Moving out

[postman]

So Postman and Mrs P and Miss P are back from inspecting the cottage the new home of Miss P and two friends.They were hoping to move in by Saturday what with all the moving.Faults some minor some serious,well .The list first outside both bins are full next collection two weeks,full of not sorted items,the bin lads will refuse to clear them.Front garden black bin liners full of God knows what plus electrical equipment,broken garden ornaments.Come inside faulty light fittings you have to push the bulbs in to get them to fit before they come on,bulbs flickering windows two of them that don't even close great in summer friggin freezing in winter.Kitchen sink worktop damp and growing mould I kid you not,we moved the bed not hovered under,water leaking from a pipe inside the room wall leaking out of the outside wall.toilet does not flush and Lord knows what was the paper covering in the bowl,maybe a log ,what did I say about agents this week twunts everyone we have dealt with from Edinburgh to Manchester and now Leeds Effing scrum taking on young kids,well they are going to have to put things right or else,rant over.

 

[Brandane]

Timely post, Postie. My nephew has just been told that he is to start a job near Aberdeen, 150 miles from home. This is his first proper job since graduating a year ago. He only got his start date a few days ago, leaving him less than 2 weeks to find accommodation. He has found a place on Gumtree (!!) that he wants to view tomorrow. His mum and dad (my bro) were originally not going to be able to go with him, so I volunteered to run him up to see the property. Thankfully his mum has managed to get the day off work so she will now be going to the viewing with him. But it got me thinking about all the things I should be looking for and questions I should be asking if I HAD gone with him. It's been a long time since I rented, and things were much simpler in the early 80's.

Should there be safety certificates for gas/electricity? Who pays the council tax? Are there deposits to be paid? How much notice to quit on either side? Should all these things be in a written contract? Is there a factor for the building? Who pays for communal charges such as gardening, cleaning and maintenance of communal areas? Nephew is clever, but not the most streetwise boy for his age, to be honest; I'm just hoping it all works out for him but it's going to be a steep learning curve.

 

[Cycleops]

Yes, you need to ask to see the certificates for gas and electric. Notice etc should be in the rental agreement. I believe notice to quit has been extended for the pandemic.
Most letting agents do a yearly survey to see if the property is being maintained or if there are any not reported problems.
I think deposits are held as a bond now, the letting agent will advise.
He’ll have to pay the council tax but the ground rent, service charge is usually footed by the landlord.

 

[newts]

Estate agents/letting agents often have morals lower than a daschunds bollox, money grabbing barstewards!
Report any electrical/gas issues to the relelvant certification bodies if things are not up to standard.
I have seen many student lets over the years where 'landlords certificates' for gas/electric aren't fit for purpose, agents just shrug their shoulders & speed off in their Range Rovers/Mercedes.
They tried all sorts of tricks when our daughter & her university friends moved out to not repay deposits & even tried charging for repairs & cleaning that never took place or were necessary.
Photo/video everything before moving in/out of a property, they don't then have a leg to stand on when they try their shennanigans

 

[Mrs M]

Everything should be in the tenancy agreement.
Certificates are required for EPC (energy performance), PAT (portable appliance testing), gas safety.
Smoke alarms have to be hard wired into the mains and be in certain positions. Legionella certificate too.
Registered landlords have to pay for all this and registration can be revoked if certificates are not produced.
The landlord registration number is usually on the tenancy agreement.
I would expect the tenant to pay the Council tax but the landlord to pay for any factoring charges.
Some properties will have a factoring company, otherwise the tenants would have to be responsible for communal areas.
Deposit is usually one months rent and has to be lodged in a deposit scheme within 30 days and landlord has to produce evidence for tenant this has been done.
I would be taking pics of the property and contents just in case. Most good landlords also do this, (works both ways).
Hope things work out for everyone

 

[Drago]

Letting agents, estate agents, solicitors...they'll all be against the wall when the revolution comes.

 

[Beebo]

Letting agents, estate agents, solicitors...they'll all be against the wall when the revolution comes.

A huge generalisation.
But the guy who attacked Chris whitty and the guy who sent racist abuse to the footballers were both estate agents.

 

[Pale Rider]

So Postman and Mrs P and Miss P are back from inspecting the cottage the new home of Miss P and two friends.They were hoping to move in by Saturday what with all the moving.Over my dead body they are.Faults some minor some serious,well I will not guarantee the bond till they are sorted out.The list first outside both bins are full next collection two weeks,full of not sorted items,the bin lads will refuse to clear them.Front garden black bin liners full of God knows what plus electrical equipment,broken garden ornaments.Come inside faulty light fittings you have to push the bulbs in to get them to fit before they come on,bulbs flickering windows two of them that don't even close great in summer friggin freezing in winter.Kitchen sink worktop damp and growing mould I kid you not,we moved the bed not hovered under,water leaking from a pipe inside the room wall leaking out of the outside wall.toilet does not flush and Lord knows what was the paper covering in the bowl,maybe a log.We have asked Miss P to give them our telephone number and we want a meeting inside the cottage before Friday,what did I say about agents this week twunts everyone we have dealt with from Edinburgh to Manchester and now Leeds Effing scrum taking on young kids,well they are going to have to put things right or else,rant over.

Presumably daughter needs somewhere to live, but that long list of faults will never be sorted, least of all in a few days.

You will get a stream of broken promises and half-hearted attempts to fix things.

Avoid all that by walking away now.

 

[si_c]

Presumably daughter needs somewhere to live, but that long list of faults will never be sorted, least of all in a few days.

You will get a stream of broken promises and half-hearted attempts to fix things.

Avoid all that by walking away now.

Sadly very much this. Damp walls and mould are a health hazard which will most likely be fixed by painting over the problem. Report the property to the local environmental health team and walk away.

 

[postman]

Miss P is living with us,has been for fourteen months since leaving Uni.She is at work now so me and Mrs P have spoken to each other and we are concerned at the state of the cottage,i think letting agents are snakes.I dont think i mentioned the kitchen floor which the agents say is going to be looked at.Looked at the floor has a very serious damp problem,it will need taking up and the floor will need digging out and all the work associated with that,damp course ,membrane sub floor then a concrete floor or joists and a complete refurb of units,the snakes are not going to do that.The floor is so spongy,water leaks under the kitchen door the threshold is rotten and there is no step,going this morning with camera notepad and video to give it a full and frank once over,i have spoken to Mrs P and saiod we need to tell Miss P how bad it really is and to expect a long delay at moving in.Or you like me i would walk away,she has already been lied to,nobody in their right mind would sign this off as being ready to live in,effing scum Sorry i am fuming i know how much she wanted to be in by Saturday.

 

[oldwheels]

At the present time my son is getting a flat near the centre of Aberdeen completely renovated inside after getting roof repairs done. All this supervised by a reputable firm of architects who specialise in this sort of thing. Due to covid it has been long delayed but should be finished soon.
I am paying the bills for this and it is a substantial amount of money. Probably about half or one third of the market value of the flat.
He is contemplating renting through a letting agent but you lot have given me second thoughts on this.
It is possible he may just sell if he can get a reasonable price given the problems of being an absent landlord.

 

[Cycleops]

Please don’t think all letting agents are like this @oldwheels my agents are very good and I have no complaints about them.
Letting isn’t a gold mine, far from it, with all the standards you have to comply with as well as troublesome tenants, repairs etc. I should ask around and find a good one if still want to rent. Vetting tenants is also very important.

 

[oldwheels]

Please don’t think all letting agents are like this @oldwheels my agents are very good and I have no complaints about them.
Letting isn’t a gold mine, far from it, with all the standards you have to comply with as well as troublesome tenants, repairs etc. I should ask around and find a good one if still want to rent. Vetting tenants is also very important.

Very true. We would take advice from the solicitors who dealt with the original business and were very good and not too expensive as well as the architect firm who also seem to be very efficient. Getting common roof repairs paid for in a stair with different owners in each flat requires persistence and knowledge.

 

[postman]

We are back oh the list got longer.we photographed everything,some serious damp water running out of external brickwork,resulting in inside damp,who effing inspects these places,well a reply to last night's e mail has come back a formal request to file a list to them .These people must be blind,outside glittering has flowers growing out of them I have photos now,down pipes blocked with sludge.It's a dump in my opinion the carpets are fit for the tip our house has never been like this,even here uni places were not this bad.I am missed off but will do all I can but my hands are tied.oh and the toilet does not flush.

 

[DCLane]

@postman - the challenge is that this is in Headingley. There's high demand from students and young professionals, with lazy landlords.

I'm guessing this one's not on the Unipol 'approved' list!