renting - pitfalls and potentials (Private accommodation in general)

Member Name: andyneil

Product:	Private accommodation in general
Date:	07/02/01 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Thinking ahead will save you trouble

Disadvantages: Have to be careful in choosing your landlord

Nearly all students live in a house at some time during their studies, but many are ripped off, or taken advantage of, by unscrupulous landlords. Rents vary greatly throughout the country, but they also vary to a surprisingly large degree within a student area. Not all variation is purely monetary, as different agencies employ different bonuses to attract students to their properties. These range from a freezer full of food for when you move in to having all your bills included in the price of the rent. One increasingly popular incentive is having sky or even digital in the house, although quite often the tenant would be responsible for subscription. Think ahead as to what would attract you most to a house and what extras you would like. Many students, as long as the rooms are big enough, insist on double beds in the rooms, while others prefer labour saving devices like a dish washer or even a cleaner who does communal areas once a week. It is relatively easy to get extras from landlords, as competition to rent is normally high, but is it vital to know what you want in advance, or the landlord will easily get away with giving you less.

I went to university in Hull, and lived for two years in rented houses, once through an agency and once direct from the landlord. Hull has an excess of housing, so the tenant, i.e. my housemates and I, had the upper hand in negotiation. Where there are fewer houses for rent the landlord is obviously less desperate to rent as he can be fairly sure of filling his property. The first time we rented we were shown a lot of dumps and ended up visiting several agencies. This legwork was worth it as we found a house we liked, but also knew what each letting agency had to offer. When we went to sign contracts we decided to barter for a better deal, but with five of us present and without any pre-agreed strategy, we dithered and were easily divided by the experienced letter. In the end we got our weekly rent reduced and fo
ur weeks free extra in the house, so two of us could move in early, as well as a TV and (admittedly very old) video for the lounge. We actually did far better than most of our friends who rushed into signing, paid more than we did and still had to hire a TV and video. The second year we went through a private landlord and got the same deal as before, but with our water bill paid and a tumble drier to share as well. This came after deciding what we wanted and then presenting our demands to the prospective landlord, with a single speaker doing our negotiating. This worked well, apart from slight dissension when the landlord offered a Playstation instead of the water bill. We held firm and were ultimately satisfied that we got a good deal.

Many of our friends found that their landlords had fooled them with their contracts, by ensuring that they ended on July 1st (ours ran to August 1st). This meant that all those graduating had nowhere to stay and were either having to pay for hotels, re-rent their houses for further weeks or crash on friends’ floors. This caused bigger problems for those who wanted to stay between exams and graduation for all the parties, but found themselves having to move home. This is one example where forward planning can prevent extra expense later, by getting a few weeks extra (free of charge) put on the contract. A single landlord, only letting one or two houses is much less intimidating. Even when you are clear what you want it is easy to be put off by jargon, veiled warnings or vague innuendo about what is actually possible. Stick to your guns and threaten to go elsewhere, but ultimately, for this to succeed, you have to actually be willing to do so if need be.

Basically, signing a contract on a house is nothing to be scared of, most of us do it and most agencies are vaguely reputable. If you are still worried, get your contract looked at by a parent or student welfare, just to check its okay. Monetary fac
tors are not the only consideration, and it is worth talking to other students about landlords. Some landlords may be very tardy in fixing things, which is very frustrating when you have no cooker for a few weeks. Other landlords may keep large amounts of your deposit, for spurious reasons, with little chance of you successfully challenging them (one important tip here is to take photos of the condition when you move in, and do an inventory check and present a copy to the landlord). These are the sorts of things that can be easily found out by talking to people; students are always keen to slag off their landlords. Overall the best advice is to shop around, look what’s on offer, and don’t decide on purely monetary factors. Location, size, garden and number of bathrooms may all be of some importance to you in making your decision, as well as the extras the landlord may give you. Talk to people, decide what you want and then try to find it; don’t be rushed into signing by landlords or peer pressure. As long as there are lots of properties to go round, the longer you leave it the stronger your negotiating stance is.

Summary: