40 Tips For Moving To The UK | Easy English 57

Hello, welcome to Easy English. Today, I thought I’d give you 40 bits of advice 

for what to expect when  renting in the UK, let’s go! 

When looking for a place you’re  generally given around six options 

for property types: a luxurious  and rare detached house, 

semi detached house, terraced  house, duplex; one house divided 

into two properties with separate  entrances. A flat, not apartment, 

studio; which means one room and  a hopefully a separate bathroom. 

and bungalow; a single level house. Talking of levels, in Britain you’d start with 

the ground floor, then first  floor, second floor and so on. 

When viewing properties to live in you might  notice some odd things in the house that are  

actually quite normal in British homes: Carpets everywhere;  

Better start looking at vacuum cleaners, as carpeted properties are very popular, 

some even extend the carpeted  areas into the bathroom and toilet. 

A fully furnished kitchen;  This can be quite hit and miss 

as the appliances will have seen lots of use and could possibly be in need  

of some TLC (tender loving care). However, it could save you a ton of money. 

Within the kitchen you could find some  very foreign objects: A gas stove. 

A water boiler. A washing machine between the cupboards; 

utility rooms are very rare in  the UK so get used to cooking 

your dinner to the sound of your  machine whirring your socks around. 

Unfortunately, you’ll also rarely  get a dryer in your property 

so purchase yourself clothes horse and prepare  chairs and other furnishings for your damp,  

clean clothes. Next thing you’ll  

probably notice are the sinks in the UK. Due to an old issue with contamination, 

most houses will have separate water taps. You’ll have to make the choice of either boiling  

hot or freezing cold. Talking of washing, you’ll  also find the bathroom to be a strange place; The  

light switch will probably be a mysterious string falling from the ceiling. 

There will also be no plug  sockets anywhere to be seen. 

It seems as though Brits  were determined during design 

not to be electrocuted in the bathroom. Carrying on, showers have separate water heaters. 

And you might find there’s no toilet! Don’t worry though,  

some properties actually have a separate room  for the toilet, you might even have an old toilet 

in the back garden as well. This Answers the old question  

as to why Brits ask for the directions to the toilet as opposed to the bathroom. 

Once you’ve been to the toilet,  you might find yourself left 

with an option of 2 buttons on top of the loo, nobody truly knows which is for which,  

if you know what I mean. Other  things you might come across are: 

Fireplaces; they might be blocked up so  don’t try without asking. A lack of air-con,  

trust me, you won’t need it. Central heating for your radiators,  

good luck mastering this one and then also  agreeing on an optimum temperature to please all.  

Internal window locks. Garages that are for storage, not cars. 

No cellar but maybe a loft, not attic. Pay as you go meters with a  

stick to take to the local shop to top up on your electricity or gas. 

A letterbox, you’ll rarely find a  property with tiny home for your mail, 

you’ll just have a little  sprung flap on your front door 

so the postman can scare you  when you least expect it. 

And if you’re in flats, there  might be a secret buzzer 

for the postman to use so there’s no escape. 

Electrical sockets with  off switches, safety first. 

Lastly, you might be lucky enough to have a shed, to house all your garden implements  

or be a little wooden home / man cave  to relax in and maintain your hobbies. 

So, let’s go back a step. When  it comes to looking for a place, 

here are some advice on what and what not to do: Don’t get confused about the property description, 

in the UK, properties aren’t  advertised with their square footage, 

you’ll only be given information  on how many bedrooms there are,  

it’s up to you to go through, looking at plans or making a viewing to see if there  

is a living room, a separate kitchen,  

dining room or any extra rooms. Lots of properties in big  

cities will be described as a one bed, this could mean you have 3 more rooms,  

or absolutely no room. Check to see if  the property is furnished or unfurnished. 

This is referencing things  like sofas, beds, cupboards, 

tables and chairs, as I mentioned before, the kitchen usually comes fully equipped. 

Check if bills are included, this will mean  water, gas and electric, this just leaves you  

with council tax which pays for local services  like emergency services and the bin collection. 

Check about the landlords rights, landlords  are a mysterious bunch to most renters. 

They’ll either be super-involved  (almost too involved), 

or completely hands-off. However, they do have  

obligations to you as a tenant: Your landlord is not allowed to  

suddenly evict you. Your landlord can’t  

just barge into the house uninvited; they need to give 24 hours minimum notice. 

Your landlord can’t just put up rent; they need to wait until the end of your contract. 

Your landlord is responsible for the building. Your landlord is obliged to keep you safe. 

Ask for a photographic inventory  if you’re not given one 

when you move in and also take your own. Firstly when you move in  

and again when you move out. You could be charged for a very small thing. 

I was once even charged for a  bin that was missing in a bedroom 

and for the removal of the same missing bin that was instead in the bathroom. 

“Fair wear and tear” is a legal  term for anything that’s condition 

has decreased due to regular  use, don’t get charged for it. 

But that doesn’t mean things  that you have actually broken. 

Look for the renting rules, these  can be very strict in the UK 

not even allowing you to put blu-tac on the walls, never mind nails or re-decorating. 

Before you even go a-head  with renting your property, 

the landlord or agent might need to you provide: A 3-6 month bank statement,  

to check you can afford rent. A reference, to ensure that you  

have previously paid rent. A guarantor, who will be  

charged if you don’t pay rent. And a 6 week maximum deposit to ensure  

you go ahead with the rental, you’ll get this  back, minus any deductions for any missed rent, 

bills or for reparations or replacements  that your landlord has to make.  

Talking about the end of tenancy; return the property to its original  

state at the end. Seriously, clean  

everything! Check through your tenancy agreement for unexpected cleaning or fixing obligations. 

For example, an old contract I had, had a clause  in it about professionally cleaning the blinds! 

Apparently, a wipe-down wasn’t enough, so make sure you get a good professional  

cleaner in. So there you go, I  hope that wasn’t too overwhelming 

and helps you with your search  for a great place in the UK. 

Let me know if I’ve missed anything  by writing in the comments below  

and we’ll see you next time, bye!