Top Ten Tips for Renting a Home

You are settled in front of the telly for your first night in your newly rented home everything is perfect and you can't believe your luck. Then your neighbour's music begins to thump through the walls, the smell of damp seeps through the paint work and before you know it, reality sets in and you have signed a lease for six long months.

This story is all too common says Dandara Lettings Manager, Vicky McCarrick, who has used her years of experience to put together a 'survival guide to renting'

Having picked up the pieces for many who have had bad letting experiences. Vicky knows that finding the perfect rental accommodation can be difficult and incredibly stressful.

Survival guide to renting

Her survival guide aims to make sure that virgin’s to the world of renting will avoid any nasty surprises.

1. Before you even start looking, make a list of all the things that are important to you and have your needs clear in your mind; be specific about your location, how much you're willing to pay; the number of bedrooms you require and if parking is important. If you're not really sure what you're looking for it will be much harder to make a final decision.
2. Start looking at properties about 3-4 weeks before you want to move in - any earlier and you may miss out on the property you had your heart set on, any later and you might be cutting it too fine. When going to view a property; gather as much information as you can beforehand. This will stop you wasting time on a property that does not meet your needs location wise or is too expensive.
3. Ask advice from your letting agent, remember they have seen all of the properties and will be able to guide you towards the one that best suits you.
4. Arrange viewings during the day, not only will seeing a property in the daylight making spotting any problems easier, it will also give you an idea about how much natural light the property gets and what the views are like from each window.
5. Don't look at too many properties in one day as it can be too much to take in and you may forget what you've already seen.
6. Find out about the agent's fees and additional costs you will be required to pay prior to moving in. For example, how much deposit will be required and what are the administration fees?
7. Don't forget to ask these all important questions. Surprisingly this is the one that many tenants forget to look at in detail. But you will need to find out about the following:
   • how much the rent is
   • when it's due (monthly or weekly)
   • how much deposit is required
   • how much notice you need to give if you want to leave
   • how much the council tax is per month
   • If the water rates are included in the rent (they are in some buildings and that could save you money)
   • how the property is heated
   • when viewing in summer it's easy to forget it could get very cold and expensive to heat in winter how much the heating/electric bills are
   • and, most importantly; what the neighbors are like
8. Is the property furnished? Ask which fixtures and fittings are included in the rent and make sure the items are written into an inventory. Keeping a note of any items that the landlord removes will reduce any problems that could arise when asking for your deposit back. asking for your deposit back.
9. Make sure your deposit is held in a secure, government recognised scheme. Anyone who has rented a will know that problems can arise at the end of your tenancy and this will give you peace of mind that your money is going to be returned fairly. If problems do arise each scheme offers a mediation service which tenants and lettings agents can agree to use if a stalemate is reached.
10. When you find something you like – stop looking. Why go searching for something when you can move in and start living?

Rental apartments from Dandara

Dandara Lettings are currently offering a selection of brand new apartments and its portfolio of developments in Manchester includes: Spectrum, Blackfriars Road, Salford; The Lock Buiding on Whitworth Street West and the Castlefield based developments; Base, 360 and Saint Georges Island.

Learn more about Dandara Lettings Manchester

Dandara lettings also have apartments to rent in Glasgow, Jersey and the Isle of Man