Use this checklist to make sure that you are ahead of the rest when searching for your new home in the UK. Remember, being organised makes you a ‘hot buyer’ in the eyes of estate agents and landlords, so follow these rules:

Money (renting)

Deposit:

(A) A damage deposit of 4 - 6 weeks rent, will be held by the landlord/letting agent until you leave, you will also need one month’s rent in advance before you move in.

(B) Bank statements or payslips to show the landlord/letting agent as proof of income.

(C) UK Bank account. You will need one of these in order to set up a monthly payment scheme (known as a ‘standing order’) with your landlord/letting agent. 

Money (buying)

If you are looking to buy, you will need to prove that you have the money when putting down an offer on a house. Most people in the UK organise a mortgage with their bank before they start looking, however it is unlikely that you will get a mortgage here until you have been living and working in the UK for 3 years. If you have the cash to pay then you will just need a letter from your bank and a local solicitor (lawyer) to deal with the land registration. 

References (renting)   

You will need references to prove that you are a good tenant. If you can’t provide these try and find someone from the UK to act as a guarantor (person who guarantees to pay your rent if you can’t)

If you do not have a guarantor or any UK references then expect the landlord/letting agent to ask for 6 months’ rent in advance.

Students will be asked to provide a guarantor, this is normally be done by their parents.

List of requirements (renting/buying)  

Have two lists ready. One list of things that you will not compromise on, for example: how many bedrooms? How close to a tube/train station do you need to be? And another list of things that you want but are prepared to be flexible about: Does it have a garden? How big is the kitchen?

Know your market (renting/buying) 

Do some research on the internet (see Prices or Search ) and know the value of houses in the area before you start. Therefore you could have a look at the "Find a.." tab. This will not only speed up the process, and stop you from paying too much, but it will show the agent/landlord that you are a serious customer (a ‘hot buyer’). Hot buyers are the first people to get calls from the agent when a new property comes on the market, a person who is disorganised, and does not do any of the things on this list, will be ignored whilst the agent focuses on the people who are most likely to earn them commission (you!).

By John Hillman

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USEFUL WORDS

damage deposit = money you pay to your landlord before you move in and which s/he keeps until you move out, only returning it to you if there is no damage to the property

proof of income = paperwork proving the amount of money you earn

bank statement = a printed record of all the money paid into and out of your bank account within a particular period (usually a month)

payslip = a piece of paper given (monthly or weekly) to an employee which shows how much money they have been paid and how much has been taken away for tax etc.

standing order = an instruction that you give to your bank to pay somebody a fixed amount of money from your account on the same day each week/month

housing market = the number and type of houses available to buy / rent at the moment

put down an offer on a house = suggest the price you are willing to pay for the property to the seller

mortgage = a legal agreement by which a bank or similar organisation lends you money to buy a house

tenant = a person who pays rent for a room, house or flat

references = letters written by your employer and bank giving information about your character and ability to pay your rent

guarantor = a person who agrees to be responsible for someone and/or their finances

compromise = to give up part of something you want in order to reach an agreement

ENGLISH GRAMMAR

Words which carry Negative Meaning

Many English words, such as few, little or rarely, have a negative or restrictive meaning (i.e. they reduce the amount, frequency or degree of the word they qualify):

Quantifiers

There are few people who do not have a bank account

I have little time to look for houses at the moment

Adverbs of Frequency

Sellers seldom accept the first offer made on their house

Tenants rarely see landlords

He hardly ever compromises

Adverbs of Degree

It is hardly likely that you’ll find your perfect house immediately

I’ve scarcely had time to arrange my mortgage

He barely managed to get the money together for the deposit