A Tenant's guide to renting

mzdotokay

Interested in Buying aborad - where is the best place (in europe) - best value for money??

shelley_crow

I am looking into a first time private letting and wondered what the etiquette is for negotiatng rent (if there is such a thing)? I don't want to ask if it's not "the done thing" but wondered if anyone else has done this successfully? If so how? x

MissMoneypenny

shelley_crow wrote: »

I am looking into a first time private letting and wondered what the etiquette is for negotiatng rent (if there is such a thing)? I don't want to ask if it's not "the done thing" but wondered if anyone else has done this successfully? If so how? x

I offered £625 on an asking price of £695 last summer and got my hand snatched off. I wished that I had offered less as I could always have come up.

I am looking at other rental properties now as my area has had a big increase in LL looking for tenants, so I will be looking for a bargain.

modest_scouse

I officially "moved in" to my first flat today, but I won't be going through the inventory with them until Tuesday. I have the keys however so I had quick look around myself (I don't want to start moving stuff in until i've been through the inventory with them) - I noticed one of the dining table chairs was broken and a few other minor things, should these get fixed by the LL or LA as they were like that from when I moved in? Also i'm not sure how I will actually end up paying for things like the council tax. Will I need to contact the council myself and arrange it? Or will the LA be doing that? I know it's something I should have asked myself while I was there but it slipped my mind.

Wolfy_2

I think whilst the advice regarding checking out the landlord and getting references etc is well intended, it is largely impractical in areas where the rental market moves very quickly.

In greater London good properties (value wise) go very fast and you would simply not have time to get landlord references sorted, or do any sort of in depth checking on them. Also I don't think most landlords would bother with sorting them out for you, as they are sure to have someone else ready to snap up the property if it is fairly priced.

olly300

Wolfy wrote: »

I think whilst the advice regarding checking out the landlord and getting references etc is well intended, it is largely impractical in areas where the rental market moves very quickly.

In greater London good properties (value wise) go very fast and you would simply not have time to get landlord references sorted, or do any sort of in depth checking on them. Also I don't think most landlords would bother with sorting them out for you, as they are sure to have someone else ready to snap up the property if it is fairly priced.

The advice states you cannot expect to do everything on the listed.

olly300

modest_scouse wrote: »

I officially "moved in" to my first flat today, but I won't be going through the inventory with them until Tuesday. I have the keys however so I had quick look around myself (I don't want to start moving stuff in until i've been through the inventory with them) - I noticed one of the dining table chairs was broken and a few other minor things, should these get fixed by the LL or LA as they were like that from when I moved in? Also i'm not sure how I will actually end up paying for things like the council tax. Will I need to contact the council myself and arrange it? Or will the LA be doing that? I know it's something I should have asked myself while I was there but it slipped my mind.

Start a new thread and you will get answers.

JoeA81

Well I'm finally back online, one month after moving into my new flat - the reason I started this thread in the first place!

Its amazing how much of the advice written in the OP of this thread I completely ignored. I primarily went with the gut feeling that my new landlady was honest, trustworthy and decent; so everything else would fall into place.

After reading balsh's post, I think it would be worth adding to the OP that when leaving a rented property, it is highly advisable to sort out the payment of final bills yourself rather than leaving it to the LL or LA. After all it is you who is liable for those bills, not the LL or LA, and letting them sort it out can leave you in exactly the situation that balsh has found him(?)self in. In short if you are liable for a debt, then dont rely on anyone else to sort it out for you!

I think I will also expand a bit on utility bills in the OP as a few people seem to have questions about them.

Wolfy I completely get your point about properties going quickly in certain areas. And I know in many cases it is impractical to do such in depth checks on a LL. I will try and make this point better in the OP.

MissMoneypenny

Wolfy wrote: »

I think whilst the advice regarding checking out the landlord and getting references etc is well intended, it is largely impractical in areas where the rental market moves very quickly.

In greater London good properties (value wise) go very fast and you would simply not have time to get landlord references sorted, or do any sort of in depth checking on them. Also I don't think most landlords would bother with sorting them out for you, as they are sure to have someone else ready to snap up the property if it is fairly priced.

If a LL is going to reference a tenant, then why do you think there isn't time to reference a LL? Or do you mean some LLs are reluctant to provide references? The bankruptcy board has had a few LLs on there now.

olala

Hi, I am looking to rent in Central London. Can anyone tell me how much the fees for agents usually are?

By the way any ideas how to avoid paying them overall? How could I find landlords / housing comp directly?
Thanks, o.