All countries have their own way of doing things, and the UK is no different. When it comes to looking for a home, you may find that there are customs (un-written rules) that differ from what you are used to. But don’t panic! It’s a great chance for you to learn more about the people that you are going to be living with.

Investigating the Market

Firstly, if you see a sign on the street advertising a house for sale or rent, don’t go up and knock on the door, call the number and make an appointment. Privacy is important to Brits (= British people), and many don’t like surprise visits, even when they are by good friends!

Once you have made the appointment, make sure that you are on time. Like in many countries, lateness is considered to be rather rude, so if you think that you are going to be late, call and let them know. This will make you appear more professional and businesslike and please any potential landlord.

Agents deal with most sales and rentals in the UK. If you are using an agent, remember that many of them work until about 7pm during the week (especially in the cities) and until lunchtime on Saturdays, they are closed on Sunday.

Talking about Finance

It is customary to view a property first and then call back afterwards, to tell them if you like it and to discuss money. At this stage be prepared to talk about your financial situation in detail. Although it is very rude to talk about someone’s private finances at a dinner party, for example, when it comes to property you will be expected to be very open and honest about how you can pay for it.  An agent, or Landlord, will not take you seriously if they cannot see where the money is coming from.

If you are looking at property in the cities and especially in London, you may view the property with the agent and other people who are interested in the property. When looking for a rented room it is often the case that the people renting the room will arrange for lots of people to view the room, one after the other. When there is a lot of competition for accommodation i.e. a lot of people looking for a room and not so may rooms on offer, which is the case in London, you should be prepared to be decisive and possibly make an offer straight away. Do this only if you are sure about it, though!

If you are buying property in England, remember that the agent has probably added about 5 or 10% to the asking price and will be expecting you to offer a bit less, so always bid a bit lower than the advertised price, if the seller refuses you, offer a bit more until a deal is reached. In Scotland the custom is for you to make just one offer, this is then put together with all the other offers and the owners choose which one to accept, this process is known as a ‘sealed bid’.

Rentals

Rentals are normally less flexible, so if you see a place you like do not try and get the rent down by haggling (negotiating) unless you can find a good reason. Fairness is a strong national tradition in the UK, so if you say that you want to pay less because there are repairs to be made, or decorating to be done, then you will have a much better chance of reaching a deal, but do not expect them to be very flexible.

If you are house-sharing, expect your new housemates to ask you about everything from your political views to your eating habits. Depending on the housemates, they may see you as a new member of their family and want to know what kind of person you are before they allow you to move in – often this interest will revolve around how you will pay for the room, how clean you are (or aren’t!) and what sort of hobbies or interests you have.

And finally, remember that the UK is a very diverse, open and tolerant society with strong liberal traditions, so don’t express negative opinions about other people’s lifestyles or culture’s when talking to landlords or potential housemates.

By John Hillman

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USEFUL WORDS

for sale / to let sign = a noticeboard placed outside a property which indicates that it is available to buy / rent
make an appointment
view a property = go to have a look at a property to see if you would like to live there
during working / office hours = usually from 9am-5pm
customary = what people usually do in a particular place or situation
fairness = the quality of treating people equally or in a way that is reasonable
liberal = willing to understand and respect other people’s behaviour, opinions etc.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR

Cleft Sentences

‘Cleft’ means divided.  In a cleft sentence information which could be given in one clause is divided into two parts, each with its own verb:
Only the English prefer to do business during office hours (normal sentence: single clause, one verb)
It is only the English   who prefer to do business during office hours (cleft sentence: two clauses, two verbs)

Cleft sentences give extra emphasis to part of the sentence.  Use this pattern to emphasise some piece of new information, to give explanations or to make a contrast with a previous statement (emphasised information is in bold):
‘All our properties are worth viewing but it is 49 Long Street which is the very best Madam’
‘I think that English people are very conservative in their views.’  ‘No, they are very liberal in fact.’

It cleft sentences have this structure:
it + a form of be (+ not and/or adverb) + emphasised word/phrase + that/which/who clause
It isn’t just the estate agent being fair that I’m worried about