Renting in your twenties: what they don't tell you.

[@leenanorms]

👋 Hello this is Leena, your friendly video tour guide. If you liked this one, here's some more you might enjoy: ○ POV: ditch my clothes with me: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHqvdH6ehph9Z8U ○ Lies you're told about food in your twenties: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKazfKB8gqqnra8 ○ Lies you're told about marriage in your twenties: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqSxZ6CLmNd0pc0 Or watch the WHOLE twenties toolkit series: kzbin.info/aero/PLb1-lu-abhnXUN45sj2ur8lmnY-s5YnQn

[@madhattie34]

my sister and her housemates (all girls) had been complaining about their boiler to the landlord for months and landlord insisted it wasn't a problem. one day landlord happened to come round when her boyfriend was over so she got her boyfriend to ask him about it. landlord immediately agrees to replace boiler and refunds them some money from their energy bills... hmmm!!

[@leenanorms]

Someone needs to start collating this COLD HARD EVIDENCE

[@roebearwhat]

Omg throw out the whole landlord 😲

[@Sandakan00]

How do you know if its the problem? I think k my bills are higher because of this

[@theangrymob8231]

OMG I had this exact issue. The gutter was falling off our house, I asked the landlord about it and he ignored me, and then my neighbour got involved because it was affecting his guttering and then SUDDENLY my landlord was like 'yeah I'll replace this ASAP' 🙄🙄

[@sarahg2721]

I moved into a flat that had an *unsealed* wooden countertop in the kitchen. It was already going rotten around the sink. I took pictures of it and reported it to the estate agent the second I moved in. They didn’t care, lol. Not once was someone sent round to seal the wood. Three years later when I was moving out, the landlord tried to charge me HUNDREDS for replacing the rotten wooden countertop. I whipped out my photos and laughed in their faces 🥰 not a chance Farquard. If you spot damage in your new flat, take pics. Even if they act like they know about it already, it could be a trap.

[@mathildemcsherry19]

My current landlady threatened to evict me as there were a couple of specks of water on her precious wooden countertop so now I have an oilcloth on it and I'm afraid to use the surface at all lol. She threatened to keep the deposit and everything 😂

[@giuintech]

When I started renting the flat I am currently in, I invited a male friend to come see it on the day I got the keys from the landlord. Even though I was the one who contacted them in the first place, visited the flat the first time, signed the rental contract and the paperwork, on that day the landlord proceeded to explaining all the technical things about the heating and electricity to my male friend who had literally NOTHING to do with the flat. Three years later and I’m still mad about it,

[@junpi8562]

Last year I had a workman explain what needed doing in my flat to the male COURIER who had just arrived with a parcel rather than to me, the sole tenant!

[@mandeep3.14]

Smh

[@glitter.gollum6984]

WHY did this EXACT thing happen to me?????

[@JoMarieHartup]

I'd have waited until the landlord finished then asked them to go through it all again with me as I'm actually living here.

[@thiadesg]

My favourite piece of advice from this video: "If you feel the urge to paint a wall, buy a plant."

[@koalaeucalyptus]

I just paint anyway... my plants die too fast, and in my country we have to paint the place when leaving anyway (I mean, it has to be PRISTINE, which means we'll have to paint it if we're there for 2+ months anyway), SO...

[@camillajefferson386]

in my head, I sang it to the tune of "if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands"

[@tiffanyferg]

Yesss I recently moved and 1) saving all instruction manuals in the same place YUP! and 2) I had saved so many original boxes of our appliances and things, plus tiny little boxes and containers. My boyfriend was like “do you need all of those” and 10 mins later needed a lil container for screws. Every little item had a little home. Hooray!!!

[@tiffanyferg]

Ps I actually read my new apartment’s entire 40 page lease document and it basically said renters have almost zero rights and landlords own you and can destroy you if needed lmao. (Not actually funny tho bc landlords have literally ruined many lives over issues big and small. Trash!!)

[@leenanorms]

Haha yeah it does somewhat remind me of the scene in the little mermaid : like ' sure, you want my soul and my legs?! Go for it!' Impressed you read the whole thing 😂

[@iyogurcik]

@@tiffanyferg I read the new agreement every time we extend the tenancy and find out that little bits change every time. For example, you can't use the command strips or any other self adhesive to hang pictures (it did mention no use of nails in the first agreement). And in the most recent one it turns out that we are now responsible for the repair of appliances that flat comes with, even though up until now it said the landlord was responsible for it 🤷‍♀️. Before we moved in, I did read somewhere that if the place you're renting comes with appliances, the landlord is responsible for the repair of them, but I don't know how true it is, or if things have changed.

[@JACk79457]

aghhhhhhhhhhhjhh ITS TIFFANYYYYYY love your content person

[@Disney8272]

I loved "If the rich don't want us to eat them, they should really stop keeping money that's not theirs." I want to paint this on a wall somewhere.

[@DXmYb]

Just make sure it's your own property and not the wall of another land owner

[@DanLayton]

OKAY THE MANUALS IN A FOLDER IS ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL. Bravo, Craig.

[@NjBou]

Yeah I'm about to move and I'm doing that. That, and keeping all of the little nuts and bolts together in containers/ bags I already have....never thought of that because I usually put them in plastic bags but I just don't buy those anymore, thankfully.

[@irishcannoli]

AND for devices and furniture that you bought second hand, you can find the instruction online and print them out to keep in your binder! No need to suffer and try to figure a piece of technology on you own just because you wanted to save a few bucks.

[@Vi-mj8zj]

I have come to the only way to truly survive renting is to trust literally no one.

[@angelicabalia6143]

Hold on... you moved in a cottage, it's snowing, you've got gumption. Is this "The Holiday"?

[@leenanorms]

Omg I think it might be!

[@sophiablum1436]

Anyone else screaming "PIVOT" in their head when they were lifting the matress up the stairs or is that just me?

[@leenanorms]

😂😂😂

[@louhortonsculpture]

Every. Single. Time.

[@ShroomAndMoss]

My brain was screaming hard 😂😂

[@michaelsteward3665]

And when Leena is using her head , I felt that in my bones as a short person

[@doctorwholover1012]

One of my friends keeps a cis male friend on call for dealing with landlords etc lmao, and likewise he trades it for interior design advice, cooking tips, and an emergency "get this random girl off me" fauxgirlfriend trump card 😅

[@imcherbitch943]

Love that 😂

[@GraceSutachan]

I'm so glad my spouse looks like a very menacing cis man and knows how to play the part.

[@Didleeios88]

Looking menacing is even better than being a cis man. My room mate and I had a similar situation where the landlord ignored her and only responded when it was me calling or emailing. To this day I have no idea why. I just assume it was cuz I am meaner than her.

[@annalizer1992]

Another life hack for disassembling furniture: my dad always puts it the screws and other stuff from flat pack furniture in a little plastic bag, that he sticks to the furniture it belongs to with duct tape, so you know exactly what screws go with what furniture.

[@korichamberlain]

I did this during my last move. It was super smart, but I'd add popping a paper note inside the bag with info about the item incase the bag comes off, or you dont put it together right away. What it is, and what type of screws go where. Paper note inside because permeant marker on the ouside can still get rubbed/scuffed off.

[@amyhatch3761]

Just a PSA that once you have moved into a rental property, it's a lot of effort for the landlord to let you move out and find new tenants at the end of your lease. If they try to increase your rent at the end of the lease, you can say no and negotiate. I've done this before and was able to renew my lease at the same rent for a further 12 months.

[@beckieindia]

Fun fact: most times it is up to the landlord to prove you've broken something NOT on you to prove you didn't break it. If the landlord hasn't done an inventory or given it to you then this often works in your favour! If they are trying to keep your deposit for something you didn't do then DISPUTE IT, don't just give in (that's what they want) KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

[@All_Lemons]

That little part about sending e-mails from the e-mail address of your cis man housemate was really validating for me. I'm currently moving with my boyfriend, and I'm not exaggerating, my agent literally ignored an e-mail by me, to call my boyfriend and talk about the issue with him. Literally ignored. It's so frustrating that this behaviour is so prevalent even in 2021

[@eloiseharrison8574]

I had a similar experience recently, my agent phoned up my boyfriend to ask for MY email address 😑 (which was already written on several documents at that point 🙄) I was not impressed as it wasn't the first time she'd phoned him over me to discuss things that I should be contacted for - in the end I got a bit shirty and several times reiterated that I want them contacting me when it has to do with my side of things, and they did get the point eventually. I feel like in life, especially if you're a woman, you need to come across very strong and demanding *tired sigh*

[@Larissa_KD]

Me yelling at the screen: "don't forget to dust the toilet roll holder!!"

[@leenanorms]

hahah MEMORIES INDEED

[@louhortonsculpture]

How does thing get so dusty?? Oh yeah... toilet paper dust....

[@chiarathomas5044]

I cannot express fully how much I need that housemates video. Lockdown has me gossip deprived.

[@caitie226]

Please please please Leena

[@farrahaliceblack7453]

I live in a student shared house and one time my landlord tried to get £90 out of me (a wall needed repainting) before I'd even moved out 🙄 backed and forthed for a bit, until I remembered I'm actually a student union president. So I sent her a long email making a case for renting students everywhere and then ended it "sincerely: Roehampton Student Union President". Never heard a word about it again, and she just renewed my tenancy saying she was "delighted" that we wish to remain here 😂😂

[@kasia8306]

ahahahha legendary

[@ArrowOdenn]

Hey, that's where I went to university! I had onsite accommodation over all 3 years though so landlords were not a problem at the time

[@RinaLoProduction]

In the states, nearly ALL landlords I've lived under have kept my deposit. It's such BS. US tenant laws are super faulty, typically side with the landlord, and leave people paying up the ass just for a place to live.

[@davidwilcox7]

Truth

[@emmaletham6514]

Oh my god, this is terrifying and now I never want to leave my mother's side.

[@anna-maymoon1001]

You'll probably own property faster that way ngl My brother's 27 and managed to go travelling for a year with fiance when he was like 25 and now he's buying a house with his fiance AND my grandparents are still alive, hers aren't, sadly, but still. Much more efficient way of doing it, I'm kinda jealous. Like it's been hard cos the fiance lives in London and our HQ is nearish Birmingham, so it's been almost 10 years of on/off long distance but my god. THEY OWN A HOUSE BEFORE 30. *standing ovation* I, on the other hand, am renting in Liverpool, missing home and wondering how the hell I'm going to afford a flat if I want to relocate back home home. #firstworldproblems

[@anna-maymoon1001]

Leena: We got a cottage, YES, cottage Me: *appreciative claps*

[@BeautifullyReckles]

I would also recommend visiting the apartment area at different times of day. In my early 20s I worked nights (6pm-12am). Some areas were Super sketchy at night but seemed perfectly fine during the day. And check what's near you. I lived down the street from the fire station and didn't sleep the whole year.

[@collyflower6623]

Yes! Police stations and train tracks as well

[@KatBlaque]

Oh my god, I love you.

[@leenanorms]

Erm omg HI KAT, thank you so much x

[@DaianaVelcherean]

OMG, two of my fave KZbinrs are interacting, what a crossover 😤

[@snuzzbobble]

A note for anyone based in Scotland - you do not need a break clause, any tenant with a short assured tenancy is entitled to leave the property after a 28 day notice period. If your lease doesn't permit that/specifies a longer notice period and it was signed before you moved in, the lease's notice period is not valid.

[@leenanorms]

CUE US ALL MOVING TO SCOTLAND

[@albaKonst]

If you signed your tenancy after 1st Dec 2017 in Scotland it should be a Private Residential Tenancy, not a Short Assured! PRTs come with extra protection against eviction as well as the tenants right to end the tenancy with 28 days notice.

[@gretatoth8759]

Double glazing is the bare minimum 😭 I realised while I was living in the UK that the Queen is not the only outdated thing that remains, but indeed the single glazing also

[@Merciaks]

In my experience the church advice applies UNLESS there is a bell-ringing club which meets in said church.... Bells ringing for fucking HOURS, do not reccomend!

[@MarleyMe95]

Tip from personal experience: check if your cell phone gets reception. Who knew that living in a big cement block meant I'd only be able to make calls next to the living room window.

[@laurenseatter9391]

Also, if your landlord refuses to email you or reply to emails and will only deal over the phone- record the phone calls! It’s a good way to have what they have said on record :)

[@TheHelican]

If you're still in the business of putting up hooks and nails, you NEED to get on the Command Hook train. They're temporary adhesive hooks in all different sizes that work BRILLIANTLY and leave no mark. Seriously the best thing since sliced bread. They have sticky strips for frames, tiny, clear hooks for fairy lights, big hooks for hanging stuff off of. Definitely look into them

[@Littlebeth5657]

It's a shame the landlords have us resorting to this because they're bothered by a tiny nail in the wall that literally most people don't care about and will likely use in future

[@aroundptarmigan8327]

1. Fair warning! I have had paint ripped off the walls of a shiet rental by command hook adhesive (and yes! I was removing it correctly.) 2. White toothpaste works in place of spackle for those smaller nail holes, tip courtesy of my grandfather.

[@iyogurcik]

Yeah, our landlord put in the tenancy agreement that you're not allowed to use them without asking 🙄🤷‍♀️

[@jazzpear8877]

Bullshit, almost every place we put a command hook has a hole in the paint now. They ripped off the paint, and yes I was applying and removing them correctly.

[@childrenofink]

I’ve also found it really helpful to befriend your neighbors and know the other people in your house/building! This is useful so you can avoid calling the police (who will definitely find whatever reason they want to racially profile/harass/write someone up for a broken window/“loitering”), borrow an onion, receive genuine support if you feel unsafe, and also so you can form a mini-union against your landlord! It was helpful for me to know that my landlord was willing to reduce rent in the identical apartment opposite the hall from me so that I could ask for the same. Or that my landlord had “forgotten” to return the security deposit to me and did this consistently !!

[@diinalens]

my tip is request a "background check" from your landlord and especially how many properties they own and are renting! i had a mini discussion with my landlord bc she wouldn't halve my rent during the three months i stayed at my parents' late last year because her daughter (the real owner of the flat, which means they pay less taxes for it, but honestly that's a whole other story) "needed" the money. i finally get my "rent discount", and when i come back my flatmates tell me they found out the landlord is renting at least 3 other properties! and especially if they ask *you* for a background check, you're entitled to know about them as much as they know about you!

[@pippylunalove]

Another thing, landlords/estate agents have to give you 24 hour notice period if they are going to enter your flat or service person is going to enter your flat. If they don't give you 24 hour notice you do not have to let them in. If you and your roommates are renting a place together and you have ONE tenancy agreement that you have all signed then they only have to contact the lead tenant with 24 notice. If you are renting one room in a property and their are MULTIPLE tenancy agreements then legally they have to contact everyone as their is no lead tenant.

[@MaryJoHeadrick]

I live in the US and I'm in law school, and one of the things that we discuss (typically in property law or probate courses) is the sheer amount of laws that encourage marriage/discourage being single. So bizarre, but it's an actual policy argument that has (historically) held up in court lol

[@farrahaliceblack7453]

I loved this, thank you- especially what you said about those on benefits. My mum was a single parent and on a low income, and twice when she turned up at properties for a viewing, the landlord arrived, looked her up and down, asked her how much she made and then said "you can't afford this property" even though the rent was the same as the rent she was already paying and she's never missed a rent payment in her life. Estate agents are a different kind of breed 🤬

[@frankie9387]

Our estate agent was genuinely called Karen, we wanted a 6 month break clause after living in a property for 2 years (on two 12 month contracts) she refused because 'that would mean we could just leave'. Heaven forbid. After speaking to her manager we got it included, so we had to Karen a Karen but don't be afraid to be difficult!

[@tiffytattoo2450]

"Apartments are great. You are never gonna get your security deposit back. So just figure it's gonna cost you 1800$ to do whatever the heck you want with your house. It's personality fees!" (Amy Sedaris)

[@blondieB90]

I loved this take (and that whole video)! If you want to paint a wall, DO IT. You can always paint it back to white/magnolia (the most cursed colour imo) when you move out

[@leni9199]

@@blondieB90 and be sure you know which white it is... we bought standard alpine white. It was some sort of offwhite eggshell white... painting over little parts resulted in having to paint the whole wall anyway 🙃

[@mouse72x]

I completely forgot to do pictures when I moved into my last place. Luckily the agents had only managed a blurry video so the deposit people gave me all the disputed money back. Obviously it's good to take pictures but don't forget it's the agent/landlord responsibility to prove any deductions for cleaning etc. they want to claim as it's your money. Always dispute the deposit even if you don't have evidence.

[@yael9455]

Cue Joe Lycet’s “THE ONUS IS ON THE LANDLORD” mix

[@TheIronGhast]

I moved out at 17 and now (19) have rented three different properties. Did not know any of this and it was honestly a miracle I didn't get ripped off (I expect not living in London helped). Now I'm looking forward to conquering the entirely different beast known as student properties next year. Edited to add a rant. For the first few months I was reliant on universal credit to pay rent, since I was earning minimum wage (which, for an 18-year-old was just about £6/hr) and had unreliable hours. The fact that landlords and agencies are legally allowed to advertise "no DSS" and discriminate against those receiving universal credit just boggles my mind. What on earth was I receiving universal credit for if not to provide a place for me to live???????

[@testosteronic]

Cos you've already got experience living independently you'll probably be able to call them out anyway, but just to warn you - the people who let student properties are extremely exploitative. They will try to make you agree to pay your rent in three-month up-front sums, they will try to deduct money from your deposit for ridiculous things like "mattress wear", they will put patronising things in the tenancy agreement, I had one that had several paragraphs discussing condensation and damp in great detail, as though I wouldn't know to turn the fan on over the cooker. I also had an experience where we paid the deposit 5 months in advance of moving in, and they didn't send the tenancy agreement to us until _the_ _day_ we were due to move in. I literally had to digitally sign it in the car on the motorway half way to the property.

[@Lolly74079]

Hi, can I ask about applying for your first rental place with universal credit? I'm looking to move out as soon as possible but I'm also in the £6.45 an hour situation (currently 19) with variable hours and feel like I'll automatically get rejected as I don't know how much my monthly income will increase due to UC (my current allowance is quite low due to living with a parent) and if I'll even be looked at. Especially since I've heard about the issue you've spoken about I'm absolutely clueless and feel trapped

[@TheIronGhast]

@@Lolly74079 lol I wish I was some kind of authority on this but I'm really not. I can tell you what I did, but honestly I think I mostly just got lucky - I'm not sure I've discovered the secret to renting while in that situation. Most agencies have a form to fill out for you to prove your income, and sometimes it says on the form (nowadays online) what minimum level they're looking for. Unfortunately you'll normally have to pay a reservation fee before you get the form, but you could try asking about the 'application process' to get a hint of what they're looking for. A lot of landlords use the '30% rule' (rent should be 30% of your annual income). They'll usually want to see bank statements from the past 2-3 months. Some private landlords are a lot more laid back. If you go with an older adult, they like the look of you and you can pay the deposit etc. they'll let you rent. I'd recommend going to viewings with a parent or someone who looks like they could be a parent in any case. And if you have someone with an established income who'd be willing to sign on as a guarantor, that's even better. I know this sucks, but hey that's life right now. Good luck.

[@Lolly74079]

@@TheIronGhast I thankfully got one after a couple of rejections! It really is a case of luck as you said, unfortunately I couldn't take anyone to the viewing because COVID. I'm not in yet but have been accepted (under the condition my references come back) and I'm getting a second viewing once all that's done. Hopefully I can take someone and follow the tips in the video more thoroughly

[@TheIronGhast]

@@Lolly74079 that's great news! Hope it all works out well for you.

[@louhortonsculpture]

The carbon monoxide/smoke detector combo is great advice! I had a friend get mild carbon monoxide poisoning from a slow leak/ but then at work all day she was fine, sick at home... etc. scary situation!!

[@FawnEva]

I moved A Lot in my university days... I had co-op. Tip: Don't take your clothes off the hangers. Just grab plastic bags, put the clothes in the bags while hanging on the rack, tie the garbage bag off around the hooks at the top, and voilà! Protected clothes ready to lay flat and move that can be easily hung back up in 5 seconds flat. You are welcome :)

[@elizabethmaelewis]

I had a manager who owned a house alone and would occasionally get her brother-in-law to call contractors/plumbers who had been refusing to respond to her calls for weeks. Suddenly they start returning calls. 🤔 I thought about this a lot when struggling to get any mortgage broker to respond to my emails last year.

[@rhiannon9549]

Yeah, I let my dad send all the emails for me moving and came to view the flats with me so the estate agents were dealing with a 52 year old man who knows his shit rather than a 22 year old girl who they thought was a push over

[@Aima952]

Damn. New privilege I need to check: having plentiful cousins who are all tradesmen.

[@a.laddinsane]

the succulent at 16:41 in the “roots” pot from Lush, oh my gosh what a cute idea!!!

[@JoMakerOfMovies]

and always ask about heating when viewing a place!! Naive 19 year old me ended up living in a little house with no central heating, no double glazing and wooden floors, not a fun winter...

[@juliawhyy]

To add to the fire safety, I recommend a fireproof bag for important documents. It's not something I thought of before I bought my house, but with all the documents I now have, it's nice to have that peace of mind. It also helps keep all your things in one place, regardless if you own or rent.

[@mollya8230]

tattoo a transcript of this entire video on my body so i never forget it pls and thanks

[@Maria-wz8ft]

I’ve been renting for 15 years and HOW DID I NOT KNOW that you can insist on a rolling contract?! Thank you Leena!!

[@ronjas]

Glad im not the only one who does baby voice to my boyfriend lmaoo

[@leenanorms]

I can't believe I showed that to the world but glad I'm not alone!

[@NoahAndABadger]

That was one of my favourite parts of the video. I could feel your embarrassment and I like the way it was structured in the video:-)

[@Leah-zm6dl]

I have lived in a middle floor flat - horrific noise from a family of four upstairs, vowed never to do it again, hence why I currently live in a top floor flat. Somehow my current downstairs neighbour is SO LOUD she manages to generate enough noise to disturb upwards. Possibly so unlikely it's... commendable?

[@woodnymph01]

This reminds me of the video of the guy holding someone upside down so they can run on the ceiling to get back at their noisy upstairs neighbour.

[@leni9199]

@@woodnymph01 I actually live in a middle floor flat! If it is newer and has thick concrete walls I barely get noise from anything except the elephant steps of my overhead neighbor sometimes but I think that might actually be their child ...

[@BookNomming]

My first flat was horrendous, mould, horrid bullying neighbours sending notes through the door, silverfish.... oh and a fire from the electrical fuse box! Luckily we brought our own smoke alarm and it work us in the night, but the way they dealt with it definitely made me want to never trust anyone every again. Also you may be living in ‘their’ house but you have a right to privacy and they often have to give a certain amount of notice before popping by... we had a landlord drove by to complain about weeds, once was having a shower and noticed them peering over the garden fence...

[@sabrinapugs]

*Cries in American because the UK’s tenant protections are nationwide and not dependent on whether people organize to establish a rent board city by city*

[@sparrow_bee]

Great addition to the Twenties Toolkit! As always! I lived in London renting for 5 years and lived in 4 different places, from the first one that was almost 100% illegally run and gave us 2 days to get out when they needed it back, all the way to the last one - a lovely, quiet top floor flat with a very professional and kind landlady. The lessons were hard learned, so I def stand by all of the above advice!!! I live in Canada now and whilst renting is still expensive and ridiculously difficult, we do at least have more rights as renters, and there is a Tenancy Board in local government that is there to protect us, which is so different from back home where renters have very few rights if any. Legally, landlords can't deny us pets either! 🙌 Also Leena, your new cottage is ADORABLE. It suits you perfectly. Good luck in your new journey outside of the Big Smoke!!! 🍀

[@testosteronic]

Bugger. Maybe I should angle for a move to Canada lol

[@Ghoulia17]

I didn’t know landlords couldn’t deny pets! I’ve had so many landlords deny pets or request an expensive pet deposit when I’ve moved in, as far as I know it’s only service/therapy animals that they can’t deny

[@USUKwatch]

(1) for the alarms, you should change the batteries twice a year - daylight saving is a natural reminder time for changing batteries since you are already likely changing the time on clocks. Good time to change batteries on your torch/flashlight. If power goes out, you'll want to save your mobile battery. (2) for the extinguisher, its very important to understand what kind of extinguisher you are using - powder, foam, co2, or water all put out different things. The wrong extinguisher can cause extreme personal injury, or even death. Local fire houses are good consults, and some might have the training extinguishers so you can test one out and know how to use before a fire. I recommend also having a fire blanket. (3) since you're doing safety, be sure to get in a basic first aid kit plus some candles and matches (4) for appliance manuals, you can also either scan or take photos and keep a backup on the cloud (5) final tip - invest in a fire and water proof document safe to hold your digital backups and important paper files like leases, bank info, passports, etc.

[@kasia8306]

ahahhaha the firefighter story got me HOWLING

[@leenanorms]

😉😉😉

[@julias-hg9iz]

Rather than white paint, I love Mr. Clean Magic Erasers (melamine foam) to scrub out marks of walls/floor boards and it works wonders!

[@overgrown_outreach]

as someone in their mid 20s who literally moved out of london on the day this video was published.. big vibes

[@perrystewart2856]

I managed to report my shite landlord for not securing my deposit a couple of years ago and was able to get some money back from him when we settled!! Always report them if they're being dodgy!!

[@dotmatrix9143]

This was super helpful. I wanted to add from my own experience that just because you live near a school and 2 churches doesn't mean you're not meters away from the extreme amount of noise of a methadone clinic as has been my moving in a pandemic experience. Also mold always ask about the mold because it's always lurking somewhere.

[@Yahoodoraze]

I have never related more to you than that instant crumbling from embarrassment clip

[@helenamasatova]

only Leena manages to make sponsorship sound funny/interesting...other influencers should learn:)

[@leenanorms]

hahah aw thank you, that means a lot. To be fair it's also Skillshare being super good and flexible with me, they 'get' that jokes are fine and I can put it in my own way. Plus they are okay with me swearing, so it's really a match made in heaven!

[@BubbaJaneDore]

I work in buildings and contents insurance, helpful hint about checking your locks (it's generally something your Landlords need to worry about but Landlords can be poopy!), You want a 5 lever mortice deadlock - if you've got uPVC double glazing you most likely have these! Look for the British Standard kite looking logo! :)

[@lucy6333]

A friend of mine lived next to a school during the past year and the noise was UNBEARABLE. They were staggering breaks and lunch times more as they were reducing mixing so there was basically constant noise from about the 8:30am-4:00pm

[@Harrison_J_T]

I moved into a property near a school during the summer holiday. I remember being woken up thr first day back by kids on break and was like 'damn, I didn't consider this'. (To be fair I actually adjust pretty well to noise over time and normally sleep quite heavily but I imagine for others it could cause problems'

[@caitie226]

I wouldn't want to live close to a school if I didn't have to. Those lunchtime bells wake up the dead.

[@Victoria-dh9vb]

I figure she's right that schools are great to live by if you work 7-3, because you won't be home while the kids are running around screaming. But yeah, knowing that we work in a factory with shift work, my boyfriend and I made a huge effort to be as far away from schools as possible.

[@Aima952]

I work in a school and live literally next door to another (so I can't really comment on ordinary times). On the days I've been working from home I've not even noticed the kids coming and going.

[@bethanpalmer3295]

As of June 2019 and going forward deposits in the UK are now only a month’s rent in advance and legally not allowed to be anymore.

[@gintareeigla]

actually 5 weeks rent (at least in england), but close enough

[@izzykate1806]

Check the loo too! In an old flat of ours, the inventory said ‘cistern lid removed for maintenance.’ Did that mean they had done the work, or it needed work, in which case, what kind of work?? We had no fucking clue So we used the loo, started unpacking etc and then realised there was WATER ALL OVER THE FLOOR FROM THE LOO. Yeah apparently the lid was off of the cistern so work could be done, but the estate agents hadn’t written that down in the inventory, organised the repair or even informed our Australia-based landlord about it, so we had to get an emergency plumber as soon as we moved in instead of having a working loo from the get-go ✌️

[@charliebradford4369]

It's also illegal for the estate agent to not accept benefits. They'll try and get around that with needing a guarantor (not sure on the legalities there but my gut says probably not legal. But they can't refuse. Can't refuse outright. Can't refuse to count it as part of your income. Can't refuse certain benefits. And they can't refuse you if your disabled on the basis of ''unable to guarantee the property will be accessible long term'.

[@winnietp596]

The stairs - mattress part had me screaming - PIVOT!! PIVOT!! PIVOT!! I'm sorry I had to get it off my chest.

[@dae1444]

SAME!!!

[@caitie226]

I think my worst renting experience was when I was nine to eleven and my family had a house where the downstairs flooded when it rained. This was "fine" and we just stocked up on sandbags to keep the flow contained UNTIL OUR ENTIRE COASTLINE FLOODED. And at the time my family was away for six weeks and my parents begged the agents to check on the house and fix the flooding. And they pretended to and just told us it was find (which it wasn't). So when we got back the house was SO MOULDY that the agent had to put us in a hotel for a fortnight while they cleaned everything and like replaced a wall or something. Actually, maybe it wasn't so bad because we could see the city's biggest river casually controlled flooding from our hotel room and went to the balloon room art exhibition across the river everyday.

[@hacsacka]

My "thing I didn't know I needed till it was too late" is STORAGE. Everyone knows London is already notorious for boxrooms so where are you going to keep your stuff? Do you have a junk cupboard? How big is the fridge/freezer? Are there enough kitchen cupboards or are they just covering the boiler?Is there room under the bed/could you add risers to create some? I never realised how essential the junk cupboard was until i moved into a flat without one and ended up having the Xmas tree up all year round, and shared my bedroom with the hoover/mop because there was nowhere to store them. So open all the cupboards when you look at a place and try and work out where all your things will fit. Whilst you can try and downsize a bit - there's always a limit!

[@novalinnhe]

Absolutely perfect advice! Thank you so much for sharing.

[@charlottepeet1615]

The bit about emailing from a man!?!??! TRUE but uggghhhh so so frustrating

[@blondieB90]

Something I've never been ballsy enough to try, but a friend of mine does regularly - negotiate! He'll often go in and try to get £20-50 knocked off the monthly rental price, and it's worked for him more often than not. It might depend on supply and demand (we're in the North East, this probably wouldn't work in London), but the price ticket is just what they think they can get, and they'd still rather have a tenant than an empty flat, even if you're paying a bit less than what they want.

[@Lydibrown]

I am 27 and have rented throughout my 20s and I WISH this was available several years ago. Fantastic video, and very good advice. I argued and argued with my estate agents when I needed to move out of my shared London flat, I had to pay a £400 fee to leave the contract early, even though my housemate was staying, we had found a replacement, and I had already lived there for over a year!

[@97LifeMelody]

Churches are quiet in england?? I lived near a church in Romania and they would ring bells at 6 in the morning, midday and 6 in the evening, but on some holidays they would even ring them at 3 in the morning. They also have these wooden and metallic bars that they drum on several times a day. I lost it while I lived there...I am jealous of your churches.

[@kasia8306]

hahaha same, used to live next to a church in Poland and they would wake me up with very loud (& often off-tune) singing every Sunday

[@aspatzle827]

Here in Germany you usually have to paint all the walls white before you leave. So while you live there it is fine to paint the walls whatever crazy color because even if you didn't you would still have to paint at the end.

[@jenniferp928]

my contract (i'm in england) is essentially the same! we can do whatever we want to the walls as long as we paint it back. we can even paint our kitchen cupboards as long as the landlord approves of it when we move out

[@possiblychey]

Hi there! American insurance gal here! In the US, so long as you have locks, your renters insurance shouldn't go up. The type of lock doesn't matter too much. Also, you should have renters insurance to cover items that get stolen outside of your home. If something gets stolen from your car or hotel room, your renters insurance will cover it! Just make sure to file a police report. Your renters insurance also covers "loss of use". Which covers your hotels and food costs if something happens to your place and you can't live in it until it's fixed. Just putting the knowledge out there!

[@ceebee3885]

This has come at the best possible time for me, as my landlord is EVICTING the whole 2 apartment buildings all at the same time due to building work & safety & I have 4 months to find somewhere else & I only get that long because of miss pandemic eek it would have been a month if not

[@andreeadumitrache4180]

All of this, yes 👏 and join your local tenants union - look for Acorn and join now even if you don't need it at the moment. Your few quid a month means tenants who are in need can get help and when you need it, they're there for you ✊

[@andreeadumitrache4180]

They also campaign to get rid of clauses in rent to buy mortgages that forbid landlords to rent out to people on benefits. TSB and Santander removed these clauses after Acorn pressured them into it :)

[@shesmadimine]

I'm so sad by the start of renting regulation in England... I live in Queensland, Australia, and the following are a given: an entry condition report that is completed and signed by both the agent and the tenant including photos, the security deposit is held in trust by the Residential Tenancy Agency (the state regulator), working fire alarms that are independently tested annually, the land lord's name is on the tenancy document that you sign.

[@LunaNaomi4]

Gahhh renting. I am currently renting in nyc from a landlord who is a 32 year old venture capitalist who lives in florida and has left our building with no heat for almost A MONTH to harrass rent stabilized tenants to leave in these depths of winter times. they even lost a court case about it but all they did was send broken space heaters. it's a nightmare. In addition to these tips and especially in the US, I recommend joining or starting a building tenants association and dealing with landlord's bullshit collectively so you have marginally more power and get to know your local neighborhood tenants union! They can give you a lot of support and connect you to potentially free lawyers

[@SlugcatEmporium]

A video on housemates would be great. Even if someone grows up living with other people, the dynamic of housemates (especially in your 20's) is much different and nuanced.

[@Strawlighte]

I hated living near the church because the church bells would go off at random times, I remember being woken up on Saturdays at 7:37 in the morning because someone just felt like playing the church bells

[@ms_ch]

i usually move every 2~3 years and it's always ALWAYS for a bad reason and i have to do it in a rush and the places ALWAYS have major life-threatening problems. *TAKING A LONGER TIME TO MOVE IS BETTER THAN MOVING INTO A NIGHTMARE* talk to the neighbours also, seek if there is seasonal floods on the area i'm saving this video for the next time i move (which, taking the last time i did, will be in 2023) because SO MUCH VALUABLE TIPS!!! THANK U edit: seeing Leena assembling the furniture so easily made me cry a little because i was gifted one gigantic closet and a complete kitchen, both secondhand, but the person didn't knew how to assemble neither and it took TWO WHOLE DAYS to kinda do the kitchen (still a wip) and i still keep my clothes in boxes lol So keeping the manual is important

[@MMYMRS]

omg!! rolling contract is huge!! I just moved to the UK a little over a year ago and they keep telling us its not an option. Thank you for delivery the truth!

[@freyafarmer7789]

I'm not quite twenty, but I feel I am suitably prepared in a wide and quirky range of areas to tackle the years ahead - thank you very much Leena for this weird and wonderful series :)

[@amyukulele]

i really feel like i’m getting a fast track through a lot of trial and error by watching all of these at sixteen ahaha

[@Snowspring09]

Hi, US individual here: *absolutely* check the basics of renting policies/laws in the county and/or state you're renting in! This lovely video talks a lot of the legalities, and as a kid of some just landlords, much of this information is quite transferrable to (at least) what is experienced in the US. Additionally, whether or not if you're signing a lease with a company that is managing the property (so not necessarily the landlord themself), read the fine print *and* search if there's any laws on particularly those groups that you should be aware of. I know it sounds like a ton of work, but it saves you a lot of trouble. Alternatives to reading are videos like these online that go over a certain region's most useful rules/laws. To my fellow Americans, remember that you cannot be discriminated by your race, skin color, age, family relations, disability, and the like. ONE last thing, as a person who learned a good amount of my state's low-income energy affordability laws: look at what the county/state can provide for you if you meet the requirements to be considered a low-income household. My state helps out low-income renters to a degree so that they remain in their housing (i.e., as mentioned in the video, housing stability is a widespread issue.) Take NO shame in needing to go to the local church or nonprofit's food pantry. There is no shame in trying to survive in an expensive housing landscape.

[@livinginadaydream1]

"potentially into our thirties" *cries in American*

[@Ineverusemychannel]

According to a report from 2019 the average age for a first time home buyers in the US is 34. I would say the pandemic has probably set some of us younger people (I’m gen z) back financially but the housing market was booming in 2020 with people in their late twenties and thirties escaping cities. I think one thing that may drive that age up for my generation is a lack of interest in the responsibility of owning a home and a preference for mobility now that remote work is a norm but an increase in age isn’t solely due to financial inaccessibility. Capitalists prefer we tie our money up in things they can control the value of like property.

[@Rucola438]

TAKE PICTURES OF YOUR METERS! Water, electricity, gas, all of them! E-on tried to charge our asses 300 quid on gas for 10 DAYS of use they "estimated" in AUGUST. We also had a prepaid gas meter that had some leftover money on it, so technically we didn't have to pay them anything. I never managed to communicate with the bloody customer service that never sent me back anything in writing and I ended up being involved with debt collectors and paying 100 pounds for the gas bill... I know it sounds like it got fixed, but then again, the meter still had money on it... I much later found out our inventory had photos of the meters on it...

[@platypuswilltakeover]

Currently tackling MOULD- oh what a thrill. Renting alone and have definitely learnt a lot from this property (4th one I am renting now). Over the years I have tackled dodgy plumbing, constant electricity fails, mice in my bed and now mould! Obviously my estate agent thought I was doing something wrong when evidently the last tenants had painted over damp patches and now the next door flat is surprisingly also suffering from damp. So an 'official investigation' has been opened...which I had been told had been opened two months ago??? The joys of renting- also definitely concur with how my responses to my emails are completely based on the fact I am a young woman living alone. OH JOY.

[@nellien4802]

In the US never NEVER expect a security deposit back. And if you want to be infuriated for days (haha weeks) look at the discussions on r/landlords

[@teszter704]

Pro tip for moving: pack your clothes, jackets, textiles into vacuum bags, because they get half the size when you suck the air out. It's def a must when moving to a different country

[@nadine6153]

Wow, in germany you can quit your rental contract monthly! You only have to do it three month in avance. Didn´t know there were such big differences!

[@Harrison_J_T]

I've never had to give three months notice. I feel like it's usually a month but I have had to give two months once and two weeks another time so it's up to the landlord/agency really. Usually whatever notice period you have to give also applies to the landlord too though if they want to end the tenancy early. You do usually have had to live there a minimum amount of time (usually 6 months)

[@pleunietje]

When you landlord is selling the property at the end of your contract they only can have viewings in the last month of the contract. I did work nights and had unplanned viewings and got woken up by strangers in my room at 2pm after a night shift and an estate agent commenting on young people and their sleep habits. This started 4 months before my contract ended!😡

[@erinnorris]

PSA all current IKEA manuals are available on their website AND they will give you replacement small parts if you're missing a bolt/screw/whatever - you just go to the customer service desk with the part number from the instructions!!

[@beckymarrow397]

Thank you for the heads up about being allowed a rolling contract after 12 months somewhere! I had no idea Also, something that I wasn't aware of until I rented in a large UK city (where the estate agents/landlords are more likely to take the piss): On a rolling monthly contract in the UK, a month's notice is the month from the start date of your contract - not the date you give notice. So if your monthly rolling contract starts on the 5th of every month and you give a month's notice on the 6th of February, that notice only comes into effect on 5th March. So you're legally obliged to pay up until 4th April, NOT 4th of March. So in some cases a person could end up having to pay almost two months rent despite giving a month's notice. Apparently many landlords don't enforce this and take your notice as a month from the date you give it - but just a heads up in case your landlord is a bastard 🤷‍♀️

[@DashValkyrie]

UK redress schemes and council tax sounds like a nightmare. It's a nightmare in Australia too (because *gestures to real estate agents and landlords in general*) but we don't have to pay our equivalent to council tax, the landlord does. Our bond/security deposit is usually held by a government agency or statutory authority and disputes are also handled through them or through small claims courts. I feel like UK, US and Australia all have rental systems that are heavily skewed to the property owner's favour, whereas in parts of Europe like Germany it's much easier, cheaper and far less of a nightmare to rent.

[@anna-maymoon1001]

Omg I cannot tell you how grateful I am when it comes to the renting situations I've had up til now, I won't get into it but like, Liverpool, cheap rent paradise

[@kayleighbutler2259]

We just moved into a flat and council tax is quite horrifying especially as you can't get through to the department on the phone. Gonna have to share this to anyone looking to move. Haven't made it to 20 yet but moving without family support and knowledge is a bloody mess. We are allowed to do most things and have a lot of it in writing but who knows what the inventory clerk will try and pull. It's a learning experience and in another 20 years I'm sure it will make sense. (also had the rent lowered because of the work that needed doing, haha I think I'm on top with that one... or maybe not?)

[@heyheyitsJoanna]

I didn't check my fire alarm or CO alarm for batteries until I almost burnt the kitchen down and nothing went off. Then had to convince landlord to pay for a new 2-in-1 detector because they were over 11 years old.

[@alicegale7174]

If you are moving i cannot stress enough the importnat of checking the poerty for cracks, mould, leaky or drafty windows, water pressure ect. Litereally everything. AND THEN TAKE PICTURES AS SOON AS YOU MOVE IN! becuse they will do their best to not give your deposits back! I have always argued and poven them i broke nothing and gotten it back. Also if your landlord is being neglectful call Citizens advice and your report them to the local council! I had the worst mould issue and it made my asthma worse, the council forced them to sort this out! they have hleped me with other landlords too!