Looking to move into a flat, got some questions???

[jooragi]

Hi

This is not definite yet, but I am looking to rent a flat soon. It will be my first flat rental and so I am a bit new to this, I have some questions.

Does the landlord put in a telephone line into the flat and makes you to pay for the monthly rent of the BT line during the period you rent the flat out for?

If the flat does not have SKY HD and I want to get it installed. I would have course need to ask the landlords permission. But then would he pay for the installation? I ask this as I don't see why I should pay when after my rental period has ended say 12 month later then someone else who rents that flat is going to benefit from sky on my money. Or do you think if I pay for the installation then my landlord will pay the installation cost back to me when I leave the flat after my 12 month contract?

I am looking rent a 1 bedroom studio flat, with 1 reception room, 1 bathroom. It has private entrance. But there is no security system which is a bummer. As I plan to put some expensive electronics in here such as projector, PS3, 5.1 sound system, desktop PC, notebook, toaster, fryer, kettle, coffee machine etc probably around £3K of equipment. and I would not want this stuff stolen. So do I have to pay for insurance?

Do you know how much it generally costs?

Insurance companies usually say that you have to have a alarm to be installed to take out insurance. If so again do I pay for the system after asking the landlords permission and will he/she payback the money for the alarm system after my 12 month contract?

Are there any security surveillance devices you can get where you line up a camera somewhere, where it faces the front door and you put a magnetic strip on the door handle, when an intruder opens the door when your not there the camera is triggered because of the magnetic strip on the door which then makes the camera start recording footage and audio data to a hard drive and continues recording till the HDD is full ad then automatically switches off. Of course this wouldn't help if the burglar is wearing a mask.

I would love to hear your view on this

much appreciated

 

[jooragi]

Thanks everyone for all the help

Answers inline. I'm a landlord.

Many thanks for answering every question I had asked

My 5.1 sound system I had got about 11 years ago, it's made by Pioneer. Back then it cost me £1,500. Now the system has been discontinued and I don't have the receipt anymore. So when you value these products, does someone from the insurance agency need to come to your house to look at all the goods needing insurance, but do they need to see receipts?

If the sound system is stolen will I get the whole £1,500 back so I can go out and buy another similar priced sound system or lower cost system and keep what's left of the £1,500?

Should you value all your goods for a little more than they are worth to cater in the delivery fee that you paid for the goods. This way if they are stolen I don't have to also lose the delivery amount I paid to get the goods?

If at a later date I wanted to buy more products for the flat. Then do I need to again tell the insurance man from the agency to insure the items. Will he have to come around again to value it?

I take it as well that if I want DSL internet or cable installed, I would have to pay for this and ask permission from the land lord?

Skyrunner

I don't think having a safe bolted down would help, I hear of burglars being very professional these days and they come with the tools to drill the door off and get right to the safe. In some cases they actually unbolt from the floor the safe and have this mini pickup lift which can take the weight of a safe and be easily maneuvered out and into a van.

I thought perhaps getting one of those infra red sensor alarms installed, which you pay a monthly subscription to a security service. Then when you activate the system when you leave the house. The moment a burglar opens the door the sensor makes an alarm go off and the alarm is connected to the security monitoring service who then sends the local police to the property. Would there be any point to this or am I better off with just the insurance?

The reason I say the above is because the kind of flat I am looking to rent isn't the type which is inside a gated development, it's simply like one that sits on top of a shop or in a period conversion with a private entrance which is from stairs from street level. So there's not much security right there?

Any help much appreciated

 

[jooragi]

ah many thanks for your answers

PhillyDee, so if I bought a 40" samsung TV for £700 and if it was stolen a year later and now that same model was reduced to £450 would the insurance company give me £450 to buy that model or would it be £700 they would give me?

With the EOL Pioneer of £1,500 the insurer would pay me the amount of a same spec system which could now cost like £400, have I got this right?