A complete guide on how to rent a home in the UK; this guide will tell you everything you need to know on how to find rental accommodation in the UK from an Aussie who moved to the UK and has already been through the whole process.
Summary
Finding a place to rent and call home is essential for the many people who arrive in the UK each year. It should be among the first few things you do. However it can be challenging.
To make this whole process a lot easier it is important to have a clear idea of where in the UK you would like to live, the kind of living arrangements you want, what your budget is and where you will be working. It’s also good for you to have an open mind and be adaptable as you may not be able to get everything you want.
Most people looking for places to rent in the UK will look for furnished flat shares in one of the major cities (Yes, I know you want to live in London but don’t write off the other cities which are also great places to live!). You can find rental accommodation on SpareRoom, Gumtree or similar sites. Once you shortlist a few places, view them and start trying to get some rental offers (Always view places though. There are plenty of scams about). After receiving an offer, you will then need to go through the whole rental process. So, if you are planning to move over and live in the UK, keep reading on to learn how to do this!
Where can you live short term when you first arrive in the UK?
When you first arrive in the UK you will need temporary short term accommodation for at least the first month while you set yourself up. Your options are:
- Hostel accommodation: Hostels in the UK are pretty average but they will be good enough while you explore the city, find a job and work out where you would like to live. If you have never backpacked before just be prepared you will be sleeping in a dorm with randoms and you need to make sure all your belongings are secure. It is a good place to meet people but like many hostels the people there tend to only stay short term.
- Airbnbs: If you have a bit more savings, booking an Airbnb is a good option. You can get discounts if you book a place for one month or more. The other strategy is to try out a few Airbnbs in different parts of a city to find out where you would like to live. When I moved to Bristol I used this strategy and it was a good way to scope out the different neighbourhoods.
- If you a really lucky, this is the time to ask friends or family who live in the UK for a big favour and stay at their place while you find your feet. Don’t become a long term freeloader though! When I first arrived I spent some time living on an air mattress in my cousin’s flat in London. It was a huge help while setting things up for myself.
Whichever way you choose, I strongly recommend organising short term accommodation before you arrive. I have one very easy-going friend who didn’t do this and he ended up landing in London late at night, finding a random hostel and paying a ridiculous amount as they only had private rooms left.
WARNING: Don’t find long term rentals until you get to the UK. Definitely do not agree to a rental contract and pay in advance before entering the UK. There is a high chance you will be scammed! Fake listings are common and many places will look great in photos but look gross when you view them. Website descriptions of “stunning” flats can be complete bullshit. Also, never sign a contract for a flat share without meeting your future flatmates. You do not want to live with creepy weirdos!
I also do not recommend choosing a place to live permanently until you get a job as the commute to work and daily travel costs will have a huge influence on where you will want to live. Travelling across London twice a day would be hell!
When are you eligible to rent in the UK?
There are many different criteria but you need to be 18 years old or over and, for Australians entering the UK, you need to have your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) to be eligible to rent. So collect your BRP as soon as possible.
What is the average rent in the UK?
London rental accommodation is by far the most expensive. To rent a reasonably good room in a flat share it will cost £600-700 monthly. A £400-500 monthly rental will get you a much smaller room and you will likely need to compromise on location or other things. If you live in other cities rental costs do drop significantly. I paid £425 a month for a 2 bedroom flat I shared with one mate about 10 minutes walk from Bristol’s city centre
Why is it hard to rent in the UK?
I will talk about this here as it’s something you should all know about. A similar problem occurs in other major cities in the UK but to a lesser degree.
The big problem is there’s just not enough good accommodation in London and there’s a lot of people looking to rent and become tenants. This results in high competition and when I say high I mean you could be competing with 30-50 others for a room. Existing flatmates may interview 10-20 people before choosing their new flatmate.
I think the good thing to remember though is someone has to get the room and so just keep trying. All my friends who moved to the UK (most moved to London) managed to get long term rental accommodation. You just need to keep trying and be adaptable to what opportunities come your way.
Where to live in the UK?
The first thing to choose is which city. Most Australians, Kiwis and other people entering the UK will choose London. It’s the biggest city with loads happening all the time. It also has four airports and the Eurostar which means great connections and cheap flights to many places in Europe. However, it is very expensive to live there, the tap water tastes like crap and there are dodgy areas just like there are in any major city.
There are also other major cities in the UK worth considering including Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh. One thing to remember though is the further north you go the colder it gets.
I can tell you I moved near Leicester for my first year in the UK because that’s where I got a job. A car was essential and it was very central when it came to exploring the UK. However, it was a dodgy place with not much to do. I would advise anyone to think twice before moving there. I eventually moved to Bristol for my second year in the UK and it was brilliant.
Things to know before looking for a place to rent in the UK
You need to consider three factors before looking for a place to rent:
- What kind of UK experience do you want? City, country, suburbia?
- What is your rental budget per month?
- Where will you be working? Ideally live close to work as daily commute times and travel costs will have a big effect on your bottom line.
You should also know what kind of flat/room you are looking for to help narrow down the searches:
- Location
- Room size
- How many flat mates
- Furnished vs Unfurnished
- Some rents will include bills which you need to factor into your expenses
Finding a home to rent in the UK
Most people look on SpareRoom and Gumtree for potential flat-shares or places to rent. If you are planning to live in London, it is also worth checking out the Aussies in London and Kiwis in London Facebook groups as they often have flat vacancy posts although many of them are short-term sublets. You can also find other Aussies and Kiwis in these groups, who are in a similar position to you, who are looking for flatmates.
SpareRoom is a great website to use for finding flat shares. There’s a lot of options and you can choose your own accommodation preferences. I would highly recommend upgrading to Early Bird Access. If you don’t you will have to wait seven days before you can contact landlords and with lots of competition you have pretty much zero chance of having your message seen by them.
Gumtree is also a good website to find flat shares. Again, the faster you can respond to ads the better. I found the flat my friend and I shared in Bristol on Gumtree.
RoomforTea is a website where you can find rooms available for rent. However, the ads tend to be posted by older people with nice places who have specific living conditions and rules. This may suit older and more mature people. However, for younger people who want more freedom and want to party, this may be too restrictive.
If you are looking for a place for just yourself then try Zoopla, Right Move or Open Rent. I personally found this option too expensive and I much preferred spending more of my money travelling instead. I also think it’s a lot better to have flatmates. However this really depends on whether you have good ones as a bad one will be a real pain. Everyone’s circumstances are different though so maybe a place to yourself will be perfect for you!
The UK Rental process:
Now for the nitty gritty! Once you know what kind of rental accommodation you are looking for start monitoring the new rental ads which pop up on SpareRoom and Gumtree every day. I remember checking these websites constantly. Your goal at this point is to organise to view as many places which fit your criteria as possible. The high competition means you need to contact landlords as soon as you see the ads. These landlords will be dealing with a lot of messages so do not muck around!
Also remember, the initial messages are both a time for you to find out more about the rental, the flatmates and whether it is legit, as well as for the landlord or current flatmates to see whether you are legit and will be a good tenant or flatmate. So be nice, be flexible and don’t be a weirdo!
Viewing UK rentals
Viewing any potential rental is important and will take up a fair bit of time. In many cases while you are checking the place out you will also meet the flatmates and this will pretty much be an interview. This is also a good time for you to check the flat is in good working order and for you to see whether the flatmates are decent and friendly. If it doesn’t feel right or if you suspect a scam, avoid it like the plague!
Getting accepted
Yay! You’ve been accepted which means the hard part is done. I think my only advice here is be adaptable. You may need to compromise on some things but as long as you still have a good UK experience it will be alright.
Documents and references you need to rent in the UK
Landlords will ask for some or all of these documents below which you will need to provide in person and which they may need to make photocopies of:
- Passport
- Biometric residence permit
- Driver’s licence
- Previous utility bills
- Credit score (landlords need permission from you before doing credit checks. They also cannot charge you to perform a credit check)
- Employment reference letters (Landlords want to know your salary, how long you have worked at your company, whether you are full-time or part-time, and whether you have permanent or temporary employment)
- Previous landlord reference letters (Landlords want to know whether you pay rent on time, look after the property etc.)
- Proof of employment (pay slips, contract of employment). You may need to provide bank statements if you are self-employed.
NOTE: You do not need a UK bank account at this stage. If you have just moved over, you can pay your deposit and first month rent with your bank account from home or a Wise or Revolut account if you have already set this up. Afterwards, you can set up a UK bank account (Starling, Monzo) for future rental payments, if you want to, as you will now have a physical UK address.
Rental Deposits
Along with the first month’s rent you will also need to pay a deposit which is usually the cost of 4-5 weeks of rent upfront.
It is a legal requirement for UK landlords to protect your deposit with a third party government approved tenancy deposit scheme such as the Deposit Protection Service (DPS) or Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). They cannot just keep your deposit themselves.
Once you send the deposit to your landlord (or letting agency) and receive a receipt, the landlord needs to give you details of the government approved tenancy deposit scheme they used within 30 days.
Rental contract – Tenancy agreement
There should always be a written tenancy agreement signed. If you landlord doesn’t provide one you are well in your rights to ask for one. Most of these are standard but read it completely to find out if the landlord has added any specific conditions. For example, no pets, no more furniture etc. The minimum period for a rental contract is also 6 months so if you find you do not like a place you can always move out after this time.
Inventory check
Before you move in, check all the furnishings and windows etc and take photos of everything to insure yourself against future landlord claims over any damages. This probably won’t happen but you never know so just take the photos and be done with it. Make sure you also take photos of the meter readings too.
If you would like further information about renting in the UK, I highly recommend you read the Checklist for Renting in England on the UK government website.
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