Moving out & finding somewhere to live!, aaaah! Options

[CrazyFooIAintGet...]

So I'm about to start my first real job and I'm planning to rent a flat in london (where the job is)

I stayed at home with my family while at uni so I'm totally clueless about the whole thing...

Anybody got any advice? If you have any tips about what to look for when looking for flats, what questions to ask potential landlords etc. that would be really helpful

[Daria]

Firstly: good luck!
Secondly: whereabouts in London are you settling down in?
Thirdly, to add to everyone else's excellent advice: if the estate agents seem dodgy, then check them out. Look them up on the business register, if they have a website then check it for content (i.e do they actually have properties on it?) and make sure you have the contact details of the agent you're working with.

Estate agents are jerks. However much they may seem nice, or amiable, they aren't- they are just trying to pressure you into doing what they want. If they ask for personal data for things like a credit check, then stop and think about what they are asking for: when I was looking for flats in May, a couple of friends and I had put down a deposit and were in the process of the credit checks. They had asked for a copy of my last tax return, because I am self employed, and got really snotty when I asked for their data protection reference number. In the end, the guy who ran the business said he didn't want us moving in because we seemed like trouble. Quite specifically that I seemed like trouble. However, you have rights, so stick to them!

Check how much the agents charge for admin fees, inventory fees etc etc. It can add up to a lot more than you would have expected, and on top of the deposit it can dig a big hole in your pocket.

Read the contract. You're perfectly welcome to, and if there is something you don't understand then get someone to explain it to you.

Check whether you'll be renting via the agency, or straight from the landlord and the agency just get a finders fee. The latter can be good if you want to do things like change the date when you pay rent (sweet talking one person is easier than sweet talking an estate agent), however if you just rent through an agency then you can usually be safe in the knowledge that they will do things by the book- you will have an emergency number to ring for plumbing/ gas/ electricity faults etc.

If you are shown a pretty grubby but gorgeous flat, then point out to them that you're interested but the state of it isn't acceptable. Most agencies will get places professionally cleaned before you move in, but it's always good to be on top of them about things like that.

As Mata said about the radiators, make sure they are there. Electric heaters eat vaaaast amounts of electricity and you won't want a big winter electricity bill. Also, check for double glazing and proper fittings to hang curtains. A blind may look pretty, but it doesn't keep out most of the light in the mornings, and it doesn't keep in the heat.

Halogen bulbs make everything look cool, but they also eat up lots of electricity.


There's probably more, but I think my post's big enough already.
Also, can I join the Hobbes/ Snoo party? I've moved 5 times in the last 2 and a half years

[Hobbes]

Also, can I join the Hobbes/Snoo party? I've moved 5 times in the last 2 and a half years

Sure thing! In the last 6 years I've made 7 "full" moves (i.e. staying somewhere I called 'home' for X amount of time). If I include non-"full" moves (i.e. the temporary arrangement of a bed or room for Y amount of time), then it's 9 times.

And I might yet still move again before the end of this year. Lucky I've got at least one friend who doesn't mind helping me lug stuff in and out of a van each year