5 Questions To Ask When You View A Rental Property In Surrey - Yooodle

[Liz Seyi]

In a highly competitive and fast-moving rental market like the one we see here in Surrey, it’s completely understandable that once you find a property that simply ‘feels right’, you may be eager to secure it before another would-be tenant beats you to it.
However, it’s also true that you don’t have to choose between being thorough with your property search, and being quick about it. The fact is, there are a lot of questions one can potentially ask on a single rental property viewing; it’s largely a case of being well-prepared beforehand, whatever the given property.

Nor is the below rundown of questions that you might ask when you are looking to rent a house in Surrey, anywhere near exhaustive. Nonetheless, we’ve picked out just some of the questions that you might ask when viewing a rental property, particularly as they can be so easily overlooked.

“What bills will I be responsible for?”
It’s usually the case that the tenant is expected to pay all the household-related bills associated with a rental property.
Of course, you’ll need to pay the headline rent figure, but you will also need to know how much the deposit will be. If the property is in a block of flats, you should also check whether there is a service charge, and whether the landlord or the tenant will be expected to pay this.

“What furniture is included?”
If there is a tenant currently living in the property, you can’t be sure that all the furniture you see at the viewing will still be there when and if you move in yourself. So, at the very least, you should know whether the property is furnished or unfurnished.
Don’t forget to figure out the specifics of what furniture it would be most important for you to have from day one of moving in, so that you can ask about it. If you intend to work from home, for instance, will any of the necessary desks or tables still be there when you move in?

“How old is the boiler?”
It is the landlord who will be responsible for maintaining and carrying out any necessary repairs on the boiler in accordance with the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. However, at this time when many more of us are highly conscious of the need to keep our energy bills down, the age and efficiency of the boiler in a rental home could make a big difference to your life.
You won’t, after all, want to be struggling along with slow water pressure or unpredictable water temperatures. And as a bare minimum, all rental homes are now required to come with at least an E score on an Energy Performance Certificate.
“Are there smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?”

While we’re on the subject of legal requirements, a rental home must have at least one smoke alarm for each storey of the property. And if there is a wood-burning stove or coal fire, there also needs to be a carbon monoxide alarm.
Carbon monoxide detectors are cheap to buy, so if there isn’t one present due to this not being a legal requirement for the given property, you might wish to request one or simply purchase one yourself. Also bear in mind that landlords are legally required to check at the start of a new tenancy that the alarms in a rental property are in working order.

“Is there anything else you think I should know?”
This is a great question to round off a rental property viewing with, as the landlord or letting agent may not have been expecting it. It will also place the onus on them to be completely transparent with you, so that they can’t get away with not revealing certain important information, just because you “didn’t ask about it”.
With our service for tenants here at Yooodle being a highly complete one, and 4D viewings and online live stream viewings also being available, you have more than a few excellent reasons to rent a house in Surrey through us.
If you have any questions you would like to ask us as a prospective tenant with our agency, please do not hesitate to consult our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section or contact us directly.