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SOME HELPFUL STUDENT MOVE IN ADVICE
Turn on your fridge and freezer. It takes a while for these items to reach their required temperature, so make sure this is one of the first things you do. You and your new housemates will be accountable for keeping the fridge clean and for de-frosting the freezer (this latter task should be done every 6 months or so if it’s an older model). Talking of keeping clean: there will be a hoover in the property, which we’d recommend using at least once a week to keep the carpets clean. Plus, a regular swoosh – which is a technical term – of the kitchen floor, with a good cleaning product – will keep everything spic and span. A chores rota could be a good idea, maybe?
Find out where the water stop cock is. And, how to turn it off. If you’re not sure what this is, Google it. Your internal stopcock shuts off the water within the whole of the property immediately – essential if water is coming in. It means that repairs can be made to pipes, and disasters averted.
Utilities and Bills next. You’ll be advised who the provider of gas and electricity is (in the name of the landlord) and you will need to supply a meter reading on the day you move in – and when you leave. You may change providers, but you’ll need to set up your own account with all the tenants’ names on in order to do this. Generally, bills are sent quarterly, however some tenants prefer monthly or via a pre-paid meter. The same will apply to your: • Water • Internet/Wi Fi • TV Licence . A word about bills etc: do try to get organised as much as you can. Keep paperwork in separate folders and always make sure that everything is up to date payments-wise. If it’s easier to allocate a “lead” tenant as the “bills person” that could work well, assuming that he or she is willing to take this on.
Contents Insurance Whilst your landlord will take on buildings insurance, you will be responsible for ensuring that your worldly goods are adequately covered by an insurance policy. Accidents can and do happen, and insurance is likely to be much more affordable than you think.
Council Tax There’s good news here: if all of you are full-time students, you don’t have to pay council tax. Don’t let this one slide, though: you’ll need to register your details with the council tax office to make sure that all residents are exempt.
Trip Switches In a nutshell, if the lights go out, in the vast majority of cases you do not need an emergency electrician. So, first off – breathe, this is not a disaster. It’s likely that there’s too much current going through the distribution board in the property, so that the circuit gets broken. These boards are either grey or white and should be easy to locate. You’ll notice that the switch that’s tripped is in a downward position, so unplug your appliances, and flick the switch upwards. Power should be restored. You could try turning things on one at a time, as there may be an electric guilty party that’s causing the outage. This isn’t easy to describe, so YouTube should be your best friend in this situation.
Regarding drains Make sure that you clean these out regularly as leaves can block them and cause no end of headaches.
Property Inspections We will inspect your property every three months. Please rest assured that this isn’t to catch you out or make judgements in anyway; we’re on your side. Carrying out a series of checks will highlight any maintenance or repair issues that we can sort out on your behalf.
Is it Really an Emergency? There’s no easy way to say this, but what you consider an emergency may not actually be one. Leave a message out of hours and follow the guidance you hear. We’ll get someone to you within a defined timeframe based on the urgency of what’s gone wrong.
If There’s One Piece of Advice We Can Give You… It’s this: Google offers a wealth of knowledge on practically everything, including a shedload of “how to” tips on looking after a property on a day-to-day basis. Do try Googling before contacting us – for one thing, the answer could be exactly what you need within half a second
So, there you are. A comprehensive guide for students moving into their first property. This is a rite of passage to take you from one stage of your life to another, and of course there will be adjustments. Above all, enjoy it! Going to college or university is an outstanding experience, and one that you’ll never forget.
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We believe in keeping the process of renting your property out as simple and as stress free with the upmost efficiency. As one of Exeter’s original independent rental agents we believe in traditional service with a personal touch and we are here to help with all of your questions, queries etc. All of our staff members have a vast knowledge of the rental sector and are willing to help out where required face to face in our City Centre office. We pride ourselves in keeping all of our properties compliant with the changes in the regulations that are being brought in to the rental sector on a regular basis. All of our fees our transparent with no hidden costs there are no extras for certain things that are carried out. We also have a Director who runs the maintenance department of Cooksleys and this is offered to the tenants on a 24 hour basis. We have a range of contractors who can be called out to carry out minor repairs to refurbishments and also arrange all of the certificates required without no extra charge to you as the landlord. We advertise the property on our Website, Facebook, Twitter, in our City Centre Office, Rightmove and “On The Market” and we charge one of the lowest fees to potential tenants. We offer two services fully managed or tenant find only as a small independent Estate Agent we are able to tailor the package accordingly to suit the individual needs of the landlord. We are also always happy to meet landlords at potential investment properties. We look forward to hearing from you #https://buff.ly/2COPipE # https://buff.ly/2A2TmlH #https://www.cooksleys.co.uk/contact-us
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The advantages of renting
With the distinct lack of affordability in the sales market, over the course of the last decade more and more people are renting, up to a third of the population in urban centres. Renting is an option of choice for many now because of the flexibility it offers:
- Long term tenancies start from as little as 6 months and you can move after this time if it doesn’t work for you.
- Being able to give notice to vacate lets you test relationships, whether that’s a new flatmate or a new partner
- Working lives have changed and people change job, including their location, more frequently and renting makes this easier.
- Professionally managed properties take the burden of maintenance away from you, giving you time to enjoy other things. You will have one point of contact and you don’t have the problem of finding contractors and overseeing works.
- The ongoing costs of maintenance, building service charges buildings insurance are covered by the landlord
- As you don’t have the additional costs that are covered by the owner it is much easier to predict your monthly costs.
- Whilst the costs of renting are high, the cost of getting on the rental ladder is substantially cheaper than buying a property.
- Property sharing reduces the cost per person allowing you to move to an area you may have thought out of your budget.
- Rental properties have to conform to safety standards.
- Shorter term lets are great for those who are in between moves or moving out whilst they do renovations
- Short term lets are generally all inclusive of costs and so you’ll have one regular payment.
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ACT FAST
Hesitating when you find the best property you've seen in weeks could cost you your dream rental.
With the current rental market, you need to contact the agent as soon as possible.
"Be available to view properties as soon as you see them and be ready to put an offer in straightaway
Register and set up email alerts to be the first to know about new rentals near you.
BE FLEXIBLE
If you're in with a chance to secure a property, be as flexible as you can with your terms.
Being positive and flexible with the landlord's preferences can help you secure the rental.
Don’t have too many conditions involved in your offer
"There can be several offers on the table for a rental home, so you want to make yourselves seem like the most attractive renters."
Plus, if you get the tenancy, it'll set you and your landlord off on the right foot.
What's happening to rents in 2022?
The cost of renting a home has reached nearly £1,000 a month as rents rise at their fastest pace for 14 years.
The jump in price is down to more people needing a place to rent than the number of properties available.
This is especially the case in city centres as students, office workers and international buyers make their return after the pandemic.
But the rental market remains highly localised
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Buy-to-let sector heats up rent rises tempt landlords back to market
New analysis from Knight Frank suggests that rent rises are tempting landlords back into the market.
It found that, in some cases, the rental market has outpaced the sales market. While Nationwide recorded 14.3% annual growth in March across the UK, rents in prime areas of London have risen by more than 25% over the last year.
Strict staycation rules meant a surplus of short-let properties came onto the long-let market at the start of 2021, which caused a sharp drop in rents. Supply subsequently shrank as rules were relaxed, which took place as offices and universities re-opened, producing a steep rise.
Would-be landlords have clearly been paying attention, with the number of buy-to-let mortgages issued in the 12 months to February this year the highest figure since 2016, according to UK Finance data.
The total was 275,600, which included 159,100 re-mortgages as landlords committed to a sector that many have left due to increased taxes in recent years.
Meanwhile, 110,000 new buy-to-let mortgages were issued in the year to February as landlords took advantage of the stamp duty holiday. This compared to a figure of 75,800 in the 12 months to February 2020.
Ahead of the introduction of a 3% stamp duty surcharge for landlords in April 2016, there was a spike in activity in the buy-to-let sector. However, demand has been in decline since then due to higher costs and fewer tax breaks.
The extent of the recent rent rises has started to compensate for some of the regulatory changes of the last few years.
Property yields have looked attractive in recent years with historically low-interest rates and the growing yet undersupplied UK rental market attracting an increasing amount of institutional capital.
