What the headline rent leaves out
An advertised rent is the largest number in a tenancy and rarely the only one. Service charges on a managed block, a ground rent on a leasehold flat, and the standing charges on utilities that are not included can add ten to fifteen per cent to the monthly figure before anyone has turned a light on.
Ask for the last twelve months of actual bills before you commit. A landlord who has them to hand is a landlord who has been running the property properly.
Five things to check before you sign
- The deposit is protected in one of the three government schemes, and you have the certificate.
- The EPC rating is C or better — below that, the heating bill is the real rent increase.
- The break clause is mutual, not the landlord's alone.
- Any furniture listed in the inventory is photographed on the day you move in.
- The managing agent, not just the owner, is named in the agreement.
Renewals are negotiable
A landlord's cost of finding a new tenant — void weeks, agency fees, a fresh inventory — is usually higher than the increase they are asking for. Coming to a renewal with that arithmetic written down changes the conversation.
A tenancy is a twelve-month contract that people sign in an afternoon.Slateon Lettings
Where the market goes next
Supply is the whole story. Until completions rise, the cities adding jobs fastest will keep adding rent fastest, and the correction people keep predicting will keep being a slowdown in the rate of increase rather than a fall.
