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You bought Loot, checked Gumtree, and wrote down potential candidates for you to call and, eventually, view the properties.

When we first came to London, we were told to call and ask straight away if the ad was from an agency, and, if so, say “No thanks” and not waste oru time any longer. We did apply this rule to our phone calls, and found a solution through a private landlord.

But why were we told that? Now, with some more experience behind, we can explain this, and hopefully put you in a better position. An agent might be the right solution for you, who knows?

Agents

You have good chances of finding a suitable solution for your needs simply by entering an estate agency and asking for availabilities in their property portfolio. It’s their job, they will help you. You need to keep many things in mind though.

First of all, an agent will only be able to offer you properties they are instructed to deal with by the landlords, which usually are all within certain areas. Therefore, you might miss a solution suitable for you by entering the “wrong” estate agent. Property portals and, even better, property search engines are there to offer wider databases. Also, not all agents offer rooms in shared properties.

Second, if you decide on a property offered by an agent, you will need to pay a fee on the paperwork. Prices vary, an quite a lot too, depending on the agent. Make sure you keep a field for agents’ fees in your budget, and ask this to the agent while viewing the property, not when sitting down with them to sign the contract.

Third, deposits are usually less flexible. If you are asked a 6 weeks deposit (which is probably the most common term) you can’t lower it. So you need to be prepared to pay 10 weeks’ worth of rent (6 weeks’ deposit and 4 weeks’ worth of rent in advance) on the spot. Plus the agents’ fees. It’s not always possible to do so. We couldn’t do that when we came, and didn’t. On the positive side, agents put your deposits under Government protection schemes, so you should not have issues in claiming your deposit back.

It’s also harder to break a contact if you sign with an agent. You are usually offered with a 12 months contact, and breaking clauses are not always included. We don’t have one at the moment. This might be annoying in some cases, and force you to stay in a place not suitable for you any more.

Private landlords

Approaching private landlords and property managers is fairly easy. They always include their contact number on the ads. They want the properties to be occupied, there’s no point for them to hide. You need to call them and set a time for a viewing, for a particular property. Remember that many of them manage more than one house, so it’s always worth asking if they have other availabilities.

It’s easier to find a room through a landlord, rather than an agent. Make sure you ask about the other tenants, but not rule based on that. They might leave in two weeks, you just don’t know.

Paperwork is lots easier. You can usually try to ask for less than 6 weeks deposit (I think we managed to get it down to 2 weeks), but you will be asked 4 weeks’ worth of rent. Also, since you won’t need to pay any fee, this solution should be more viable especially on a tight budget. You might face issues when claiming your deposit back once you leave, as these are not protected by Government schemes.

Even though you might have agreed on a 12 months stay, private landlords are usually fine with you giving 6 to 4 weeks notice of leave, for them to find a replacement, although some landlords might ask you to find one.

Our view

It’s probably better to go for a privately let property when you first come to London. It involves less money to be paid upfront, you have more chances of finding a room in a shared property if you look for one, and you can leave more easily, which is good especially if you want to move to another area, find a job further than you originally thought, or simply have problems in the house.

You can approach an estate agent if you’re on a higher budget, and if you know already you’ll be staying in a particular area for at least a year.

Do you agree with our views? Did you have similar or contrasting experiences? Did we miss anything? We’d love to hear from you!

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