First Time Renting

Tiggy10

Hi all,

Im 23 still living at home. my mum is having to sell our house due to divorce and she is moving 30 miles away as house prices in our area are too high. I don't want to move that far away as i have just started a new job. I have been with my boyfriend for 3 years and we have been talking about moving out for a while now.

Im looking for some advice on how to go about it, what to look for etc. most importantly what kind of deposit will i need, i have some savings but id like to know what to aim for.

Thanks for any help!:)

Geforce

What's your location?
I have three spare bedrooms....... lol.

On a more serious note, you'll need usually 2 months rent upfront for a bond and then 1 month rent upfront, for, well, uhm, the rent.
So, a £600 per month rent, you'll need to find £1800.

Tiggy10

haha thanks, i don't really want to house share!

thanks for that, is it always so high? and does it have to be paid all in one go. i only have about £500 so far so not even close!

Ms_Chocaholic

You say your mum is having to sell and move away but it might take her a while to sell so you will have plenty of time to save for a deposit. It usually takes 6 weeks from accepting an offer to the sale going through so that's 3 months wages between you both. Can you sell some bits and pieces on Ebay to make up the shortfall.

Excited13

When I got my current rental property my bond was a months rent plus £100 along with the first months rent. You will also need to factor in the LA checks, I think mine were about £125 and sometimes it's per person.

On top of the above consider moving costs, having the landline installed, insurance, tv licence etc.

Geforce

That's quite alright, no offence taken

Unfortunately that's just the basic requirements for landlords, incase the rentee's (you) damage the property whilst you're within your agreement, then the landlord has ever right to keep your 2 months bond. A friend of mine in Southampton has had to put 3 months rent upfront as a bond on his last place... That's just the way it is I'm afraid.

julieb1987

Have a look on rightmove and zoopla and see what kind of properties there are in your area, and how much they cost. The Agents sometimes put on the amount of deposit required. Also look on Gumtree, you might find a private landlord/lady who might not charge so much in the way of fees. We paid 1 month of rent in advance, deposit (which was equivalent to 1 month of rent) plus about £120 in fees for referencing, credit checks etc. some agencies will charge more and require a much higher deposit.

Werdnal

Read the sticky thread at the top of the forum "A Tenant's Guide to renting".

tim123456789

Tiggy10 wrote: »

haha thanks, i don't really want to house share!

thanks for that, is it always so high? and does it have to be paid all in one go. i only have about £500 so far so not even close!

No I didn't want to house share at 23 either,

but the reality is, if that's all you can afford that's all you get!

tim

dotdash79

For the first time renting I would house share.

The life experiance is so much more intresting plus it's cheaper.

wanting_an_easy_life

i'll admit, it does teach you something about life renting in a house share. Not only do you learn what you like and dislike, you also learn tolerance. For me, it made me enjoy my first place alone much more too.

You might want to consider outside rightmove and zoopla too - they're usually letting agencies with their extortionate fees. Have a look at Gumtree and your local rag for private landlords. Whilst the deposits will often be the same (by the way, I'm in my 3rd rental now and all have been 6 weeks deposit), the fees are more realistic (the actual charge for credit checking is around £50), no charge for "drawing-up" the contract.