How to rent a house in the UK

As a student, you can also contact the school’s Housing Office to request a Housing List. Because the school is responsible for solving all international student accommodation problems, if you have not applied for a student dormitory, the school's student accommodation office will provide such a list for free. It lists the specific location of the house, the buses and subway stations near the house, the price of the house, and of course the landlord's contact information.

There are some websites in the UK that provide rental contracts. It is best to go to these websites to learn about them before signing the contract. The landlord's obligations and the renter's obligations will be clearly stated in the contract, so be sure to read it carefully before signing. The landlord will also come up with a furniture list, which lists all the furniture in all rooms and how new it is. After carefully checking the list and furnishings, it's time to sign.

Before looking for a house, you must consider the following points in advance:

Check-in time

First of all, you must know what your existing contract is Time has expired, so when looking for a new house, you have to find one that can be connected during the move-in time. For example, if your current contract expires at the end of June, the house you need to find will be available for move-in in mid-June or the end of June. If the house you are looking for can only be moved in in July, it is not suitable for you, because where will you live during this period?

About rent

When renting a house, be sure to ask clearly what fees are included in the rent. Some house rents include water, electricity and other miscellaneous expenses, while others do not and require the tenant to pay them themselves. But generally, you rent a separate room and miscellaneous expenses are not included in the rent. In addition, the tenant has to pay the local government tax (Council Tax). But if you are a student, you only need to apply for a student certification letter from the school and send it to the local government. It is tax-free. Note that the tax exemption period is the same as the period for your student certification letter. For example, if your student certification letter says that your classes will end in June, but in fact your real graduation time is not in June, your local government tax holiday will also end in June.

In the UK, if you rent an entire apartment by yourself, if you are not working or your annual salary does not reach a certain amount, the agent or landlord may require the tenant to provide a rent guarantor (Guarantor). The purpose is to provide you with a rent guarantor. If you do not have a personal financial guarantee, if you are unable to pay the rent, your landlord's rights and interests can be protected. If you cannot pay, your guarantor can help you pay. There are also requirements for the guarantor. This person must work in the UK and have a certain annual salary. If you are unable to provide a guarantor, it doesn’t matter. Most agents or landlords will accept your rent payment in advance as a guarantee, usually starting from 6 months’ rent.

Finally, the most important thing is that before looking for a house, everyone must first calculate how much rent they can afford and set a range for themselves. This way, the house search can be more accurate, and if you find an agent, you can also Better to recommend a house that suits you.

Safety inspection

Before renting a house, you should confirm with the agent or landlord whether all the electrical appliances in the house have been tested (Portable Appliance Testing). You should ask to see the test certificate as confirmation . Also note whether there are smoke alarms or burglar alarms in the house, and if the landlord provides furniture, you should check that it complies with the latest UK fire safety regulations.

House inspection

Before renting, you should check that the interior of the house is in good condition, that there are no signs of dampness or peeling paint, and that there is central heating because of the British winters It is still quite cold, so it is very necessary to check whether the heater is working properly. Many international students have to buy electric heaters separately because their home heaters are broken or not warm in winter.

In addition, are all the furniture and appliances in the house functioning normally? Are there any signs of leakage in the toilet shower and faucets? If these items are found to be broken after you move in, a bad landlord will most likely ask you for compensation or deduct it from your deposit. Remember to check all of this before moving in, and ask the landlord to fix any broken things before you move in.

You may be thinking, how can you check this? No experience at all! Don’t be afraid. If you rent a house with a regular agency, the agency will provide an inventory report service, which is an inventory report of house supplies. There will be a dedicated person to help you check. This report is very important and can be avoided when checking out in the future. The landlord arbitrarily withholds the rent.

About the deposit

When renting a house, tenants will be required to provide a deposit, but this deposit is not given to the intermediary or the landlord. British law stipulates that all tenants’ deposits They all need to be placed in a deposit custodian institution. Many international students will not get their deposit back when they finally check out, so everyone must understand the legal regulations related to deposits.

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Traps of renting a house while studying in the UK 1. Repeated charging of credit check fees

Landlords often conduct credit checks on potential future tenants. In order to avoid them defaulting on the landlord, Still, there are some agencies that charge high credit check fees.

In general, a credit check report costs around ￡100, but some agents charge tenants more. What's worse is that some agents will show you many houses and then ask you to do multiple credit checks. This is completely unnecessary because the credit check will only tell the landlord and tenant's previous credit history.

Traps of renting a house while studying in the UK 2. Fake landlords

Please pay attention to some house advertisements. They will be too good to be true but the rent is very low. Some fake ads put some "bait" and then ask you to pay online before viewing the property.

Traps of renting a house while studying in the UK 3. Unprotected deposit

Landlords are required by law to protect their tenants’ deposits in one of the following three items. They are: Deposit Protection Scheme, My Deposit and Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Still, some landlords won't do any of this.

It is very important to determine which project they use to protect your deposit before signing the contract. Be sure to ask them to provide evidence to prove that your deposit has been protected. This can avoid future problems. dispute.

Every deposit protection program has a free appeals service that you can use if your landlord deliberately refuses to refund your deposit. Find a website that will help you. To check if your deposit is protected, ask your agent for a reference number, then call them yourself.

Traps of renting a house to study in the UK 4. Non-refundable administration charges

An international student once reported to us that she was charged an administrative fee of 210 pounds by an agency because She thought the house was already hers. Next, her agent told her that the landlord had accepted another offer, but her handling fee could not be refunded to her. Worse cases have also occurred, with tenants even paying ￡540 in fees.

You should refuse to pay the closing fee until you are sure the house is yours. You may not pay any fees if you deal with a private landlord. Some websites where you can find this type of landlord are: Moveflat.com (London only), Gumtree.com, loot.com, spareroom.co.uk or easyroommate.co.uk.

You can even find houses on some social networking sites, such as Facebook and Weibo. If you are a student, your university will have contact details for private landlords. In Scotland, there is no tenant handling fee.

Traps of renting a house while studying in the UK 5. Check in and Check out bills

Please determine the fees you want to charge, such as these two fees, before appraising the contract.

If the agent is a member of the following organizations, you can use their appeals service: Association of Residential Letting Agents, National Association of Estate Agents or the National Approved Letting Scheme. There is also Property Ombudsman or Ombudsman Service.

Traps of renting a house while studying in the UK 6. Expensive search fees

Some companies charge you expensive fees for finding a house, which is inappropriate and you should not pay any fees for finding a house. .

Targets of renting a house while studying in the UK 7. Change of lease period

You may have to pay a fee for changes to the lease period and the name of the tenant.

Targets of renting a house while studying in the UK 8. Multiple documents

There may be a fee if you want to ask for an additional contract.

Traps of renting a house while studying in the UK 9. Rent renewal fee

If you want to renew your lease, please note that some agencies will charge you a renewal fee.

Traps of renting a house while studying in the UK 10. Increase the rent

Real estate agents and landlords will increase your rent in some cases. Find the rents for similar properties in the same area and use this to negotiate with the landlord.

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