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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.
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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