Renting from a Private Landlord
See also a place of your own which has information about bonds, bills and benefits, and who to go to if you have problems with where you live.
In York, accommodation is in high demand and therefore usually expensive, and standards will vary. Lodging with someone (where you live with your landlord or share living space) can be more ‘friendly’, though as a lodger you have fewer rights than as a tenant. If you rent a room in a shared house you may have little or no control over who you live with, but because your landlord lives elsewhere you have more rights as a tenant.
Rented accommodation is often furnished. You will usually have to pay a bond (you get it back when you leave if nothing is damaged or missing) and rent in advance. See rent, bills and benefits. If you cannot afford what they ask, try negotiating with what you have. It's probably better to do this face to face where they can meet you than on the phone.
If your landlord gives you an ‘Assured Shorthold Tenancy’ and wants a bond/deposit, they must be a member of a ‘tenancy deposit scheme’. Get more advice about this or check out the Shelter website. See also rent, bills and benefits.
Easylet is a ‘rent deposit guarantee scheme’ bond guarantee based at the Citizens Advice Bureau – it can help people who are on benefits or a low income to get private rented accommodation by guaranteeing the bond to the landlord, and/or paying rent in advance to secure it. Talk to a CAB adviser or phone their advice line.
The Homeless Prevention Team at Customer Adive Centre may also be able to help with rent in advance if you are working with them to plan housing.
Where to look:
- The Press (formerly Evening Press). Thursday’s property supplement carries small ads from landlords letting direct (and larger ads from agencies). ‘Accommodation to let’ is usually shared housing. ‘Property to let’ is self contained, e.g. flats or houses. The Press website is confusing, and only has ads hosted by other commercial sites, which are given here as well.
- Lots of people now advertise rooms and property online. Some useful websites are clickflatshare (friendly and free to use), gumtree (free and easy to use) and fish4homes. There are also more money making sites that are well used, though unless you pay for membership, you are limited to sending an automated response to any adverts you are interested in. These include easyroommate, flatemateclick and spareroom. They can all be used to search for accommodation in other towns, or even internationally.
- Adverts - in post offices, local shops etc.
- Ask friends and family - to keep their eyes open for you.
- Accommodation agencies - these are private agencies, who will charge you a fee if they find you somewhere to live. They cannot charge you for putting you on their list. Try other options first as unless you have a job, references and money for deposit and rent in advance, you are unlikely to get accommodation through them, though some will rent to students. Adverts are put in ‘The Press’ property supplement, on Thursdays.
The Shared Housing Scheme run by York Housing Association has shared furnished accommodation for single people 18+. Ring for an application form direct or get one from Castlegate.
You can look at the property press and search online at Castlegate. You can also use the phone there to ring round landlords.
When viewing any property, take basic safety precautions - if you can’t take someone with you, make sure someone knows where you are going and what time to expect you to check back with them.