Finding a private rented property

 

First of all you need to decide what sort of property you need, and where it should be. Think about things like the type of property (bedsit, flat or house), what floor (e.g. ground floor, first floor etc), what areas of Nuneaton or Bedworth you want to look in, and how much you can afford to pay in rent.

 

If you are planning on claiming Housing Benefit you will need to think about the level that you could be entitled to. Housing Benefit rules are that you need one bedroom for each of the following:

And the following (maximum) number of living rooms:

If you are single and under 25 your Housing Benefit will be assessed differently (Single Room Rate) which means you will usually only be able to rent one room (e.g. a bedsit, or a room in a shared house)

If you have more rooms than this, Housing Benefit may not cover some of your rent and you will need to make up the difference yourself.

 

Housing Benefit can be very complicated, so you should contact Housing Benefit to find out more information and make sure the property is right for you. You will also need to think about how long you have got to find somewhere and move. If you don't have much time to find somewhere new and move, you may want to widen the areas you'd be willing to live in to give yourself more choice and a better chance of finding somewhere suitable.

Local Press – Check all the local newspapers

Notice boards – Such as Local shop windows / community notice boards / supermarket notice boards or anywhere where people may advertise. Landlords often advertise available properties here.

Letting and Management agents - Agents manage properties on behalf of private landlords. Agents should not charge you to just to look for a property. If you find a property through an agent you will often be charged you a fee - usually one third of a month's rent plus VAT. This fee may be non-refundable. They will also require a deposit and up to two months’ rent in advance.

Websites - There are lots of websites that advertise properties and rooms to let. You can get free internet access at your local library.

The Council – We hold a small list of properties that landlords have made available, you can get a copy of this from the Contact Centre at the Town Hall in Nuneaton or the Bedworth area office.

 

You can use the document attached below as a guide for looking at properties to rent: