Click on a link below to take you to specified area.....

Overview to renting
Pros & Cons
Initial Choices
Your Flat - What do you want
The Contract
What Happens
End of the Lease

   
OVERVIEW TO RENTING

1. why rent anyway?
2. who runs the property?
3. who owns the property?
4. furnished or unfurnished?
5. what is a fair price / rent?

Overview of the renting decision

Renting might be the right decision for you for a number of reasons. This advice centre helps you to decide. If you already know, you can find useful help on looking, deciding what kind of flat suits you best, tips on looking successfully, what to expect in the contract, how to negotiate to get the deal you want, advice to help the move go smoothly, and much more.

Why rent anyway?

People rent for a number of reasons. It is a non-permanent way of living so it gives flexibility to you. You may want to live in an area for a while to see if you like it before deciding to buy there. You may want to try out a relationship first by moving into rented accommodation with your partner instead of going the whole hog by buying with them. You can rent a property when you move to an new area with your job or for many other reasons.

How much should I pay?

As the last section of the introductions shows, renting is now in many cases cheaper than buying. You will read a lot about it being cheaper to buy than rent, but because house prices have rocketed and rents have fallen, this is no longer the case. Why not rent now and buy when prices have fallen and you can afford the place you really want? See the 'compare financially' section for more details.

Furnished or not?

Rented accommodation comes in a variety of forms. It may be furnished or unfurnished. Furnished means different things to different landlords and agents. You will find flats are furnished to a greater or lesser degree. So what?
Accommodation will be managed by an agent on the landlord's behalf. There are advantages to this arrangement from your perspective.

Who do I live with?

Well obviously that's your choice! However, there are a number of alternatives available in the rental market. You can live on your own and rent a studio, or a one or two bed flat. There are far more of these in the more central parts of Reading. You may opt to share. You may have friends to rent with already so you can rent the whole house. The main advantage this way is that you know who you are moving in with.

   <top>

PROS & CONS

It's more flexible

Renting gives you great flexibility - you are not stuck for years with the same property or the same part of town or even county. You can (after giving proper notice) just leave and move to something that suits you better. If you break up with your partner, it's much less messy if you are renting! You can move out quicker as well.

It's cheaper

Financially, renting is often cheaper than buying. You CAN'T just compare rent with your possible mortgage interest cost. After you've found the deposit, you have to make allowances for solicitor's fees, stamp duty, mortgage repayments, lender's arrangement fees, estate agent's fees, mortgage broker's fees, house insurance, service charges, repair & maintenance costs. The list goes on and on!
And DON'T forget that your interest bill can and will vary. Rates are historically very low. This means that when they go up the impact on your repayments will be magnified. Rents are currently falling. Find out more in comparing financially.

It's more convenient

How much time can you save by not worrying about house insurance, service charges and so on. As a tenant you don't have to worry about any of those things - that is up to the landlord.

You won't have to bother with painting or upkeep of the property - that's up to the landlord too.

What if the dishwasher breaks, or a tap leaks? You needn't worry - just call the landlord.

   <top>

INITIAL CHOICES

Starting out

Choosing the right area is an important decision. You are going to live there after all. Some people have a good idea where they want to live. If you do - this section is not for you, if you don't - read on!

Not knowing where you want to move to, or moving into a new town or city, can be daunting. The help centre will guide you through some of the factors you can consider and show you other websites which will help you in your research. It's important to spend some time deciding if you have that luxury.

You'll need to think about what you want from the area - for example closeness to work or family, the nightlife, the atmosphere. Only you can decide what factors are important - the "MUST HAVES" - and which are less important - the "NICE TO HAVES".

The two main factors are the 'feel' of the place and the cost. Obviously some areas will just attract you and some won't. But most people don't have endlessly deep pockets, so the areas you decide are for you must still be affordable. You can however make compromises if the area is a 'must have' but is in the posh part of town.

   <top>

YOUR FLAT - WHAT DO YOU WANT

Furnished or unfurnished?

You will probably know the answer to this already - you either got it or you haven't! But there are a few useful things to note on this subject.

Unfurnished property is not cheaper to rent.

Although this doesn't make much sense it is true. There are factors which could make unfurnished cheaper both for the tenant and the landlord, but these are more or less balanced by factors which could make unfurnished more expensive. On balance then there is little difference.

Furnished sometimes means "almost unfurnished"

Sometimes a furnished flat has minimal furniture and most people would need to bring some of their own to make it comfortable. You will need to bear this in mind. Other furnished flats are absolutely complete and tenants can move in without bringing a thing.

'Furnished' can become 'unfurnished'.

Landlords can be flexible and if you've got your own sofa or bed or both you can sometimes get the landlord to remove the flat's making room for your own. Of course this might work the other way as well. You should keep and open mind when looking at adverts. See the negotiating section of Agreeing Terms.

Insurance on furniture

You will be required to provide your own insurance.
We would be happy to assist you as we are Premier agents for Homelet.
Homelet provide a wide range of insurance policies for tenants and landlords.

Fire Regulations

Means that furniture provided by the landlord should be compliant with the Fire Safety Regulations and he will need to inspect it before putting it in the flat. Most soft furnishings are treated nowadays and will have a label showing they are fire resistant. It's worth checking this yourself anyway.

   <top>

THE CONTRACT

   <top>

WHAT HAPPENS

Introduction

The tenancy agreement is a legally binding document agreed between you as a 'lessee' or tenant and the landlord, applicable only to the property you are renting. It is designed to protect the interests of both the landlord and the tenants. This document should set out your responsibilities as a tenant clearly. These will vary from agreement to agreement, depending on the property and the demands of the landlord.

Make sure that you thoroughly read the small print as some clauses can unfairly favour the landlord or agent. If there is something that looks a bit dodgy or which is in legal terms that you don't quite understand, get the advice or ask the letting agent.

Read everything carefully

Normally the landlord or the letting agent will provide the tenancy agreement. You must read the document thoroughly. The tenancy agreement is normally drawn up by a solicitor or according to a set model that has previously been devised by a solicitor on the lettings agent's behalf.

You should never agree to rent a property without a full and legally binding tenancy agreement between yourself and either the landlord or letting/managing agent. A written agreement is strongly advisable to protect against unforeseeable changes in circumstances.

In theory, tenancy agreements can be verbal. These should be as legally binding as written ones. In practise, relying on a verbal agreement to stand up in court is a dangerous practice. When it's your word against the landlord's it's not always the person telling the truth that wins.

All tenants will normally have joint and several responsibilities under the terms of the tenancy. This means that you are individually and collectively responsible for all aspects of the property. If one of you doesn't pay your share of the rent, then by law the others will be liable for it and the landlord is within his rights to pursue all of you through the courts to recover the amount owed

<top>

END OF THE LEASE

Renewing

Tenancies are frequently renewed. Renewal terms are usually agreed at the beginning of the agreement and the details are included in the document. The tenancy can be extended either by granting a further fixed term or by allowing it to continue indefinitely as a periodic tenancy.

If you wish to remain in the property longer than the set amount specified in the lease, you should be able to. You should write to the property manager 2 months before the lease is up and advise them of your wishes. You may be able to stay on a month-to-month contract.

Timing

If you want to renew the tenancy for any period or just to extend it for a few weeks or a couple of months you must approach the agent or landlord as soon as possible. The earlier you do this the more likely you are to succeed, and nothing succeeds like success.

Most landlords are happy to extend or renew. If you have been a bad tenant or have been paying less than the market rate in rent, you may be on a losing wicket. But landlords will always prefer to continue with a good or average tenant - it's so much less hassle and money.

Agreeing new terms

If you are extending you must expect the terms to be the same. An extension would be for an agreed period and should be put in writing by the landlord, agent or, if they don't, you. You don't need to sign another contract.

If you are renewing, which would typically be for a longer period say another 6 months or a year, you will either sign a new contract or sign a memorandum amending the original. The landlord or agent should tell what they want.

When you renew, expect to change the terms a little. Obviously the term may be different. The landlord may ask for a higher rent, or you may ask for a lower rent if the rental market has changed. Most other parts of the contract will stay the same unless negotiated otherwise.

If you are sharing and one party changes or leaves you will probably have to sign a new contract with name changes.

Allowing access to the property

There are two main sets of circumstances that normally require you to allow either the landlord or the agent access to the property. Both of these are usually detailed in the tenancy agreement, though not always.

There will often be a clause in your contract requiring you to allow the landlord or lettings agent access to the property to show prospective new tenants around the property once you have passed the point of no return in terms of renewing your tenancy agreements. Again, there will normally be a stipulation that you be given fair notice of any appointments, usually 24 hours. This is so that you can tidy away your dirty underpants, remove the mouldy festering leftovers from the fridge, and finally get round to opening the window and giving the place some air.

The way many lettings agents work, they will often get a call in the morning and want to show the place in the afternoon. It is your right to make them wait the agreed period before allowing them access to the property, but it is not really in your interests to be too awkward when it comes to this sort of thing.

Your last days

Ensure you fulfil your obligations stated in the tenancy agreement to leave the property in the condition it was in at the start, or deductions will be made from your deposit. These will include thorough cleaning and all linen, used or not, freshly laundered. If you have moved furniture, return it to where you found it at the time of the inventory.

When you leave, ensure that you comply with your obligations as set out in your tenancy agreement. The particular areas you should pay attention to are:

Cleaning the property and its contents. For everything other than a student property, the agreement will probably specify that the home must be professionally cleaned before you move out. This means that you probably won't get away with just giving it the once over. You don't necessarily have to fork out for a professional cleaner, but you will need to clean the carpets and spend a good deal of time making sure that all areas of the property are spotless and ready for someone else to move into. If you would rather get in the cleaners.

Removing your own belongings. Don't leave your unwanted possessions in the property or the landlord will probably charge you for removing them.

Returning keys promptly to either the landlord or managing agent, whichever is applicable.

Relocating any of the landlord's furniture that you have moved into its correct and original location.

Leaving the garden and exterior in a reasonable condition if it is specified in the agreement.

Make sure that all the meters have been read and arrange for the final bills to be sent to your new address.

Make sure that you notify all the appropriate people of your change of address.

Notice

You must give proper notice if you wish to leave the property. Read the contract again and talk to the agent or landlord, especially if there is any ambiguity - it is far better to resolve it now than later.

Most problems arise over disagreement about when the notice can be given. If you cannot agree when notice can be served, get some legal advice. Again this is best done early; don't try to sort out disagreements at the end while you are moving out. It will lead to conflict and don't forget the landlord has your deposit and it is normally prohibited to withhold rent in lieu of the deposit by the contract. Otherwise what is the point of holding a deposit?