Top Tips for Tenants: How to Rent a Flat in London and Never Regret About It

When you have rented a flat in London, had your deposit paid – huge money, by the way - and then, in the process of living you find your living conditions do not meet your expectations, this is quite a stressful discovery.

This kind of a situation is not rare, according to Ready Property estate experts. If you have found yourself stuck in this unpleasant situation, it means that you had been very inattentive back in the stage of negotiations with the landlord when trying to rent a property by yourself.

Before starting your rental process, you need to decide on renting through a real estate agent or a private landlord. A helping hand of a professional estate agent will not only prune down your search but also secure you from scammers and even help to save money.

While looking for an estate agent, the first thing to notice is whether the agent is registered or is a member of professional trade bodies.

While dealing with a private landlord, the most important for a searcher is landlord’s proprietary possession. Sometimes, landlords are tenants themselves and do not have permission to let the flat out on lease. Under those circumstances, if you do not want to come across a scammer, do not take a risk and leave that job to professionals.

Questions to ask your landlord before you sign tenancy agreement

As soon as you find a flat you like, it is useful to familiarise yourself with all clauses of the tenancy agreement. Here are the main questions a tenant should ask a landlord:

• Does the price include utility bills?
• How long is a tenancy period?
• When can I move in?
• Can I be sure that my deposit will be returned in the end of the tenancy period?

You should also pay attention to the so called “break clause” when you have a long-term tenancy. If you are not quite sure that you will stay in the UK for more than 6 months, it is recommended that you check the 6-month break clause is included in your tenancy agreement. Otherwise, even if you give the landlord notice about plans to move, it does not mean you are off the hook for rent payments owed for the rest of the lease term.

Only in case you get reasonable answers to all of these questions and the property owner does not try to gloss over something, you may sign the tenancy agreement and get ready to move in.