Flathunting - What to look for?

Soldato
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Hi,

Myself and a mate are going to be looking for a flat soon - and to be honest we don't really know what we're doing :/

WHat should be included ideally? water, council tax...?

We're both employed full time, so what would we need to be paying?

Cheers :)
 
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Andr3w said:
make sure you dont settle for the first decent thing that comes along, odds are if you keep looking you will find something better :)

What he said, but if you find one you really like decide to get it as quickly as possible otherwise you probably won't get ot due to other people liking it too. (It happened to me twice so I just stopped looking and got my bf to pick a flat so I wouldn't be disappointed if the one I liked had gone. :( )
 
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JaFFa said:
a couple of years ago i lived in a house where the water was paid for in the rent...

Hmm I bet 99% of the time it isn't included. He should work on the assumption that it isn't as I would say it is very unusual.
 
Soldato
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dirtydog said:
Oh and FWIW, my advice - get one on the top floor, it's usually quieter.

Its not going to be in a tower block or anything - we may end up renting a house if we can afford it. Everything would be split 2 ways. So we'd be able to afford a nice place I reckon :)
 
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It doesn't have to be a tower block - I live on the top floor, which is just the first floor :) I expect you'll be able to afford a house comfortably between you though which is obviously better
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Man of Honour
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Not much, really. Most flats are acceptable..

Parking on the street, check its not always full..

The only one I would advise. Shower, make sure it has a full height shower. some are only meant to come up about a ft over the bath..
 
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well if you wanna save money you could look for a one bedroom flat and either sleep in the same bedroom or one takes the sitting room and the other the bedroom.
 
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crashuk said:
well if you wanna save money you could look for a one bedroom flat and either sleep in the same bedroom or one takes the sitting room and the other the bedroom.

This doesn't work very well if your sitting room is also your kitchen.

Best off searching letting agency sites, see what you can get for your money, then viewing a few. Chances are though, if the place is nice, you'll have to make your mind up within a couple of days as it'll go very quickly. We only got our current place because the people it was promised to got canned by a previous reference.
 
Wise Guy
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-westy- said:
......

We're both employed full time, so what would we need to be paying?
There's no answer to that. A pokey 2-bed dive in the butt-end of a slum is going to be a bit different to an 8,000 sq. foot 'palace' on 5th Avenue in New York .... which will cost you between $12,000 and $20,000 per month (and no, I didn't type that wrong). And there's a world of diversity in-between.

When you're hunting about, -westy-, remember that "location is king". If you want something in a thriving, lively city centre area close to theatres and among bars and clubs, with good rail links to a working metropolis a walking distance away, it's going to cost more than a much bigger place in a quiet, 'undesirable' location.

You need to narrow down what you want, and as a separate issue, what you need. Isolate what factors are deal-breakers, and you'll be halfway to finding somewhere suitable.

Most youngsters want a vibrant, lively area near the local nightlife, but you couldn't pay me enough to live in a city centre like that. I like the peace and quiet of the country, and if I never went in another pub or club in my life, it wouldn't upset me. We'd probably be looking for very different things in a flat. I wouldn't live full-time in that $20k/month New York flat if it was rent-free.
 
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Soldato
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As Sequoia said...

Location, Location, Location!

:D

And as far as bills being included is concerned, work on the assumption that nothing is unless the agent / landlord specifically says otherwise :)
 
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