A practical guide to private renting

South Cambridgeshire's private rented housing market

Rented accommodation comes in different types from bed-sits to flats or houses and shared flats/houses. In some cases the house or flat may be shared with the landlord (resident landlord). In others, the property may be managed by a letting agent or managing agent. Properties for private renting may either be furnished or unfurnished. Rents for the different types of property are likely to vary accordingly.

Work out your housing need

When choosing accommodation it is essential that you choose accommodation that you need rather than what you necessarily want. This is especially the case for people who will be relying on housing benefit to pay their rent. When deciding what housing you need, you should consider:

Property type - studio/bedsit, house, flat or maisonette. You also need to decide what floor accommodation you would accept e.g. ground floor, first floor.

Property size - housing benefit rules state that you need one bedroom for each of the following:

a couple, married or unmarried who live together as partners (opposite or same sex couples whether or not they have registered a civil partnership)
someone who is 16 or over
two children of the same sex
two children who are younger than 10
a child (a 'child' is someone under 16)

If a property has more bedrooms than housing benefit think you need, your benefit may be reduced. You are also allowed one living room if there are up to three people living in your home.

If you are single and under the age of 25 you will only be able to claim housing benefit for a room in a shared house so should look for this type of accommodation.

Where to look for property

Once you have decided on your housing need you can begin to look for properties. There are a number of ways to do this:

local newspapers - have a look in the special sections of local newspapers advertising accommodation to let.
other ideas - local shop windows / community noticeboards / supermarket noticeboards or anywhere where people may advertise. Landlords will often advertise here.
letting agents - letting agents manage properties on behalf of private landlords so that the landlord does not have to deal directly with their tenant. A leaflet with details of private landlords and agents who let property in South Cambridgeshire is available from the housing advice and options team.

What to do when you think you have found a property

View the property - Make sure you go and have a look at a property before you sign any forms to say that you will take it. What may sound perfect may be completely different when you actually view it. If you have any concerns, you are not obliged to take it, especially if you haven't signed anything, and you can refuse it and start looking again.

Complete a Pre-Tenancy Determination (PTD) Application - It is essential that you complete this form, especially if you are expecting to receive housing benefit. This form does not commit you to taking any property but will give you a good idea if you can afford to rent the property.

Once you have completed the form (your prospective landlord will also need to sign it), you need to return it to us. A rent officer will then write to you telling you how the housing benefit team will work out your benefit. It does not guarantee that you will qualify for housing benefit or say how much your benefit will be. It does give you an idea if you will be able to afford the property. For example, if the rent on the property is £600 each month and the PTD comes back at £550, there will automatically be a £50 shortfall that you will have to meet, as well as any other costs. If the PTD is below the rent level, you should think carefully about taking on the property as you may find it difficult to pay your rent.

Regulations usually restrict housing benefit payments for under 25 year olds to the equivalent of a room in a shared house. Contact our housing benefit team for more information about this.

Deposits and rent in advance

Most private landlords ask for a deposit, usually the same as to one month's rent, before letting a room or a property. This money is their security against non-payment of rent, damage to property or removal of furniture. A deposit is returnable and you should get this back when you leave the property. However, you will not get back all of your deposit if your landlord has to make deductions.

In addition to a deposit, landlords sometimes require rent in advance. If you do not have money of your own to meet this, you may be able to get a loan from the Benefits Agency Social Fund. A budgeting loan can be paid to people who have been on income support for at least 26 weeks and who are considered to be in a 'high category' of need. A loan must be at least £30 and at most £1,000. A crisis loan may be paid in an emergency to anyone over the age of 16 and may meet rent in advance payments. Contact the Social Fund Officer for more details. All loans from the Department of Works and Pensions (formerly the Benefits Agency) must be repaid.

An agent or landlord may also ask for an extra fee for drawing up the tenancy agreement and inventory. No financial help is available for this. However, they can only charge these fees where they have found accommodation for you. It is illegal for an agency to charge for registering with them. If an agency asks for cash before finding a property for you, get advice, as you should not have to pay for information from them or to go on their lists.

Rent deposit scheme

You may be able to get help with your deposit through the rent guarantee scheme run by King Street Housing Society. It is aimed at helping people who are homeless / potentially homeless and in priority need. Visit our rent guarantee scheme page or contact our housing advice and options team for details.

Tenancy agreements

Your tenancy agreement may be written or verbal. Verbal agreements are as legally binding as written ones. Agreements normally contain information on the amount of rent, how long the tenancy lasts for and the rights and obligations you and your landlord have. Read the agreement carefully before signing it. Check the type of tenancy or licence, who has to do repairs, who is responsible for bills and what happens if you want to leave. Get advice if you are unsure about anything. It is important that you keep to all the terms of the agreement, otherwise your landlord could take steps to evict you on the grounds that you have broken one or more of these.

Paying your rent

If you pay your rent on a weekly basis, by law, your landlord should provide you with a rent book. If you do not pay rent on a weekly basis, still ask your landlord to provide a rent book or, failing this, ask for a receipt each time you pay your rent. Either way, this will provide a correct record of payments, especially if you pay your rent in cash.

If you are unhappy about paying rent in cash, pay by cheque instead - make sure you still get receipts or your rent book is kept up to date.

If you have a written agreement, this should state how much rent you should pay each month / week and when.

Moving In

Registering with utilities companies - you must contact all the companies that provide services to your accommodation to register that you live at the property. You must tell them the date you moved in and will probably need to give meter readings from the electric and gas meters unless they are on a key. You should also contact the local water company to have this service put in your name.

Registering with council tax - your landlord should inform our council tax team that you are moving into their property, however, you should also let them know. You will then be sent a bill showing what you owe and how it should be paid. If you have a low income you may be able to apply for council tax benefit, you can apply for this on the same form as housing benefit. Visit our housing and council tax benefit pages.

Furniture and household goods

If you need furniture and household goods and receive income support you may be able to claim a grant or loan from the Department of Works and Pensions (formerly the Benefits Agency) Social Fund to help you. You can also ask to be referred to 'SOFA' (Shifts Offered Furniture Around), a charity that provides furniture cheaply to those in need and on benefits. Referrals to SOFA can be made by our housing advisor's or by social workers.

Problems during the tenancy

Repairs - As a tenant your landlord is responsible for maintaining the following in your home:

Installation for the supply of water, gas and electricity, for example boilers, tanks;
Wash basins, sinks, baths and toilets;
Installations for space heating and heating water, for example boilers.

Your landlord should also carry out a gas safety check every year if gas appliances are supplied.

Your landlord is also responsible for maintaining the structure and exterior of your home, including drains, gutters and external pipes, and also window frames and walls. The tenant is usually responsible for keeping gutters clear of leaves and unblocking drains but this should be specified in your tenancy agreement.

Damage - If you damage anything in the property, you will normally be liable for the damage and have to pay for it. The money will be taken from your deposit or you may be able to negotiate with your landlord / letting agent to replace it or repair the damage yourself.

Problems with your landlord / letting agent - If you have problems with your landlord / letting agent, for example them coming round to visit the property without notice; trying to get you to move out without proper notice or not carrying out repairs, you can contact our housing advice and options team who may be able to help.

When your fixed term tenancy comes to an end

You and your landlord have a number of options available to you:

agree a replacement fixed term assured short-hold tenancy;
agree a replacement assured short-hold tenancy on a periodic basis called a contractual periodic tenancy;
do nothing and allow the assured short-hold tenancy to run on with the same rent and terms - called a statutory periodic tenancy;
your landlord can end the tenancy but they must have given you two months notice that they require possession.

If your landlord mentions at any time that they want you to leave, contact our housing advice and options team as soon as possible.

Moving out

When you move out, you must make sure that the property is clean and that you have removed all of your possessions. If this is not done, your landlord will probably charge you for the cleaning and removal of possessions, which will be deducted from your deposit.

If you want to leave the tenancy for any reason, you normally have to give one month's written notice to your landlord, however, check your tenancy agreement in case it says something different. If you try to leave before the fixed term expires, you should be aware that you are liable to pay all the rent until the fixed term ends.

Contact our housing advice and options team for more information.
Visit our useful contacts page for addresses and contact information where you may be able to get more help.