Find a Landlord
Finding safe, habitable and affordable accommodation is top of any tenants requirements. Below are some tips to help you to achieve this.
Tips for finding the best property and private landlord
- How much can you afford? Being realistic about what you have available for rent and bills per month is the deciding factor for the type of accommodation available to you
- Where can you look?
- Letting Agent - many landlords use letting agents to manage and let their properties. The letting agency may advertise their properties in their window, on the internet or in local papers
- Newspapers - there are properties advertised weekly in all local newspapers
- Noticeboards and Shop Windows - these properties will usually be close to where the advert is placed so try walking around an area you are interested in regularly
- Word of Mouth - this can be a good option for finding a reliable landlord as you will hear first hand experience from a friend or family member
- Students’ union or college - if you are a student, your college or university may be able to help you find somewhere to stay. You should contact your students' union or college notice boards and websites are also very good places to find flat and house shares. (Link to Accommodation Office/Guild of Student Webpages - Aberystwyth - Lampeter)
- Check if the landlord or letting agent is registered with Rent Smart Wales, and there is a licenced landlord or agent managing the property. Rent Smart Wales landlords will have undergone training and are required to abide by a standard code of conduct. This is a legal requirement of landlords renting properties in Wales
- Make a viewing appointment at the property. If you can meet the landlord or letting agent at the property it will give you a chance to ask questions about the rent due date, or their procedure for reporting and acting on disrepair for instance. It will also give you an opportunity to judge how well your relationship with the landlord or letting agent will be. You may get the chance to ask other tenants about their experiences
- Read the contract thoroughly before signing. You may wish to seek legal advice too. Most people renting in Wales now have an occupation contract. These can be periodic (rolling) or fixed-term. Landlords must provide a "written statement" of the contract within 14 days of the contract-holder's move-in date. This statement, which replaces the old tenancy agreement, must contain all the terms of the contract. Additionally, landlords must provide documents like an Electrical Condition Report (EICR), Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), and Gas Safety Certificate within specific timelines
- Check appliances such as gas fires or oil boilers have a recent safety certificate and are regularly serviced and ask to see a copy. You should also be provided with a copy of the EPC
Remember, all deposits should now be protected under the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.