Run away from these things.
Unfortunately, my first renting experience as an international student in the UK was not as pleasant as I had hoped. I signed a 12-month contract hoping I’d stay for a long time, but I moved out after 6 months, and wish I had done it sooner.
Since then, I have learned a couple of things about renting a flat, and I would like to share a couple of these lessons in this article.
How to rent a flat in the UK
There are a couple of websites such as rightmove.com and zoopla.com that are useful for finding flats or rooms within a particular location. If you are considering renting directly from a private landlord instead of an agency — openrent.com is a website for this, and if are looking to rent a room/houseshares — spareroom.com is a website you can use.
In terms of the location or streets you are looking to rent in, it might be worth speaking to a couple of people who live around the area, reading online forums, or taking a trip down a couple of times to get a feel of the area — in terms of Safety, Accessibility, Bus Routes, GP Services, Cleanliness, Network Coverage, etc. — basically whatever is important to you about where you live.
Once you have found a flat that you love, here are a couple of next steps and checks to carry out before you sign that contract.
- Energy is Important! — Look at the EPC rating.
EPC is important. If you are going to be responsible for the energy bills in your new flat, this is even more important. It is life-saving.
EPC is called an energy performance certificate and it is information about how energy efficient and therefore how costly it will be to use energy in that property. There are EPC ratings allocated to every property with ‘rating A’ being the highest and being very energy efficient and ‘rating G’ being the worst — FLEE with your life from G!
You can know the EPC rating of your flat under the description section on rightmove.com or zoopla.com if the flat is been advertised there. Alternatively, you can use the gov.uk website to find an energy certificate for any property. If you still can’t find it, call up the agent or landlord to ask, you are entitled to that information. Some houses are poorly insulated and reading through the EPC certificates would help you know which to avoid.
Now, the goal here is to try to get the highest EPC-rated property you can find. I’d personally aim for an A or B, manage C, and as I have lived in a property with a D before, I’d avoid a D or below!
Knowing how much you could potentially pay in energy bills when you move into a property is VITAL! I got badly burned by not paying serious attention to this point when I first rented.
Therefore, in the next point below, I’ll share a hack I now rely on for getting a rough estimate of how much energy bills I would potentially pay in a property.
2. Calculate a Rough Estimate of the Energy Bills in the Property — here are the steps
- Get the EPC Certificate of the building here.
- On the website, get the total floor area of the property.
- Scroll down and get the primary energy use per year
- Now calculate the total primary energy use in a year based on the total square meters in the property. This is how much kWh you would potentially use in the property each year. For the above property, this will amount to 325 kWh * 38 m2 = 12350 kWh
- Now, select an appropriate energy provider and calculate how much energy costs per kWh. Using my last energy bill report from Octopus Energy, this is how much this tariff costs.
This will therefore equate to 12350 kWh * 27.98p = £3444.415
Plus the annual standing charge fee = £3444.415 + 158.37 = £3602.79
In total, I would pay £3602.79 in energy bills annually at this one-bedroom flat. This equates to roughly £300 in energy bills per month.
To prove that this calculation was quite accurate, this was what I actually paid per month in my last one-bedroom flat which I have used as an example. This was obviously unsustainable financially, so I had to break my lease.
Therefore, to avoid getting into a precarious situation, make sure to do these calculations to determine if you can afford the energy payments. If you can’t, flee from the flat!
3. Know your Council Tax Band
This is very important. Council Tax is basically what you have to pay each month for things like bin collections, street repairs, police, fire rescue services, library, park maintenance, etc.
All properties are usually assessed for different council tax band categories, and you can find out the council tax band of your potential property on rightmove.com, calling up the agent, or best yet gov.uk website via this link. The higher the council tax band the cheaper you pay, so similarly aim for a higher tax band.
Preferably, go to the council website and check the costs of each band to understand how much you would have to pay each month and if you can afford it.
4. Figure out if you can afford it!
You need to calculate how much your take-home salary is which you can figure out using this online calculator. Next, subtract all your bills — rent, energy, water, council tax bills, transportation costs, internet, etc. Gain a clear view of what is left and ask yourself if it is enough.
Are you happy with what is left of your money after bills? If not, you should consider a place with a lower rent and bills.
5. Consider the deposit amount for the property.
Many properties would ask for a 5–6 weeks rent deposit (N:B: you should not be charged more than this according to the law) the deposit is also required to put in a deposit protection scheme. The deposit is to insure against any possible damages you might cause when you leave the property.
You need to consider if you can afford to pay the deposit amount plus your first month's rent.
6. Say no to long-term leases!
It is preferable to do a short-term lease first. Six months leases are commonly offered and they are useful to determine if you like an apartment or not, and if it is a place you would like to live in long-term.
The truth is, you can’t possibly figure out all the kinks of an apartment until you have lived in it for a while. You could end up with a landlord who delays fixing issues within the flat, in which case you don’t want to be stuck in a long-term lease with them.
On a side note, I am wary of any long-term contracts, for broadbands, gym memberships etc. I find flexible or short-term contracts to be a useful start in this relationship. Date before getting into a marriage where there are greater penalties for asking for a break in an already established commitment.
7. Gas heating is cheaper than electric.
Many modern flats come with just electric heating. Gas heating is cheaper than electric, as such if you can find a place with gas heating, it will significantly reduce your energy bill. So call up your agent or send an email to ask about what is used in the flat. If you can’t find one, make sure you do your energy bill calculations before committing to the flat.
8. Apartments with double-glazed windows are good finds.
They not only help reduce noise pollution if you live in a busy area, they also help in maintaining a stable temperature. Therefore reducing energy consumption.
9. Inspecting the property — always book a viewing.
Thou shall no forsake having a House Viewing. Book a time and go inspect the property. There are common things to check for when you go for a house viewing. Some are highlighted below, but watching the embedded videos is very useful for learning more about what to be on the lookout for.
Look out for the following;
- Check for damp on the walls and moulds (black annoying spotty things) around the windows and skirting boards. Peeling on the walls is a sign of damp.
- Check the back of the fridge, ceilings, corners, and beneath the kitchen cupboards to ensure there is no evidence of mice problems.
- Check that there are no radiator leaks
You can also read the comment sections of these videos to get more tips from people.
10. Having a smart meter for water and energy is useful!
So ask the agent if the property has this and ask to see them during your viewing. Every time you inquire about something with an agent, ask to see proof or send an email so you can receive an email response as digital proof.
I hope you have found this article extremely useful. Please leave a comment, and share with family and friends if you did. I wish you the best of luck with your search.
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