What to be wary of?

[plymouthmaid]

My daughter and her boyfriend have viewings tomorrow on a number of rental properties.
They are a bit wary about potential pitfalls and I have no idea!
Can you give me any advice regarding questions to ask the letting agent and the sort of things they need to be wary of.
Any help would be really appreciated.

Only thing I wish I had done before renting my house is get in the bath to check how big it was 🤣

Sounds daft I know but I really regret it, I used to love having a bath and one of the reasons for renting this house was it had a bath and a shower. If I have a bath now I have to put my legs up the wall, and it's not even like I'm tall, it's just a very small bath.

Maybe also who the energy suppliers are and ask if they are allowed to change them if they want to.

We didn't know until 2 days after moving in when we heard a beeping noise coming from under the stairs that we were actually on pre payment meters and they were about to run out.

The landlord didn't have the key card for it either 🙈🙈

Oh and also turn the shower on and check the pressure, can't stand a lazy weak shower 🤣

Please ignore above. I don’t know how to start my own thread!

Any hidden charges? So is the rental fee inclusive of council tax, or any service charges?
What’s the notice period, on both sides?
Deposit and how do you get it back?
Inventory- check is VERY CAREFULLY
Parking- if they need it check that there is some

Take photos of any paint chips or scrapes when you move in. So you’ve got proof of the condition of the place before you moved in, so when you move out you aren’t blamed for causing the dents or what not.

New paint in kitchen on ceiling or in bathroom on the ceiling might indicate that there has been mold or mildew that has been covered by paint.

The rent will never include council tax unless the rent says bills included and it’s illegal to stop tenants changing energy suppliers.

Ask who the deposit is protected with
Is the agent a member of ARLA
Check out the agent on AllAgents.
If it’s furnished check carefully what’s actually included.
How much decorating (if any) are they allowed to do.

Maybe also who the energy suppliers are and ask if they are allowed to change them if they want to.

Your energy supplier is a contract between you and them. It’s got nothing to do with the landlord.

Have the last tenants been there long? (Will give you a clue if it’s a long term rental property or one the LL just can’t sell)

Are there inspections and how often? How are they arranged around work hours etc? (Gives you a clue if the agents are the kind who feel they can just let themselves in)

Who deals with repairs LA or LL? If LA do they organise repairs or go to the LL? How old is the boiler?

Any questions they may have about decorating or pets etc

Things to check -
does the hot water get hot
Does the place smell of paint - if so is that hiding mould?

Also check the guttering outside. It’s not a guarantee that you can tell, but external works needing done is a hint to tardy repairs

Have a really good sniff for damp.

We've rented twice, both times mega damp but you would not have known until actually living in the property. Completely ruined our experiences, cost us a fortune of our own money in furniture and our second property had a massive slug problem which we just put up with but since dd has been born I realise we wouldn't have been able to with a baby.

Find out if the gas and or electric is on a prepay meter. These meters have to be topped up by card or a key and are a pain in the proverbial as my daughter found out in her first property....

Check the toilet flush!
Drive by at a few different times of day
View on a cold day if possible

Weirdly, check access to communal bins. We didn’t have any allocated to our flat above shops. It was such a pain.