subject: What Do You Need From Your Home? [print this page] Being a serial renter, I thought I'd offer some thoughts for those of you who are perhaps considering renting for the first time.
After cost, which is of course majorly important, the first thing you should bear in mind when looking at property to rent in Twickenham, flats to rent in Richmond or houses to rent in Putney is what you actually need from your home.
You'd think this might be obvious. You might be saying:"I want to rent in Putney." but what do you actually need? Do you need one bedroom or two? We used to go for one bedroom flats but soon found out that when you rent in Richmond or anywhere in London family and friends want to come and stay over for the odd night. Plus as my partner was at the time studying for his ACCA accounting exams, we found the extra room ideal as a quiet place for him to study to further his career.
Do you need a bath or are you happy with a shower room? My partner, for example, hates showers so we automatically discount any properties that only have a shower room.
Do you have a young family or pets? If so, you need to consider whether you want a garden or just need access to a park? Plus you need to talk to your letting agents to discover whether the properties you are looking at allow young children or pets and animals as part of the lease.
I know a young couple who wanted to rent a house in Putney as they had a toddler and really wanted somewhere with a safe, outdoor space for him to run around in. After weeks of looking they thought they'd found the ideal place. Unfortunately for them, the landlord wouldn't let it to a family with children. After this they stopped trying to find properties to rent in Putney by themselves and used a lettings agency. They soon had their ideal home.
They made it easier for the letting agents because they knew what they wanted from their home.
Many people know roughly what they want to pay in rent and an area they would like to live in, but that's it. This means it can take lots of viewings and days and days to find the right property for them. If they'd narrowed down their needs a bit more in the first place, we could help them find their new home much more quickly and in many cases, before someone else had swooped in before them and snapped it up.
So here's a list of questions to help you identify what you really need from your home?
1)How many bedrooms do you need?
2)Do you want a bathroom or a shower room?
3)Do you need access to an outside space?
4)Do you need to be close to local recreation and leisure facilities such as parks, gyms, swimming pools, soft play areas and sports centres?
5)Do you need to be close to a tube line or bus stop for your commute to your work or place of business?
6)Do you need a home with a lease that permits pets and animals?
7)Do you need a flat on the ground floor or one with a working lift? Do you need space to store pushchairs, prams or bicycles?
Before you visit your letting agent, think about what you really need from your home. This will make the process of finding your home much easier and quicker and far more enjoyable.
