Tips for Finding a Flat to Rent (London-based)

[EmilyJones]

These tips were written by Sammy S in this thread here. I'm just re-posting them here so that they can be easily found and/or linked to, in order to help others with similar questions more effectively.

Please note: The thread these tips are taken from was started in April 2011 so if anyone is reading this post three, five or ten years down the line (who knows!), they should probably do a little extra research to find out what is or is not still relevant. Laws can change, common practices can change, etc, so watch out.

Copied stuff begins now!

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Here are some tips:

1. Always try to go through a private landlord. You can find their properties on places like Gumtree and Craigslist.

2. Tell them you are self employed and you can get a guarantor (someone who is either a family member/non family member who is UK based and in full time secure work. This means that if you ever fall behind with your rent it will come out of their account instead so the landlord never recieves nothing).

3. If they ask for accountant proof/credit reports etc then you absolutely dont have to provide them. If you have a guarantor then there is no need for them to see things like that as they will be getting the rent every month no matter what.

4. If they ask for bank statements then you will probably need to show them some. Just say you get paid cash in hand from your job and you put it into your account when you need it.
It's definitely a good thing to be paying tax as an escort as you can also show your potential landlord proof of you pay NI etc.

5. Offer 2 months rent upfront, plus a 6 week deposit. They will be all over you like a rash if you offer a lump sum. I wouldnt advise offering something like 6 months upfront as they will think it's a bit weird and wonder why you want to do that.

6. If you need a previous landlord reference then get one of the girls on here to do it for you. All it involves is a phone call or an email. Or get one of your personal friends to do it for you. If you have a real previous landlord reference though then of course use that and not a fake one.

7. It always helps to have a glowing character reference from someone like an old boss, teacher, flat mate.

8. It's good to always opt for a 6 month lease or a 1 year lease with a break clause in it. This way, if you end up hating the flat or the landlord is a nightmare etc then you can get out quickly.

9. Be aware that your landlord MUST by law give 24 hours written notice (text, email, letter) to come over to the flat. If they just show up then this is against the law and they must NEVER let themselves in without your permission.

10. Your landlord must bond your deposit in one of the bonding schemes. If they dont do this within the appropriate time frame then they are liable to give you 3 x the amount of the deposit. Check out the DPS for more info.
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[Sleeping Admin]

Just to clarify point 10 in Sammy's excellent 10 point summary. The DPS is the Deposit Protection Service http://www.depositprotection.com/. This is called a tenancy deposit scheme. The DPS is one of a couple of online services you can use to find out whether your landlord has protected your deposit. In order to see if your money has been deposited into the scheme, your landlord needs to give the  number which he would've been assigned when opening the account in which to place your deposit. It's your deposit ID number.

To expand, if it does turn out that he hasn't protected your deposit, you can file a claim at the small claims court at your local county court (do a google search for the nearest one in your area; due to govt. cuts some have closed and some have merged with the magistrates courts and criminal courts. It costs around ?35 to file (that was the price last year), which you can also claim back and also any necassary expenses you may have accrued when filing; postage, proof of phone calls, travel, etc.

If you can help it, always record your correspondence between yourself and your landlord. Try and use email or snail mail and if you use your mobile, send texts instead of speaking to him on the phone. If your landlord turns out to be a less than savoury character, you've got hard copies for proof.

[Cesca]

Great advice and a good read !

[RachelGivethBBW]

This might sound stupid but another good thing to remember is getting house insurance?

This is less for the house insurance and more for the legal insurance that comes with it!!

We have just had to move (at the time we were told due to the landlady wishing to sell) afterwards informed that we were asked to leave due to concerns about our "conduct and activities", we were afforded no tenant rights in being served notice, the letting agents stopped communicating with us and now they're trying to take the entirety of our ?2k deposit.  The whole episode has nearly bankrupted me with work on a bit of a go-slow too!

So the legal insurance of up to ?50,000 on the account I took out with a popular high street bank is now coming  in handy   Insurance costs under ?30 a month and also means if ever get robbed can at least get some of the cash back!

Well worth the money in my opinion!

xx

[Bexy]

8. It's good to always opt for a 6 month lease or a 1 year lease with a break clause in it. This way, if you end up hating the flat or the landlord is a nightmare etc then you can get out quickly.

10. Your landlord must bond your deposit in one of the bonding schemes. If they dont do this within the appropriate time frame then they are liable to give you 3 x the amount of the deposit. Check out the DPS for more info.

Re point 8 - what does a 'break clause' mean?

Re point 10 - (bonding scheme) is this only applicable if you are London based or does it apply to other areas of the country?

Thanx.

[RachelGivethBBW]

Hey Bexy,

Hope tis OK for me to answer this having very recent and in depth personal experience of both of these?! lol

A break clause is one where you (AND THE LANDLORD) are contracted together for a period of time, normally a year but with a break clause (normally at the 6 month point of your tenancy) where either party can decide they would not like the tenancy to continue.  Effectively it gives you or your landlord the option to break the tenancy at a certain point.  You/They MUST give a certain amount of notice (normally 2 months under Assured Shorthold Tenancies) but you need to check your specific tenancy agreement - there are some WELL dodgy bits in ours!

Deposit scheme  with the TDS  is countrywide and will let you all know how the arbitration process with them turns out!!This is where they weigh up all of the evidence you and everyone else sends and decide how much of your deposit you get back.  I've currently got a LOT of money in the deposit for that place... well worth the house insurance legal backup if it doesn't go in your favour and you need a bit of clout from the lawyers!! Meanwhile I'm thinking of declaring myself bankrupt because this process can take up to 6-8 weeks to arbitrate!  Don't expect your money back in a hurry honey!

Hope this helps and do double check everything...am no expert but the TDS website as linked in posts above can tell you everything you need to know

x

[Bexy]

Thanks Rachel, the mind boggles.. I've only logged on quickly and will re-read it again and look at my own tenancy contract/wish I knew all this before I signed, still you learn as you go along. Tnx again.

[Jesscort]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!