Top tips for renting a family home

[Flugelpip]

It looks as if we're going to move into rented accommodation in London next summer, indefinitely. What should we be looking for? Furnished or unfurnished? Is it insane to think that we (2 adults/2 DCs aged 6 and 8) could live in a maisonette? What do you look for in a rental property? What would put you off?

We know the area we want to be in very well and what the school catchment is. It's really just the type of property and other people's dealbreakers. I'm doubting my own judgement at the moment.

If you've got children I'd rent unfurnished. I think a maisonette is fine, assuming you don't have pushchairs etc anymore? A bit of green space nearby for the kids should suffice if you don't have your own garden etc.

No pushchairs THANK GOD.

Upstairs or downstairs or does it matter?

With no pushchair I don't think it matters, although downstairs may come with a garden? Just do online shopping if you get an upstairs one - the delivery driver can carry it upstairs for you

Personally, I'd prefer a house. In a maisonette, you're risking getting more noise from neighbours, e.g. Party animals in their 20's. I would also prefer unfurnished as you'll be able to equip the place with the right items + make it more homely and personal with your own items. You could also have things like better quality mattresses ( not often found in rentals otherwise). Having said that, unfurnished is more cost and hassle so if your budget is tight or you're not too fussed about the environment around you, a furnished option could be easier.

As far as school catchment goes, wouldn't you be looking at mid-term admissions? You could be given a school miles away if it happened to have spaces.

It's an area with lots of very good state schools and as we're not looking for Reception places I think we'll be okay with our top choice school. Class sizes generally taper off at this particular school as people move away from London or into private education but we're moving back for work, having lived there before and just bought a house elsewhere that we're now going to have to rent out. It's all been a bit of a nightmare.

I'd probably prefer a house too, to be honest. We have some furniture already in London and I definitely take your point about making it more comfortable, whatever the house/flat size.

I am a landlord. I put in good mattresses!

That said, furnished or unfurnished depends on:

What is out there. Worth keeping an open mind
Do you have furniture already
How long will the rental be

Many London properties used to be furnished but with the loss of the wear and tear allowance landlords are changing their approach.

Maisonette or not depends on area. As you approach the centre you are competing with prof sharers and students. A rent shared is more affordable so families can lose out.

It's not too close in but good transport links. I think they like to get professionals and there are quite a few short lets for houses (think 6-12 months). I don't want too much disruption and more moving, to be honest. We've had a year of upheaval and it's hard to think of putting up with more.

Surely it depends on your budget and what's available at the time. Of course you can live in a maisonette. I'd go for unfurnished if you plan to be in the same place long term. Things that matter to me - plenty of natural light, access to green space close by, kitchen that can accommodate a big fridge, ideally floorboards rather than carpets, plenty of storage space

Oh absolutely, sanitygirl - we can't rent what isn't available/too expensive. I just wanted some Mumsnet knowledge of what a renter should be looking for. It's a long time since I've rented anywhere.

Just to explain we can't buy as we've just bought another house but it's now going to be in the wrong city for DH's work. I don't want to put it back on the market and get into home selling/buying again. We think our best bet is to rent it out and rent something in London for the time being. In 2/3 years we might move back or sell it. It's in a city where prices are going up 8-10% a year and rents are high, so even though renting in London will be expensive, I hope we won't get too badly stung.

Going off on a tangent here, but have you looked into all the tax implications of renting out your current home and living elsewhere? You'll need to pay income tax on that rent even though you'll be forking out for your own rent too. If you were to sell it in 2-3 years, you'd be liable for capital gains tax because it's been rented. I hope you've double checked it to make sure you won't get stung.

I'm a Landlord too. I would just advise making sure theres a thorough inventory done of the condition of the property when you move in, and make sure all the other legal paperwork is all there. Take photos so that you have evidence of any flaws e.g., scratches on the worktops.
As others have said, have a really good look at who is going to be your neighbour if you go for a maisonette.

Start by reading the how to rent guide on gov.UK , which details rights and obligations. Too many rent dumps from crooks and expect it to get better.

Having just moved into a rental property and planning to let out our own property, I think a 6-month AST to start off with is standard practice. It's so the parties can establish whether or not the tenancy is working without being locked into a longer period if there are problems. Or so it was explained to me by the letting agents who've valued my house. Of course, it also provides the opportunity for the letting agents to charge more fees...

I hope that you will find out more before you become a landlord!

While that reason is correct, the actual reason is that no eviction notice is valid before six months. So the tenant will be there at least that long , hence the first contract must be that long.

Also note, some of the more pushy agents will try to get you to sign a two year tenancy. They may claim that the landlord wants this.

This is unlikely to be the case as:

1. Few BTL mortgage companies will allow more than a years AST
2. It means that the agency take out 2 years commission in one go, so the landlord does not see money for ages.
3. It gets complicated if a tenant wants to leave early. It is near impossible to enforce a two year tenancy even if you wanted to, but the agent insists on being paid their commission. In these circumstances I usually agree to release the tenant early but ask that they reimburse me for the outstanding commission. (A LL only seems to get refunded if they agree to using the same agent next time. Not something I always want to do.)

I just let to a family with furniture so paid to have British Heart Foundation come and do a house clearance. But this was a fairly tired property which would normally have been let to recent graduates starting work in London so the furniture was not worth much. I feel a bit sorry for the family, though they had been searching for ages and in the end opted for a larger but shabbier property.

Remember it is hard for LLs to let to sharers if their property is three or more storeys as they then fall under HMO legislation. So you have a bit of clout and should be in a position to see properties over your budget and make offers.

Also:

1. start looking early. Demand in August/September is huge with expats arriving, and graduates and students looking.

1. Think about prioritising being near a park rather than a garden. Especially if it is one with a good playground and things like football schemes. My London raised kids never missed having a garden. Parks are fun and there are usually kids to play with.

1. If you are renting think about being as central as possible and near transport. Your DC are the perfect age to explore London: Science Museum, Imperial War Museum, children's concerts, Borough Market, The South Bank, China Town and on and on and on.

@specialsubject - thanks, I fully acknowledge that I have a lot to learn! Helpful and friendly advice always welcome.

Where to begin....

I recommend lurking on the landlordzone forums - they don't stand for poorly prepared landlords but you won't get the gormless abuse you can get on here from those who swallow the line that being a landlord is slightly above being a baby killer. The forum will show you lots of the things that go wrong.

There are training courses and two associations to join.

Rule 1 - detach. It is not your home, it is theirs.
Rule 2 - remove all your stuff and remember wear and tear. The place will look worse when you get it back because of that, even with the best tenants.
Rule 3 - get rent guarantee and legal expenses cover
Rule 4 - when you want to go back, do not assume they will leave at the end of your notice. Best to wait until they give theirs.

Thank you for the tax advice on rent! I think it's our best bet because we own it outright. DH and I are both self-employed and find getting mortgages to be hell on earth so we managed to buy this one for cash by downsizing a bit and moving cities. Selling it would get us enough for a big deposit but not enough to own a London family home outright, even if we renovate it as we plan to (it's in good nick but very dated). Any income from the house would help us with our rent in London, even if it was heavily taxed, but we will talk to our accountant first. Prices are shooting up here and the rent would be in Euros so at the moment the exchange rate would be very much in our favour. Prices in London seem to be softening a bit if not actually dropping. The house is in a great location for young professionals/families, and both find it hard to find good quality rentals close to the city centre so renting it would be fairly straightforward, I think.

We always get absolutely hammered for tax anyway because no one loves self-employed people... but having some rental income might make it easier to secure a mortgage if we ever get back to buying.

If anyone thinks this is madness, please chip in and tell me. Wouldn't it be better than selling it again in 9 months and trying to find something to buy in London?

(BTW we lived in London for 15 years and only just left, but we sold our house. Regretting it now...)