Renting advice

To avoid the stress of being part of a chain when moving home, many advise that you sell, rent in the new area and then buy. A big advantage of doing this is that you get to know the area much better before putting in an offer. Whether or not this is the reason you’re looking to rent, the same steps should be taken:

Step 1 – Letting Agent

It is advisable to contact a letting agency as far ahead of the move as possible. They will:

• Arrange or advise on short-term leasing to provide immediate accommodation while a long-term alternative is sought
• Advise you on types of property and locations
• Arrange viewings
• Discuss rent with the landlord (this may be negotiable depending on the supply and demand situation at the time of renting

You can waste a great deal of time on a short visit to a new area fruitlessly exploring without local knowledge of the property market. Once you have registered with a letting agent, they will supply you with details of properties in three ways:

• Over the telephone
• Email alerts and websites
• Listings by post

In-depth area guides for most areas of the UK, broken down into smaller regions can be obtained from Profile Locations. Potential places to live are described (as wells as information regarding education, lifestyle, etc). Go to www.profilelocations.co.uk for further information.

Step 2 – Lease

Agents usually have a standard lease or tenancy agreement. Most leases will be for a period of six months or longer with the option to renew.

Step 2 – Deposit

This will be returned to you at the end of the letting period, less any deductions for damages or replacement items.

Step 3 – Rent

The rent is usually paid one month in advance. You will normally be invoiced ten days before the rent is due, or be asked to pay by standing order.

Step 4 – Inventory

The letting agent will produce an inventory of all the property’s contents. You should check that these correlate. At the end of the lease the inventory will be checked. The agent will set a cost for your approval, of any replacement items, repairs or cleaning necessary. When you have approved the costs the amount will be deducted from your deposit and the remaining sum returned to you.

Problems?

If problems arise during the tenancy that require repairs, contact the managing agent who will arrange for the necessary work to be carried out. In most cases the managing agent is the agent through whom you found the property. If this is not the case, the owner of the property will either deal with these problems him/herself or provide you with the name of the person to contact.

© 2007 of Re:locate magazine, published by Profile Locations, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Profile Locations. Profile Locations accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.