Originally Posted by mikelincs

If you are renting from a landlord direct, no agency, please make sure that the deposit is in a client account, held in deposit account, this ensures that, should anything go wrong, your deposit is safe, in fact it's the law and I would steer very clear of any landlord who doesn't follow the legal requirements. Renting through an agent does, usually, give you an easy point of contact if there are problems, repairs needed etc, and they will often have a list of approved emergency contact numbers in the case of say a water leak.

Originally Posted by JB_free

Hi Em, I can give you a little bit of advice about renting in England.

• How hard would it be to rent somewhere, having lived in Spain for so long? - Is renting like it is in Spain (1M Deposit + Rent in most cases)

England has quite a buoyant rental market so you shouldn't have too many problems finding a suitable property, if you do a search on rightmove you will be able to see what is currently available in the areas you are interested in.

When you rent in the England it is usual for you to pay 1 months rent in advance and a deposit (usually equal to 1 months rent), by law the landlord has to put the deposit in an approved deposit protection scheme. At the end of the tenancy if the landlord wishes to keep some of your deposit to cover any damage (wear and tear is not damage) and you disagree with this you can ask the scheme administrators to arbitrate. Once you move in if you find any issues with the property it is best to raise them in writing straightaway with the landlord or managing agent.

Usually the tenancy agreement that you will sign will be for a 6 month period, you or the landlord can then serve notice to cancel the agreement at the start of month 5. If you both agree to extend the agreement this can be done on another 6 month basis or sometimes a landlord will offer to keep the tenancy going on a rolling monthly basis.

A lot of landlords use an estate / letting agent to find them a tenant. As part of this service the agent will carry out checks on the prospective tenant, this includes employer checks and general financial health checks, having lived in Spain for so long will probably cause a few issues as you probably don't have a credit score / history in the UK. It is possible you can overcome this issue by offering to pay the full 6 months rent upfront or as mentioned by missile getting a suitable guarantor. However not all landlord use an agent to find a tenant, some do it themselves and don't go through all these checks so you may be ok, have a look on gumtree.com, facebook marketplace and local on-line newspaper websites, this type of landlord generally advertises on websites like these.

The above is a general guide for renting in the private sector, there may also be social housing options in your preferred area which are run by local councils or housing associations, it might be worth checking out these options too.

If you rent a property that has gas appliances or a gas boiler installed your landlord must give you a copy of the gas safety certificate, the gas appliances / boiler need to be checked once a year and a new certificate issued. A similar electrical safety certificate is desirable but not required by law.

• What to do when I'm back in the UK?

Start to build your credit history asap, this will help with all aspects of financial life. If you are allowed (i.e. you are a UK citizen), register to vote, companies check the electoral register when assessing people for financial services, also apply for a credit card and use it, this will get your foot on the financial ladder. There are a few credit card companies that will offer you a card almost regardless of your credit status / history. However (BIG CAVEAT) read the agreement very carefully, make sure there are no (hidden) charges associated with the card and make sure you pay the WHOLE amount owed each month, these type of credit cards usually have a high APR and paying off the minimum amount owed each month is NOT recommended as this generally just covers the interest and very little of the outstanding balance.

Hopefully this gives you a little bit of insight.

Regards JB

Originally Posted by Pistolpete2

Of your considered destinations I would say that Bristol is by far the best. A thriving city known for good universities and a robust economy largely based upon aerospace and technology but with a significant business 'hub' near Temple Meads Station. Easy and fast train access to London. An airport on the up-and-up.

Plymouth has a significant student population at Plymouth Uni and Marjon, jobs associated with the Ministry of Defence and not much else apart from Derriford Hospital. It has the second highest rate of personal bankrupcies in the UK at this point. You should also consider Exeter which is IMHO a far more 'happening' city than Plymouth. Exeter has non-stop train service to London at peak times and an airport - Plymouth's has been closed for a number of years.

With Brexit coming you need to be in an area which has a track record of success and both Bristol and Exeter can claim that. Plymouth Council is manifestly incompetent and will clearly struggle. Within overall Devon, South Hams with its prosperity will likely be fine (relatively speaking) but much of the rest will really struggle, with the exception of the municipal area in and around Exeter.

Where I am in Dorset will be one of the worst hit as there is little in the way of meaningful local industry.