Moving out, what to look for?

kmb500

Hi, I am 20 and trying to move out from my parents at some point in the summer. Now that its June I decided to start looking for rooms to rent. I had the first visit of one yesterday, and although I know I didn't like it, I was a bit stumped and short on questions.

What should I be looking out for or asking about when looking at a room in a shared house?

cloo

I think a couple of questions, if we're talking about people you don't already know, are:
- Is this a quiet house or more of a party house? (then choose as you prefer!)
- How do you split bills?
- How easy is it to contact the landlord and are they good at fixing problems?
- What sort of hours does everyone keep? (again, up to you whether you mind people who work nights, which could mean having to creep around quietly in the day, people who get in late a lot etc)

Also consider how many people there are and how many bathrooms. If it's a three-bed house with two couple and one bathroom, then you're looking at a lot of waiting around for a shower/the loo!

Do you like to cook? Is there a reasonable-sized kitchen or will you be fighting for space with anyone else there?

Storage - do you need somewhere to put a bike securely, for example? Does the bedroom have enough storage

Those are the first issues that occur to me

saajan_12

Really good list from cloo, just a few additions I can think of:
* Are you subletting from a live in tenant (you are lodger, fewer protections, shorter lease) or are you renting a room from the main landlord/owner in a HMO (you are a tenant, other housemates may tell you more about how the LL really is)
* Is there a lock on the bedroom door (if that's important to you)
* Furnished? what do you need to bring?
* Cleaning for shared areas (e.g. clean up after yourself? rota for general cleaning? split cost of a cleaner?
* Which bills are not included in rent and how much? e.g. council tax, gas, electric, phone line, broadband, tv licence, netflix..
* Broadband speed, phone signal
* Notice period - if you don't get on with house mates how long are you locked into paying rent?

aneary

To add to the above questions.

Make sure there is a cleaner for communal areas there is always one person who won't clean.

Find out if you share kitchen stuff or it's just your own stuff. Do you have a separate cupboard for your food/equipment. Do you have a shelf in the fridge/freezer.

Do people watch TV all together or in their own rooms - decide on your preference.

Look out for smelly people if they can't look after themselves they are unlikely to look after the kitchen.

Dishwashers save a lot of arguments.

Locks on bedroom doors? - you are moving in with strangers.

Policies on people staying over - I housemate years ago got annoyed when my cousin stayed over, she stayed with me the whole time we went out for dinner and then the cinema so we won't drunk or loud. However somewhere else I lived the girlfriend was living there but our bills were not split accordingly.

What happens if the rent goes up. Massive arguments can be caused if there is a price for the whole property rather than per room.

juniordoc

Having lived in many house shares during my twenties, my advice would be that your housemates will shape your experience much more than anything about the room or the house!

Try and get to know them, suggest maybe spending an evening at the pub with them before making a decision, and try and make sure you are a good fit with the group.

Best of luck!