r/Glasgow Tools

I'll go through point by point...

1. I've never heard of that happening with renting, my experience has always been if they're asking for £750pcm or whatever, that's what you'll be paying if they select you as the new tenant. I'd avoid any company that's getting you to "put in an offer", because that suggests to me they're trying to get over the odds and I'd wonder about whether they'd be informing the landlords of that increased income or whether it just lines company coffers. If it's the former, which.. let's be honest, in a letting agency.. would not surprise me, then it stands to reason to believe they'd likely pull other immoral tricks along the way. Red flag.

2. It can be, but if you just keep persevering something will align comfortably. But, with no secured fixed income, you will definitely be a less enticing prospect because there will be the worry that you will fail to pay the rent and then the process of evicting you is quite lengthy and irritating. Landlords will always want to avoid this, if they can.

3. Brag away my man, what harm can it do?

4. Govanhill, like anywhere in Glasgow, has it's good and bad spots and I'm sure you'd most likely be fine if you've got a head about you. Being in the West End does not preclude you from stumbling across the occasional nutter.

5. Agencies are a bit of a mixed bag. Clyde Property are decent, but have an annoying policy of inspecting their properties every 2 months which can be a bit of a hassle if you're like me and don't like strangers poking about your home when you're not there. The process of renting through them was also super lengthy and required a lot of paperwork and personal information, as well as a pretty hefty background credit check etc. But, dealing with the agency themselves? They were always polite, always reacted to any problems we had promptly, didn't try to rip us off, never raised the rent.. overall, for an agency, they were alright. I cannot speak to the integrity of any of the others, but I'd recommend doing some digging about them as you come across them and seeing what other people have to say of their experiences. Gumtree has lots of private lets, there's also a shopfront on Byres Rd near Bar Soba (I think?) that has a pretty active window where people list flats for rent.

6. Typically, they'll try and get you to take a 6 month lease, after which point the contract enters a rolling month-to-month situation where you can give 4 weeks notice at any time to vacate. That is perfectly legal.

7. 25-33% of your earnings is difficult to say, because I don't know what your earnings are. However, in Glasgow, to live alone, that seems reasonable to me. Be prepared to spend a little more if you see somewhere you think is ideal.

8. Single Person Discount on Council Tax, last I investigated, was simply a 25% reduction in the cost of the Band for the year. I think Band B is about £1400 per year, so you'd save £350 of that and be charged £1050. This *could* be outdated information, it is worth mentioning - but if you call the Council they'll be able to give you the details no problem. Applying for the discount is easy, too.

9. Last time I rented, we had to provide a bunch of bank statements etc as well - it's just proof of income and solvency, essentially. Don't feel weird about it. If you're ever planning on buying a place, you'll need to provide about 2 years worth of bank statements, amongst many other personal details, so it's pretty standard fare.

10. Check windows, water and heating - check the boiler, ask the agent if they know when it was installed/how old it is. Check the boiler pressure, just as a mental note.. Pay attention to bathrooms, especially if they're internal and do not have a window to the outside world. Look for fresh paint, or the smell of fresh paint - it could be that they're just covering up a damp problem to get the place rented out, rather than actually dealing with it. Ask about the neighbouring flats - are they rented or owner occupied? Are they housing association or private lets?

11. Electric heating is inefficient and expensive to run, but not a complete disaster. Better bet is to invest in a really decent, real wool blanket and get into the habit of just wrapping yourself up in it instead of blasting heating. Much more cost efficient and better for the planet, too.

Hope this all helps in some way or another, any other questions just feel free to fire them over.