Helping you find the perfect rental home
Sian Hiatt, Sales Manager, points out some important things renter should consider before starting the search for an ideal rental home...
Looking for a new rental home is such an exciting time. You’ve spent months saving up the funds and you’re now ready to dive headfirst into property portals and letting agents’ windows (yes, we do still advertise the good old-fashioned way!).
Despite the excitement it’s also important to make sure you’re clued up as you enter the property-finding process.
Choosing an ideal rental property is arguably the easiest part - it’s the things you need to have in place and be happy with beforehand that can catch you out and if worst comes to worst, could see you ending your tenancy a lot sooner than you’d hoped.
Below you’ll find a guide to some of the things to consider that are often forgotten about among the euphoria of finding a new rental place to live in.
Does your income cover more than just the monthly rent?
If the amount you’ve saved only covers several months’ rent, you need to remember that additional fees may be required before you even move in.
These could include:
Tenancy deposit - though you will receive this back at the end of the tenancy provided all is well with the property.
Agency fees - enquire with the letting agent to ensure you’re fully aware of all fees that are involved.
Costs to move - do you have items that need to be carefully transported with a professional removals firm?
Furnishings - is the property fully furnished? If not, you may need to account for the purchase of furniture and home goods.
One of the most common mistakes that new renters make is failing to consider expenses beyond the rental payments.
Calculating your income and figuring out what will be an affordable rent for you isn’t accurate enough. This is because in most cases you will have living expenses to cover beyond just the rental payments.
Are bills included? If not, you’ll need to make sure you can easily cover those.
Read: How to split bills fairly with your housemates
Are you sure you’re searching in the right location?
Sometimes we can forget the importance of location when searching for a property. The location is actually one of the driving factors for price, but it’s still easy to fall in love with a place and not realise how inconvenient it’ll be during our daily lives. It’s something that we may not recognise until we’ve already moved in, therefore, we’d recommend you think about the following while assessing the location of your dream rental home…
- Does the rental property’s location suit your current lifestyle?
- Are the essential amenities you require within easy reach?
- Could the traffic in the area result in an unreasonable amount of time commuting to work?
- Does the area offer the public transportation that do or might need?
- Does the area offer adequate phone and internet receptions?
Moving is a time-consuming and expensive process, even when you’re renting, so you’ll want to make sure you’ve ticked the all-important boxes before deciding on a property.
Is your credit score good enough?
Now, this is one that plenty of tenants fail to consider. Especially first-time tenants. You can expect a letting agent or landlord to run a credit check against any prospective tenants to make sure they have a good credit history and will be able to comfortably afford the rental payments.
If you don’t know what your credit score is before you start viewing properties, it’s a good idea to get it checked out. If you discover your credit rating needs some work before you move into a rental home, it could help save you spending on fees for something that you’re destined to be declined on or stop you from having to use a guarantor or putting up a much larger deposit.
In many cases, a landlord or letting agency may flat-out refuse to takes things further until you have improved your credit score.
Will they accept your pet?
The 2021 Pet Population report by Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association indicates that there is an estimated 17m households in the UK with a pet. That’s 59% of all households, and we’re willing to bet that quite a few of them are within rental properties.
Landlords aren’t obliged to allow tenants a pet within their properties, so if you have a little furry friend that you’d like to move in with you or feel as though it’s something you may want to consider in the future, make sure you check that it’s accepted on the tenancy conditions. If pets aren’t mentioned, raise the question to see if you can gain permission.
It’s also worth being aware that in some cases an extra fee may be incurred to cover any extra cleaning or damages to the property once you eventually vacate.
Moving into a rental property for the very first time is both exciting and stressful, but that stress can certainly be minimised with professional help - or with a read through our handy renting guide. From sourcing potential homes to finally handing over the keys, our team of letting experts here at CPS Homes can guide you every step of the way. Why not contact us to find out how we can help? Call 02920 668585, e-mail enquiries@cpshomes.co.uk or pop into one of our three Cardiff based branches.
