Hints to find your new home faster

30 Jan, 2018

Although it can be very exciting, looking for a new home eats up a lot of time and losing the property you have set your heart on can be very disappointing indeed. There are a number of things as a potential tenant that you can do to speed up the process and increase the chances of things going through without a hitch.

At Robert Luff & Co, we suggest starting to look for a property around two months before you have to move, but by that we mean we search in market, getting on to the right mailing lists, and finding the right websites for you. This could be Rightmove, OnTheMarket, Gumtree, etc.

Do your research for a few weeks before you start looking in earnest, which we suggest doing around four weeks before your moving deadline.

When you find a property, the landlord or agent is going to want to know you’ll be a good tenant and they do this by checking your credit rating and speaking to referees. You can check out your credit rating for free on websites such as noddle.co.uk to make sure that there are no skeletons in the cupboard you weren't aware of.

Decide who you will use for references.

This should be employer, previous employer, landlord, family friend with a business of some kind, accountant, solicitor,etc. Have a word with them in advance to check if they would be happy to provide a reference if requested.

Money.

You'll likely need a month's rent in advance, a similar amount for deposit, and some ready funds for any agency fees (these were going to be banned at the end of 2017, but at the time of writing, this has not yet happened). You'll also need to consider money you'll need for removals, time of work, new furniture, etc.

If you are renting at £750 per month, we suggest having at least £2,000 available although this can vary depending on the quality of references.

The letting market is still very busy. So, as soon as you see the right property, you need to reserve it as quick as you can. Without rushing the decision, speak to the agent as soon as you're ready and be prepared to fill in the application forms and hand over any admin fee which will likely be non-returnable.

As you will have already arranged your references and you know the score with your credit check, things should go through quite smoothly from here. Now, all you have to worry about is carrying all of the heavy furniture into your new home!