Hi guys, I need a little help here. This is the first time I’m renting in UK. I found the ad and have made an online viewing, agreed the terms with landlord and letting agent. The point is we agreed on 6 months upfront rent, which is fine for me as I dont have a credit history. But now that I have to make the deposit in their own account out of the open rent website, I’m feeling a bit worried. What can I ask to confirm this is a trusted agent/landlord?
Is the agent well known?
Do they have actual premises?
Have they been trading long?
You can request landlord ID and proof of property ownership, this isn’t done that often though anyone legitimate wouldn’t have an issue providing this.
Sending money outside of openrent direct to bank account is normal. Is it agents bank or landlord?
Bear in mind that a scammer could pretend to be from a legitimate agent.
You could contact openrent and ask if have reputable history with using their services.
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I am assuming you cannot view in person for some reason?
If you can get there or have any contacts in the UK who could view for you?
Don’t want to alarm you but some issues are not always visible over the internet.
Good luck.
Mrs T.
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If not in the country, do you have a friend, relative or HR person willing to do a face to face viewing, as it is too easy to not show detrimental issues via the web.
“Companies House” can be searched for the landlord’s company name and the agents company name, if either have set themselves up as a business, to answer the question, “Have they been trading long?”. The search is free. Be careful that you use the exact wording and characters in the company name for the search, as many companies have a similar name.
“Land Registry” can tell you who owns the property so that you can check if the registered name is the landlord’s name. The cost of a printed report is negligible, about £20.
Alternatively, “BT Directory”, or “BT Telephone Directory”, if it still exists, can be used to confirm that the address exists with the associated telephone number, if the place has a landline telephone service.
Google Map street view will indicate if the agent’s premises exist. Most reputable agents have a premisses and are members of an association. If they have logos or claim they are members of one, search for that association, e.g. NRLA, to check if they are indeed members": the search is free.
get someone else to apply for a viewing and see what the response is