how long to get into a rental house?

[rumbelina]

How long, approx, can it take from finding a rental property to being able to move in? How long do checks/references/contracts take?

And any general tips on renting? I haven't rented for 20 years.

Oh that is such a lie, its been 10 but not proper houses.

How long is a piece of string?

Credit checks are done in seconds these days. Contracts from an agency don't take long to add your personal details and print out ready for signing. References take a little longer, particularly if done in writing. So in theory could be a very short time, but really depends on the agency and how quickly they work. Last time I moved (December) it was about five weeks from finding the place to moving in - previous landlord took their time sorting out a reference and then I was out of the country for ten days, and if not for the latter it would've been more like a fortnight.

General tips? Have a big pile of money ready. Sorting out a new private rental can be pricey, what with deposit, first month's rent up front, and admin fees. And when you're given the inventory, check it thoroughly, especially any damage listed, because if there's damage when you move in and it's not on there, you may end up having to pay for it.

If there are people living in the rented house and leaving, then it will depend on when they are leaving. A house might be advertised now as "available from 1st May".

I moved into a rented house a few months ago. It was already empty when we viewed it. Both we and the landlord wanted the tenancy to start a.s.a.p. It took just under 2 weeks from viewing to tenancy starting. Most of that was that it took just over a week to get a reference from my previous landlord by email. Other than that,the checks seemed very straightforward. I needed to show our passports, a bill for the previous address, and the forms we filled in included our N.I. numbers and bank details, personal reference by email.

I was given a rather brief inventory and 7 days to check it and add comments. I added lots of comments about marks on walls and other minor damage. They also took photos and we did too. Also, check everything as soon as you can so you can report any problems. Otherwise they might blame you.

things landlords now have to do that may have changed since last time: a) give you an up to date gas safety certificate if the property has any gas appliances (and renew it every year) b) Protect your deposit in one of the approved schemes.

any shillyshallying on these when you ask, don't sign.

also - the price of the place obviously has to be taken into consideration, but even though fixes aren't down to you, if there is an air of neglect think twice. Equally don't move in somewhere with single glazing and not much heating and then be surprised if it is cold in the winter!

EPCs are now compulsory for rentals too. They are pretty mickey-mouse but do give you some ideas.

most landlords, like most tenants, are reasonable people who do things properly.

We found a house on January 4th and our tenancy started on the 15th. It was already empty and the longest bit was that there needed to be a week between paying deposit and moving in so the deposit could be registered with the deposit protection thingy. I was surprised how quick it all was.

Thank you all very much for your replies. My house sale is going through and we want to leave asap. Will be renting before we buy again but I want to make sure we allow ourselves enough time to get in somewhere before completing. Hopefully we can agree a property in advance, I've seen a few available in may for example.

Money is fine as we have savings. Thanks for the tips about gas certs, inventories etc. I will check everything carefully.