted mauve (and I mean 'entire - woodwork, ceilings, walls). Was hell to paint over - took a few coats and, even now, one little scratch and you see the damn mauve again. I doubt I'd let someone paint anything if I was a LL - unless they paid for a professional to do it and I got to approve the colour first and was told clearly what wall it was going on.

As for pictures, etc - again, ask. Everyone has different views. If it doesn't have SKY and you want it, make sure you'd be able to fix an aerial or cable or whatever it needs (I have no idea!).

Jx

Mrs_Arcanum

The one thing missed so far is - Pay your Rent on time and regularly before anything else.

If it would suit you better to pay this at the end of the month but the tenancy makes it the middle of the month, see if you can pay a couple of weeks extra at the start or get the LL's agreement that you are always 2 weeks late.

kittypimms

Procrastinator333 wrote: »

You only need contents insurance if you want it. LL should insure property and their belongings. So look at what stuff you got and decide if you want to insure it. Contents will be something like £100 per year.

Next tip - Take meter readings and agree with letting agent / LL on the day you move in.

Then put water in your name (no choice on provider). Pick your electricity company - use confused or someoen to find a cheap provider.

Phone - be careful, if they need to drill or install anything, get permission in writting. In fact, that is another important tip. Anythign you change from the inventory , get it in writting first. Otherwise, you paint a room, put up a few hooks and suddenly the LL wants £500 to restore the room out of your deposit when you leave.

Council tax - Must tell the council your moving in date.

Electoral Roll - Put yourself on this soon after moving in, makes life easier for various things in future.

Agree with much of this post however, many rental agencies/ LL's now require you to take out Accidental Damage cover to the value of £2,500 - and will write this into a Tenancy Agreement. This is usually covered in your contents insurance (which if you are getting a big TV etc is a must have!).
Apart from this, agree on getting meter readings as soon as you move in, and contact the gas/ leccy/ CTax/ water people as soon as possible to save any incorrect bills.

Ensure you have proof that you have returned your amended copy of the inventory to your letting agent within the specified term, and that they acknowledge this.

Ensure you have a copy of the gas certificate, and that you know what emergency cover is provided by the landlord (for boiler, gas, water, leccy) Many have "Homecare" packages, meaning you will be liable for zero costs. However, in my current place I had a seweragetastrophe within a week of moving in, and as they had no homecare, I had to pay Dynorod £300 worth of late call out and fixing fees. (I did get this back from the LL, but it took 3 months). Check which white goods and kitchen equipment the LL will pay to maintain (my washing machine is covered, my fridge is not).

Aside from that good luck! For the actual moving, it is worth getting some mates to help - they are cheaper than a moving company in that they may prefer to be paid in food!

housebuyer_abc

Stay living with you folks - save like mad - buy a place of your own eventually --- that would be my top tip for renting

Accountant_Kerry

Vet your landlord!
Although you can't do this as such as them questions.
I usually i ask how long are they planning to rent the property for, long or short term. How long they have owned the property, Who usually does their general repairs? that sort of thing, there answers will give you a clue as to if they are a rogue landlord or not.

bargainbunny

Shop around some agencies list same properties but rent can be different or fees etc.. i saved £160 doing this.
Also try and view twice as 1st time you be thinking about where you can put this and that.. whereas 2nd time you look more closely more detail.
Things like curtain rails can cost alot, check if appliances are included too.

Check for parking.. not a problem you may think if you dont drive but its a problem when people visit or you need deliveries.. just ask my bf who often has to park 5mins or more away..
good luck, ive had 18plus houses

bristol_pilot

My no. 1 financial tip is to rent with a friend or two. Renting a flat on your own is hugely more expensive than sharing. Frankly, if you can afford to rent alone you can probably afford to buy.