10 Things Every Tenant Should Ask Before Renting in a House Share
When looking for a new houseshare, sometimes it feels like room adverts disappear as quickly as they go up, but that doesn’t mean you should rush your decision when searching for your next home. Every tenant should have a list of critical questions to ask their prospective landlord or agent before they agree to sign on the dotted line. But, what exactly should you be asking?
We have put together 10 essential questions we think every tenant should ask. Questions that will give you a greater insight into the house share, the area, and the people you’ll be dealing with during your tenancy. So let’s get started….
1. How much is the deposit, and how will it be protected?
The first part of this question is somewhat of a no-brainer, but the second part often gets overlooked. Landlords are legally obliged to protect their tenant’s deposits, but there are different ways to do this.
We offer 2 deposit options on all of our rooms:
A traditional 5-week deposit which we secure with the Deposit Protection Service. They’re authorised by the government to protect deposits for tenancies in England and Wales and are the biggest deposit protection provider in the UK. They’ve been providing a simple, hassle-free service for over 10 years. In that time, they’ve looked after more than 5 million deposits, so you can rely on them to keep your deposit safe.
We also understand that not every tenant is financially able to pay a 5-week deposit, so we work with Flatfair. Flatfair allows you to wave goodbye to expensive upfront payments. As a Flatfair member, you can secure any of our rooms with just your debit card. Flatfair makes renting faster, more transparent and more affordable for great tenants. You’re still accountable for damages and unpaid rent at the end of your tenancy, but with Flatfair you can simply register your debit card and pay when you leave.
2. What’s included in the price?
Automatically assuming something can land you in hot water and, when it comes to finances, that’s never a good thing. Knowing what is and what isn’t included in the price you’ll pay every month feels like another obvious thing to ask, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask it anyway.
We offer bills inclusive on all of our rooms. Not only do we display it on our room adverts, but a member of our team will also talk you through it on your viewing.
3. Who is responsible for what?
Maintenance, garden care, looking after communal areas, cleaning… but who exactly is responsible for the house’s upkeep share you’re looking to join? Finding out these things beforehand is pretty essential, especially if you feel that you’ll be unable to maintain certain aspects of your responsibility to their current standard. After all, failing to maintain the room could result in a claim being submitted for damages when the tenancy ends.
Rule of thumb, we maintain the communal spaces and help you keep them clean by supplying a weekly cleaner. You are responsible for your room and making sure the wider house is a clean and tidy place to live. All of this is listed for ease in your tenancy agreement.
4. Who will be managing the property?
Will you be dealing directly with the landlord, or will there be a property management team or agent handling the house share? Knowing who you’ll be dealing with across the length of your tenancy is essential, especially regarding who your point of contact will be should something go wrong.
Whether the house share you live in is one we own or one we look after for our exclusive panel of landlords, your single point of contact is always the team at Rooms in Kent. We try to make it as easy as possible to reach us. We have a tenancy app to report issues or questions and a phone line for emergencies open 24/7, 365 days a year.
5. What’s the Internet connection like, and is it included?
We tend to spend most of our lives needing internet connectivity, whether it’s for working from home, streaming Netflix or disappearing into a TikTok hole. Still, not all properties have decent connectivity, so it’s well worth asking about…especially if you work remotely!
We work with Landlord Broadband, who specialises in delivering fast, hassle-free managed internet services for shared housing. We are happy for you to run a speed test from your mobile phone when viewing any of our rooms, should you wish to see for yourself just how good it is.
6. What’s the policy on pets?
Whilst we are a team of animal lovers, collectively owning 7 dogs, 2 cats and 2 tortoises, our properties are strictly no pets. We offer a co-living environment, so we can never know if any housemates might have allergies or even fears of animals. For that reason, we are a pet-free company.
7. Can I redecorate if I want to?
Making your room feel like a home is important for most of us, and putting our own stamp on things in terms of decorating plays a massive role in achieving that goal. The thing is, most landlords aren’t really open to having their properties painted neon orange, so you might meet some resistance!
We don’t allow our tenants to redecorate our rooms. However, we do regularly maintain and refurbish our rooms between tenancies. We opt for a modern white pallet so that regardless of your taste or preferences, your soft furnishing will always make your room uniquely yours.
8. What are the transport links locally?
This is particularly important for commuters, but everyone can benefit from having decent transport links close to home, especially those who do not drive or own a car. Asking about transport links should definitely make your shortlist of questions. Find out where they are and get a handle on their regularity and reliability, too.
All of our houses are close to regular and easily accessible transport links. We always look for properties that give you as many options as possible from trains and busses to motorways.
9. What’s the parking like?
For car owners, parking your car is obviously going to be a priority. However, even those of you who don’t own a car should still ask this question, even visitors and delivery drivers will all appreciate having somewhere to park, so it’s an important thing to consider.
Our houses have several parking options, from designated spaces to parking free properties. We will always ask about your parking preferences before booking you for viewing to make sure we match you to the right property.
10. Who are my housemates going to be?
This one may be tricky for some landlords and letting agents to answer, as they may not know.
We are proud to say that we are on a first-name basis with our housemates. When matching new applicants to our houses, we don’t just consider your wants and needs but also our current housemates. We know that understanding our tenants’ needs and matching them to the best property means staying with us longer.
