Advice about private renting - any tips?

[PeeledOranges]

As a result of personal circumstances I am in a position where I now have to private rent for myself and my teenage daughter. Rents are expensive (not news) and I earn Band 3 NHS working full time. The whole thing really scares me. The last rental agreement was when I was married and we rented a house from a friend.
So wise mumsnetters I wondered if anyone could give any hints, tips, things to be aware of, things to check etc.

e.g Is it best to use an agency or find a private landlord? Any advice?
I have a guarantor - how much of a difference will this make?
What background info will I need to provide?
How long does the process take?
If I rent a flat is the process the same?

Please help as my head is spinning and after coming out of a relationship where exDP cheated on me I need to move asap.

Firstly sorry you are in this situation.

id book and appointment with citizens advice and see what you are entitled to by way of UC etc…..

Ive rented in the past from agencies and one private landlord, the private landlord was absolutely lovely and the 2 agencies i used one was awful, one absolutely amazing and couldn’t be more helpful.

if you need rehousing and you have your daughter you might be eligible for social housing which is cheaper rent. Hope you get something sorted.

The process for a flat is the same as for a house.

agencies have significantly more paperwork than dealing with landlords direct. I found openrent more useful.

in some places the rental market is trickier than others.

having a guarantor is good. The agencies told me it would be helpful and would add about 5k per year to the properties I was deemed eligible for.

both processes involve quite a lot of paperwork - I got a letter from HR stating I was permanently employed and giving my salary.

I went through this early last year for the first time ever. I was terrified and had no idea of the process.

Basically, look online at rentals in the area that you want. You will find that 'most' rentals are done through a letting agent these days. Show your interest in the property, and arrange a viewing. If you like the property, you have to submit an application form. You also have to send in all the info they require like ID, bank statements etc ..... It is here you also get the chance to add a personal note with some information about you.

The applications will be looked through by the letting agent and the owner, and someone will be chosen. If you are the chosen one, happy days.

The process for me was quick. I found the property I liked last January, applied and got the keys in February. Before moving in I spent a while transferring the electricity, water, phone lines etc .... over to me and installing WIFI, so everything was in place for the day of moving in.

Just to add, my boss was also contacted, and he had to write back stating that my job was safe for the foreseeable future.

Make sure you read up What your agency or private LL legal obligations are. Some are really sloppy about this but there are laws they must abide by.

Going via an Agency is arms length. You may never meet your landlord.

You will probably need references possibly work, previous LL or character, ID & bank statements. Get all these details ready & act quickly with providing this to beat others to it.

*Your deposit must be protected within a prescribed time frame & you should get a copy of the protection certificate or access to the on-line account. There are 3 (I think) government approved schemes. This is a legal
requirement.
*Make sure you get a copy the How to Rent booklet, it’s a guide for Landlords & Tenants.
*Make sure you see a copy of the latest gas boiler service record.
*Take meter readings the day you move in. Take a photo. If water is metered, the meter might be in a covered hole in the pavement.
*Find out where your stop-tap is. Often under kitchen sink but not always. In an emergency, if u need to turn off water, you need to know this.

It will pay off if you are familiar with what to expect. Good luck.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65159e567c2c4a001395e1ea/DLUHC_How_to_rent_Oct2023.pdf

@Besidemyselfwithworry thank you for posting, I have been to CAB. I am not entitled to any help although may be able to claim some UC once I am in a place. Dd is 17 so once she turns 18 this would stop anyway so I need to not count on this.
I have registered for social housing but the lists are long. I am bidding but coming 140 in the allocation queue so I am unlikely to get something soon that way.

You'll likely need one month's rent up front and 5-6 weeks as a deposit.

Once you've applied for a place, they may ask you for 1 week's rent as a holding deposit, which they'll deduct from the above if your referencing checks are all good.

Ask about gas and electricity safety checks - annually for gas, every 5 years for electricity. EPC for the property should also be noted.

Private landlords are great if you get a good one, but you won't know until you're renting with them, so try and find out why the previous tenants left.

You should be given the how to rent leaflet with your application form

References will be your employer, bank, previous landlord if you have one, maybe a personal one.

When you view a place, make sure you note any issues and confirm that you'll take a place subject to them being remediated prior to moving in.

Run a tap in the kitchen and bathroom to check the water pressure - you don't want to find you have a shower that dribbles or a bath that takes 3 years to fill!

Letting agents do 3 monthly inspections.

Double check with UC - if your daughter is in full time education, they're classed as a dependant.

As a LL you’ve been given great advice from @Ahsheeit and @PashaMinaMio remember to look on Open Rent for private LLs.
All LLs need to be compliant - get a check sheet and ensure everything has been ticked off.

Rules are changing from May 1st find out your rights and ensure your LL is fully compliant.

Good luck and hope you find something lovely.

We just looked on Rightmove and used word of mouth. Our very last rental (this was 2019, so different times) we pretty much laid our personal circumstances on the line and managed to negotiate the rent down from £1300 to £110 a month by offering to do weekly mowing of our and landlords lawns. It worked out well for both of us.

Beyond that, you may simply need to look in areas outside of where you want to live. Slightly different, but when we bought, we had to move 2 hours away to get the sort of property that would suit our needs for the money we had available to pay (that’s been a fantastic decision btw).

I was in this position a few years ago due to domestic abuse. I had a lot of trouble persuading landlords to take me because I was working part time (due to ill health) so didn’t have enough income to comfortably pay the rent. I did have enough cash in the bank for over a year’s rent.

However, I did find one who just liked me. We had an instant connection because she was also a domestic abuse victim. She decided to give me a chance. So based on this, my advice would be to wear nice clothes for a viewing, smile and be friendly.

I’ve spent my savings now and stopped working altogether (too ill) Universal Credit now pays my rent in full.