Finding a place to rent

Where to look

There are lots of places you can look for private rented accommodation.

Personal contacts - telling your friends, family, work colleagues and fellow students that you are looking for a flat or a flat share can be a good way to get somewhere. In some cases people are willing to rent at less than the market rate to someone recommended to them.

Housing Advice Centres can sometimes give you lists of landlords or lettings agents and may even be able to tell you which ones will take tenants on housing benefit. They should know about, or even run themselves, lodging schemes which match up tenants with resident landlords. They will have details of Co-ops in their area. You can find Housing Advice Centres in London by clicking on www.homelesslondon.org.uk. Contact details for Housing Advice centres should also be on your local council's website which can be found by clicking on www.oultwood.com/localgov/uk.

Letting agencies will have details of bedsits or flats to rent, which they may also manage for the landlord. They are sometimes part of an estate agent and can usually be found on any high street or in the Yellow Pages. You can also find them by clicking on www.yell.com. Most letting agencies in London won't take people on housing benefit. Some will charge you for helping you get a flat - so ask them about this. You can't get any help to pay for agency fees. They should only charge you if they have actually found you a place you like, and it might be wise not to hand any money over until they have done this. For an idea of rents charged by lettings agents in your area click on www.propertyfinder.co.uk or www.rightmove.co.uk.

Notice boards can be a good way to find a place at the cheaper end of the market. Places to look include newsagent's windows, libraries, supermarkets, community centres or anywhere else that has a notice board. You might want to try putting up an advert yourself saying what you are after and how much you can pay.

Local newspapers and magazines often have adverts for flats and flatshares. To look for a place in London you can try the Evening Standard, TNT, LOOT and the capital flatshare list which is in the Guardian newspaper's Guide every Saturday. You can also get the Capital Flatshare list from the foyer of Capital Radio in Leicester Square. You should try to pick it up on a Thursday when it comes out.

The accommodation adverts in TNT (a free magazine that comes out every Monday) can also be found by clicking on www.tntmagazine.com. As the magazine caters for backpackers it can be a good source of cheap accommodation. The LOOT paper comes out several times a week (priced at £1) and carries adverts for flats and flatshares. You should be able to get a copy in your local library. It is free to place an advert in the LOOT so you might want to consider placing your own advert stating what you are after and how much you can pay. You can also look on the Loot website by clicking on www.loot.com.

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Tips for increasing your chances of success

• Follow up on adverts on the same day you see them. The best places often get let the same day they are advertised.
• Prepare a list of questions before you phone the landlord and try to get as much information as you can over the phone to get an idea of whether it is worth viewing. Having an A-Z by the phone can help you pinpoint where it is.
• Ask how long the landlord intends to rent the flat out so that you won't have to move again soon unless you want to (it should normally be for a minimum of 6 months).
• If you need to claim housing benefit you might want to check with a local housing advice centre what level of rent might get approved for housing benefit purposes. If the Rent Officer thinks you are renting somewhere bigger or more luxurious than you need or more expensive that similar properties in the area then you won't get all of your rent paid. Click on Help with your housing costs for more information about housing benefit.
• You might not want to volunteer the fact that you will need to claim housing benefit until you have met and chatted with the landlord. Many landlords don't want to take people on housing benefit but they might be persuaded to do so if they meet you and like you.
• When you go to see the flat try and make a good impression by being clean, tidy and friendly. Remember first impressions count! Try and take some references with you. Ones from your employer, current or former landlord or college tutor would be ideal.
• If you are going to see a flatshare or other shared accommodation, try and meet the other tenants so you can get an idea of whether you might get on.
• Take time to look around the flat and check that it is secure, that the heating and lighting work and any repairs that need doing. Think about whether it is an area that you will feel safe in, especially if you will be travelling home late some nights.

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Click on these links to reach different parts of the website:
Private renting - Council or housing association - Buying your own home
Hostels - Jobs with accommodation - Moving out of London
What's right for me? - Help - Contacts & info - Go back to the start