Top Tips for Your First Rental

Moving into your first home is an exciting time. It’s also a stressful one, so be prepared for some long days and very boring paperwork! Above all, however, it’s the feeling of getting your own space, your own freedom, after all those years of being under your parents’ roof, or sharing with housemates. You might be getting your first place as a couple, or perhaps you are relishing solitude with a space that is all your own. For a great number of people, the first home is a rented one, and it makes a lot of sense to rent rather than buy.

To begin with, when you rent from a reputable landlord you know you are getting a home where any problems and maintenance will be dealt with properly. That takes a lot of the worry out of your early days learning how living in your home is different. There are learning curves to deal with, and if you buy your property, you have more to handle than you may wish for. What else do you need to know about your first rental? Let’s have a closer look!

The Importance of Insurance

One of the most important factors you need to attend to when you take on a rented property is insurance. You need to be insured to cover the cost of your contents, as well as for liability, whether you are renting or buying, and while you may think your meagre belongings don’t add up to much, try replacing them all in the event you should lose them!

Insurance is not an expense you should overlook, and neither should it be expensive. For the sake of a few pounds a week you can ensure you are covered sufficiently, and it provides much-needed peace of mind too. You can find out about insurance services and solutions for rentals at homelet.co.uk/ which offers a great deal of advice and information on insurance for both tenants and landlords, so it is well worth checking out.

The First Steps

Insurance is just one of the problems facing you when you take on your first rental – we’re making it sound like a real chore aren’t we? No apologies for that because, before you can relax, settle back and enjoy your new home, there are things that are necessary, and that are not great fun!

They are usually simple things that don’t take up much time, so let’s talk about these essentials. First, you need to let people know where you are; not just your friends and family, but service providers who you will rely on to be able to enjoy your new home. Think of the utility suppliers: gas, electricity, and water companies to begin with. Each of these will need to be contacted and am agreement worked out, so you can enjoy your home to the full.

You may be taking over a supply of any of the above from a previous tenant; if so, you need to make sure you take a meter reading for each at the very beginning of your tenancy – make it one of the first things you do – so that you and the supplier know the starting point. You may also want to negotiate a new deal at a better rate – perhaps with a different supplier if your rental agreement allows – so you get better value for money. This is stuff that needs to be done as soon as you move in, or you could end up out of pocket.

Let People Know

We said above that you need to tell people where you are; this extends to your bank, who will need a change of address, your doctors and other medical practitioners, and even the likes of the DVLA who will want to know about your change of address. Make a list before you move of all the people and organisations you get regular letters or emails from, and make sure you have them updated as quickly as possible.

One of the great things about having your own place is that you can do as you want, when you want. There’s no pressure to fit in with the timetables laid down by others, you are your own free agent! It’s even more enjoyable if you have all the essentials such as those mentioned above sorted out before you make the move, so make that list. It helps to be able to tick off each task one by one, so that you know you have everything above board and you can get on with life with as few worries as possible.

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