Should I pay upfront for the room from abroad?

marcela2

Hi everyone,!

I am a foreigner living abroad and I will be coming back to UK shortly. I have been looking for a room to rent just for a short period of time, somewhere to stay before me and my bf get jobs and find new accommodation. I found a good room on the certain website where landlords advertise their properties.

The landlord and us agreed on minimum 2 weeks stay, 2 weeks deposit and a weekly rent, that we will pay every time me and my partner decide to stay another week. Now, I didn´t think this through and I can understand landlord´s point of view but I am also cautious and am wondering how to protect myself.
I don´t know the landlord, I have seen the property only on the pics, obviously can´t do so in person as I am abroad but today I ran the Land Registry check and it confirmed her and her husband to be the owners of the property.
I have a photo of her husband´s ID, I have her employer´s address but I don´t have a contract as she is out of town for few days and I was wondering how much security would an emailed tenancy agreement give me before making a payment of £200 that she wants from me to secure the room? I have signed tenancy agreements before with private landlords and an agency. It is easy in person but how can I protect my money when she wants me to send it from abroad and I don´t have a contract yet? If I insisted on one being sent by email first, would it be valid at all? Is it going to make a difference if she emails me a signed one or without a signature?
Now probably the naive question.. if I didn´t have the contract emailed to me, should I make the payment anyway and have the conversation from that website and payment on my bank account as a proof that we agreed on the tenancy...? I feel stupid just asking this...
Simply, can anyone tell me how to protect my money when paying upfront and be sure I have the room available once we arrive? Also, am I right to think the 2 weeks´ deposit should go into one of the protection schemes, even though we are not staying for a certain period of time like month, 6 months etc? Should the contract state that the money that she wants to be sent upfront should go towards the rent or deposit and that it is just not a random one-off payment to secure the room?

Thanks guys!

Comms69

Will you be sharing with the landlord?

marcela2

I believe so, yes. She said she would be in when we arrive (very early morning hour) and when I asked her before if she was a tenant looking for a house-mate or a live in landlord, she replied, she was the landlord.

Comms69

then there is no obligation to protect the deposit.

marcela2

Oh, thanks for that. And what is your opinion about sending a part of the money upfront and not having a tenancy agreement..? Even if I insisted on getting one by email and then sending the money to her, would that actually give me the security that I have not just send the money to a random person and will never see it again? Shouldn´t this upfront deposit, which is not a whole deposit that we agreed on, be mentioned in the tenancy agreement?

Comms69

marcela2 wrote: »

Oh, thanks for that. And what is your opinion about sending a part of the money upfront and not having a tenancy agreement..? Even if I insisted on getting one by email and then sending the money to her, would that actually give me the security that I have not just send the money to a random person and will never see it again? Shouldn´t this upfront deposit, which is not a whole deposit that we agreed on, be mentioned in the tenancy agreement?

I wouldn't send anything, id rather pay for a b n b for a few nights when I arrive and then find somewhere.

hazyjo

If it's something like Airbnb, you'll pay through the site. Do something like that where you don't pay the host direct.

marcela2

The rational part of me knows this is the safest way but the other part is questioning what if this was genuine and she really wants to rent the room out without ripping me off. I know she wants the deposit so she has the security that we will turn up but the fact that signing the contract cannot be done in person makes it tricky. The room is reasonably priced, she is not pushy about it and doesn´t expect me to send her all of the deposit but I´d have felt like a proper fool had I lost any money really because of my silly decision.

davidmcn

marcela2 wrote: »

how can I protect my money when she wants me to send it from abroad and I don´t have a contract yet? If I insisted on one being sent by email first, would it be valid at all? Is it going to make a difference if she emails me a signed one or without a signature?

Leaving aside arguments about emailing contracts, can't it be done by post? Where are you?

marcela2

I´m in Slovakia.. Having it delivered by post could take anywhere from 1 week and as we are flying in 2 weeks, we may not even get it by then. And if so, just in time to take it with us.
I thought that we would not send the money but pay for B&B or airbnb for the first few days and if the room was still available when we arrive, we could come and view it and organize everything in person. Of course, we are at risk that it might be taken by then and it will cost us more money and time trying to find somewhere where they accept such short term tenancy. Sigh...

Fisa002

Weird as this may sound but can!!!8217;t you get her to email you the contract. You sign and then scan it back?