Renting a home has its benefits compared to owning a home. For starters, you don’t have to worry about important maintenance and improvements to the property. Also, you are not faced with paying expensive property taxes. Additionally, you have the option to relocate at the end of your lease term, thus giving you great flexibility when it comes to moving. However, it’s important to be mindful if you decide to rent a property; renting also has its fair share of obligations and responsibilities. In this read, we’re going to take a look at some of the things you need to do when renting a house.
Properly Research the Neighbourhood Before Relocating
Yes, a rental isn’t permanent, but you want to ensure that you are not moving into the bad side of town, even it is just for several months. Before committing to a rental property, ensure that you thoroughly research the neighbourhood to ascertain it is a convenient and safe place to live.
Inspect the Property
When renting, you are generally required to put down a security deposit. If you want to be refunded when you decide to move, then you’ll want to document any pre-existing damage to the house. For proof, ensure you take photographs and send them to the landlord. Ideally, you may want to ask the landlord for a move-in and move-out checklist. This should include the things that they will inspect before and after you leave the property for the purpose of assessing any damage.
Go Through the Lease’s Terms
Before you sign the lease, ensure that you go through the tenant’s terms. It is even better to have an estate agent or a solicitor go through it to ensure that the terms are fairly standard. Some of the clauses and rules to examine include upkeep and maintenance expectations, pet policies, when and how to pay your rent and even the guidelines for breaking a lease. Every tenant in England must receive a copy of the ‘how to rent’ checklist from their landlord, ensure you receive yours on moving day.
Deep Clean the Home
When moving into a rental, it is highly advisable to conduct a deep clean of the house on the very first day. After all, you do not know who was living there before you moved in. Ideally invest in commercial cleaning or ask the landlord to do this before you move in as part of the deal.
Once You Move in, Purchase Renters Insurance
You can never tell what is going to happen once you move into a rental property. Even a house in the safest part of the neighbourhood can experience unforeseen mishaps. From break-ins and theft to natural disasters like flooding and fire, these events are not uncommon and the best thing you can do to protect yourself is purchasing renters insurance.
Inquire About the Rules of Customisation
Do you hate the paint colour in your living room or bedroom? Do you want to get rid of the unsightly wallpaper? Before you do anything drastic, it is important to talk to the landlord regarding any customisations that you wish to do in order to make the interior appealing for you and your loved ones. As a matter of fact, if decorating is a must, you should discuss this aspect with the landlord before signing the lease.
Set-up Automatic Rent Payments
The last thing you want is to pay rent late or forget to do so altogether. If the landlord accepts payments through online bank transfer, consider making the process automatic. This way, you will never forget to pay your utility bills and rent. It will ideally give you one less thing to fret about at the beginning of every month.
Try and Nurture a Solid Relationship with the Landlord
You do not need to be friends with the landlord, but at the very least, try and have a respectful and civil relationship. This will not only encourage communication regarding problems with the house, but it will ensure that the landlord is more willing to work with you in the future. An example is when you need to break the lease early or want to find a sub-letter for a particular period. Nurturing a healthy relationship with the landlord can make a huge difference in your rental experience.