House renting questions

amandacat

I’m sorry if any of these are silly questions but it’s been 15 years since I last rented and my house sale should complete soon and I’m moving to rented to break the chain and give me more time to find my forever home. 

My first question is I paid a holding deposit and completed the credit and referencing application on Tuesday but the rental house still shows on Rightmove as available. Is this normal until they’ve had satisfactory checks done? 

They mentioned doing an inventory at the start of my tenancy but without me. Should I ask for a copy and take photos of any damage when moving in?
Gas/electric meter readings- things may have changed but I remember last time I rented, they’d used the meter readings that were taken when the last tenant moved out but the property had a gap in between with viewings and heating used in the gap to keep the house warm. I took readings when I moved in but there ended up being a dispute about this. Not sure if this is still common practice or if they re record readings during the check in inventory  but should I take photos of meter readings when I move in? 

Finally is there anything else I should be mindful of when renting? 

Thanks 

dimbo61

Yes take lots of photos when you move in including the meters.
Contact the utility providers and set up an account.
If you can email the photos of the meters on the day you move in to the energy providers ! And the Letting Agents 
This proves what the reading were when you moved in.
The Landlord should do a comprehensive Inventory with photos or better still a Video inventory by an independent video inventory company.
Take photos of any damage you see and forward them to the Lettings agents along with an email to point out any issues you find.
Hopefully you will have a copy of the EPC,GSC, EICR and deposit information.
Make sure you pay by bank transfer

Hebblethwaite

I have rented four places over the past nine years. I recommend going in with the assumption that your letting agents/landlord are evil and will do everything that they can to keep your deposit. Challenge every inaccuracy in the inventory and make sure to add your own notes (I once had a "professional" inventory that was so grossly and objectively inaccurate - think claims of built-in cupboards where no such thing existed and stored valuable electrical equipment - that I challenged about two-thirds of it - it was partly corrected twice before the letting agent essentially had to concede that we would have to proceed as though they hadn't provided me with an inventory at all). I also photograph extensively - not just obvious damage, because there may be things you don't notice at first but that you can spot as already present on check-in photos retrospectively. I essentially make it clear from the get-go that they won't be able to cheat me out of any of my deposit, and nobody has ever tried. (Obviously, I would have no issue with paying for any damage I had caused, but I'm not losing my deposit because the landlord is taking the mick.)  

I have had positive experiences dealing directly with private landlords, but horrible experiences renting through lettings agents. I've generally found that they, and the tradespeople they work with, are bullies. The clearer I can make it from the start that I am a professional adult with the ability to challenge their unreasonable demands/failure to make necessary repairs, the better, but they are generally still pretty nasty/useless. When I moved into my last house, it turned out to have a non-functioning shower, non-flushing toilets (complete with the previous tenant's faeces), and a newly fitted kitchen with only two plug sockets, neither of which were accessible from the designated areas for the washing machine or fridge-freezer. I spent the first few months bathing/washing my hair in the bathroom sink, washing my clothes by hand, and unable to buy any food that needed freezing/refrigeration (in summer). Their plumber did the gas safety checks and called me the day before he wanted to come in and made threats when I said I would be working and needed six weeks notice to request a day off to accommodate him for anything other than an emergency, even though I had made this clear to the lettings agent when I moved in.

I really hope your move back to rented is a better one, and that you manage to find a fantastic forever home to move to soon. Thankfully, I'm currently in accommodation provided through work so it's managed a little differently/more relaxed. I'm hoping my next move will be to a house I own as I just can't face having to deal with renting anymore - I hate it so much.

dimbo61

Your holding deposit was only one week's rent ?

greatcrested

Check the inventory carefully. If it is accurate, sign and return. f it is not, wither make hand-written corrects, initial them, and then sign /return, or do not sign but write a letter listing any missing or wrongly-described items.

This may be useful:

Tenant Fees Act 2019: guidance for tenants (updated September 2020)

youth_leader

I am in rented and saw a dispute on here regarding the meter reading in a rental, the photo was not allowed because there was no date.   There is a phone app called 'Timestamp' which labels the photo with the address and time, can be used in a court of law if required.  

amandacat

dimbo61 said:

Your holding deposit was only one week's rent ?

My holding deposit is one weeks rent while credit and referencing done. If all satisfactory I have to pay further money to make the deposit up to one months rent at the time of signing the tenancy agreement. 

dimbo61

Hence why I said take photos of the rental on the day you move in and email to lettings agents.
Hi, we moved in today ( date ) and I have taken photos of the meters please see attached files with photos of Gas, Electric and Water meter
yours New tenant at Xxxx address
We have passed the reading onto our energy providers .
You should receive proof the deposit has been protected within 30 days along with the prescribed information and How to Rent, Right to rent checks.

amandacat

Thanks for all the advice and replies. 

Does anyone know how long the credit and referencing takes please? I did the application, gave my employer details and uploaded ID on Thursday morning at 7am before work. I wondered how long it might be before I should chase if I don’t hear anything? 

I want to start the tenancy in 2 weeks to coincide with completion so I can’t let things go too long. 

greatcrested

Is the property vacant?

Is the LL planning/doing renovations/repairs before letting?

How thorough will the referencing be?

All variables.

amandacat

greatcrested said:

Is the property vacant?

Is the LL planning/doing renovations/repairs before letting?

How thorough will the referencing be?

All variables.

The property is vacant and ready to move into. 

The referencing is via a third party company, they asked for ID, authorisation to check with my bank for income verification and employer details to approach them for a reference.