A Tenant's guide to renting

HGLTsuperstar

I am moving out end of next week, and checking out process on the day with the letting agents, who hold my deposit in the TDS scheme. Do I get it back that day or how long does it take?

MissMoneypenny

HGLTsuperstar wrote: »

I am moving out end of next week, and checking out process on the day with the letting agents, who hold my deposit in the TDS scheme. Do I get it back that day or how long does it take?

The information about that should be in the details you were given about your TDS.

This thread may help:-
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=12197573&highlight=rental+deposit+return#post12197573

HGLTsuperstar

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

The information about that should be in the details you were given about your TDS.

I wasn't given any - which is why I wanted to know what had happened for others in similar situations please.

MissMoneypenny

HGLTsuperstar wrote: »

I wasn't given any - which is why I wanted to know what had happened for others in similar situations please.

You should have been given all the details within 14 days of your deposit being given. How do you know that the deposit is held in a TDS? What date did you move in?

It might be better if you start your own thread to get more responses.

Renter01

Hi.

I am hoping to get my first rental property. I have applied for the house and am now waiting for the reference checks. Does anyone know exactly what they check? I have some past credit problems and seriously hope this doesn't affect my application. I have the funds to pay the rent, and am in full time employment,

Any advice greatly received.

inmypocketnottheirs

Renter01 wrote: »

Hi.

I am hoping to get my first rental property. I have applied for the house and am now waiting for the reference checks. Does anyone know exactly what they check? I have some passed credit problems and seriously hope this doesn't affect my application. I have the funds to pay the rent, and am in full time employment,

Any advice greatly received.

Depends who the landlord or letting agent is.

Best to ask them what they do and be upfront about any problems.

I am a landlord and I do a complete credit check and have my tenants insured so that if they do not pay, I am guaranteed my rent.

If you were to apply to me, you would very likely get rejected because of adverse credit information. I do not take any tenants uninsured, the underwriters may accept six months rent as a bond and give insurance on that basis.

Responsible landlords vet their tenants very carefully. Anyone who has had credit problems in the past may be more prone to not paying their rent in the future, who knows. But I don't take the risk.

HTH

Renter01

inmypocketnottheirs wrote: »

Depends who the landlord or letting agent is.

Best to ask them what they do and be upfront about any problems.

I am a landlord and I do a complete credit check and have my tenants insured so that if they do not pay, I am guaranteed my rent.

If you were to apply to me, you would very likely get rejected because of adverse credit information. I do not take any tenants uninsured, the underwriters may accept six months rent as a bond and give insurance on that basis.

Responsible landlords vet their tenants very carefully. Anyone who has had credit problems in the past may be more prone to not paying their rent in the future, who knows. But I don't take the risk.

HTH

Thanks for that. I will just have to wait and see. Thing thats bugs me, is that the debts are from 5 years ago and I am paying them off month by month. I haven't had any credit in the last 5 years.

Arrrgggghhhh Past has really bitten me on the bum :mad:

mooma_2

Just a note (not to anyone in particualr, but i have been in a similar situation myself).....

Don't ever rent privately unless you go through an estate agent - some people that let out properties and advertise in newspapers, etc don't have a buy-to-let mortgage, so they break the terms of their lease by letting the property with an owner-occupier mortgage (this means the tenants have no right to stay in the property at all, and the tenancy agreement is completely void).
Therefore the property could be reposessed, and usually the tenant only finds out about this when they get a letter telling them to leave the property or the bailiffs will be round to "assist them" - and the worse thing is that the tenant can do nothing about it!

MissMoneypenny

ALWAYS CHECK ON LAND REGISTRY BEFORE SIGNING EVEN IF YOU RENT THROUGH AN AGENT

mooma wrote: »

Don't ever rent privately unless you go through an estate agent - some people that let out properties and advertise in newspapers, etc don't have a buy-to-let mortgage, so they break the terms of their lease by letting the property with an owner-occupier mortgage (this means the tenants have no right to stay in the property at all, and the tenancy agreement is completely void).
Therefore the property could be reposessed, and usually the tenant only finds out about this when they get a letter telling them to leave the property or the bailiffs will be round to "assist them" - and the worse thing is that the tenant can do nothing about it!

I'm afraid that happens when people rent through an Estate or Letting agents too. On the mortgages board you will read other forum members saying that their agents told them not to inform the mortgage lenders. Sadly, you will also see other forum members advising other members, not to tell their mortgage lenders. As you have said, people who do this give no protection to their tenant at all. If you have paid rent in advance to the LL, you could lose all your money.

The best thing to do is check on Land Registry BEFORE you sign any contracts.

Go to the Land Registry website and for £3 you can download in seconds, the deeds of the house you are thinking about renting. On there, it will list who the owner of the property is and where the mortgage lenders has as the property owners address. The landlords address should be different to the house they are renting out. If it is the same address, don't rent that house.
http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/www/wps/portal/FindAProperty

Also, do other renters a favour and write to the mortgage lender and inform them too. Enclosing any evidence you have, such as the advertisement for the rental.

Frugaldom

I think there needs to be something written in post 1 stating which laws apply to which areas. I am a tenant, I rent in Scotland, Scotland has entirely different laws to England and elsewhere, so can someone please let me know if this 'Tenant's Guide' thread relates exclusively to England. I ask purely because I have seen no mention of the Landlord Registration scheme ( https://www.landlordregistrationscotland.gov.uk/ )that became compulsory here in April 2006. Renting out property without being registered with the council is a criminal offence and landlords can be fined up to £5,000. I know this law applies in Scotland, but does it apply anywhere else? The entire register is available for anyone to access online, so it's easy to find out if you are in a legal tenancy.

Also, is an AT5 form the same as form S21?

Basically, what I really want to know is what happens if someone finds themself in an illegal tenancy?