Renting off gumtree

[Paddyronnie1]

Hello!

I’m currently looking to rent a property through gumtree for myself and my child. Has anyone experienced renting through gumtree? I have heard horror stories about people being ripped off but Iv almost heard good things as well. We’ve always renting through estate agents which puts your mind at ease. Can anyone advice me on what to look out for or what to ask?

Thank you!

I was a landlord once and always used gumtree. I did everything myself because I was fed up of agencies taking the wild piss. I never charged any of those stupid fees for paper checks etc & deposits went to one the holding agencies. It worked out well for me & we always had plenty of prospective tenants. Obvs ask to see LL up-to-date certificates for fire/gas/electric inspections etc. Ask which deposit agency they use, how much they want up front. What sort of references they want? I always asked for & followed up in full - employers/family/friends & bank statements for the last 6 months. I also invited the prospective tenants I liked best back for a longer meeting to really get to know the sort of people they were. Find out how long they're likely to stay/ do they have any specific furniture requirements etc? Over time -after having my fingers burnt a bit I also created my own 2nd agreement with extras such as 'no candle burning' & 'no prostitution' on the premises! As a tenant I'd keep your eyes really open to the character of the LL & listen to your spidee senses. Some are fab, some are terrible. I wanted people to stay as long as possible so I always went the extra mile to choose well.

'Spidey Senses' will serve you well.

I ignored mine and lived to regret it. That was with a Letting Agent. My gut reaction to him was, 'oh yeah, what are you all about ?'

I thought the house would be ok despite him. It wasn't. Lesson learned. We're moving out next week after 14 months of frustration, delays and lies. To this day the central heating doesn't work properly. The gas fire was professionally turned off, we weren't advised of the gas fire not working in the particulars or when we viewed the property initially. Plus all the etcetera's. However, we kept paying our rent in full and on time, so there's no worries there. You'll find that's ALL the landlord and/or letting agent is interested in.

I have rented three flats, one through an agent and two directly from landlords via gumtree. The gumtree ones have been much better experiences, I didn't have to fight to get my deposits back when I left.

Thanks for your help! Just worried about paying money up front then realising it’s all a con. Then saying that it’s a night mare paying the agent fees so helping I’ll find a genuine LL!

Basically don't send any money via money transfer and you should be ok.