The CLIC Guide To Renting
Whether you're living at home and want to get as far away from it as possible, or in a halls of residence and have finally accepted that little room isn't big enough for all your stuff, you will almost certainly consider renting a house with a group of people.
Moving from halls into a house is a major step forward in the life of a student. As well as being cheaper and allowing more access to shops, the ability to now mess up several rooms before having to clean really is something. Moving from home probably won't be cheaper than living with your family, but it's a hell of a lot more fun. However it can also be quite a daunting prospect, and that is why CLIC is here to offer you this helpful guide to shared accommodation. This guide is written primarily for students, however the information in it can be just as useful to those who are working instead of studying.
Location, Location
One of the first things you need to decide is where you intend to live, and how much you intend (and can afford) to spend. As a general rule, you shouldn’t look to spend more than £50 a week on rent unless you are sure you can afford to. Don't be tempted to get the house that's 5 seconds from your lecture or favourite hangout: Rent and Council Tax (for non-students) will increase considerably if you live in a 'hot spot' like the middle of town. Choosing to live a 10 minute walk from the city centre instead can save you a lot of money, and often the houses outside the town centre are bigger.
Note that sometimes the landlord/agency deals with the utilities (gas, electricity, water) and so you just pay a higher rent and don't have to worry about the other bills, but never assume that is the case just because the rent is higher than you expected.
September or July?
A standard contract lasts from September to June, but the option of renting over summer (sometimes at half price) is often available upon request, so if you’re stuck for a place to live over the holidays that’s always a cheap option. Most places have a compulsory retainer fee which allows you to keep your stuff in the house over summer. Just make sure anything valuable is insured before you do!
Letting Agency vs. Private Landlord
When renting a property, you have the choice between going through a letting agency or directly through a private landlord. Both have their pros and cons. An agency is likely to cost a little more, but any extra expense is justified by the service: they make the task of viewing and renting a house incredibly simple, and are able to deal with problems more quickly than an individual. All agencies should have an emergency number that is reachable 24/7 (make sure you specifically request it if they don't give it to you). A landlord is more of a gamble as it really depends on the individual: you may get one who will gladly buy you a new cooker if yours is faulty, or you may have a Scrooge. But on the whole, landlords are equally reliable – sometimes more so – than agencies.
Advice for Dealing with Agencies:
- When making a request/complaint, make a note of the day you do so and the member of staff you speak to, as they may try to deny you ever telling them about that leaking shower
- As a general rule, agencies will do all they can to hold onto your bond. Things as petty as blu-tac stains and unhoovered carpets are enough to let them keep at least £20. If at all possible, ensure you are present during the inspection at the end of the year, as it’s much easier for them to claim the house needed cleaning when you’re 50 miles away
Advice for Dealing with Landlords:
- Obtain at least one telephone number. Preferably mobile and landline so you can reach them in an emergency
- Make sure they’re for real, as scam artists do exist. Try and get as much information about the landlord as you can. Ask for a work number as it is easy to check that it is real and that the landlord works where they say they work. Get their address and check the electoral role at www.192.com. (Or, if you’re prepared to pay £3, check that the landlord legally owns the property by downloading the Title Register of the property at www.landregisteronline.gov.uk)
Things to Look Out For
- Any of the letting agencies in the area will be happy to arrange viewings of properties. The later in the day these are booked the better, because any morning viewing is likely to be marred by the presence of unconscious students in and around the bedrooms.
- When looking around houses, take the time to properly examine things to see if they work. Check that doors close all the way and the lock on the bathroom actually works. The letting agent’s job is to make the house look appealing, not realistic. A good tactic is for most of the group to distract the sales rep with questions, while one or two of you have a quiet word with the current tenants, who will give you a much more realistic opinion on the property.
- Signs of a good house include an extractor fan above the hob (essential for cooking fry-ups), a radiator and/or window in the bathroom (to avoid damp), a front and back door that shut securely and availability of plug sockets. Signs of a bad house include damp patches (especially near electricity), mould, and chavs climbing in through the back window. Also note quality (and availability) of furniture and gadgets: ask whether that Budweiser fridge and the 1000W confectionary microwave come with the house or just belong to a tenant.
Housemates
The right housemates can be the difference between a year of total relaxation and of teeth-clenching frustration, so do put some thought into who you live with. Consider your possibilities: if you're currently in halls, moving in with your flatmates is the easy option. But you know them well enough by now to know what annoys you about them, and people whose only friends in university are their ‘halls clique’ are sad. Maybe it’s time to branch out? Ask yourself some questions about what you’d like most from the experience of co-owning a house: How many people would you feel comfortable living with? Some say the more the merrier, as bills and rent will go down. But the chance of a dirty kitchen will soar, and you may find it feels less ‘homely’ than sharing a place with just two or three people. And, more importantly, ask: What kind of people? The geekier they are, the better your broadband; the more jockish they are, the more beer and Sky Sports channels will be available.
Everyone has their differences, and for the most part this is good, but some are just too incompatible: if you like to get an early night and find it hard to concentrate with a thumping bass vibrating your room, you will not enjoy living beneath a late night raver. Similarly, being asked to turn down your hi-fi because your housemates can’t hear their new Songs of Praise album over your ‘God Hates Us All’ and ‘Diabolus in Musica’ ensemble, is likely to result in some less-than-pleasant relationships with your housemates.
Living with at least one ‘clean freak’ is advisable. If you’re getting a house where one or more tenants are ‘to be confirmed’ at the time of the viewing, be prepared for the possibility of living with — *dun dun duuuun* — a mature student. These rare beings are rumoured to need peace, quiet and sleep before midnight. If you do end up living with such a person, be nice and reach a mutual respect with them. Don't dismiss them as being a "parent figure" or you're bound to feel restricted in what you do in your own house.
Communism = Free Frosties
Learn to share. For a household to be successful, certain items must be communal, or needless conflicts will arise. Teabags and toilet paper should be freely accessible to all housemates, who should take it in turns to buy them. Help your housemates out: share the ketchup; stop buying your own milk and appreciate that there’s no difference between green cap and blue cap; and don’t explode if someone eats a bowl of your Frosties. As well as ensuring safe passage to Heaven, this attitude will help cover you the day you’re short of cash or dying for a biscuit.
When Moving In
- Take photos (or, ideally, a film) of the entire house the day you enter it, with specific focus on anything less-than-perfect about the property. If you can prove the dent in the wall was there when you moved in, you’re covered if the landlord accuses you of creating it. If you can’t prove it, you may lose your bond. Make sure you photograph/film a copy of the day’s newspaper to prove the date, as the date on cameras can easily be changed and alone that may not stand up in court
- Check the furniture is accounted for and not broken. Also check that it's clean as it's probably not new. A clean up of anything down the back of the couch and under the bed is certainly advisable
- If you don’t plan on buying a TV license, make sure there are no TVs in the house, or at the very least get rid of the aerials. Just saying “I never watch TV; it’s just for DVDs” might not be enough if the TV license people knock on your door
- Buy a carbon monoxide detector, as many properties don’t come with one (and even if they do you can never have too many). One that beeps LOUD. It could save your life
- Get a copy of your key cut. You’re bound to regret it if you don’t
Read the Small Print
- Stepping out of the shower to find a group of strangers staring at your divinely toned physique can be exciting for some, but many people prefer to have advance warning before potential tenants are shown around. Does your tenancy agreement say they have to give you advance warning? If the contract says so, and they choose to ignore it, they are invalidating their own contract and can be reported for doing so
- Check the finer details of your insurance (you do have insurance, right?). Is your stuff covered while you’re away for Christmas? If someone else leaves the front door unlocked, will it invalidate your insurance claim?
- Request a copy of the inventory if you’re not provided with one. Check that everything on the list is actually in the house and immediately notify the landlord/agency if it isn’t. Failure to do this could result in you being accused of stealing when you move out, and again you’d risk losing your bond
- Demand a copy of the gas and electrical safety certificates, and ensure they are up-to-date
And, as a final note:
WARNING: Beware ‘The Pitcher’
More evil even than Noel Fielding with green makeup and a polo on his eye, ‘The Pitcher’ is a beast which preys on the money of naïve second-years. He exists in many forms, but his attack is always the same. Learn to identify the tell-tale signs of The Pitcher’s attack before it’s too late:
Pitcher: *Waving a miscellaneous piece of plastic with some photo on it under your nose* “Sorry to bother you, but there’s been a complication with your gas/electricity/TV package/religion (delete where applicable). Can I just confirm who your energy supplier/channel provider/God is?”
You: *Convinced this is something genuinely important* “Um… I think it’s Swalec/Npower/Sky Plus/Jesus.”
Pitcher: “Ah, well you see-” *Forces himself into your house* “Can I come in? Thanks. Anyway, as you can see by these charts I’m moving too quickly for you to read, your current supplier/God is clearly the wrong choice. If you stick with them you’re absolutely guaranteed to miss out on this great offer/lose £10,000 a year/burn forever in the darkest pits of Hell. But don’t worry… there is hope! Just sign here, give me your bank details… that’s it, and now you’re saved! Have a nice day!”
You: "...What the hell just happened?? And why did I give a total stranger my bank details?"
Salesmen, no matter what they're pitching, will try and take advantage of people living in a house for the first time. If you sense that ANY conversation you’re having in your doorway is heading in this direction, SLAM THE DOOR IMMEDIATELY. This is the only remedy. Nothing else works, especially trying to reason with or understand them. Be constantly on your guard, and expect him to visit regularly in a variety of disguises.
Related Links:
Tenants vs. Letting Agents: A Warning
Image source: guardian.co.uk
