First time renting: tips to secure a property and stand out?

Posted by Spaceeebunz@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 5 comments

Apologies if this has been asked before. My partner and I are both 25 and live with parents still. We’ve been looking around various sites for a good sized 2 bed flat/house to move in to. We went for a viewing last Friday and put in an offer and sent off our application the same day - but was told it wasn’t first come first serve they’ll have to go through each application. So my question is, what can we do now to secure this property? Or if this one falls through, what can we do better in the future? Ideally we wouldn’t want to put down 6 months in advance as that would eat through our savings completely. We both work full time, and our combined yearly income is £54k (£26k and £28k.) we’re looking at two bed properties as I mainly work from home and we both have computers. Looking around the range £800-£950 without bills. We both have a clean credit history, no depts other than student finance and we don’t smoke or have any pets. We don’t have any references from previous landlords as we never rented before. Our parents would both be happy to be guarantor if needed. Any advice would be appreciated.

5 Comments

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strawberrypops@reddit

I went through the rental process recently although it wasn’t our first time renting. It’s a bit of a crapshoot at the moment with so many people chasing each property but there are things you can do to make yourselves more attractive tenants. For your first time renting, you’ll probably find that they’ll want a guarantor. Unless it’s already covered in your application then mention you have some ready and willing to do this for you. Can you offer a slightly higher rent than they’re asking? You absolutely should not have to do this but there are people who will and they might be looking at the same property. Don’t do it if you can’t afford it but it’s something to consider if you can and really want that particular place. Similarly, you mentioned offering rent in advance. Offering 6 months is a lot but maybe a lower amount? Offering half that might still be enough. Again though, don’t do it if you can’t afford it. Is the place you want to move to near your partners work? Mention that if so. Is it near your friends and family? Again, mention it if so. Does it have a garden? If so then mention your interest in gardening if the landlord would allow. Little things like that can subtly suggest you’re looking to put down roots in a long term let and you won’t just take off after 6 months. It’s a stretch but it works! It’s just about selling yourselves and reassuring the landlord/ agent that you’re a safe bet. Good luck!

bawjaws2000@reddit

One tip is to trawl Gumtree and some of the other sites where smallscale private landlords are more likely to list. Having been in that position myself; I can state that they're more likely to rent to the first person to put in an offer, who passes the vibe checks and can provide some references. Get a letter from your employer stating your salary just to make it evident that you can afford the place - and if they're doing the viewings, note your interest before you leave the place. They're not going to want to go to the hassle of arranging dozens of viewings. I had about 80 people contacting me about a 1-bed apartment I own. I rented it to the 2nd person to contact me / first person to come round to view; because he was a pleasant guy who turned up with family, with employment and previous rental references, and with a cash deposit.

NotDisabledEnough@reddit

It really will depend upon the rental market in your area and, honestly, the "quality" of property you want to rent. Where I live there's one lettings' agency that rents to the lower end of the market who work on a first come first served basis BUT if you offer three months rent in advance they'll move you to the front of the queue. Offer six months and the property is yours by the end of the week. I'd recommend thoroughly going through your finances and determining the maximum figure you're prepared to pay; look for properties around that price. Regarding parents as guarantors check to see if their properties are mortgage free. That might put you ahead of prospective tenants whose guarantors still have mortgages themselves to pay. Lastly, unfortunately you might just have to be prepared to offer the six months upfront, particularly if it's a busy rental market and you want a higher quality property in a more "affluent part of town".

Bigtallanddopey@reddit

The checks need to be done, you can’t get around that. Renting privately may give you the best chance of appealing to the person renting to consider you, however long it takes to get the application done. However, you may then not get the house/flat you want as there is less choice. At the end of the day, it’s up to the person renting who they choose and they will make that choice based on any number of reasons. My parents rent, and they usually get 3-4 applicants put in front of them to choose. What they have learnt over the years is that you never know what people will be like so they just rent to anyone these days.

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