Cn I ask those of you that rent a few questions?

[bubbleandsqueaks]

We may be selling and becoming lifetime renters. I have a few questions that I would really appreciate if you could answer

1. How many times have you chosen to move out of a rented place? One of the big advantages of renting is being able to move freely but how often does an average renter do this? Is it something that is touted as an advantage but in reality because of moving costs, loss of deposit, difficulty in finding another place etc is it actually more likely you would put up with a bad landlord/neighbours than move?

1. How often have you received your deposit back, do you always lose some of it and how quickly do you get it back?

My think of some more!

We sold last June and due to our financial situation are likely to be renting for a long time if not for ever.

We haven't yet had to move. I think it helps if your landlord has several properties rather than just one they ate renting out as it is more likely with only one that they may choose to sell quickly etc.

We found ours through an agency and have had no problems so far - a couple of things have happened which have been dealt with quickly.

So I am not great at answering your questions but so far we are pretty happy with how things are going.

Have just re read your first point and realised I misread it . not sure about how economical it is to move several times but not everything is about being economical. And definitely cheaper and easier to move when renting. Although i think having the deposit ready would be a good idea

Thanks Lois

Moved annually with work for about 5 years (then in current flat for 2.5 years) so very much easier to rent.

I rent unfurnished, so less opportunity to damage stuff and lose deposit, and have never lost any of it except the one time a coffee got spilt on the newly shampooed carpet as we were loading the removals van - annoying but understandable, and easier than organising re-cleaning myself at that stage.

Removals are a killer as soon as you have stuff to move, but if you have to me mobile I think you are better off renting as no solicitors' fees etc.

I've rented for about 5 years about to move for 2nd time, have only moved because Of DHs changing jobs. We've had all deposits back so far - but not sure about this time as cleaning instructions very strict so have hired professional cleaners for around £200 as really need deposit back.

It's best to try and have 1.5kish to hand for moving costs if you plan to move frequently or just in case. We weren't planning this move so had to borrow which is a pita.

Lois can I ask how to feels to be living in a rented house after owning?

It does feel a bit odd tbh but there is no way we could buy a house any more so we just get on with it.

Does help that this is a nice house and we are in a friendly neighbourhood with a good school for the DC - if either of those weren't the case then it would be more difficult.

And in a lot of ways it is great knowing that maintenance isn't down to us and it is cheaper than paying the mortgage was. Lack of security is something that bothers me a bit but as I said we can't do anything else at the moment.

We sold our house nearly two years ago so that when a job came up we would be able to move out of the area quickly, but we had to wait ages and ended up renting around the corner. Landlord was a total nob and we kept having to nearly take him to court to get him to fix things, but miraculously we did get our deposit back when we left. Now renting again but in the town we wanted to move to. But DH had to take a pay cut so that we could move so doesn't look like we'll be buying any time soon, or until I can pull in some money. Occasionally I have a money freak out and wonder if we did the right thing but you have to enjoy your life and not make it all about money. I think...

we rented for nearly 2 years through an estate agents,so we knew owner was in africa working and was moving back 2010.
so we had a choice find another rental or buy, we chose to buy.
the deposit was put into the landlord deposit scheme, we had some paperwork to fill in and then got all of it back.
estate agent does check everything is so so before hand.
on the positive side, they deal with any problems.
they only contract for 6 months ,after that its a rolling contract untill, one party wants out so a bit unstable if you have a family.

I hate renting :(

I love the house we are in now but there is no security AT ALL. They only have to give us 4 weeks if they want us out (it may actually be 2), we can't do anything like change the tiled mantle for a wooden one or change the light fittings (or get rid of the ceiling tiles!) We can't 'rearrange' the garden or change the carpets.

However, we rent thru an agent so repairs get done reasonably quickly.

We didn't get our deposit back from the place we were in before, we were in arrears one month so left it as that was what it was for really.

Does beong in arrears affect getting another property?

Landlords have to give you 2 months notice, and you have to give them 1.

We rented before we bought and were messed about and moved twice in 6 months, not by choice. We were model tennants, keeping the place clean, sorting out the garden and still treated like shit. The first landlord was reluctant to have work done, and when it was it was done on the cheap using very basic materials, for example white tiles in the bathroom, wouldn't let us have new lino despite the stuff that was down was in a disgraceful condition. Same for carpets; threadbare on stairs but we didn't get further than someone coming to measure up for quotes.

I think it largely depends on the landlord - one tip I would give you though, before you agree to rent a property, ask them what the procedure is for repairs out of hours - nothing worse than your boiler breaking down during the snow in January and you not being able to get in touch with the letting office, also do a very strict inventory of your own, and mark down every blemish, backing up with photos if possible, and email a copy to the letting agent asap. Saves any arguments as often they 'miss' stains, damage etc and try and blame you.

We were only 1 month behind.

Rented lots of houses and flats, only had a problem getting deposit back once, that was because I was lazy with in inventory on the way in and should have taken pictures of a few issues, didn't and got caught out.

IMO if you have a clean credit history and a deposit worth in savings renting is fine. It gets more stressful moving with DC's though. I used to move at the drop of a hat before though.

I vet my landlords a bit though, I don't want to get settled only to find out the owners want to move back in. Current LL has several rentals and 2 more of his own houses to live in. Makes the chance of him wanting this one less likly.

Both DH and I are expatriates and have been renting in London for the last 12-13 years.

I've typically stayed in the same place for 2-3 years and moved when my circumstances changed (e.g. moved in with DH / needed to be in a particular part of London etc). Rented both through an agency and through friends / referrals.

When I just came over here as a student I lived in fully furnished apartments. As time went by we accumulated more furniture and now rent on a half-furnished basis. Typically landlords have been amenable when, for example, we asked to remove a bed from the second bedroom as we used it as an office, or bought bookshelves on our request.

Re: deposit, we have had a few unscrupulous landlords who invented some non-existent charges. The biggest sum we disagreed about was £400, DH put in a claim online in the court of small appeals and it was repaid.

Bubbles - I was only thinking of you this morning, wondering how you were getting on!

How were the valuations? Were they what you were expecting? Any nibbles yet?

Hi ChippngIn, realistic valuations ranged between us walking with nothing (making just enough to cover fees) and at best walking away with £6,500.

We've had the photos taken and just have to sign the paperwork to get the house on the market, but we are still unsure what to do - hence another thread about renting!

DH is convinced we should rent this house out and has looked into letting out to the local council. They would find tenants, vet them, do an inventory and check the house a couple of times a year. He wants to investigate it a bit more before putting the house up.

As for me, I just want to be out before summer.

Really appreciate all the answers about renting

We are lifetime renters. Sometimes it bugs me that we don't own and are somehow not proper grown ups because of it. But on a day to day basis it is fine and has advantages of being able to move easily and not having to worry about the roof, the boiler etc...

Sinc we moved to this town 9 years ago we have lived in 3 houses - moving into bigger properties as we had DS2 and the kids grew, and most recently to get DS1 into the seecondary school we wanted. We have rented directly through friends of friends and through an agent.

We have always got our deposit back after doing a through clean. We have put up curtains and shelves, with landlords permission (and leaving them) and painted rooms. It is nice to be able to change things a bit but you end up only using cheap stuff since it's not your house so it's a bit studenty!

Moving is definately easier. Just give notice, clean and go. You need some cash to cover two deposits at a time, and may have to pay a bit of overlapping rent, but in the end when you get your deposit back the total cost is not so much. When you are moving from rental to rental you can move out, then go back and do a through clean with nothing in the house to get your deposit back.

One good thing about renting is that the good school premium is not as high as for buying.

I always end up hating our houses before we move out, as they get too small. I don't know if I'd feel the same if we owned and were able to make more changes, but it is certainly nice to be able to move without too much angst.

We rent unfurnished - but that means washing machine, fridge, cooker, dishwasher come with the property, also in our last three houses fitted wardrobes. So if you already own these things you will have to think about what to do with them.

One thing to note is that you can make an offer on the rent, and not just accept the price advertised. Particularly if you make clear you intend to stay for a while. Tennants who move after 6 months are costly and a headache for landlords, so they like to find good longterm tennants and should reflect this in the rent (eg not putting it up each year). On the other hand agencies make more money if tennants move on, so you have to make sure your message about being long term renters gets through to the landlord not just the agent. Also you can find out whether they are long term landlords.

Houses that the landlord has lived in are always nicer (fixtures and
fittings) than pure buy to let properties done up on the cheap.

There's nothing wrong with starting a couple of threads asking different questions :) It's a big step and you need to be as certain as you can that you are doing the right thing.

As I said in my other posts on your other threads - I wouldn't get off the property ladder, it's too bloody hard getting onto it and I wouldn't want the insecurity of renting and I would just do whatever it took to get the neighbours gone. However there were plenty of others who disagreed - so

With your place, I would definitely check out the councils terms & conditions. I had a friend who had her place rented out through the council and they took it for either 2 or 5 years (can't remember now?!) and they guaranteed the rent whether it was rented out or not. They covered a lot of expenses (maintenance etc) and paid a reasonable rate. It's well worth looking into - as long as it covers all of your expenses you can't lose!!

The other thing is that if the neighbours continue to be a pain in the bum the council will sort them out - it may mean that at the end of the term your problem will be sorted and you could move back in, you will at the very least be able to see how it feels renting without having sold your house or having the hassle/expense/risk of renting it privately. It seems a perfect solution to me!!

With renting privately, as has been said, it is usually better to deal with professional landlords. They won't take wear and tear personally, they budget for maintenance and repairs, and they are unlikely to sell on a whim, or intrude on the privacy of your home.

You will have a working relationship with the landlord, so really try to assess them as much as the property.

To answer your questions - we've often chosen to move, when we would not have had we owned. For reasons like a change of jobs and commutes, realising that a flat did not get enough sunlight, or neighbours being a bit noisy. We would not have put up with anything, and always got our deposit back immediately (you have to insist on being their when they check the place over, also wise to take photos before you move in).

We've rented for years - due to work reasons mainly but also we've been aware of the huge property bubble which will either slowly deflate/pop any day.

We are now in the process of moving back to the UK and could buy a lovely house outright if we wanted.

Having done our sums and knowing also the freedom that renting gives we're going to remain renters. We can actually rent a fantastic place much cheaper than buying (our cash stays in relatively high interest accounts etc).

When property comes down 30% in price then we may rethink our strategy.

We've been lucky renters - had lovely landlords and always received full deposit back (and always negotiated down the rent!)

Hi bubbleandsqueaks,

I have been renting for quite some time now, so far only from private landlords/landladies and never through an agency. On average, I have moved every two to three years, either looking for something bigger. The last time we moved it was to make commuting to work a bit easier.

So far (toi toi toi), we have always received our deposit back in full. And it should be easier now that the money is protected by the Deposit Protection Scheme (www.depositprotection.com/) as it is no longer in the landlords possession. But I do not have much experience with that one yet. We will find out soon enough as our landlady has just terminated our tenancy agreement (completely unexpected). We have never had this problem before, so I do not know how common it is. So far, it has always been our choice to move.

Moving involves costs, that's true but they are quite easy to keep down by being organised about it and doing most if not all the work yourself.

Renting has also the advantage that if something breaks, it is not your responsibility to get it fixed and if something annoys you very much (neighbours, traffic, etc.), you are free to move on.

Good luck in making your decision!

'We rent unfurnished - but that means washing machine, fridge, cooker, dishwasher come with the property'. Interesting - my house is rented out unfurnished, but with only the range in situ as it also does the heating and hot water. My letting agent advised not to rent with white goods as there is more to go wrong, so I don't, and haven't had problems in the 4.5 years the house has been rented out so far.

Have you managed to keep tenants scary teacher?