Renting for the first time can be daunting. Partner that with Bristol’s notoriously competitive housing market, and the process can feel overwhelming.
We’ve compiled a list of tips to ease finding your next home, and make sure you know what to look for and what to avoid.
Planning
First things first, you need to plan.
- Set a budget and check if the rent includes bills. Be realistic about what you need and want from your rental. Bristol is an expensive city to live in so your budget might not stretch to what you’d want, but it should always cover what you need. An ensuite room in BS1, for instance, could be out of your price range, but a shared house in BS7 would be more manageable.
- Start having conversations with who you want to live with. Think about how many people is the right amount to live with. The fewer people, the more expensive the property, but too many and it becomes hard to find somewhere. They don’t have to be the same people you lived with in halls. They might be course friends, people from a society you’re in, or just a random bunch of people you happen to have formed a group with.
- Do your research. If you have never rented before, it can be hard to know where to look. As well as traditional sites like Rightmove and Zoopla, there are also sites dedicated to student rentals. The Students’ Union have made a list of trusted sites.
- Start looking early. Most people start looking for their next year’s home around November and December. That can feel really early, but the market moves very quickly in Bristol. There is enough to go around, and you can never be too prepared.
Viewing
Once you have made a plan, it’s time to start viewing properties.
- Always view the properties yourself before signing any agreement. A common scam is criminals falsely claiming a property is something online, but in reality, it is something very different – or worse, doesn’t exist at all. If possible, everyone who will be living in the house should view it before agreeing to live there. But we know that schedules can be hectic, so nominate a couple of people to look on everyone’s behalf. Take photos and videos of the rooms to remind yourself what the property looks like.
- Be flexible with your location. You might have your heart set on living on Gloucester Road but it’s worthwhile looking around nearby areas as well. Properties tend to be more budget friendly away from the main hotspots. Keep to an easily commutable distance to your campus and think outside the box.
- Don’t rush into anything. It might be tempting to take the first property you view, but it’s worthwhile viewing a few before making your choice. That way you can better understand what it is you really want and what is realistically available.
Signing contracts
When it comes to signing for your property, keep these tips in mind.
- Read your tenancy agreement. And we mean really read it. Don’t skim read it and assume everything will be okay. Tenancy agreements are legally binding documents that both tenants and landlords must obey.
- Triple check that everyone wants to live in the property. Once everyone has signed, it can be hard to back out of a contract. If someone leaves halfway through the tenancy, check to see if you will need to find someone or if the landlord will find one for you. It could be the case that you need to cover there share of the rent as well.
- Pay your deposit into a deposit protection scheme. Unless you are going to be a lodger, your landlord must, by law, hold your deposit in a protected scheme. Usually, you will pay your deposit to the landlord or agency, and they will transfer it to the scheme. You will receive a receipt of the transfer.
- Be cautious of scams. Apart from holding deposits, tenancy deposits and first month of rent, landlords and agencies should not be asking for any other payments. Most agency fees are banned in the UK.
Moving in
Moving and living in private accommodation works a little differently to living in halls as well.
- Take photos of damage before you move in. Before you start unloading your boxes, walk around the house and check for any damage. Take photos of anything that doesn’t look right and send them to your landlord/agency. They will use this record for comparison when you move out.
- If bills aren’t included, set up your payments. Work out how much you will need to pay to cover your water, energy and internet bills and split the amount equally. It could all come out of one person’s account, or you could spread the bills across household members. Most providers have easy set ups available on their websites.
- Be respectful of your neighbours. In halls, you’ll have been surrounded by fellow students. In private accommodation it’s likely that it will be families, professional house-shares and maybe a few other student houses. Keep the noise down, take your bins in after they have been collected and remember that you’re a part of their community as well as ours now.
- Be mindful of your impact in the household. As a member of a house, you need to make sure you’re putting your fair share of work into making sure it is a nice place to live. Do your washing up after you’ve eaten, clean the bathroom after you’ve used it and don’t be loud late at night.
- Don’t make any changes to the house without permission. This could include putting nails in walls to hang pictures, adding attachments to plumbing and even blue tack stains.
Moving out
Moving out is just as important as moving in in private accommodation.
- Deep clean everything. Landlords need the home to be returned to them in the same condition they received them in. A quick vacuum of the carpets won’t be enough! If you don’t clean well enough, they might get external cleaners in to finish the job. Often this is charged to the tenants too.
- Cancel your bills. If they’re not included in your rent, you’ll need to cancel your bills at the end of your tenancy. Take meter readings of your energy use and follow instructions from your provider.
- Get your deposit back. Landlords must release your deposit from the protection scheme within ten days of the tenancy agreement ending. If there is a discrepancy or dispute, they must provide written evidence of why they have reduced your repayment.