Letting a Flat - What to Know

does the place have double glazing? it is hard to say without seeing the size of the place and the kind of heater or how large it is but if you have double glazing you'll probably be ok but if not you might well be freezing! our cental heating was broken down for a few days back in febuary and our landlord lent us a small electric fan heater til it got fixed ... it was ok if you were sitting almost on top of it but if you got more than a couple of feet away you were freezing; electric heating isn't as economical as gas either

So. Electric heating...? It's the only 'drawback,' which may not even be a drawback; considering it's one room... double glazed, carpeted. He did not use the phrase Economy 7, which friends of mine have told me to avoid totally. It looked like a heater I'd just have to plug in. He assured me that he's never had any problems with previous tenants being cold.

Economy 7 heating, per the Brit husband.  Realy cheep.  We had it in our very small one bedroom flat in Sedbergh January-Feburary and were nice and tosty.  The electricity come on between the hours of midnight and 7ish.  It heats up a type of heat storage device like bricks or something of the like.  ( I never looked inside to see what it was).  Then you adjust the vents to regulate how fast the heat is released throughout the day.  I think ours was an older unit, so some might have fans.  The place was almost to warm on a sunny day. 

The only problem is it has to be on over night to work.  If have it shut off for the summer and have a cool day in the fall, you can't just turn the heater on.  You can turn it on, but you won't have heat until the next day.

We enjoyed ours, our water heater was the same way.  But that had a switch which where we could give it a boost if we ran out of hot water, which wasn't very often since the showers were electric.

Sara, it sounds pretty good to me. If it's only one room it's going to retain heat anyway - is there a door between the studio room and the kitchen? Cause closing the room up at night, etc. would be a plus - only have to heat the room you're in then. The only drawback I can com up with is that those little heaters can be electricity guzzlers - if you're going to stay there more than 6 months, maybe price some energy efficient  ones and buy your own?

Also, duvets here come in different weights (called "togs") and we have one that's two duvets - one really light weight one and one medium weight one and both have snaps on the sides - so in the winter you can snap them together and have a heavy weight one. So that would save you being chilly at night when the heat's off....

(Sara started the thread, Anne, it was I who asked about the heating )

Thank you so much!  And sorry that I didn't include:  it is about 15 x 18 feet, the windows are double glazed, the kitchen is small and set off to the side with just a couple of swing doors, not big enough to affect any heating flow...
and thanks to my mommy, I did come here with my queen size down comforter from home, and I was planning on getting a new pair of winter pj's anyway... and, as the consensus seems to be, if the heater is the only 'drawback,' to a lot of other pluses, then I should 'take it!'
And when I mentioned to my folks that the electric heater (and there is another 'modern,' plug in one available as well) might get expensive, my mom said, 'well, if you need assistance, your father and I can get you through the winter!'

Love my mom.
And my dad.

And you guys, for all your help and support 

I have had nothing but bad experiences dealing with Letting agencies in the UK.  Because I still get paid from the US (meaning I have no credit here in the UK), they told me I had to have a guarantor in order to pass the credit check.  Unfortunately, the friend who acted as my guarantor was partially self-employed, so it took weeks for the credit agency to approve everything.  I had left the agent a deposit to hold the house, but the landlord decided to rent the flat to someone else!  I got my deposit back, but the letting agency refused to give me back the £60 I put down for the credit check.

I have since found a "private" agent (a guy working out of his home) and he has been a great help.  We are finalizing things on a house right now (cross your fingers). 

(Sara started the thread, Anne, it was I who asked about the heating )

Woopsie! Sorry, Elizabeth! Reading/posting too fast! 

Sounds like you've got it sorted! Congratulations! It's such a great feeling to sort out a home for yourself!!

no worries; and this board again, helps tremendously!

Now I'm just debating; how much more do I look, or do I just grab it now...?  Methinks I should grab it... as I said, the other places I've seen are smaller than a hotel room; and I don't want to feel like Gulliver in Lilliput in my own home!

Economy 7 heating, per the Brit husband.  Realy cheep.  We had it in our very small one bedroom flat in Sedbergh January-Feburary and were nice and tosty.  The electricity come on between the hours of midnight and 7ish.  It heats up a type of heat storage device like bricks or something of the like.  ( I never looked inside to see what it was).  Then you adjust the vents to regulate how fast the heat is released throughout the day.  I think ours was an older unit, so some might have fans.  The place was almost to warm on a sunny day. 

The only problem is it has to be on over night to work.  If have it shut off for the summer and have a cool day in the fall, you can't just turn the heater on.  You can turn it on, but you won't have heat until the next day.

We enjoyed ours, our water heater was the same way.  But that had a switch which where we could give it a boost if we ran out of hot water, which wasn't very often since the showers were electric.

Thanks becca, as that was making me a bit nervous; as the first friend who went looking with me said STAY AWAY FROM ECONOMY 7... then another said, 'oh, I think that's really cheap...' So... time to dive in and find out for myself I guess!  The landlord did say between midnight and 6am is the 'cheapest', and he's also giving me a 'fan' electric heater, so just start out minimally I guess and see how the costs go.  At least the water is heated separately; and the water is included in my rent.

I have had nothing but bad experiences dealing with Letting agencies in the UK.

I'd have to second this sentiment. We had to move suddenly in July, right before we got married, so things were rushed. We made a deposit on a house we wanted to rent, and it took 3 weeks for them to come back and say you need a guarantor. Mainly because I wasn't working, a fact they knew from the very beginning. I'd given them a copy of my US bank account showing I had money in it to cover rent if necessary - they said ok. Then after they said we needed a guarantor, they also pointed out that a US bank account wasn't good enough, although 3 weeks earlier it was fine.

So we listed my husband's parents as guarantors and they said it would take another 3 weeks. By that time we'd have been out on the street, and there was no other rental property we'd seen the size we needed in our area.  So we paid 6 months up front just to move in.

If we'd had any other option we'd have told them to shove it. Unfortunately, with the timing we simply had no choice. We were just lucky we had the funds to do it.

Just one little detail.  "Letting a property" is when someone is putting it up for rent.  If you are seeking a property, you don't say that you are interested in letting a property - you simply say that you're interested in renting one.  If you say you're interested in letting a property, the agent will think you have one to put up for rent.

We made a deposit on a house we wanted to rent, and it took 3 weeks for them to come back and say you need a guarantor. Mainly because I wasn't working, a fact they knew from the very beginning. I'd given them a copy of my US bank account showing I had money in it to cover rent if necessary - they said ok. Then after they said we needed a guarantor,

Yeah, I think anyone coming here and renting who is part of a one income couple (or on their own but not working) just has to plan for a guarantor. I showed documents proving a pretty substantial amount in student loans and we offered to pay 6 months up front and they still wouldn't let us sign the lease without a guarantor. I think it's just standard practice. The two good bits are that it's not too tough to find one  - we used one of Jamie's friends and he knew we were trustworthy and didn't even bat an eye - it's no skin off his nose as long as he knows we're good for it (and they actually don't go after the guarantor right away anyhow, we were 3 weeks late with rent accidentally because of a bad bank transfer, and they still just called us - not our guarantor; and also it's not something you'll have to renew when you renew your lease - at least it wasn't for us. We just renewed ours and didn't have to go through any hoo-ha at all.....

On a related note

I have been lookign for a flatshare for a while now, and I notice all the ads are like this

Male looking for Female
Gay Male looking for Gay Male or Female
Female looking for Female

A straight guy has not a chance on this market

Just call them up anyway, I know from past experience it is very hard to get a (sane, decent) girl flatmate because everyone wants one and people will often end up re-advertising the next day or week for a guy! Have you checked out www.chillitree.com, that is good for flatmate ads, also www.gumtreee.com.

Good luck!

Were you looking at Loot at all, Null?
I know my flatmate was interviewing anybody and everybody.

Thanks for the info

and I am looking in the Swasea / Cardiff Area ..