Contacting Agents to view housing

Agency fees can be a pain - luckily I haven't had to spend too much on fees, but they can be high.

And yes, be careful of rents that are either per week or seem very cheap - the advert might look like it's for say, a 4-bedroom house but actually, they are just for renting a room in a 4-bed house (i.e. For students).


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We do already have a bank there in Glasgow, so setting up a bank draft for the rent shouldn't be a problem. 

You'll be required to set up a standing order for the rent.  Or the letting agent will set up a direct debit.  It's highly unlikely they're going to want you to get a banker's draft every month.

Make sure that any deposit you give is protected by the government scheme that protects tenants.  I'm not sure if your 6 months rent up front can be protected this way , but if it can, that would be great.  Your other deposits should be protected in this way, unless Scotland is different. 

Also, be absolutely sure to inspect the property with the agent and make them acknowledge EVERY single issue that you see.  They will try hard to avoid doing this, but of course will charge you for it.  Otherwise you will get charged for every little thing wrong with the place when you leave.  You must get an accurate inventory when you come and go. 

Beware of scams where a property to rent is too good to be true and the vendor is suggesting that you must pay a deposit right now.  Often, scammers get an Air B N B property for the weekend and then advertise it for rent at a low price.  They spend the whole weekend showing the property and collecting deposits and then disappear. 

Also be super careful about making any bank transfer, especially for 6 months rent.  There are all kinds of ways that can go wrong with the result that you loose money.  Scammers will take over the email address of estate agents and intercept the mail that specifies account details and substitute their own.  Or it could be as simple as you typing one digit incorrectly, in which case the bank will deposit the money in some one else's account, regardless of the name not matching. Then the banks refuse to tell you who has your money because of data protection, and the police tell you it is not their job. 
I know I sound like a tin hat lunatic, but all of these things have happened in real life.  Get the account details directly from the agent and do a test transfer of a small amount first. 

It's extra difficult to avoid being scammed in this process because many times the biggest scammers are the agents themselves, but again it could be better in Scotland.  I think they passed some special laws to protect people there.  Here's your first experience of why the people of Scotland want independence from England, but that's enough rant for today.

Thanks for the tips. Definitely on the deposit scheme.  We had assumed the "per person" was not going to be something we wanted.  Renting here in California is very similar, as far as checking the property out first. We usually take photos and attach a print-out of them with any damage we find. We'll definitely do a walk-through to document what the condition is.  Here you get a checklist and you go through, room by room, noting nails in the walls, scratches on the doors, things that are not working, etc., before you take actual posession of the property.   Just so they cannot say you caused the damage, later on.    With the both of us checking, and possibly a friend of my daughter's, hopefully we'll manage to protect ourselves properly.

Since we don't need to do any of this until late winter or early spring, we do have time to do our "homework", thankfully. We are including an area a bit further west than originally planned, possibly out into Anniesland, as it appears that there are more available properties at any given time, and it seems much quieter there. It's also less expensive than Kirklees or Dowanhill (although both are lovely areas - we took walks through them on a visit last year). There is a decent public transportation system there and my daughter should be able to get a monthly bus pass and be able to take a bus into the Uni. as needed. In the rare instance when she needs to be over there very late into the evening, or if the weather is awful, she can take a cab home. (I'm amazed at how economical the cabs are there!)  I had wondered about getting a bicycle on which I could toodle around, but it seems that there is a lot of traffic, so that could be dangerous, and the area's got some lengthy (thus brutal for a new bicyclist) grades in the roadways.  I don't want a car - neither the expense nor the hassle of getting a UK driving license, etc., right away. (If ever.)

I was under the impression that in Scotland the agents could not charge a fee to a potential tenant - but I'll go back and re-read all the housing advice on the Uni websites. Better to be a wise tin-hat lunatic than one who's just lost a large chunk-o-change to a scammer, for sure! 

Thanks again!

You'll be required to set up a standing order for the rent.  Or the letting agent will set up a direct debit.  It's highly unlikely they're going to want you to get a banker's draft every month.

Thanks.

Definitely on the deposit scheme.

It's your future landlord that has to put your deposit into the scheme, not you.

When you do finally rent, you need to make sure that any deposit you pay is put into the Deposit Protection Service (DPS) by your landlord/the agency handling the rental.

You should receive a letter or email from the DPS after you have paid the deposit, which confirms that it has been put into the scheme. It will also assign you with a Repayment ID, which you will need to have in order to get the deposit back at the end of the tenancy.

An example of the email you should receive (this is the exact wording of the one I received a couple of years ago):

Dear (Your Name),

Your agent / landlord has successfully submitted a deposit to The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS).

Your Repayment ID for this deposit is:

XXXXX


You will need the Repayment ID at the end of the tenancy so we can release the deposit to you and your agent / landlord as appropriate. Please keep the Repayment ID confidential and ensure that this advice is retained for future reference.

The details provided by your agent / landlord are as follows:

Deposit ID:   
Rental property:   
Name of lead tenant:   
Name(s) of other tenant(s):   
Agent / landlord trading title:   
Agent / landlord address:   
Start date of tenancy:   
Tenancy period:   
Deposit amount:   
Date deposit received:   
Please ensure that these are correct. Should you need to make any changes, you can do so by visiting www.depositprotection.com, selecting ‘Log in now’ and entering the Deposit ID and your unique Repayment ID in the Tenant prompt.

When logged in, you can:

View the details of your tenancy / deposit
Read the rules of the scheme
Request the repayment of your deposit at the end of the tenancy
When your tenancy period expires, please remember to update your forwarding address. You can do this by logging in as above.

Thank you for using The Deposit Protection Service.

Yours sincerely,

The DPS Support Team

Keep an eye on these flats
Garriochmill Road, North Kelvinside, Glasgow, G20
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-61968569.html
Not old and gorgeous, but super close to everything, clean and bright, and surrounded by trees so really nice to live in.
Lived in Glasgow's west end for eight years, happy to provide specific advice if needed.

Thanks, will do!  This is exactly the type of place we are looking for. Modern heating and good electrical wiring, decent-sized rooms, and within walking distance of the Uni. We'd prefer unfurnished, but will take what we find.

Earlier this year we saw a number of places that seemed appropriate, in Hyndland and along Hyndland Road. Daughter says it's a considerable grade  up the hill to Hillhead from there, though, and doesn't seem to want to have to deal with the hill. Is it really that bad? 

Our first priority is safety, then quiet, then the walking distance bit.  I don't want to have to be worrying if she's walking home from Uni after dark by herself. If the right place becomes available and it's like out in Anniesland, there's the bus.  We'll start paying more attention to what is available early next year, but I've watched on Rightmove for some time now and think I've got a handle on when the Uni students start to give notice (late March, April?) that they are leaving. I am assuming that after they give notice, we'd be able to view the apartment (with an appointment)?  Is that how it works there?

Nan, one thing to be aware of is that 'North Kelvinside' is often estate agent-speak for Maryhill, and I don't think Maryhill is an area you'd be happy with.  I personally wouldn't want to walk alone in Maryhill at night (unless it's changed a lot since I lived in the west end -- I stayed in Hillhead for a year, but that was 25 years ago!  I also lived in Partick for 8 years, but moved away 2 years ago, so my experience might not be up to date!)

Thank you. That's good to know.

Daughter spent a year studying there as an undergrad and says the same thing. No to Maryhill, no to Partick, pretty much no to Merchant City, downtown, and anywhere east.  Says we should stay within a corridor that runs from Woodlands going towards the west along Great Western Road, and not too far from GWR - not a lot further south than Hyndland Road and not too far north than the river (where there is a river) and that Maryhill Road is a hard-stop boundary. Says that up Queen Margaret Street is ok until you get up to about Oban, and then north of that it starts getting "sketchy" and she didn't feel safe there.

When I visited we were in what she said was Kelvinside, and walked through Kirkees and it was lovely. (And probably well out of our price range.)  We also walked a bit in Dowanhill and it seemed very nice.  Aside from a quick trip downtown to do some shopping, a quick tour of the university, and a ride on the subway, I didn't get to see a lot else in Glasgow.

Here at home if you see bars on the windows, graffiti, or a generally unkempt appearance you know you're in a lower rent/higher crime area. I assume it pretty much works like that everywhere. (?)  She also said something interesting - that the bathrooms in stores in areas with a high drug abuse rate tend to have blueish lights in the bathrooms, as addicts can't see a vein in that light and would have to go elsewhere.  Is that just one of those myths (like Camel Spiders in Afghanistan) or is it true?

She also said we should avoid getting a place on "a parade route"- which means nothing at all to me. Obviously we're not talking about Christmas parades for children here....?

Daughter spent a year studying there as an undergrad and says the same thing. No to Maryhill, no to Partick, pretty much no to Merchant City, downtown, and anywhere east.  Says we should stay within a corridor that runs from Woodlands going towards the west along Great Western Road, and not too far from GWR - not a lot further south than Hyndland Road and not too far north than the river (where there is a river) and that Maryhill Road is a hard-stop boundary. Says that up Queen Margaret Street is ok until you get up to about Oban, and then north of that it starts getting "sketchy" and she didn't feel safe there.

Yep... looks like she picked up a lot of local knowledge while she was here.  I wouldn't make Partick a no-go area myself... as long as it wasn't right on the Dumbarton Road.  Many of the roads that lead off Dumbarton Road are nice and Partick is generally one of the more affordable areas of the west end.  But if she didn't feel safe... that's a personal choice.

  She also said something interesting - that the bathrooms in stores in areas with a high drug abuse rate tend to have blueish lights in the bathrooms, as addicts can't see a vein in that light and would have to go elsewhere.  Is that just one of those myths (like Camel Spiders in Afghanistan) or is it true?

Not a myth.  The toilets in the Morrisons supermarket in Partick have this type of lighting.

She also said we should avoid getting a place on "a parade route"- which means nothing at all to me. Obviously we're not talking about Christmas parades for children here....?

Glasgow has a pretty big sectarian violence problem.  But people generally know when the 'walks' are being held, and it's possible to avoid them.  If you live on a parade route, you just stay inside and listen to the bands... I loved hearing the sound of the drums far away, closer, close, then far away again.  I wouldn't say it was particularly dangerous living on a parade route, as they pass through and then are gone... most of the problems will occur in city centre pubs that evening,  just as it can do on days the Old Firm (football) play. 

I'm in the south of England in a 'posh' area and there is graffiti everywhere.   

Right, a few things.
Glasgow has a problem with sectarianism for those who give a toss about it. In my 8 years in Glasgow's west end I saw one march, and in my ignorance of what was occuring, I thought it a rather pleasant and peculiar thing. In general, in the west end, but really throughout Glasgow, you will not have a problem with sectarianism. Once you move you'll see what I mean, its a non-issue.
Glasgow's charm comes from its imperfections - graffiti, rougher-seeming bits, etc. Furthermore, even in a more run-down area, like Maryhill, you're still perfectly safe. TBH, I'd rather live in Maryhill than Anniesland. Maryhill's got good bus links into town, is easy walking-distance to the park, the Kelvin walkway, the tube, plus it's got a massive Target-like Tesco. But anyways, in general, living in a visibly more run-down area in Glasgow is not equivalent to something similar in the states, at least in my experience.
Rereading what she wrote, she's got the boundaries right for my preferred living areas in Glasgow west-end, but re not feeling safe, I just can't settle with that. Glasgow is rough, as aforementioned, but its safe - so outside those boundaries might look less desireable, but there is nothing wrong with them, there's no sense of the 'wrong side of the tracks', its just a place where people with less money live.
When you're looking at crime, make sure you research violent v nonviolent crime. The population in Scotland is generally less segregated - unlike many areas in the states, so you'll live only a street or two away from people with less money, less education, less favours in life. This may mean some crime in your area, but not crime that will necessarily affect you - like shoplifting, drugs charges, fighting, etc. I'm no expert, but its something to consider.
So, onto the hill, and walking. The clue is in the name, Hillhead. The university is on a hill, so there's no getting around it. Also, its dark quite a large amount of the time in winter here, so your (presumably adult) daughter will be walking alone in the dark quite a lot of the time. I cannot stress enough how much this will not be a problem in Glasgow's educated, wealthy west end. I would feel, have felt, do feel safe most places in Glasgow, most times of the day. Same as any major city.
I'm guessing you won't be moving into typical student housing, which, if its anything like it was in my day, were large tenement flats with IKEA kitchens, cheap carpeting and bare bones furniture. It'll be two different markets, you and the students, so don't worry about them. Look on rightmove, see if its available at the time you want it, click the button for 'contact an agent' (or whatever it is now) and they'll get back to you with a time for viewing. Simple as that. If you like it, and no one else does, you'll get it. Keep looking and see if you can be the first to view it, and then to ask to let it. I would, however, in the meantime, see which letting agents are letting the types of flat you like, and get in touch with them to see what the requirements would be for someone in your situation to rent. Stress your independent wealth, etc - 6 months rent upfront would not be a problem. This will be important, as you may find a perfect place, and they may be perfectly happy to rent it to you, but if you don't tick the boxes, they'll just rent it to the next interested person, of which there will be many.
Right, a bit bust just now so I'm not going to reread this for typos - best of luck and get in touch if you need any more info.
Cheers. 

Sectarian Violence?  In Scotland?  If I hadn't heard it from you guys I never would believe it exists.  Who's fighting and parading?  Is it about religion or football or something else ?

Great post, eatoomey! 

Glasgow has a problem with sectarianism for those who give a toss about it. In my 8 years in Glasgow's west end I saw one march, and in my ignorance of what was occuring, I thought it a rather pleasant and peculiar thing. In general, in the west end, but really throughout Glasgow, you will not have a problem with sectarianism. Once you move you'll see what I mean, its a non-issue.

...unless you or someone you care about is in the wrong place at the wrong time, or with the wrong people... this would seem unlikely to happen to Nan/her daughter in their circumstances.  It's just something that, if you live in the west of Scotland (I'm in my 50's and have lived here for half my life), you should be aware of.

No matter where in the west end Nan ends up, she really should visit the Tesco in Maryhill.... it's great!  Better than the Morrisons in Anniesland, and miles ahead of the shitey wee Morrisons in Partick (although I've heard they're doing the Partick one up).  The Waitrose in Byres Road is nice enough, but it's small and expensive.