Moving into rented while I find something to buy - haven't rented for years, tell me what to look out for

[PostBellumBugsy]

Seems that the house I was hoping to buy is a non-starter. All too complicated to explain.

So, I'm going to move into rented while I wait for a suitable house to come up. I'm 20 years rusty about renting, so please can you tell me what I should look out for.

DCs & I will be moving into a shoebox, to minimise the expenditure but I don't want to move into a shithole either.

is it just for you? if so why not just take a room? It is cheaper than a flat and there are no ties -usually just one month's notice Spareroom website does this

Thanks Spindelina - so great to hear it worked well for you.