dewdrop

Any tips?

We have been on going in our search for a rental...we have been phoning estate agents about properties and looking daily on rightmove, and Vebra, every morning its a ritual to ring them up(with time change and all)..and now time is getting closer (we need one for end of August). I'm getting so ticked off with the whole process...either they have just been let, or because we are in Canada, how do we sign forms b4 others get to it first...

Just saw a perfect one, and estate agent said, it would most likely be gone by w/end as ppl were coming in to fill in the forms...

tips please....

USAGypsies

I understand your frustrations as we are in the same boat and after reading many posts here it seems that there can be such a variation of success with securing a rental from far away. I have read that some expats have had to fork out 6 months in advance.... as always seems to be the case, money talks. Perhaps that would be a good opening line for you with an agent, if you are in a position to pay upfront.

'Making friends' with the agent was our strategy. Explaining our difficulty and asking them for their personal help and advice. We spotted a rental on rightmove and by far it was the best we'd seen so I immediately sent an email and followed up with a phone call. I offered to speak to the owners of the house which I did and got a good conversation going. They were nervous about taking the house off the market for us because we were not actually able to view it but I told them the house was big enough and in the right location for the schools and station and that was all that mattered to us. We gave them a non-refundable deposit if we pulled out and this pleased them to hold it for us. It is actually their long time family home and they are moving out and were worried we may change our mind and leave them in a pickle. Anyway long story shorter, we've had loads of phone conversations, filled out the online referencing that they emailed to us and hopefully we are all set but never say never, we haven't had the final 'Yes it's your's' yet.

Previously when we tried to return to the UK we rented a short term holiday let with the idea that we could use it as a base to go out and find a house.... what a total nightmare. Don't do it!!!! It is too risky and SO stressful as you are up against the clock. There is no way after that experience that we would move back without having a house ready for us first. It's okay if you have good family support and somewhere to stay but we didn't and the short term let seemed like a good idea but in reality it was not a realistic way for us to move forward.

I will PM you later today. Let me know how you get on and good luck.

bromleygirl

I know I had to jump through hoops when I was trying to secure a rental to move into that fitted in with my timeline while still being in the US.

Do you have access to a fax machine or scanner? I would ensure that you have all your supporting documentation scanned and ready to go so that all you need to is complete the application forms.

I'm sure you have started to develop relationships with the various rental agents so they should be aware of your situation. I would stress to them your timeline so that when a property does come up that you are interested in they are already aware of you and your needs.

I remember being pipped to the post on a property so it made me more determined to jump and get my paperwork in when the next one came along.

mazz1

any chance one of you could fly ahead and stay with relatives while looking thats how we secured our property in sweden.

dewdrop

thanks everyone for your tips..

we don't have a scanner or fax...so it has to be an outside sourse..
We did just have a phone call surprised me, but that property had already been let..so we are back to the drawing board.

well done usagypies..we are going thru the same thing..what timing!!!! how were you able to get the landlord #? i wouldn't think that would be easy to get??

We will still keep looking obviously..but its timeconsuming...and i feel sorry for the kids..as it is summer here, and they'd prefer the beach about now. ho hum.

No can't stay with relatives there is 5 of us...and no ones offered..so i'm not about to do the asking...

we have thought about OH going over this week to have a look? BUT? that's as far as that got.

keep the ideas coming? something has to give...I'll keep you posted with any news?
xx

USAGypsies

Originally the letting agent told me that the landlord would not let the property without meeting the would-be-tenants. I thought it was a dead fish at that point because there was another couple that wanted it too that lived near by and could meet them but lucky for us the other couple wanted to move in immediately and the landlord was not ready and wouldn't be rushed.

I explained that DH could fly over if that was absolutely necessary but it would be preferable if he didn't have to. We would have done that if we had no other choice.
It was actually the letting agent that gave me the landlords number. I asked if we could 'meet' on the phone as we were not able to meet in person. Fortunately we were lucky in that the people that own the house are a family who had to move around a lot for work so I think they could relate to us and that always helps. Previously when we have tried to rent we have run into a lot of frustrating problems so I'm hoping we are going to get the final approval by the end of this week, fingers crossed.

Definately, if you haven't already, get your name and number/email and timeline and requirements into the right hands at all the agents so that if something new comes in, they contact you immediately. If it's on the internet/rightmove etc... chances are it's been on the market at least a few days and you need to get in as early as possible. You sound like you are doing all the right things, calling every morning etc... The school holidays start from tomorrow I believe in the UK so there may be an increase in rental houses coming on the market as many people lease in the summer hols. so their kids are in position for the new school year.

sans

I've said this before But i'll say it again Lots of peeps are advertising properties to let privately now....Cos the Estate Agents have got too greedy.

They tend to stick there own signs up and advertise in the local rags or property guides......
Have you checked out the local papers on line eg Daily Telegraph for that area or is their a local free paper???? Maybe you could send an email placing a wanted add in either or both...
My local Telegraph has a property guide and on the back pages is where most people put in their private adds for rent or needing to rent.....
If i was renting a place that is where i'd be looking

Bevm

I'm not finding any local ads on line. The Whitby Gazette on line doesn't include lineage, which I think is what they call classifieds. It just has a property click that takes me to agents. I checked out the Telegraph, and that's the same.

What am I missing?

I think I will put an ad in soon.

We're not in a bad situation because there's only the two of us and we can foist ourselves on friends. But we'd like to have a place when our stuff arrives.

One week till the stuff's off!

Bev

michmel

We are also in process of looking for a rental (but we are not ready to jump yet as we are not returning till Oct), but we are keeping our eyes and ears out for what's on the market. I have called a couple of letting agencies and they have thus far been helpful. Is there any chance you can ask a friend/family member to view on your behalf?? That way at least you can communicate via somebody you know that end. Also, you could get a guarantor instead of paying 6 months up front. Can anybody stand as guarantor for you? if so, maybe you could ask that person to be your representative that end for you. Don't know if that'll work for you, but thought I'd mention it.

Also, another tip, maybe just work with letting agencies (who ONLY do lettings) rather than estate agencies with letting dept. When I contacted a couple of estate agents at the beginning of this process, they weren't helpful at all. THEN, I thought about it and it sounds logical to me that IF a property is for sale and for let, THEN, that particular estate agency will treat a buyer like gold and a tenant like bronze. If you know what I mean. Probably they prefer to SELL the property rather than to rent. That's why I am just dealing with the Letting agencies that are advertising rentals on right move. Hope this info helps. I wish you lots of success!!!!

dewdrop

Sans; i was told NOT to go this route..as I'll could be sending my money to someone you could potential rip us off, NOT saying this is the case for 80% of ppl advertising...but, they could sound wonderful on the phone, but then take our money and run...and they could just break us apart IF that could happen...
this way i've been talking with estate agents and it JUST feels safer as we can't view or see who we'll be sending the money off too? iykwim but appreciate the tips/advise.

THANKS everyone for the responses!!!!!! everything on rightmove seems to have a # and we just respond right away...hopefully this WILL get the needed action we need...ITS hard to have just one estate agent helping as all the properties are listed by different agencey..ONE home we liked had 3 different agents covering it???? I went with the only one that had photos on it...and it was gone b4 i knew it...ho hum...

sans

Bev your not missing anything i carn't get anything other then findaproperty.com when i click and the classifieds dont bring up on line whats in the paper errrr
Unlike the Canadian online ones

But all the papers even the nationals have adds for rentals and wanted adds in.....

Are you getting excited ??? Or having a wobble

sans

Yes i can see your point about not wanting to part with money......
The idea of having a holiday cottage, i know afew have done this and when push comes to shove you need a roof over your heads, even if only temp while you have found something more permanent.
And you could lease one for a mth or even a static caravan .....Yeah i know not ideal....but it will put you in a position of being able to hunt down and check properties out.

Irish Guinness

All the best with your new adventure..we are here in the U.K. Bath for 4 day then off to Devon... so far my hubby is not too keen on returning the traffic is starting to get to him Lol perhaps he will change his mind I hope.

dewdrop

what about a reference check???
all the lettings agenceys seem to be adding this huge fee 275gbp/per person fee...then IF we find something with another letting agencey we have to pay IT all over again..WTF??

audreyrose23

I think if you get to the point where you don't have anything sorted out and your at the wire then I would consider short-term holiday rental, maybe for 2 months. When I came out to Canada with the OH we didn't have anywhere to live and we arranged a short-term rental for two months and then went house hunting when we arrived. It isn't ideal, as you do have another deadline once you arrive, but it is better than not having a roof and also cheaper than a hotel, you can also deal face to face. I guess this is more a last resort for you, but don't put the be all and end all on finding the perfect place first off as there are always alternatives. I would also agree with offering 6 months money upfront as that always tends to sway landlords in your favour.

I'm looking at staying at my parents (in Norwich, not far away!), but they are already making me feel like they don't want me there having to deal with my major hassles (plus my OH is like - oh god the in-laws etc)..so I actually would rather be independent and in any sort of rental rather than dealing with family drama/pressure. I don't think there is a perfect solution!!!

Have you tried homes24.co.uk they are local to East Anglia I think, they always seem to have better stuff than rightmove / findaproperty etc IMO.