Tenants - Renting Checklists

Use our timeline to find out more about the process of renting

Renting a home is a huge financial commitment. There’s plenty to think about so it can be difficult to know where to start. Use our timeline to find out more about the process, key stages and what fees to expect.

It is ideal to know what you are looking for when wanting to rent a property, the clearer criteria you have the easier we will make your process to finding your perfect property. It’s always important to know what type of neighbourhood you are looking to move into, as well as knowing whether it’s important for you to move into a house or flat.

Location is integral when on the search for a new property; several questions may come to mind such as: do I want to live near my workplace? Would I rather move near a rail/tube station or would I prefer a quiet country road? As we are located in leafy Friern Barnet, we primarily deal with the surrounding areas. Our in-depth local knowledge and expertise can help you determine just the right area for you. The Northern and Piccadilly lines travel through the areas we operate within; both of which travel to the heart of London, so for city workers the journeys are made much easier. On the other hand, you have a variety of buses travelling from the area travelling all over the city.

The all important question has got to be the budget, make sure you have a budget set up according to what you get paid each month. You have also got to take into consideration the bills:

• Electricity
• Gas
• Water

The council tax will have to be paid each month as well; this varies in every property you enter. You will need to call up the council to find how much you will be required to pay for council tax per month. So a budget has to be set with these other payments in mind.

So you have your criteria all ready, it’s time to start looking! You can start by entering your criteria. If you would much rather call us and speak to one of the Lettings Consultants on + 44(00)208 361 3176.

Our office is open Mon-Fri 9:30 – 18:00 weekdays and Saturday 10.00 -15:00 so feel free to pop in and have a chat with our Professional Consultants. It is recommended that you start looking 1 month prior to your move in date but this all depends on the availability for the properties.

As soon as you have made an appointment to view a property that matches your criteria, that’s when you get the real feel of the property and this will make up your mind whether you want the property or not. If you finish work late and can’t make our office hours, our consultants can manage their time so it fits around your work hours.

When you've found your perfect home, you will need to put a Holding Deposit down to secure your new home. Once the holding deposit is obtained, we will contact the Landlord and inform them we have found a tenant for your property and have received a holding deposit for their peace of mind. We will then take the property off the market.

We will now require to carry out the following reference checks:

• Employer letter – indicating salary and job status
• Landlord letter – if managed by the agent we will require letter from the agent, if not then landlord.
• 3 months up to date bank statements
• 3 months up to date payslips
• Photo identification (passport, driving license)
• Professional Credit Referencing

Once all the references have been approved we will arrange for you to come to our office to sign the tenancy agreement. Once the agreement is in place and has been signed off, and all funds have been paid, we will arrange for a check-in of your new property with yourself. We will then take the meter readings for both gas and electricity and will provide you with readings if requested and hand over your keys to your new home.