Would You Rent Without Viewing First?

DMacDonald

My girlfriend and I are currently hunting for a place of our own. The criteria was pretty specific; it had to be near her Uni, had to have gas central heating, double glazing, lots of storage, etc. As it's our first flat together and we're both very into our creature comforts, we've been very picky. We've seen two flats we really liked and we made viewings, but then we got a call on the day of the viewing to tell us that someone had viewed it earlier in the day and taken it.

So now we've seen another flat, and it's pretty perfect. It's in our price range, albeit top end, from the pictures it looks lovely, and it's literally around the corner from my gf's Uni. We've got savings all ready and waiting to be deployed, but when we called to book a viewing, the guy told us that he's got viewings booked most of the day and offered us a viewing at 3pm.

This flat is great. There's no way it's going to last until 3pm on the FIRST day of viewing (it went up on Friday and the first viewing's on Monday coming). And if it does then we have to ask ourselves what's wrong with it that it would last till 3pm.

It's lose-lose either way.

So we figured we should take a gamble. Offer to take it without viewing it first and get the jump on the other viewings. Do you think this is a crazy idea? This flat looks to be great, and we really don't want to lose it, especially as we don't know when another one like it will come up (we've been looking for months now).

Has anyone done this? If so, did it work out? I'd appreciate any advice on this matter. As well as that, if I paid a reserve fee, would I lose it if we decided we didn't want to take it after all?

Thanks.

chewmylegoff

sounds pretty stupid to me. you're going to be living there. what happens if you pay the deposit, sign the contract, move in and find that the pictures are completely misleading and it is a damp, rat infested pit of hell with no central heating and mould growing in the bed frame that you are contractually obliged to pay rent on for at least 6 months?

i know it's frustrating to miss out on places but you really should have a look before stumping up cash.

DMacDonald

I hear what you're saying, and the logical part of me agrees.

But I'm not going to make that 3pm viewing on Monday. It won't happen. And if it does, I probably won't like the place; because if several people before me didn't, there's a very, very high chance I won't either. Anyway you look at this, I'm losing out. Unless I take the chance.

I used to live in the area, it's close to where my dad used to live years ago and I have friends around that way so I know it pretty well. We've checked out measurement details on the flat through a website we found detailing it, and we found out about letting agency through Google searches. That stuff all checks out.

If we decide to wait till our viewing, and we receive a phone call at 9am (for the third time in the last month) telling us an earlier viewing decided to take it, I'm gonna be really !!!!ed off, and I don't want to deal with losing another potentially great place; especially as this is the closest we've found yet to our ideal location. Seriously, if I had to pinpoint an exact street I'd like to live on, it'd be the street my dad lived on, and this street runs into that one! We just weren't quick enough on the phone. We called about 4 hours after it went online. They'd already apparently had several viewings lined up by this point. Also, it's Tax Band A, so you're looking at it being very appealing both to first time renters as well as students at my gf's Uni who're looking to live as close to campus as possible. I don't think this guy's blowing smoke up my !!!! by telling me he has several viewings lined up.

If you were me, would you honestly be okay losing a potentially good place that everyone else jumped on, by a viewing? The way I look at it, I've seen 6 pictures of the place, every single room. Only thing they left out was the hallway.

I don't know. My rational side is fighting against my desire to live in this area for the price being offered. I don't know if I'll find something this good again with a 3 week time frame (we want to move in before my gf goes back to Uni and I start my own course)

Own_My_Own

I think you came on here to ask a question you really didn't want an answer to.
It is obvious you have already made your mind up. So take the place.
I wouldn't, but you don't want to hear that.

Eliza_2

Is there no way you can see it before the viewing day? I saw a house advertised with a viewing day a couple of days hence but rang the people and said I was in the area and could I just pop in. They told me the decorators were still in but I could drop by as I was around (big lie, I'd make a special trip but they didn't know that)

I saw, offered, did the deal, they had to cancel the viewings. Still there (for better or worse) 12 yrs later.

Otherwise it's madness to offer when you haven't seen it though I do understand your reasons for doing so.

moneyistooshorttomention

You wanting a place near a University for the purpose of a course says to me that it's not that long-term a proposition anyway.

In your position, having checked as thoroughly as possible in advance remotely, then I'd go for it. Your worst case analysis is sitting there for 6 months thinking "Wish we hadn't". Six months isn't for ever. If you don't like it, then move on at the end of that time.

Kynthia

I guess you need to fully assess the risk. What is it you might lose if you regret going ahead. How much money do you need to put down before you actually see the place and see the contract? Is this money refundable should you be unhappy with either? As you already know the area and you know the measurements there's less risk, you also are unlikely to be stuck there for more than a year depending on the length of the contract. Also you will get an inventory so you can make sure it's accurate if it turns out that the property isn't as nice as you'd like, so that any deductions at the end are fair. So the decision is yours.

clark24

Some letting agents won't allow people to apply to rent a property until they have viewed it.

Also just because someone else has said they want to view it doesn't mean you are out of luck, as the other people may fail the checks.

In my current situation we are moving into a rental property in 9 days time that we've never been inside. The existing tenants are playing silly b****** with their landlady and were supposed to be out by now so we should have viewed it weeks ago, but they wouldn't budge so we couldn't. But as it was ideal in every possible way and places that suit all our needs are like hens teeth round here we had no choice (our current tenancy ends on 12 days). They are leaving on the 7th tho so that's ok.

Anyway yes it's a gamble, but hey that makes life more interesting, and we know the area very well and the outside of the cottage is immaculate and so yes due to timing, requirements etc we had no choice...

CC-Warrior

Photos can be so misleading (wide angle lenses used to make the living space more spacious than it is, completely wrong photo being uploaded to site, etc) so viewing is essential.

My experience is that the majority of decent properties are snapped up pretty quickly, but you still have to be cautious. I've viewed many 'great' properties only to find they are of a poor condition inside. You're also looking to see what the neighbours and general area is like, etc.