Rental Advice Please

[indigo88]

I am considering renting for a 6 months and know that the return of the deposit can be a minefield. Would appreciate advice please about :

1. conditions in the contract to be aware of.
2. photographs / evidence I should have at the point of moving in, ie, reasonable wear and tear damage.

I shall moving with two sedentary teenage daughters and a very sleepy dog.

Thanks.

First read how to rent on gov.UK

The dog will reduce your options.

Landlord/Agent cannot keep the deposit themselves. It needs to be placed in an independent authorised scheme.
Make sure you have an inventory done - most now include a lot of photos so it is clear wuat is meant by eg a small scratch. Check it before you sign and make sure it includes every defect.
Ensure you contract allows pets - otherwise you may be asked to recarpet and redecorate at the end of your tenancy
You may find some landlords are not keen on renting to a family with a dog for six months only. Lots of up front expenses for them and likely cleaning and redecoration costs at the end so they will not make a profit on you being in the property.

I wouldn't say you only want it for 6 months, as Popo says, it will put landlords off. You may only get offered 6 months initially anyway, if they want 12, I would say you just want 6 months to start with just in case of any issues on either side.

We've just done 12 months in two rentals, 6 months in each, as first property went up for sale after 4 months! We've had extensive building work on our house so we had to move out, I also have two teenagers and an elderly dog. This meant we looked for properties that were a bit tired, didn't want a completely minted house, and we paid a double deposit of £2k in case the dog did any damage, although there's more chance of me chewing the furniture than my dog

Take photos when you check in, and thoroughly clean when you leave. We got our first deposit back in full. We move out of the second property tomorrow and I'm going to spend Saturday cleaning, and hopefully will get all my deposit back.

A LL can keep possession of the deposit - s/he just has to register it and pay an insurance premium to cover it should it/the LL disappear during the tenancy.

I would not be keen to rent to someone for six months only especially if they had a dog. You may find it easier if you can rehouse the dog while you are renting (when we had to move into a rental for a few months, we sent our cat to our in-laws).

If the property has been professionally cleaned when you move in (mine always are), then you will need to have it professionally cleaned when you move out - this will include having any carpets and upholstery steam-cleaned and the windows cleaned inside and out. Insist on an independent company rather than someone from the estate agency to carry out the inventory. Go through it carefully to make sure that there are no discrepancies.

The onus is on the landlord to prove that you have caused damage - so to prove the condition when you moved in and to prove the condition when you moved out. Once damage is proved, there are strict rules about the life of items and how much can be claimed for their replacement. So actually I would dispute that deposits are a nightmare these days. AS LONG as you make sure the deposit is protected in one of the 3 schemes DPS, TDS, MyDeposits.

All sound advice. Thanks and no horror stories.

Meand : Same here. I am one likely to cause the damage with the dog looking on benignly.

Re :photographs of pre-existing damage. I guess take my time and go through place with a fine tooth comb. Suggestion of independent inventory really useful, 12 month intention and professional cleaning -sound. Thanks again to you for taking the time to respond.

Meand - appreciate hearing how you get on on Saturday.

it is illegal for the landlord not to use one of the deposit schemes.

re inventory; should be done before you move in, in immense detail, with photos, detailing every last mark and condition, and every last item supplied. You and the landlord both then check it and sign when you are happy, and that becomes the 'benchmark' for when you leave. Less wear and tear, of course. Which does indeed mean that unless every carpet is new and every wall immaculately freshly painted, there is little chance of deductions with ordinary care.

you can also get accidental damage insurance as part of your (essential) tenant's contents insurance if you think it is needed.

re the dog; think about the possible issues (barking, destruction, excretion) and demonstrate how you fend them off. For example, if you work from home or have a dog sitter/doggy day care, that's clearly many worries sorted.