租房提醒

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What should you pay attention to when renting in the UK?

1. Agencies, individual landlords, and subletters:
        Whether it's an agency or an individual landlord, the main concern is      encountering unscrupulous agents or individuals. This includes situations      where they refuse to refund the deposit, rent out unfinished properties,      provide houses with various issues such as leaks, neglect repairs,      withhold or refuse to return the deposit, leave unsettled bills from      previous tenants, or demand council tax payments.

Subletters, particularly among Chinese students, are prevalent in the UK. Many of these subletters are local Chinese or Chinese students, and they are most active on various social platforms in China.

For example:

1. Certain online communities (not reliable, with many      impersonators posing as new students or older classmates, based on      personal experience; even if you become a paid VIP member of such communities,      complaining to the administrators is futile).

2. Certain online forums (mostly used for advertising with minimal      interaction).

3. Certain Q&A platforms (used to be better in the past, but      now it varies; many users migrated from online communities mentioned      earlier, for instance, I became aware of an unscrupulous Chinese agency in      2018, which registered a company in China, had a website, and even planned      to develop an app. In reality, they had no connections or work in the UK.      They entered the UK on tourist visas during peak rental seasons, engaged      in fraudulent rental activities, and disappeared as soon as the rentals      were completed until the following peak season.

On certain online communities, forums, social media platforms, they are now actively answering questions, publishing articles to establish trust, and using these platforms as key tools for deception. Another platform they target is certain messaging apps, as they can directly send their content to various groups within those apps, pretending to be senior students, recommending rentals, or searching for roommates.

Numerous students exposed this agency on certain forums, particularly between 2017 and 2019. However, when searching for information about this scammer, you may find limited results. A friend of mine experienced this firsthand. After posting an exposé on certain online communities and forums, the administrators deleted the post and banned my friend's account. When my friend created a new account and reposted, it was deleted and the account was banned again. Multiple complaints to the platform's official channels were also ineffective, suggesting that these individuals may have significant influence over certain online platforms.

Next are certain forums and Q&A platforms. This agency, operating under a company name, sent legal letters directly from lawyers to warn and privately threaten my friend. They explicitly stated that they possessed my friend's passport, BRP, and other personal information. If my friend did not delete the content, they would ensure my friend couldn't graduate in the UK and would misuse their documents. Their audacity was extreme. This year, in 2020, this fraudulent agency realized that simply not refunding deposits and collecting rent at inflated prices was too slow. Starting this year, they began charging over 100,000 RMB per year for each household. Several households have fallen victim to this scheme, with hundreds of thousands of RMB collected, and they have now disappeared. I want to warn everyone here that there are many Chinese scammers operating as intermediaries and individual subletters in the UK. Please remember, it is better to trust the university than to trust these Chinese rental agents in the UK.

Although I don't want to be overly negative, there are many Chinese individuals abroad who specifically target other Chinese people for scams.

 

 

4. Certain WeChat groups, certain QQ groups (they are like a      carnival for scammers, engaging in various borderline illegal      transactions). Almost every group, except for those with strict entry      requirements and strict enforcement of group rules, you will receive      numerous people adding you on WeChat every day, week, or month. They will      deceive you by claiming to be a new student and wanting to get to know you      and find a companion, or they will claim to be senior students and offer      to add you to new student groups, professional groups, or travel groups.      They may also pretend to be interested in buying second-hand items or      renting a room and add you on WeChat, but in the end, they have no      intention of buying or renting. Instead, they will ask if you have any      groups and request you to add them. You will notice many virtual beautiful      girls adding you, claiming to have a glamorous social circle and history.      Please do not add them, as 99.9% of them are advertisements, scammers, or      individuals trying to collect your information and photos in order to      impersonate you on WeChat.

5. Certain Weibo accounts (there are also many impersonators). One      of my classmates had her Weibo account impersonated. The imposter's name      was only slightly different, with just a punctuation mark changed. When      she first saw it, she thought it was her own alternate account. This      scammer followed everyone she followed and pretended to be her, sending      messages to all her followers and those she followed. One person almost      transferred money to the imposter but luckily entered the wrong password.      They had to wait until the next day to make the transfer. Due to the time      difference between China and the UK, it was only in the evening that they      discovered this fraudulent impersonation account.

Unscrupulous subletters: There are different types of landlords. Some are only interested in making money and will charge you high rent. However, they will still provide you with a place to live and occasionally take care of the property. In the end, they will return your deposit. These can be considered relatively conscientious landlords, although you will be paying a high price for an average property. On the other hand, some subletters will disappear after taking the deposit, or worse, they will collect the rent and run away with the money. They may only pay a portion of the rent to the actual landlord or not pay anything at all. When the rent is due, the actual landlord has the right to evict you. To continue living there, you will need to pay the rent and deposit to the real landlord.

 

 

2. Roommates

It is best to find compatible roommates before renting a place together. If the relationships among the roommates are not harmonious or there are peculiarities, it can greatly affect your mood and even lead to safety issues. For example, when sharing a rented place, you may encounter problems with utility bills, taking out the trash, cleaning, lifestyle differences, and many other issues.

In the UK, I lived in a shared house with four people. It had two floors, three bathrooms, and the upstairs rooms with separate bathrooms were occupied by female tenants, while the male tenant lived downstairs. It is better for male tenants to live on the ground floor. It's important to remember to close doors and windows properly at all times. Once, the police came to collect information and raise awareness about safety. They installed a tracking system on our computers for free and provided us with alarms that can be installed on doors and windows, which can be purchased on eBay.

3. Rental Contract

Ask the other party to provide the contract in advance and take it home to review it carefully. Pay attention to the clauses of the contract, including the start and end dates of the tenancy. Ask in advance if it is possible to move in a few days earlier or postpone moving out. Make sure to give yourself enough time. Check the amount of the deposit, whether the deposit is held under your name, and when it will be refunded. Look for any hidden clauses or additional charges. If there's anything you don't understand, make a note and ask about it later. Also, make sure the contract is in a single language, either English or Chinese, and avoid mixing languages or having hidden provisions.

Regarding whether Chinese can be used in rental contracts, please refer to the content in the table of contents: "Can you use Chinese in UK rental contracts? Do UK estate agents charge agency fees?"

4. Council Tax

Full-time students do not need to pay council tax. Full-time refers to studying for more than 21 hours per week or studying for more than 1 year in the UK. If you receive a tax letter, don't worry. Take that letter and go to the student center to get a letter confirming your student status. Then, take it to the local council office or ask school staff to send the letter to the council on your behalf. However, if you are a student but your roommate is not, that person is responsible for paying the council tax. If there are two or more non-student tenants in a property, council tax should be paid for that rental property.

For more information on council tax in the UK, please refer to the relevant topics in the table of contents.

 

 

 

5. Moving and Moving Out

Before moving into a house, it's important to inspect all the facilities and check for any issues. This includes checking the walls for any damages, the carpets for any stains or damages, the doorknobs, windows, toilets, showers, lights, kitchen cabinet doors, refrigerator, and so on. You can create a checklist of questions and make sure to take photographs as evidence. When moving out, typically you need to give a notice period of 2 months, depending on what is stated in your contract or by consulting with your landlord or agent. Some agents may require a 1-month notice period, while others may ask for 3 months in advance.

During the checkout process, it's necessary to conduct a thorough inspection and clean the property, including the carpets, extractor hood, garden (checking for any weeds), etc. It's advisable to hire a professional cleaning company as some agents may be skeptical of your cleaning and find faults to deduct from your deposit. Hiring a professional company is not excessively expensive, typically around £200 for a two-story house with four tenants, similar to our case. Additionally, make sure to settle all utility bills such as water, electricity, and gas. When moving out, it is crucial to take photographs as evidence, especially of the water meter and electricity meter readings. Also, remember to return the keys to the landlord or agent.

For information on paying water, electricity, and gas bills in the UK, please refer to the guide: "How to pay water, electricity, and gas bills in the UK?"

7. Agency Fees or Unreasonable Charges

In the UK, it is legally prohibited for rental agencies or landlords to charge agency fees. Please refer to the guide index for more information: "Do UK estate agents charge agency fees? Can you sign a rental contract in Chinese in the UK?"

8. Housing Health and Safety

In the UK, all rented properties must meet the Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) standards, which ensure the property's health and safety requirements. This includes aspects of safety and well-being, and failure to meet these standards would render the property illegal.

9. Tenant Rights, Deposits, and Rent

For information on how to exercise tenant rights and handle rental disputes as an international student in the UK, please refer to the index.

10. UK Rental Websites

For a list of UK rental websites, please refer to the index.

11. Housing Issues and Repairs

If you encounter issues like leaks or any other problems in the rented property, you need to contact the landlord or agent as per UK law. Landlords are legally obligated to handle all hardware-related issues in the property, such as the roof, plumbing, windows, doors, walls, stairs, bathrooms, heating, etc. However, for small appliances like refrigerators, microwaves, televisions, washing machines, extractor hoods, etc., it's important to clarify with your landlord or agent. Usually, these are included, unless the damages are caused intentionally by the tenant.

12. Tenant Privacy

Once tenants have rented a property, they have the right to privacy. Landlords cannot frequently or abruptly enter the property without proper notice or enter when there are no occupants present, unless it is an emergency. Generally, landlords must provide at least 24 hours' notice to tenants before entering or inspecting the property. Moreover, landlords must obtain the tenant's consent before entering for inspection or maintenance purposes.