Renting Guide

Organise your budget

Finance plays an important role in any property you rent and a budget is the first thing you should organise before narrowing down your options. You will need to consider things such as:

• Rental costs: This is the largest outgoing needed to be paid every month. How much can you afford to pay alongside bills and other expenditure while still having money left over?
• Household bills: This accounts for council tax, electricity, gas, water, broadband, TV licence, digital/satellite TV, telephone landline, household insurance (usually requested).
• Security deposit: Properties with an annual rent under £50,000 can request up to 5 weeks rent, properties worth over £50,000 6 weeks.

Property Search

Think about where you would like to live in Islington, Highbury, Camden or North London in general. Consider the type of home and features it will need to include to support your lifestyle. For example will you:

• Require a furnished/unfurnished property?
• Need a back/front garden?
• Want a parking space for family vehicles?
• Have pets to take care of? (Pets are not always permitted by landlords)
• Require any special facilities or structural features to support a disability or similar?

There are also various types of letting agreements available to suit individual circumstances. The four options you have are:

• Short-term let: Less than 6 months
• Long-term let: Longer than 6 months
• Managed let: Either the landlord or managing agent will take care of repairs and maintenance
• Corporate let: For corporate companies/private tenants searching for properties via their employers

You should also take into account the local area and what it is able to offer:

• Local public transport links (buses/trains/underground)
• Schools (quality of education/accessibility)
• Nearby amenities (supermarkets/shops)
• Doctors, dentists and hospitals (reputation/accessibility)
• Activities (restaurants/bars/cinemas)
• Green spaces (parks/recreation spaces/nature reserves)

Browsing our North London Area Guides is a good place to start.

Property viewing

Once you have found some properties you like the look of you can contact us to arrange a viewing. At this stage ensure your finances, credit and references are organised in case you see a property you would like to commit to right away. When viewing a property be sure to look at the following:

• General storage space (kitchen/bedrooms/hallways/loft/basement)
• Internal dimensions to accommodate furniture and other items (if unfurnished)
• What furniture comes as part of the tenancy (for furnished/part furnished)
• Taps, toilet, bath/shower are in working order
• Carbon monoxide installed and smoke detectors on every level and working
• Broadband/telephone sockets are in place
• Strength of the Wi-Fi signal in all areas of the property
• Mould/damp patches present in and around windows
• Double-glazing is installed around the property
• Modern window locks are in place and secure
• General security – front/back door strength and access
• Maintenance of any outside space

Our lettings team understand how important it is the find the right rental property that matches your requirements. Therefore, we are always happy to answer any questions you may have about the property, tenancy or local area. At this stage, it’s always important to know when the property is available to move into, the full rental and deposit costs and how soon you can put an offer in.

Finalising a property

When you find a property you would like to rent you have to move fast as they come and go very quickly from the market. To make sure you can seal the deal have the following ready:

• Right to Rent: Documentation to prove you are over 18 with a legal right to live in the UK. These must be up-to-date and can be things such as a passport, drivers licence, utility bills –our letting agents will tell you what is valid.
• References: Credit and reference checks will be carried out to verify you are in a position to maintain rental costs during the tenancy. This will also apply to any guarantors who may be involved in the deal.
• Deposit: You can put down a holding deposit before the above processes begin to take the property temporarily off the market. If everything is agreed you will then need to commit the holding deposit and the first month’s rent to secure the property. Full details of the tenancy deposit scheme will be provided to you by our lettings team.

Moving in

Be sure to give proper notice to your current landlord and then you can start to prepare for your move.

Set up a standing order with your bank to pay the rent each month and update address details with any other organisations, such as utility providers, banks and so forth.

Once you have dealt with all the requirements needed for moving out, make sure the tenancy agreement for the new property is read, understood, signed and returned (you will also be given a copy).

Ensure you are present for the inventory check-in and once this is complete you will be given the keys to your new home.