Ds moving into private rented accommodation, has anyone got any tips to look out for?

[ssd]

He's sharing a rented flat with a friend. Both never rented before. I've not rented for 30 years!!

Has anyone got any tips or advice what to look out for? His deposit has been paid.
Will they get an inventory when they move in? I really have no ideas what would be helpful for them to know.

Thanks in advance.

He may need to chase on the inventory to make sure it happens. He should take pictures of any existing damage and general items in the inventory when he moves in as they come in useful if the landlord tries to take deposit money later on.

Make sure they contact the utility companies to get their accounts set up. When I was a student we had a bailiff at the door as our bill wasn't paid. We had stupidly ignored letters from them because thy had the old tenants name on them. Luckily we could pay straight away!

What utilities would they need to get set up?

Thanks for the tip about the inventory

@ssd the same utilities as you would in any house: gas, electric, water and internet. That's assuming that bills aren't included

Also council tax & tv license.

Make sure to take pictures of everything when they move in!
eg photo of the washing machine drawer/door seal, curtains & poles/rods fixtures, inside of cupboards, edges of carpets especially if any frayed/missing/different eg inside fitted wardrobes, light fittings, missing screws on fitted items etc, the gas and electric meter readings, the garden and anything in it, any outside storage and contents, cleanliness of windows.

If any items have been left by a previous tenant, make sure they’re noted so don’t become their responsibility to dispose of.

It’s a lot harder to deduct random things from deposits now than it used to be, ime, but (too many) agents still try it unfortunately

Thanks

Should the utilities be sorted before they move in? Do they take meter readings, presuming they'd know what that was?!?

They should photograph the meter readings when they move in and contact the suppliers to ensure they are not charged for a previous tenant's usage. The agent should be able to provide the supplier details.

Make sure they have the LL contact details, and those of the person in charge of maintenance issues if it is not the LL.

Make sure they check for working fire and carbon monoxide alarms and that the boiler has a current safety certificate.

Great advice here, really appreciate it. I haven't rented a house for so long I've totally forgotten all these things. And if course life has moved on since I was young!!

Any more tips, however trivial, please keep them coming. Thanks..

They got the place through a rental agency, if that makes a difference to things.

Make sure they have their emergency contact numbers written down and on display on the wall/notice board. Don't wait until they have water pouring through the ceiling on Christmas Day to start hunting for the paperwork with the numbers on it!

www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent

Some agencies will do the utilities etc as part of the package. Have your son check.
The inventory is very important so they get their security deposit back at the end.
Electoral roll so they can vote. Forward mail from their last address. Parking permits.
Inform bank and DVLA and insurance of change of address.
Make sure they ask agent about rubbish/recycling collection days.
Register with local GP.
If the agents manage the property see if they keep a set of keys. This may be invaluable! Also good idea to give you a set just in case.

DS and friend need to agree their expectations of each other as well over cleanliness, noise, visitors etc. What will happen when one decides to leave?

Also, if your DS really can't read an electric meter, what else does he need to learn how to do?

I agree with photographing everything, use a app that clearly puts the time and date on the photo otherwise the landlord can say the damage was done at any other time.
I would also recommend storing photos on a memory stick and keeping that somewhere safe so they don't accidentally get deleted because you're running out of space or sick of seeing them or whatever.

Check on the lease to whether they can bring friends back at night to I know somebody that lost their flat because they brought a friend who stayed a few nights but did not realise it was against the tenancy agreement.

A time and date stamp photo is also useful for metre readings

He'll need to book wifi installation weeks in advance. I made the mistake of leaving it until the week before I moved in, and they couldn't fit me in for a month!

Great advice, thanks!!

Any more?

The WiFi is sorted, so I hear.

Sign on a with a Dr and dentist if they have moved out of the area of their last Dr.

Decide and write down how the utilities will work, are they putting them in joint names or taking a bill each?

What are the ground rules for friends / partners staying over?

Organise contents insurance.

Consider a cleaner for the communal areas. I shared with two others for a couple of years, the cleaner made a huge difference.

Have a jam jar somewhere that they both put money in weekly that pays for 'communal' spends, toilet roll, cleaning materials, washing up liquid / powder.

You'd be suprised how many arguments are started over toilet roll.

I can imagine!!

Re the insurance, is it just contents they need, not buildings cover? And do they need a policy each or one policy to cover the flat?

the important thing is that your son (not you) reads and understands the how to rent guide which will answer a lot of the questions, without the misinformation in places on this thread.

He needs to realise that houses need heating, ventilating and cleaning, and if something breaks he needs to contact the agent to get it fixed.

they don't need to ask the agent about bin days, it will be on the council website.

you can only insure what you own. So each of them needs a tenants contents policy to insure what they own. And if you really have bred one that can't read an electric meter, I suggest adding accidental damage to landlord items which will cover deposit deductions at the end.

Also can they put up pictures in their bedrooms, or hang stuff up?

Read the contract very carefully! Check what state the have to leave the place in when they leave. We had one clause that said we needed to have the flat redecorated on leaving it.

Thanks for all answers here, am asking for my benefit not his, he will be clued up as much as he can but as inexperienced renters I want to know what is ahead so I can help advise if needed. Money is tight here and I'm not going to be funding anything so don't want any unexpected problems.

I'm sure someone has already suggested taking photos and going through the inventory with a fine-tooth comb - noting anything missing/damages/not working properly. if there isn't an inventory - make one.