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Tenant
Insurance -Tips for Tenants when searching for a rental property. INFORMATION
FOR TENANTS (also see our Tenants
Advice Guide for much more detailed information) Use
an Agent - Or go to a Private Landlord direct Many
people find the agent by an looking on the Internet. They also visit the area
they are thinking of moving to andf buying a local paper and calling in at Letting
and Sales agents. Many
agents belong to professional organisations: -
ARLA
(Association of Residential Letting Agents) 
-
NALS
(National Approved Letting scheme)
-
NAEA
(National Association of Estate Agents)  or
-
RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)
You will
normally have to pay administration fee to the agent (For much more detail see
our Tenants
Advice Guide WHEN
TO LOOK Rentals
are now like buying a house or booking next years summer holiday. The majority
of property is available immediately or within the next couple of months.
If you are looking for a property several months ahead you will not normally be
able to find anything. In towns offering student accommodation this does not appear
to be the rule as you can often tie up a deal for rental to start in July/August/September
several months in advance. CLEAN
PROPERTY & PRESENTATION
The property should be clean and tidy and have a reasonable standard of decoration.
In many areas of the UK there is an excellent choice of property and as so many
beople have gone int the Buy-to-let businness, a lot buy brand new so standards
are high. Landlords of older properties are now realising that they must update
their properties and present them well. Unfortunately not all landlords do this.
FURNISHED OR UNFURNISHED? You
will normally find property that can be let fully furnished, part furnished or
unfurnished. Which of these is appropriate to you will depend on your circumstances.
It is always a good idea to ask if the owner will provide or take away items,
although quite often this is not possible particularly when they have to be stored
somewhere. NUMBER
OF BEDROOMS This
will largely depend on tenant situation - Single person - 2 people - thinking
of bringing others in to share etc? You need to sort this out before searching. RENTAL
PRICE CAN I AFFORD IT? You
need to check out what rentals prices are like in the area you are going to move
to. Initially do a search on the Internet and then work out your budgets. Many
agents and landlords use a credit search company for referencing now. They work
on a formula - Rental X 12 X 30 e.g £600 per calendar month. £600
X 12 X 30 = £21,600 or alternatively Rental X 30 - £600 X30 = £18,000.
(The difference is that one major UK company uses the first formula and another
one the other one). This will mean that someone wanting to rent a £600 per
calendar month property on their own will have to earn over £18,000 per
year. COUNCIL
TAX, SERVICES ETC see
our Tenants
Advice Guide
PROPERTY
INFORMATION FOLDER
It's very useful if you ask the owner or agent if there is a folder of information
at the property for tenants. This might include:
details of rubbish
collection days, nearest schools, shops. Photocopies of any manuals/ instructions
for appliances, location of fuse boxes/ meters/ stopcock- useful and emergency
contact numbers (plumber, handyman, electrician etc.) WHAT
ABOUT INSURANCE? 
You should take out insurance. What happens if your lap top or bike is stolen?
What happens if you spill coffee or wine on the landlord's new carpet or 3 piece
suite? 
Take
a look here for much more information it is something often overlooked
by people renting including students.
INVENTORY
A suitably detailed Inventory or Schedule of Condition for the property its
contents is absolutely essential. If there is not one there you should ask for
one. If you are not happy with something when you move in - e.g. broken kitchen
unit, then take a photo and send a copy to the agent/landlord.The inventory should
be provided to the ingoing tenants on the commencement date of their tenancy.
Ideally the tenants should check, sign and return a copy of the Inventory to the
landlord or agent to confirm their agreement with it. Without a good inventory
a landlord is, legally, in a very vulnerable position if he subsequently tries
to deduct money from a tenants deposit for alleged damages.
SAFETY
MATTERS
A landlord has a legal obligation to provide a safe property for the tenants to
live in. Specifically, this means that any electrical equipment provided, plugs,
sockets etc must be safe. You should also ensure that all equipment is serviced
regularly and provide instructions or user manuals so tenants know how to safely
operate appliances and equipment. When there is gas at the property, the
landlord in the UK must by law, provide a Landlords gas safety certificate
annually.
MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS
The owner / landlord will generally be responsible for maintaining and or repairing
the fabric or structure of the property normally including dometic appliances,
but not normally TVs and Video/DVD equipment provided. DEPOSITS N.B.
From April 2007 under the 2004 Housing Act
Landlords will no longer be able to hold deposits with AST tenancies unless they
have them registered with a specific scheme. See
Tenancy Deposit Scheme N.B.
This information should not be relied on for accuracy and is presented here without
the responsibility of jml Property Service and the website it is being displayed
at. ©jml property Services 12-04
Cheaper Tenant Insurance - Think jml
in association with Homelet
Endsleigh 
and Letsure  Get
a Quote, arrange Immediate Cover Online - Pay
monthly or annually. Pay by Credit card,
or by Direct debit.
 
The
top five tenant’s contents claims - August 2010
New
to letting or renting? Take
a look at our landlords advice
- Tips for landlords
and tenants advice and Tips
for tenants guides Why
do I need Landlords Insurance? and
Article on Landlord
Insurance 
DO
YOU HAVE A RELATIVE / DEPENDANT AT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY IN THE UK?
Did you know that they can get insurance for their rental room, flat or house?
CLICK HERE for more information 
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Insurance Services
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