London Houses for Rent

and which are nice safe areas that i should look for a place in? thanks ok, i thought that could be the case. i work at e16 (next to west india quay DLR). where else could i look for a houseshare? dont mind 30mins commuting to work.

Avoid all areas inside the M25

Find out more about London houses for rent at http://www.londonhousesrent.co.uk

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Today I read at the FTAdviser that some tenants from Wapping and Belgravia areas are giving their notices on their rented houses because of the bankruptcy. These seem to be among the first direct consequences of the investment house collapse.

Richard Cotton, from the Cluttons agency declared “It is too early to assess the true impact of the Lehman collapse on the London property market, but it is not surprising to see city tenants who have lost their jobs already giving notice. I would expect to see more of this over the coming weeks, which is likely to result in a dip in rents in areas which are popular with city workers such as Docklands, Wapping and Belgravia. It is probable that forced sales will also increase in these key areas, as city workers are forced to sell up, whatever the cost.”

Most of the 5,000 employees of the UK branches of Lehman Brothers will lose their jobs in the following months, resulting in a degradation of the situation for the landlords of the nearby areas as a side effect.

Find out more about London houses for rent at http://www.londonhousesrent.co.uk 

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Moving In

As a general rule, you will have to pay the rent of the first month and any agreed fees before moving in. Once you have been settled there are things that may help you enjoy your new place in a safe way:

• Check that all meters are working fine (electricity, gas, water). Call them to indicate the date you are moving in and write down the meter readings. In this way you will have a solid ground to pay only from that day on.

• Since the insurance of the landlord won’t cover your own belongings, you may want to insure them.

• Check (again) that all appliances are working and that you know how to use them properly; check as well

• Keep the phone numbers for the emergency services (repairs, local police, ambulances, gas and electricity companies) in a visible place, for example in fridge magnet.

Keeping your rented London house in good shape

Whenever you damage your house, you will have to pay for fixing it. In case you do not do it the landlord will discount it from your deposit. The damage does not include natural wear and tear issues.  So as a general rule return the rented house in the same condition was given to you. And in case you have to leave the house for some time, remember that:

• You still are expected to pay the rent,

• You are still responsible to keep it in good condition

• It is always a good idea to give the landlord and way to contact you in case of emergency.

The Last CheckList

To wrap up this report, we present you some final advises to consider when renting a house in London:

• Insurance. Check with the landlord what is exactly covered by the insurance so you can plan accordingly.

• Letting agent’s costs. Check whether the letting agent will charge you for processing you application and taking care of the paperwork.

• Reference costs. Verify who will assume the costs for the credit checks and references.

• Service reconnecting costs. You will usually not have to pay to reconnect gas, water or electricity, only for the phone.

• Moving costs. Check with the removal company the cost of moving your belongings to the new house. The price will obviously vary depending on the quantity, weight and distance.

 
Final thoughts

Finally I would like to thank you all for the support mails I have received (I did not realize how many people is looking for the same thing I am). This will help me keep writing with more advises and tips about London houses.

Special thanks to Larry P., Linda S. and Wolfang K. for your thorough suggestions.
As a result of some reader’s ideas and advises, I will gather news about the house renting market in London. These days there are a lot of news about the economy that affects directly the house market,  I am by no means an expert on these matters but I have a direct interest in knowing their evolution (for my own safety) therefore I will definitely investigate this matters and write about them.

Thanks everyone and come back soon to London houses rent!

Letting agencies

Most of the people will search their next London house for rent using newspapers, websites or different renting/letting agencies. And most the times, the property will be managed by a letting agent.

Remember that the letting agent is working for the property owner so be sure to check his references and that he follows the different management codes that apply (Services Charge Management Code and Rent Only Management Code). Be sure to ask as well if he is acting as a sole agent for the house or if there are others agents trying to let the property as well.

If you are interested in renting that house you must check the following:

• Is the property in good condition? Anything broken or missing?

• Is it clean?

• What appliances and furniture has?

• What are the management and maintenance costs?

• What responsibilities will you have as a tenant of this house?

Health and safety

The owner of the property must comply with the following regulations:

• Gas Safety Regulations

• Smoke Detectors

• Electrical Equipment Regulations

• Furnishings and Furniture Regulations

• Starting October 1^st you have to be provided with and Energy Performance Certificate. This certificate will tell you how energy efficient is the house. Is very similar to the labels that you can find in refrigerators and other appliances (which they have a letter from A to G indicating their efficiency)

• Ask if the electrical appliances have passed the Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)

Terms and Conditions

At this stage you will normally agree with the owner the conditions of the rent. You will have to supply to the landlord some information as well as sign the required documents.

Before signing the contract you must be presented with a statement of the tenancy where all costs must be clearly exposed including the administration costs of getting your references.

The landlord or most commonly the agent will verify your references contacting your bank, credit agencies, previous employers and previous landlords. In case you are self-employed, you may be requested to provide some trading accounts copies and your accountant details.

Tenancy agreement

Once the references have been verified, you may proceed to negotiate the tenancy. And as usual in case of doubt when requested to sign any document seek legal advice. Among the most important points in the contract be sure that these points are mentioned:

• The contact details of the property manager

• The address where to send your notice (which must be in England or Wales)

• The duration of the tenancy

• When the rent is expected to be paid and in which manner

• The deposit amount required. If the agent is a RICS agent, this money is held in an protected account called ‘client account’

• How your deposit will be returned.

• Who will pay for the costs of inventory checking, property cleaning or agreement renewal paperwork in case of extension?

• Whether the electricity, gas and land line have been connect and whether the meters have been measured.

In the next (and final) post about renting your house I will discuss the things to take into account when moving in as well as some final checklists to ensure that you have everything in place. Stay tuned to London Houses Rent!

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Here I will write a series of posts to guide you in the process of finding a house to rent in London. Today I will begin with the initial considerations. If you find something you would like to know more, send me an email!

Things to consider when renting a house in London

• Usually your house search will be determined by different factors that you have to have in mind: Time, budget and location

• It is always a good idea to check that the letting agency belongs to the RICS association (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors http://www.rics.org) or other similar institution.

• Check with a lawyer the contract you are offered by the letting agency. He will explain you the consequences of some of the common clauses (damages, improvement costs, etc)

• It is usual to have to make a deposit before you even enter the house. The actual law requires the letting agency to store this money in a protected account (this protects you from unfaithful house owners)

• From October 1st all houses will require an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate). This document will expose the energy efficiency of the building (in the same way than fridges for instance). This will help you to calculate better the electricity and heating expenses.

 
Finding the perfect house
Whether you have rented a house in London before or this is your first time, there is a lot to think about:

Is this house the most convenient to you? Make sure you check:

• The rent costs. How much will you have to pay? It includes the bills or you have to pay extra for them?

• Location. Is this house near to local amenities? (schools, hospitals, cinemas, shops, etc)

• Transportation. The bus/tube/train links are good enough?

• Rooms. Is the number of rooms suitable for your present and near future needs?

What kind of tenancy should you request?
The tenancy is always an AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy) if the rent is less than 25,000 £/yr and you don’t live with the landlord. The length of the tenancy can be agreed with the landlord but usually lasts for 6 or 12 months. When the tenancy period expires, the landlord can gain possession of the house if he gives you a written notice of 2 months. If you do not pay the rent for 2 months or 8 weeks, the landlord is entitled to ask you to leave.

What is your budget?
This is a paramount thing to consider when looking for a house and there may be some expenses that you did not consider at first (especially if this is your first rent) For instance:

• Monthly rent (obviously)

• Costs of getting references

• Inventory and tenancy agreement costs

• The deposit and any maintenance costs

• Water rates, gas, electricity and telephone charges

• Council Taxes

• TV license

• Insurances
  

In the next post I will give you checklists to verify that the letting agency acts correctly and that the house you want to rent obeys the safety and health regulations. Stay tuned!

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You may try these:

www.londonrenting.co.uk
www.london-city-lettings.co.uk
www.london-letting-directory.com

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Have you tried www.rightmove.co.uk ?

Find out more about London houses for rent at http://www.londonhousesrent.co.uk 

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To Whom It May Concern: Working as an independent property entrepreneur who is in contact with a large number of the landlords of centrally located and brilliantly conditioned, luxurious London properties (1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom flats, apartments and houses) available to let strictly for a short term period (from 1 to 6 months), I am now searching for reliable sources of regular professional private and business (corporate) tenants who are looking to rent such properties. Therefore, if you are able to adequately direct me to such sources of tenants relocating to temporarily live and work in London, I would greatly appreciate your reply. In advance Many Thanks!

There’s dozens of sites like the ones i’ve listed below. Is that the kinda thing you’re looking for? http://www.housepals.co.uk/
http://www.spareroom.co.uk/
http://uk.easyroommate.com/
http://www1.flatmateclick.co.uk/
http://www.roombuddies.com/

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Welcome to my blog!

I’m Michael Baker and the main idea behind this website is to collect all the news, articles, videos and questions (with their answers) that I can about finding a house to rent in London.

Why would I do that? Well actually I am going to relocate to London later this year and I would like to find a very nice house to live in (at an affordable price) as well as to know the city of London as good as I can.

Since I spend most of my time working in front of a computer I thought that a blog would be a natural place for me to keep this information. The main advantages of doing my research public are:

• I have an online place to check and update my findings accessible from everwhere
• People might want to contribute with comments or suggesting links
• Other people in the same situation as me can benefit of my findings

So, welcome to my blog and I hope you find what you are looking for here!

PS: I thought that the words London Houses Rent would shyntesize pretty much the idea for this blog but I accept suggestions!

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