A Tenant's guide to renting

sonyhamster

I'm currently renting (via a lettings agency) and on Saturday, I got a call from the previous tenant...

He said that he had received a bill for £150 for cleaning and repair charges - he was not convinced by what was on his check out inventory so asked if he could have a look. I didn't mind as I was satisfied he was genuinely the previous tenant..

However he showed me what the lettings agency wrote on the check out and it got incredibly petty - anything from dust to
small 50p sized white scuff marks that could be removed with a rub of a finger.

Can they do this? And surely, if a landlord is prepared to let a place out, they should be prepared for reasonable wear and tear such as that..?

Field2000

Rabiddog wrote: »

sproadailly??

Also why not get a digital camera and take pictures of the fixtures and fittings .. these are not legally binding (afaik), but could certainly help refresh both yours or the LL memory..

yep, good one! should do it

BitterAndTwisted

sonyhamster wrote: »

I'm currently renting (via a lettings agency) and on Saturday, I got a call from the previous tenant...

He said that he had received a bill for £150 for cleaning and repair charges - he was not convinced by what was on his check out inventory so asked if he could have a look. I didn't mind as I was satisfied he was genuinely the previous tenant..

However he showed me what the lettings agency wrote on the check out and it got incredibly petty - anything from dust to
small 50p sized white scuff marks that could be removed with a rub of a finger.

Can they do this? And surely, if a landlord is prepared to let a place out, they should be prepared for reasonable wear and tear such as that..?

Unfortunately "reasonable wear & tear" dos not include dirt or damage. Dust and scuff-marks are most definitely dirt and damage. Included in the cost to the landlord is employing someone to go in and sort out that dirt and damage and one could assume that cleaning contractors charge a minimum call-fee which is (partly) why the charge seems so expensive. Naturally, on top of the actual cost of the cleaning would be a nice mark-up for the trouble of having to arrange it. It would have been much cheaper for the previous tenant to have done all the cleaning properly in the first place before they moved out. Lesson learned, one hopes.

Jhon_2

Hey,

This is really important to know especially when you going to be a first time tenant

cazsheru

I have been renting my house for 6 years @ £500 per month.
I am sure the Owner would sellbut we have no deposit and no savings but both work full-time.We are 47 and 49 and have a joint income of £34,000.

I have now paid £36,000 for a house that is not mine.
A contractor recently visited the house and mentioned that if we went to a lender for a mortgage that we would not need a deposit, is this correct?

Just can't find a way out of our situation, it is depressing.

Muffinator

When I move into a rental place, I take pictures of everything! And provide the LA/LL with a copy of the pictures as protection for when I move out.
It's also important to find out how they deal with appliances that break or cause problems. Does the complex reimburse you for huge electric bills or Water bills if an appliance breaks?
If you can, find out who the "Higher ups" are for your complex.

stillscrapping

Sorry if this has been asked somewhere in this thread already but it is soooo long!

My son has signed a 6 month lease on a flat above a commercial property. After just 6 weeks the owner has given him verbal notice to quit as she has found a buyer for the property. As far as I can find out during the first 6 month she cannot do this. Is this correct. Thanks for any help.

alexdanfield

Thanks for posting this! This post was very helpful to us especially the first time tenant. All of us were very important to know and this lots of tips are very interesting. Thanks for all the advice ,tips and information.

gazzard

Great guide! Wish I'd read something like this when I first went to uni.

I think this point is very good. I used to enjoy telling would be residenets how awful my landlord was. You'll get an honest answer from an unhappy tenants.

JoeA81 wrote: »

Questions more specific to a potential private landlord (LL)
1. Ask if the LL can supply any references from previous tenants (if they are a good LL they should have no problem with this). An alternative would be to try and talk to the current tenants, and ask their views on the landlord. If you are still having trouble finding anything out, or if the property is currently empty, you could try asking the neighbours if the previous tenants made any comments about the landlord. Please note that if you are in an area where the rental market moves quickly, then it is unlikely that you will have enough time to do any really in-depth checks on the LL. Just try to find out as much as you can in the short time you have available.

Most of my experience renting a place comes from being a student, so I would say to any concerned parents of first time students out there, get your kids to check at the university union if they get into any disputes, as they should have an advice centre that can help out.

useruvce

Hi, Great article. However I have a question about moving out process. I need to give the reference details of my current Letting Agent who is managing the property I am renting now, to my new Letting Agent.
But the current property LA is charging me £30 just for giving the reference. Please note that I am paying the new LA reference fees for doing reference check and credit check.
I believe this is not a norm that current LA charges money just to sign a paper which says how good/bad a tenant I am. Please let me know if this is legal and if not, then what can I do about this?
Thank you