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5 questions to ask your landlord before renting a room in Leeds

questioning the landlord

If you are looking for the best rooms to rent Leeds has to offer, there are a lot of different factors that need to be considered. Before you take the time to go and view the room in question, it is imperative that you do your research and that you make sure the room in question is right for you. Renting out a room is very different when compared to renting out a full property because some elements of the accommodation are going to be shared. With that being said, read on to discover five things that you need to look for before you rent a room in Leeds.

Communal areas

There is only one place to begin, and this is with the communal areas. You need to discover what parts of the property are going to be shared by others. You will want to know how many other people are in the building as well, and how everything is going to be split up. For example, for shared kitchens, will you have your own cupboard and your own section of the fridge? You need to ensure you are comfortable with the arrangements before you bother to look at the room in question.

The people that rent the property

It is also a good idea to find out more about the people that rent out the property. Some shared accommodation options will be strict in terms of who can rent there, for example, only allowing students or only allowing a specific gender. However, there are some shared properties whereby anyone can rent.

Tenant screening

It is also a good idea to find out more about the tenant screening process. This is for two reasons. Firstly, you will want to make sure that you are able to pass the screening process. Aside from this, you will also want to find out what sort of screening process the other members of the property have had to go through in order to be accepted.

How the bills are split up

You will also want to find out how everything works when it comes to bills. Will you pay a set amount every month? After all, the last thing you want is to have to pay a percentage of the overall costs only to discover that there is a member of the property that uses excessive amounts of gas and electricity, thus driving up the overall cost.

Total cost

Last but not least, it is a good idea to sit down and work out the total cost of renting a room out. This is to ensure that you can afford it before you go and view the room. You may want to include costs such as the expense of commuting to and from Leeds University every day.