Renting property - do you negotiate like you would if buying?

[splittingup]

Sorry if this is a ridiculous question but I've never rented so have no idea!

I am separating from my husband. He is looking at rental properties. Is there any leeway on the rent stated? Is it crazy to ask?

Also, if the property is vacant, how quick is it from agreeing to rent it to moving in? Do things tend to move quickly?

Thanks for your help.

Fine to negotiate. Our tenants asked for a £50pm reduction (on £950pm rent) and a double bed to be purchased and we were happy to oblige.

They were brilliant tenants who left the house immaculate.

Definitely. We've negotiated a fair bit from our next property's advertised rate.

Thank you. As you can tell we're clueless!

Yes, we negotiated £50 off a £450pm rent when we rented last year.

The property was vacant so we moved in 1 week after agreeing to rent it. That week was because the Landlord had to move things out of the garage. You may find you can move in quicker if it is totally empty.

Depends where you live. In the south east you probably shouldn't even bother but it's worth a shot. Most people don't. Possibly if he was paying 6 months rent up front he could ask for a reduction.
Less popular areas then definitely worth asking.
If a rental property is empty then you can move in as soon as you like. Most places tend to be advertised 1-2 months before the tenants are due to move out - remember that tenants don't always leave when they are supposed to.

We are south coast. It often depends if the property has been hanging around a while too. What sort of tenant the landlord is after etc.

Yes definitely, however it depends 1) what the rental market is -ie if more demand than supply then harder to negotiate 2) how attractive you are as a tenant ie do you have good references, no pets, willing to stay for longer etc

Thanks everyone. There's a massive list of practicalities to deal with so that info really helps.

Landlord here (London and South Coast). Always make an offer. Everything is negotiable.

A landlord will be considering various variables.

• rent
• potential wear and tear (dogs, students, children, people at home all day etc)
• tenancy term and likelihood someone will stay longer (someone on a six month fixed term contract means the costs of another tenancy change and the potenital for a void. A family might stay for years.)
• status and reliability of income. Profs always preferred.
• niceness. Some tenants are extraordinarily demanding and tenants who upset neighbours are a pain.
• other demands. In London it is quite normal for tenants for ask for extra stuff, particuarly if their company is paying. Rooms painted, a desk, bed replaced, TV, weekly cleaner, whatever. It all forms part of the package. Initial asking rents tend to be a bit higher so any such costs can be covered.
• how long the property has been on the market, how much else is on the market, and what the landlords cashflow is like.

As the agent how receptive the landlord is likely to be. Lettings are often multi-agency, so agents are in competition so will work to pursuade the landlord. If they don't get the let they won't be paid. Make sure they are aware that he stresses how reliable he is and that he is responsible and undemanding and that he expects to be there for a while. (Even if he does not know.) If he is renting for the first time, he might ask about referencing and what they would expect instead of a previous landlord reference, so if the offer is accepted it all goes through smoothly.

Yes, all negotiable.

Do read the how to rent booklet on gov.UK. it tells you your rights and obligations.

Another thing that can get you a discount is being able to move in quickly. Landlords don't make money when properties are empty.

Letting agent here, all the above is correct but we don't increase an asking rent just to allow for negotiation like you tend to do if selling i.e. we want to achieve 100,000 so we will market it at 110,000. The figure we ask is what we expect the landlord to achieve. Also bear in mind that a tenant can make lots of promises which do not always come to fruition so we do have to ensure a landlord understands that when considering an offer.