Flat Rental Advice

MisChief

MisChief

MisChief

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Joined
8 Mar 2005
Posts
9,173
Hi all

I am currently living with parents but want to move out and rent a flat by myself (don't want to share) and will be going to my first ever viewing tomorrow. What kind of things should I look out for and what kind of questions should I ask the letting agent?

The studio flat i'm viewing is in Surrey and is listed for £700pcm unfurnished and excl all bills (I know Surrey is huge, but telling you the town will give the address away!). Looking at other listings, £700pcm already seems to be the cheapest studio flat available in that area. Does anyone have any tips/advice as to how I can 'haggle' the price down a little? I've already done a bit of research can't seem to find any other studio flats cheaper than that in the area.

I will actually be viewing the same flat twice.. 1st viewing at 5.30pm and 2nd time at 5.45pm lol.. because the flat was listed twice via different agents and as both agents charge different agency fees, I want to meet both of them to see what they have to offer.. (1st agent charges £250, 2nd agent charges £150)

Any tips/advice much appreciated! :)
 
Unless they're struggling to shift the property they will not reduce the price.

Make sure you read the terms and conditions properly and that you understand them; this will be important while you live there but even more important when you come to leave.

Make sure the place looks clean and ask if there are any structural problems you need to be aware of.

Make sure you can afford to keep the place for the duration of the lease or you may face complications.
 
NOISE! Ask about sound-proofing (they must comply with the sound proofing laws regard ing the passage of sound). Ask about noisy neighbours and parties. That can be the easiest way to hate your new home.
 
you wont be able to haggle, though £700 seems reasonable for your area. if its a new build expect mold regardless - it will happen, any half decent landlord will have an action plan in place for it though.
 
They won't haggle because it's not a one-off sale. If you get them down to £650 for example then they'll be losing £600 in the first year, so they may as well wait up to a month and get a full-paying tenant. And that's just for the first year, you could be there a lot longer.

Also, shower power. A weak shower can make your life hell. Gas stove? I hate cooking on electric. What's the central heating like? Normal radiators or crappy storage heaters (personal preference)?
 
electric points
size of fridge/freezer
mobile signal
working TV aerial
working and active BT line or cable
locks on all doors and windows (insurance cover)
openable window in bedroom (preference)
washing machine
smoke alarms
enough storage
 
Wow £700 for a studio flat! I thought Aberdeen was really annoying for rental prices... eek!

£800 pcm would get you a really nicely furnished 2-double bedroom place here!

Good luck though... and +1 on listening for noise. I was actually at a flat viewing yesterday, it was on a main-ish road and the double glazing wasn't great and I wrote the place off based on the fact that the traffic noise was obvious and quite annoying!
 
[FnG]magnolia;18270603 said:
Unless they're struggling to shift the property they will not reduce the price.
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That's just rubbish. I don't know why everyone's saying you can't haggle. Out of the 2 I've been in in London now (both newly done-up, so we were the first tenants), neither have been at full asking price. Both were up with multiple agents and nothing in London hangs around on the market.

Things to look out for: TRAFFIC!, convenient supermarket (especially if you don't have a car), parking (if you do have a car), white goods, BT line (otherwise you'll not be able to / will have to pay for one), furnished/unfurnished (or at a price). Make sure you're using a reputable agent that will put your deposit with a protection scheme.
 
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£700 for a studio...with no bills....best be one big studio!

We're in a 3 bed house for just shy of £700...Different place entirely but yeah.

Ask about who covers things that go wrong (boiler, pipes, everything)...Find out the tax band etc, get your costings together
 
A.N.Other said:
That's just rubbish. I don't know why everyone's saying you can't haggle. Out of the 2 I've been in in London now (both newly done-up, so we were the first tenants), neither have been at full asking price. Both were up with multiple agents and nothing in London hangs around on the market.
Click to expand...

Nothing hangs around yet you think you can haggle the price down? Wow. Were these places dumps or just unwanted? The only reason an agent will EVER drop the price is if no one is prepared to pay it. That is what I said in my post that you describe as "rubbish".

For what it's worth, I lived in Surrey for a number of years and the trick was to stop the agent pushing the price up not trying to get it down.

Still, I'm sure you know best what with having rented two properties and all.
 
I guess £700pcm is probably reasonable, considering it is the only studio flat currently available in that development (fairly new). There is also a 1 bedroom flat going in the same development for £800pcm furnished but I can't afford it. A friend of mine who lives 2 miles from that area said £700pcm sounds about average..

This is within the M25 btw... somewhere in the West :p

I just called up another agent and they have the exact same listing as the other 2 agents. This agent is offering no admin fee - only £50 for referencing. By the sounds of it, there's quite a lot of interest in this flat. If I like it then I will probably have to just pay asking price for it :o
 
£700 for a studio flat, what a rip off. I would not pay that for a studio. I don't know that area but you should be able to get a proper 1 bed for that price :confused:

make sure the heating is sufficient
make sure the shower has enough pressure
make sure the fridge and the cooker work well
check the postcode for internet availability

Also ask how much the council tax is because that can vary depending on how the council feels.
 
Where's all this you can't haggle stuff coming from? My flat was advertised at £600, I said I had budgeted £600 but would need to rent a lockup as well as there was not enough storage space so offered £540. They took it without even trying to meet me half way. Saved me and my flatmate a grand so far.

Certainly make an offer, the worst they can do is refuse.
 
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