How to find a private rental. What checks you should make before accepting a tenancy.
When you’re looking for affordable rented housing try the London rents map. This shows average monthly private sector rents.
If you're facing homelessness check if we can help you secure an affordable privately rented home.
Before you look around a property you should first:
Some of Southwark’s private rented properties must be licensed, including all houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
If it is not and should be, you can report it to us.
if you're dealing with a letting agent, check they're a member of the Property Redress or the Property Ombudsman schemes.
By law, they must be.
By law, if there are gas appliances in the property, the landlord must show you a Gas Safety Certificate.
This must be issued by a Gas Safety registered engineer within 12 months.
The landlord must give, or show you, a copy of the certificate before you move in.
The landlord is also responsible for ensuring an up to date electrical safety certificate is obtained from a qualified electrician.
The certificate should include a recommendation for when safety checks are due next.
Check that there are enough electrical sockets for your appliances and make sure there are no broken or exposed sockets.
Ask the landlord about fire exits and how you would leave the property if there was a fire.
If the property is furnished, check that all the foam filled furniture has a label to show it is fire-resistant.
Shared accommodation should contain fire safety equipment.
Check that any safety equipment is in good working order and easy to find, for example:
Other things to consider during a viewing:
If you have an assured shorthold tenancy your landlord must protect your deposit by law.
Find out more about deposit rules on GOV.UK.
When you’re looking around a property, it’s a good idea to not hand over any money until you've accepted the accommodation.
When you pay the deposit or rent, get a receipt.
The law bans most other charges to tenants.
For more information, see Shelter’s advice on upfront costs and their advice on tenant fees.
If it's shared accommodation, you should ask if utilities like gas and electric are included in the rent, or whether you'll need to pay the suppliers yourself.
With shared accommodation you may have a set amount that your must pay monthly.
Before accepting or signing a tenancy agreement make sure you read and check it carefully.
Find out about the different types of tenancy agreement and rules on GOV.UK.
You should check our guide on your rights and responsibilities as a private tenant.
You'll find out about the help you can get if you have any problems, like if: