What am I looking for?

Keep your eyes open

Look for:

• units where someone has cleaned up
• where kitchen units seems sturdy and carpets are well fixed down as a bare minimum
• fridges and cookers need to be clean and to work.

Open fridge doors, switch on a cooker knob – it only takes a minute. Ask about appliances – are they covered by service contracts in case of breakdown? Tie up these details exactly. If washing machines, dishwashers, etc are included in the rent then it is the landlord’s responsibility to keep them working. Except... and there always is one... if you damage the item. So, if the pump fails in a washing machine, the landlord should pay for a repair. If however, you have clogged up the filter with hairpins, expect a repair bill. This is a good rule of thumb. If anything (sinks, drains, etc) was in good working order when you moved in and your lifestyle has caused a problem, you will be charged for repairs.

Gas appliances

Without any exceptions at all, every landlord or agent must make sure that every gas appliance has a current gas safety certificate. Lots of tenants are either too embarrassed, or too nervous of being shown the door to check for essential safety requirements. They shouldn’t be, but in the real world tenants often feel quite intimidated, especially if they are inexperienced. If you are worried about asking for certificates, a more subtle approach may well work. Casually ask how long it is since, say, the gas boiler/fire was serviced. Any responsible landlord or agent will be prompted to tell you about the annual safety check.

If no information is volunteered, you really need to follow this up. Do you really want this flat enough to be slowly poisoned by carbon monoxide? One notorious carbon monoxide poisoning incident is too sensitive to be included here – even as an anecdote. Every landlord and some agents are liable to massive fines for ignoring this legislation. You seriously have to ask yourself – if your potential new landlord is willing to take that risk, what else is s/he prepared to risk, while they live in some nice safe house elsewhere?

Furnishings

Landlords/agents who let out property which is furnished are responsible under various laws to make sure that everything provided is safe. All upholstered furniture must comply with British Standards. This will usually mean that on beds, sofas, cushions (anything upholstered basically) you should find a triangular label with a BS trademark attached. However, the easiest way of recognising what you’re looking for is to pop into any furniture showroom and have a look at a label before you start looking at units for rent. If you can’t find any safety label on the furniture in the unit you’re viewing, ask yourself why not. If the landlord claims that the label fell off (well it can happen) – simply lift up the upholstered seats, compliant furniture will have further labels stitched firmly onto the seat/frame.

If the property is part-furnished it is simpler to examine because there is less to check. Check that the carpets, curtains, etc are in reasonable condition. Part-furnished properties should also have ‘white goods’, cooker, fridge, perhaps a dishwasher. Check that they work. Ask whom to contact if there is a problem, and how quickly repairs are usually made.

Unfurnished properties are perhaps the simplest of all – nothing to check for but doors, walls, windows, and a roof! Do check though that cooker points and plumbing for washing machines/dishwashers, etc are in place. You will also need a current gas safety certificate for any gas boiler.

A tip

Every single conscientious landlord I have ever met provides smoke alarms, hand held fire extinguishers and fire blankets in kitchens as a basic. They do so to protect both their tenants and their investments. Look for that mindset in your prospective landlord.

Electricity

Landlords/agents are also expected to ensure that the electrical wiring, and any electrical appliances which they provide, are safe. Unfortunately, this definition of ‘safe’ is rather open, in a way that certification for gas appliances is not. Private landlords are advised to have their electrical supply checked by a certified electrician every two years, but currently this is an advisory rather than compulsory requirement in most ‘standard’ rentals.

Tenants must therefore exercise common sense. It is not being seriously suggested that you bring in an electrician, but do look out for obvious problems as you do your viewing. Loose sockets, or too few, with numerous adaptors might concern you. Sockets in silly or unexpected places, such as really near the sink, or in a bathroom, might ring a warning bell. Single sockets can indicate an old-fashioned system. Round-pin sockets are definite ones to avoid. Good signs would be:

• An adequate supply of well fitted sockets, fitted above rather than inserted into skirting boards.
• Clean, white (rather than yellowing or brown) electrical cable to light fittings.
• A circuit breaker system and modern fuse box where simple switching replaces old fashioned fuse wire are also excellent things to come across in rentals.

Free-standing electric fires are something definitely to avoid. If appliances are included, check for worn wiring or loose plugs. There’s a real difference between the elderly electrical system that a home owner may be willing to accept and that which a landlord must provide. The difference is brutal – it’s called money. Live how you like as individuals, but the minute you begin charging other people to live in buildings, expect the safety bar to be raised.

Note

There are very particular, more stringent requirements relating to electrical wiring and facilities in Houses in Multiple Occupation. If this is the type of accommodation you’re looking for, please take the time to read Lesson 14.

Safety issues

In cheaper properties some rogue landlords can cover up old wiring systems with shiny new switches and sockets. A brief look, say in the cupboard under the stairs, can often readily reveal old rubber wiring and a 30-year old fuse box. Here the value of taking someone else with you to view can really pay dividends. While you innocently talk to the landlord about the garden, your dad or your friend could be having a peek at the electrics under the stairs near the meter. If you’re viewing with a reputable agency, no subterfuge is necessary. Ask when the last electrical check was carried out. They should have a note on file.

Tenants really have to learn how to look out for their own safety. Remember that most rented property is never even seen by a member of any authority. Some landlords rent out dangerous units. And some agencies aren’t too scrupulous about what they take on their books. Look out for yourself! In the world of lettings there are no guarantees and believe what you see, not what you assume.

General condition

Having looked at the features, you will also need to take in the general condition of the property. Do try to avoid, if financially feasible, properties in obvious states of disrepair. Property ought to look fresh, clean and the contents be in reasonable condition. Again, the higher the rent, the higher you have every right to pitch your expectations. Presentation right across the price range can be some of the most obvious evidence about the quality of the management.

Smart, clean looking units (from the cheapest to the finest) will tend to have efficient management, efficient repair systems, good inventories and management systems. Neglected property is owned or being run by someone who doesn’t care. This ‘run on the back of an envelope’ type of management is not usually very responsive when you need something repaired either, so try to find something better if you can.

However, sometimes appearances can be deceptive. It’s amazing just what you can cover with a can of paint.

The lettings industry is bedevilled with stones like this, and it is very hard for people who haven’t been tenants to really believe what can and does go on. The student market and the market for young people can be especially tough. For most people, the upheaval of finding somewhere else, and getting a deposit returned in time to move on can be so difficult that they have no choice but to suffer bad housing. Tenants who have looked quite carefully do have at least a chance to pick up on potential problems before they sign up.

For singletons and couples (new safety rules)

Many tenancies are individual or, at most taken on in pairs. However new legislation (Nov 2004) will mean that your landlord/agent is going to have to be much more proactive about preventing tenants from deciding to sublet a spare room. Where most turned a blind eye before when couples sublet the spare bedroom to help with costs, landlords are likely to keep a beady eye on this situation now.

Increasing the number of tenants to three non-related individuals can now bring quite small units under a fairly costly new licensing process that most landlords/agents will, quite understandably, want to avoid. Expect no subletting clauses in smaller units to be much tighter in the near future so don’t take on a unit that will need a hidden lodger to make the sums add up.

Renting in groups

Some very specific and important advice is needed for people who rent together in a group. Other information is required for tenants who, as individuals, rent a room, or a part of a house, which they share with others. This is a very complex area. More detailed advice is available in the Lesson 7 and also in the Lesson 14 on houses in multiple occupation.

Read it all, because if you fall into any of these categories (i.e there’s several of you living on one lease) some additional safety standards may apply to you. If you are viewing a multi-occupied property, or a property which has been converted into flats or bedsits, you really need to read the extra chapters too. I’m delighted to say that the government has (after a long period of consultation) introduced new legislation in the Housing Act 2004, which now clarifies the law that governs safety in multi-occupied accommodation. Things are looking up.

Sorting out the issues

So, use your common sense. Try to assess the arrangements on offer and how they will work in practice. Some landlords and agents are trying to create multi-occupy properties in ways which can be difficult to live with. Four people, no matter how well they get on, living in a three bedroom house, with one of them occupying the only living room, can cause problems because of lack of social space. Similarly three friends sharing the rent equally, while one has the master bedroom and the other two have smaller ones, can cause real friction.

Sort out these issues before you sign any leases. There may be no alternative, but you ought to be aware in advance that it can be problematic. You are signing a legally binding contract, usually with a six-month fixed term. This gives you your share of legal liabilities. You will not be able to walk away from it in three months if the mood takes you or you fall out with your pals. In just the same way that your landlord cannot ask you to leave just because they feel like a change, you will also suffer significant financial penalties if you choose to terminate early.

You also need to consider when sharing property, again before conflict arises, how shared bills will be met, as the following anecdote illustrates.

The rooming house arrangement

Enquire before you accept any shared accommodation, especially in a multi-occupied house with fellow tenants who are unknown to you, how the bills are organised. Many well-run ‘rooming houses’, recognising the problems, include all energy bills in the rent. If you are obliged to share bills, be very wary. If you are to be individually charged, the best arrangement is for individual meters. There are legal limits on the profits landlords can make on the resale of fuel to tenants. You can find about these from the Citizens’ Advice Bureaux.

Where energy or water is included in the rent, your landlord must pay these bills. Sometimes tenants can find that they are threatened with disconnection because their landlord has not paid the account. In this instance, immediately contact your local council’s private tenants officer or the Citizens’ Advice Bureaux for advice. They have some powers to help.