We are slowly seeing an easing of Covid-19 lockdown and businesses are returning to work. Importantly, this time of year is when many graduates are taking their first steps in new careers. And part of this is moving to new towns and cities. Remember, tenancies in shared houses or halls of residence may be a little different compared to a ‘normal tenancy’. And students may have previously had a housing and vetted properties service via their Student Union.

If you’re looking for your first rental property – or if you’re a parent, friend or relative of someone looking at their first rental property – then read on for some tops tips. (The text below is based on a real query that came to me a few days ago. I thought it was worth sharing).

1) First of all, I have an info sheet here – https://proudhouseproperty.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Tenants_get_property_you_want_A4-1.pdf

2) Most tenants will enquire about properties with an agent via the portals – eg, Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket, Spareroom etc. My advice is to only use the portals that I have just detailed. Other portals will be “scraper websites” and could well be out of date, thus properties that might appear as available on these sites were actually let a long time ago.

3) Know the areas where you’re willing to live before booking viewings – it’s frustrating for everyone to attend a viewing and only then realise that you’re in a dodgy area where you know you won’t be comfortable.

3) Prior to a viewing, agents are obliged to get basic details from tenants and ensure that a property is likely to be suitable for them before offering a viewing. So make the agent’s life easy: for example, if enquiring about a property via a portal message service then a bad example of a message would be:
“Interested in this property – call me”. 

A good example would be:
“Hi, I’m looking to move to this area in early July and this property looks ideal. There will be X people moving in with me, I/we have X pets and I/we are all working full time as a Dr/Nurse/Vet/Sales Assistant/Whatever. When would be a good time to view please?

4) Follow it up with a phone call – a popular property in a city location might get many enquiries in the first few hours of marketing – some tenants phone us and complain that we’ve not responded to their emails – we’re not ignoring them, it’s simply because the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.

5) When the agent is scanning through many enquiries in their inbox, it is of course natural for us to contact the most promising sounding tenant – see advice 3) above.

6) Be friendly and confident on the phone. I always find it surprising that there are many people who phone us who sound grumpy, sullen, miserable and not enthusiastic. This might not apply to some agents but we actually like helping people! And it’s nice to do that with happy people. We know moving is stressful – if we can all be positive then it’s easier to make arrangements and keep on track.

7) Steer clear of dodgy agents and dodgy landlords. This is hard for the newcomer but here are some tell-tale signs:

• Agents and landlords should not be charging tenants any fees other than rent and deposit. They may charge a holding fee which can be one week’s rent therefore the first month’s rent will be the balance.
• Some landlord’s request a month’s rent in hand eg, month 1 and 2 are paid prior to check-in and then month 3 is paid a month after check-in and so on. Landlords try this as a safeguard against tenants simply vacating with no warning. However, it’s a grey area and I’d avoid this.
• If you’re going into a shared house then this will be known as an HMO (House in Multiple Occupancy). A good, well managed HMO with 5 rooms or more will likely have a noticeboard in a communal area displaying a copy of the HMO License, a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate etc. It will probably have a decent commercial standard fire detection system and emergency lighting. The lack of these could (although not definitely) be an indicator of a landlord operating ‘underground’. Avoid. Otherwise, a good HMO can be an excellent home – bills are usually all factored into rent, other tenants/occupants can be similar age and heating etc is often all controlled and automatic. So they can be fairly hassle free.
• Any rental property is required to have at least a smoke detector on each floor – it’s worth surreptitiously checking they are installed – if they’re not then it’s another sign of a landlord who probably doesn’t care.
• Avoid landlords advertising on a note in a shop window or chip-ship noticeboard etc. There is a chance that this type of landlord is dodgy/miser/amateur, or all 3. (My apologies to the perfectly reputable landlord who might also use this method). 

8) With flats, just double check there are no extra payments or service charges to pay – eg, upkeep of communal gardens etc. There shouldn’t be – but occasionally a confused landlord tries to separate them out – ultimately, you should just have to pay the asking rent and that is it.

9) Beware of tenancies within unusual circumstances – eg, annexes, lodger, live-in landlords. In the same way, be cautious of a property where a landlord says they reserve a room for their own occasional use etc. There is nothing wrong with these – however, the type of tenancy will not be a Housing Act tenancy therefore many of the protections you would normally expect as a tenant will not apply.

10) No agent or landlord likes to feel they’re dealing with a wannabe solicitor (although actual solicitors tend to be great tenants and we have never had a problem with them!) so if you are up to speed with your tenant and landlord obligations then avoid testing your agent for the sake of it. Just ask the questions you genuinely need for your assurance.

 11) A good agent/landlord will want to do referencing checks and a credit check. This is a good sign. Depending on circumstances, you may want a parent/relative to be a guarantor and it might be worth offering this right from the outset – it’s quite reassuring for many landlords. The guarantor will need to be referenced and credit checked also.

12) When you secure a property with a holding payment, request a copy of the draft tenancy agreement and also enquire which deposit service they’re using.

There is a lot of variety in processes and procedures so if you experience something that is not in accordance with the advice above then it’s not necessarily a cause for concern. Ultimately the landlord or agent you deal with should be helpful and forthcoming with answers to your queries.

I hope this helps and good luck with your search!

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authored by Chris Chambers. Downloading and printing for personal use
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social media, must include suitable references and identify Chris Chambers of Proudhouse Property Management as the author. June 2020.