Too many tenants looking for the same property? What can I do to stand out?

Firstly decide what you are looking for in a rental property and why it matters to you (e.g. near work, or near your children's school, or friends and family). When you then apply, you are only applying for properties that suit your criteria (you are not time wasting) and when you attend viewings you can explain why this property is the one you are most interested in.

Make sure that you have references available. Try not to leave a property under a cloud. References are so important because positive references will put you a head of other tenants.

Look after your credit score, try and download one of the free internet apps and keep a careful eye on your score. If there are issues, then address them urgently.

Although it should not matter, the way you appear can make a real difference when you are one of a number of applicants for a property. When you attend a viewing make sure that you come over well, think of it as job interview. How would you dress? would you come over as a pleasant friendly person? The Landlord needs to feel that you will look after their property, so bear this in mind when you attend the viewing.

Make sure that you have all your finances in place. This could mean you have an amount for a bond ready, or, a months rent in advance. If you have a guarantor, then make sure that the guarantor is suitable (e.g. that they have the means to pay if you default on your rent). Make it clear that you can afford the rent (even in times of a cost of living crisis), that you are not over stretching yourself and you have some disposable income if interest rates were to increase.

If you are taking pets with you, the law has changed/is changing in this regard (please see our blog on pets and renting), but it always helps to have pet references available.

Be prepared to look outside of your preferred rental area and even though you may have a criteria, you may need to be more flexible.

Be patient, the right property is out there for you.

WHAT CAN I DO IF MY LANDLORD INCREASES MY RENT?

It can be very worrying when your Landlord threatens you with a rent increase. With the interest rates rising the landlords may be looking to increase their rents because of the increase in their mortgages.

So the first thing you should do as a tenant is:

• Get hold of your tenancy agreement and check what it says about rent increases. It is usually unlawful to increase the rent during a fixed term contract (or periodic) unless your tenancy agreement specifically states otherwise.
• If you are unhappy about the rent increase, then try and negotiate a lower rent with your Landlord, and if the landlord is unwilling to agree to your proposals, then ask for a rent review. Please remember that rent reviews can go up as well as down.
• keep up the dialogue between you and the Landlord

If a landlord serves you with notice to leave, you should get help and assistance immediately; it is possible that the notice is invalid. There are a number of procedures a landlord must have followed before he/she/they can serve a notice on you. We are finding a lot of notices are invalid.

Disclaimer: the above does not constitute legal advice

In England: The Renters (Reform) Bill

In Wales: The Renting Homes (Wales) Act

Renting with Pets can be difficult. The BBC found that out of 120,000 rentals listed on Zoopla, only a small percentage allowed pets at their properties.

With many thousands of tenants having a pet, many people are forced out of properties or, take the heart breaking decision to give up their family pets. However, things are about to change.

Under the Renters (Reform) Bill which is currently being considered by Parliament, tenants will have the legal right to request a pet in their home. The Landlord will not be able to refuse any reasonable request.

In Wales, a tenant can ask to have a pet living with them and a landlord has 28 days in which to reply with details of why he/she/they are unprepared to accept a pet. If a Landlord misses the 28 day deadline, then they are deemed to have accepted the pet. If they decline and their reasons are not acceptable, then the tenant can make an application to Court and the Landlord could be ordered to pay those costs.

So it is looking a lot more promising now for families and their beloved pets. If you have any questions, then please phone our dedicated housing team at NewBold who will be very happy to assist you.

Disclaimer: the above does not constitute legal advice.

RENTERS (REFORM) BILL 2023

Under the Renters (Reform) Bill, that was introduced to parliament last month, landlords will only be able to evict tenants in England under certain circumstances. This includes if they want to sell the property or a close family member to move in. If they do evict their tenants, landlords will not be able to re-let their property for three months. Breaching the new rules also carries a fine of up to £30,000.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has welcomed the changes but has said that the councils would struggle to police this property as it would be the councils that would be responsible for enforcement. Therefore, the councils would need more staff and funding to enforce the ban on no-fault evictions in England affectively, local authorities have warned. Darren Rodwell, the LGA’s housing spokesman has said that every council he is aware of has a shortage of environmental health officers and tenancy relation officers, who investigate potential offences related to private rented housing.

Further concerns have been raised regarding the lack of staff and funding. One of which includes Jo Smith, who is a private sector housing manager at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, she has said that councils are already stretched and did not have the recourses to enforce their current housing duties, even before they took on new enforcement responsibilities in the bill. Ms Smith is the only environmental health officer at her council responsible for housing, supported by a team of seven other staff.

The government has said that they would fully fund any additional costs for councils. A Department for Housing, Levelling Up and Communities spokesman said: "We will continue to support councils financially so they have the right resources to put tenants first, that includes fully funding any additional costs that may fall on councils as a result of our proposed reforms."

Disclaimer: the above is not meant to provide legal advice.