| Index »Top Tips - Renting A Property |
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| Top Tips - Renting A Property |
| It is easier to rent than buying. In the long term it is usually cheaper to buy than to rent. However, with very high property prices in the UK, it takes some time of earning your money before being able to buy a property.Rental accommodation is traditionally found through letting agents or estate agents. These agents earn a commission on the rent paid.
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| You can use them merely to find a suitable property and to help you with the initial arrangements or you can give them the full responsiblility for managing the property. This would involve dealing with any maintenance and other matters. some landlords advertise their properties themselves through the Internet or in local newspapers. By doing this, they have to deal with all the issues an agent would, but you do not have to pay the agents fees.
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| Agreements is normally for a minimum of six months to a year rental property tends to be expensive in London and in and other major cities. The reason for this is that these areas are where the most jobs are to be found especially the higher paying ones. Affordable, sizeable and acceptable family accommodation is extremely difficult to find in London.
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| It takes about three to four weeks at least to find a suitable property to rent. It takes time to find something that you can settle for with your tastes and whims at a price you can afford, especially when you're keeping a constant eye on your budget. Once you have found a place, The agents will ask you to provide personal details such as employment, previous address etc and the agent will talk about deposits, fees, references, obligations, direct debits and other details.
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| RENTING TIPS |
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| Find The Right Place |
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| The area where you live will be at least as important as the property itself: Find properties for rent
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| Find the local agents:( make sure you use a member of the Association of Residential Letting (ARLA) Scheme . one that signs up to the voluntary National Approved Letting Scheme.
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| Get to know your area. Profile of people in the area, how good the transport is and to see key servies are nearby.
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Look to see if windows and doors are secure. Ask about the history of the property - has it been burgled before? It's a good idea to ask that all locks are changed when you move in. (Check local authority crime figures. |
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When you view, check the house is in a good state of repair. damp, mould and peeling wallpaper are all signs that the property isn't well maintained. |
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Find out who is responsible for maintaining the property: the landlord or a managing agent? |
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Try to get feedback from other tenants about maintenance: how quickly are problems dealt with? |
| Do Your Homework
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Why not start conversation about your potential new home: is there something the landlord won't tell you that neighbours might? |
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If you have pets, ask if they're allowed in the property. Many landlords don't allow pets. |
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What furniture is included with the rental? You'll almost certainly have to provide your own bed linen, towels and crockery.. |
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Find out if you can redecorate, bring in your own furniture, or put pictures upIf it's a shared property, spend time with potential new housemates before you sign. |
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| Paperwork
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Ask to see all relevant safety certificates - such as those for any gas appliances. |
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Read your tenancy agreement very carefully. Make sure all appropriate details are included in the tenancy agreement - such as how much you will pay and when, the length of the contract and the notice period. |
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Be clear on which bills you have to pay, and what's included in your rental. Council Tax and household bills will almost certainly be down to you. |
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Ensure your contents are insured before you relocate. Agree an inventory of the property with your landlord. It should have details of the property, the furniture and the condition of both at the point when you take up tenancy. If something is already broken, make sure this is noted. |
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Before your move, get a copy of the tenancy agreement, a receipt for your deposit and a receipt for any rent paid in advance. |
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| Protection Against Eviction
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| If you are living in residential property the law protects you against harassment and illegal eviction. It does this by making harassment and illegal eviction criminal offences and by enabling a victim to claim damages through the civil court.
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| Landlord's Obligations
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| The law makes it an offence for a landlord to:
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Commit acts likely to interfere with the peace or comfort of a tenant or anyone living with them |
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Persistently withdraw or withhold services for which the tenant has a reasonable need to live in the premises as a home |
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Make a tenant leave their home, or stop using part of it |
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Do anything that stops a tenant doing the things they could normally expect to do |
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Take someone's home away from him or her unlawfully |
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| Where Should I Go For Advice? |
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| If you believe your landlord is trying to drive you out of your home you should speak to your local council. There may be a tenancy relations officer who can help or there may be someone in the housing or environmental health departments who specialises in harassment issues. Alternatively, you should seek advice from a law centre, a housing aid centre, a Citizens Advice Bureau or a solicitor.
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| The addresses of advice organisations are usually listed in the telephone directory or the local library, or can be obtained from your local council. If physical violence is involved, you should contact the police.Local councils have the power to start legal proceedings for offences of harassment and illegal eviction under the Act. If the evidence justifies it, they can carry out an investigation and prosecute if they believe an offence has been committed. A local council also has compulsory purchase powers, which it can use in certain circumstances where there is extreme harassment.
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| Tenancy Deposit Protection |
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| What Are Tenancy Deposit Schemes? |
| The schemes allow tenants to get all or part of their deposit back when they are entitled to it and encourage tenants and landlords to make a clear agreement from the start on the condition of the property.
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| The schemes:
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Allow tenants to get all or part of their deposit back when they are entitled to it |
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Make any disputes easier to resolve |
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Encourage tenants and landlords to make a clear agreement from the start on the condition of the property |
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| There are two types of tenancy deposit protection scheme available for landlords and letting agents. All schemes provide a free dispute resolution service.
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| Insurance-Based Schemes |
| The tenant pays the deposit to the landlord . The landlord retains the deposit and pays a premium to the insurer - the key difference to the custodial scheme Within 14 days of receiving a deposit
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| The landlord or agent must give the tenant the details about how their deposit is protected including:
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The contact details of the tenancy deposit scheme selected |
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The landlord or agent's contact details |
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How to apply for the release of the deposit |
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Information explaining the purpose of the deposit |
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what to do if there is a dispute about the deposit |
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| At The End Of The Tenancy: |
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If an agreement is reached about how the deposit should be divided, the landlord or agent returns all or some of the deposit |
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If there is a dispute, the landlord must hand over the disputed amount to the scheme for safekeeping until the dispute is resolved |
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If for any reason the landlord fails to comply, the insurance arrangements will ensure the return of the deposit to the tenant if they are entitled to it. |
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| Custodial Schemes |
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| The tenant pays the deposit to the landlord or agent. The landlord or agent then pays the deposit into the scheme Within 14 days of receiving a deposit
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| The landlord or agent must give the tenant the details about how their deposit is protected including:
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The contact details of the tenancy deposit scheme selected |
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The landlord or agent's contact details |
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How to apply for the release of the deposit |
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Information explaining the purpose of the deposit what to do if there is a dispute about the deposit |
| At The End Of The Tenancy: |
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| If an agreement is reached about how the deposit should be divided, the scheme will return the deposit, divided in the way agreed by both parties
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If there is a dispute, the scheme will hold the deposit until the dispute resolution service or courts decide what is fair |
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The interest accrued by deposits in the scheme will be used to pay for the running of the scheme and any surplus will be used to offer interest to the tenant, or landlord if the tenant isn't entitled to it. |
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