Going for a flat viewing

I get it I do I was just a little disappointed but I’ll find the right one soon hopefully I don’t want to rush it because I want to be able to stay there for a good few years while I save up for a deposit on a house then I want to be done with moving. I believe everything happens for a reason and my flat will come soon 

Hello Andi, sorry these two were a bust, but this is so often the nature of the rental market, especially as the government are squeezing private landlords out in favour of big corporations who manage blocks of apartments.

It requires patience so don't give up. The last place I rented back in 2020 was about the 20th flat I had seen in that search - most were off the market the same day they went on and I think the competition is more fierce now due to less properties available.

I went everyone! It was terrible nothing like the pictures cramped and smelled funny because the tenants was still living there. I saw a different one the next day and it was so perfect so I filled out the form and the next day they said it has been let to someone else so back to the drawing board 

This article (by Citizens Advice) may help you to add some topics to your list of things to ask about and consider:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/starting-to-rent-from-a-private-landlord/preparing-to-rent-from-a-private-landlord/ 

This webpage about private renting written by Shelter also has good sections on the topics (plus there is a "Get Help" button at the bottom of that page if you need to talk to someone):

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting 

yeah if you travel then rent is likely better.

ownership is long term plan, like retirement planning and so on... absolutely need to own to retire otherwise there wont be a retirement as rents are mostly higher than state pension.

Go to the address at different times of the day listen and watch the area for ASB. If it's too good to be true there may be a reason 

I can’t get anyone to go with me that’s why I’m asking these questions so I know what to ask and what to look for 

TheCatWoman said:

Take a video of the flat, every knock and bump before you sign anything

Get someone to go with you so you can record them testing the taps, checking the how water and heating works, checking door close, the toilet doesn't move when you sit on it, the shower door closes without a gap.

Record any marks on the wall (you will no doubt add more over time but any pre-existing ones are arguement that the place was not in good decorative order when you took it on so a full repaint is unreasonable to expect.

Also check windows for working movable panels (lots end up painted shut or with rusted mechanisms), misted up double glazing panes, cracked or draughty windows, damage to the carpet / floor boards.

Once complete upload to youtube to establish the date/time and send a link to the agent to highlight what things need to be repaired or to be excluded at the end of the contract. You can fairly easily make the video private and share it with the email of the agent.

Take a video of the flat, every knock and bump before you sign anything, the agent should do this and give you a copy, just so as you've got proof of any damage at the end of the contract and so as you can't be charged for already existing problems.

This all is based on you being in one place for the 20-30 years of the mortgage.

I've always been a bit nomadic and lived for a several years in Germany, several in Brazil and been around the UK with my freelance contracting roles.

Having a base like this is an actual hinderance when I'm not in that region as I then have to maintain it and keep paying for it or rent it out (this normally ends up being a real pain and the place needs loads of work done when I come back.

Renting works in my situation - well until I retired and started developing property for a hobby and income stream. Now I often spend long stretches in AirBnB when I don't have a habitable property available and am moving every 6 months or so.

I get where you are coming from about the value equations but it does not suit many lifestyles and becomes an albatros around your neck if you want to travel to work.

i dunno theres no upside in rent at all on these points though as you pay more in rent than youd ever do in mortgage and you never get anything back from rent...

in mortgage even if property drops 90% and even if your interest made you pay 100% more than the property you brought paid... say you brought a 100k property, interest made you in the end pay 200k... and the property dropped in value to maybe 50k... you still at least have 50k at the end of it in property... and a free place to live that you dont even need to sell, but if you want its there for you to sell and get 50k back from it... while if you rent, you pay unlimited cash forever uncapped, by the time you paid 200k you still have nothing, you dont have that 50k or whatever loss to pull back out you have nothing, and you can be kicked out any time still and be left with nothing and likely no ability to move into another rental place in time resulting in homelessness. you will forever be paying rent into old age so you wont be able to modify your life expenditure to make it so that state pension can afford your retirement as rent will always be miles above state pension. if you havent got ownership and paid mortgage off before retirement, your not retiring... not at all. 

Yes agreed with all of the above. I would recommend you take a notebook as well so you can write down what they say, just so you don't forget. I think that will help you a lot. It helped me.

Congrats by the way! This is a big step to take and hopefully the start of a fabulous adventure!

I know what the deposit is, there’s a holding deposit as well I’m not entirely sure what that is and they are good prices I can afford. I know I can afford this property with being able to save at the same time as it is something I have thought a lot about. I know roughly where it is and it’s in a good location for travel as I can’t drive so it’s on bus routes. I don’t have kids nor intend to have any anytime soon so schools I’m not too fussed about. 
okay I’ll make a note of those apparently some may even give you a pack so can read before you sign it I heard that’s a thing? 

This one is more than easy enough for me to save for a deposit on a house but right now that’s just not an option for me to stay at home. 1 I don’t live with my parents and 2 the family will be moving and I’ve just secured a full time decent income position at my job that’s going to help me grow. 

Caelus said:

over the years youd have given the landlord more money than the flat is worth in total

If you own then you probably have a mortgage and have to pay interest, insurances and other fees that often end up adding up to the same - you pay someone else for a place to live.

I get it that owning has a reasonable chance of growth in its value over time, but the amounts required for this at the moment are astronomical so it is often the only way to access property on a reasonable flexible basis.

Caelus said:

id call renting to be a trap,

As is ownership if you buy when prices are high and the marker turns negative. I personally got stuck with this in the 1980s when the value of the property I bought dropped by over 30% and it took 7 years to get back to the value I paid, and I spent mos of that time trapped in a situation that I really wanted out of.

Property is a trap in whatever format but sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. At least with renting you have more flexibility.

id never advise anyone to rent, even if its affordable renting never allows you to save and pins you in poverty.

is it possible to stay with your parents and build up savings by whatever work you do and then use that as a deposit on a cheap flat or property to which you can then get a mortgage on and buy? the mortgage will be cheaper... but even if its not, even if its the same... it eventually ends, and the property is yours, and your life gets cheap with property yours and ability to sell it to get the money back you spent getting it...

renting... it takes all your money, you can never save, you can never move out, youd be stuck in rent for life due to that, and over the years youd have given the landlord more money than the flat is worth in total and he can still kick you out whenever he wants and youd never have rights to it as you dont own it. renting is pretty bad, id honestly advise you to think on this first and consider whether you can stay with your parents and save up for a deposit on something that will be yours. as once you rent its very hard to get out of then. id call renting to be a trap, and the first main mistake of anyones life that could negatively impact their entire life and set them on a course of being pinned down, and with ever rising rents its very possible while pinned down you also get pushed out to homelessness by rapid rising rents you have no control of and no ability to save to escape it and even less ability to save once rents keep rising. so id think hard on this and weigh up your ability to stay with parents and save for a deposit instead.

andi said:

What things do I need to ask and consider?

You need to ask about the financial side:

How much deposit, weekly or monthly rental cost, what sort of guaranteed are needed, if any insurance is needed, what bills are included and what do you pay for and what the exit process involves (typically they will expect the flat returned spotless but there are sometimes charges for a clean applied regardless of the condition).

What furniture is included (if any).

Look for things that are broken or rotten - door that don't close properly, lights that don't work, dirty or damaged furniture, mould on ceilings, very bouncy floors in the bathroom, dripping taps etc. These all need to be either fixed or documented on entry so you are not charged for them on exit (a common scam).

Ask about the neighbours - any complaints about them. Having an antisocial neighbour is a huge issue.

Ask about any work planned for the flat, building or neighbourhood in the coming year. If they are planning to replace all the plumbing in 2 months time then that will be a huge inconvenience to you.

Take a video recording of the flat at this time too as it is not uncommon for stuff the be there in viewings but gone by the time you move in so you get less furnishings. Take the time to compare this when you move in and flag up discrepencies straight away.

Thats it on the negative side - try to feel what the flat is like and listen for any noise from neighbours, traffic and/or local schools etc.

Good luck