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Here you will find all the important information on room for rent with locals: rights and duties, taxation, advice. Whether you are a host or a tenant, you will find everything you need to know on the Roomlala Blog.

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Where to live in London: A guide

08/21/2019

When planning on moving to the Big Smoke, or simply deciding to move to a new area, it can be difficult to figure out where to live in London as the huge amount of choice can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know the city very well. Whether you’re looking for accommodation in East London, West London, North or South, there’s something for everyone. Students With universities all around the city, students in London are all spread out, just like student housing in London is too. Stud...

House rules to roommate agreements: A guide to life as a flatmate

08/13/2019

Whether moving in with people you already know or with complete strangers, flatmate life can be a great experience, but also sometimes a messy one if you’re not careful as living in close quarters can often lead to the odd argument. However, if you follow our tips, you’ll be living in harmony. Set house rules By setting house rules right at the beginning, everyone is on the same page from day one regarding what is expected of themselves and each other. These can include who does which chor...

Buying rental property: How the buy to let scheme works

08/08/2019

Buying rental property can be a great investment but, it can also be daunting if you don’t know where to start. The buy to let scheme offers mortgages to people who want to buy a house or flat in order to rent it out. These mortgages are slightly different to normal ones, and often have different requirements and rules. However, like normal mortgages, the buy-to-let scheme lets you buy a property without having to save up to pay it all at once. What’s the difference between a buy-to-let (BTL)...

What to include in your house viewing checklist

08/01/2019

If you’re looking for a room, house or flat, it’s likely that you’ll want to go see the property before you sign the rental contract. This might be daunting, especially if it’ll be the first time you’ve gone to a viewing, which is why we’ve created this house viewing checklist to ensure you know everything you need to ask and look for. Things to look out for Potentially the most important part of this house viewing checklist, the things you see (and often hear) can be the biggest tell-tale...

Rental law: Things to look out for when signing a rental contract

07/26/2019

When renting somewhere new, contract signing might be the most important part of the process because once a rental contract is signed, there’s no going back. Nobody wants to brush up on their rental law knowledge, so we’ve written this guide to help you look out for the most important parts. The Basics While the basics are just that, these are the details that could have potentially catastrophic repercussions if there’s been a mistake made. According to gov.uk, your rental contract should ...

Moving abroad: what you need to know

07/17/2019

Although moving abroad is an exciting change in your life, it can also be a daunting one, especially if you’re overwhelmed about organising what you’ll need to do before you go. To help you feel more in control and to speed up the cultural adaptation process, we’re giving your our top tips and essential things you need to know. The essentials There are some things that you have to do that are vital in preparing to move abroad. For example: Find out if you need a Visa to move to the coun...

Rental law: The Fitness for Human Habitation Act

07/11/2019

As of 20th March 2019, rented houses and flats must be ‘fit for human habitation’ (otherwise known as being safe and not posing a risk to anyone's health). This rental law is a new addition to the Landlord and Tenant Act and if it isn’t honoured, court action may be taken. You might be thinking it’s too complicated to learn about yet piece of legislation, but we’re here to break it down for you. What does it actually mean? Although the Fitness for Human Habitation Act is a new addition to ...

How to study abroad as an Erasmus student

06/26/2019

Eating croissants in France, drinking beer in Germany, making new memories that you’ll have for the rest of your life; studying abroad lets you become more confident and independent while learning another language. By experiencing other cultures, you can widen your horizons and meet people you wouldn’t have otherwise been introduced to. If it’s something you want to do, read on to find out how to study abroad. Mandatory semester/year abroad If you study one or more languages at a British uni...

What you can do if you need help paying rent

06/21/2019

There are many reasons people can need help paying rent, from changes in financial situations to spending too much on shopping sprees, but it’s best to get ahead of it to avoid rent arrears where possible. However all is not lost, we’ve put together this guide to help you figure out what to do. Talk to your landlord as soon as possible As soon as you realise that you won’t be able to pay your rent on time, tell your landlord. By being open and upfront, they may be more lenient. Explain to...

How to take in a lodger if you have a spare room to rent

06/13/2019

Have your kids moved out? Are you feeling a bit lonely living alone? Do you just need some spare cash? If you've recently decided you have a spare room to rent in your home, taking in a lodger and establishing a lodger agreement could be the perfect way for you to earn extra money. Not only will you receive rent payments, but you could also be eligible for the rent a room scheme, helping you keep more of the money you earn. Before finding a lodger If you have a spare room to rent, there ar...

Who is eligible for a council tax exemption or discount?

06/06/2019

Council tax is a tax applied to a property, with the full amount depending on the value of the property. It’s often forgotten about while working out housing budgets, so it’s important to be aware of the cost before you start renting a property. To find out how much you need to pay, you’ll need to find out your home’s valuation band, how much your local council charges for that band and if you're eligible for a council tax discount or exemption. To find out more about the last step, keep reading...

Rental Law: The Right to Rent Check

05/29/2019

In February 2016, a new rental law was introduced in England, stating that all landlords renting out properties in England must ensure that their prospective tenant(s) have the Right to Rent. The Right to Rent check has become one of many landlord responsibilities that must be carried out in order for them to allow a tenant to rent their property - you can find out more about necessary responsibilities and documents in our article here. What is the Right to Rent? To put it simply, someone ...

What's a guarantor? Definition and meaning

05/23/2019

Being a student, not having a renting history or having previous problems with keeping up with payments are just some of the reasons a landlord may ask you to provide a guarantor before they’ll approve your tenancy. However, when asked to provide one, many tenants’ first thought is ‘what’s a guarantor’? Never fear, Roomlala is here to explain all you need to know. What’s a guarantor? The definition and meaning of a guarantor is someone, often a parent or close family member, who agrees to ...

Landlord documents: A guide for first time landlords

05/17/2019

Unless you have a degree in real estate law, knowing which documents you need to provide and obtain can be difficult, especially for a first time landlord. While the focus is mainly on rental contracts, there are a plethora of landlord documents, some that obligatory and some that are simply helpful, so we’ve written this guide to simplify it for you. What landlord documents do you need to provide? First and foremost, if you are a first time landlord renting a property in Scotland, Wales...

Tenant Fees Act: What you need to know

05/09/2019

The Tenant Fees Act will come into play in England on 1st June 2019 and will stop landlords and agencies from charging extra fees on top of what is actually required. This change in rental law means that, for those living in assured shorthold tenancies, student accommodation or as a lodger, there will be a set list of tenant fees that agencies and landlords can ask for leading up to and during the tenancy. To find out if this applies to you, check out our blog post on the different types of tena...

Early termination of a lease agreement - can it be done?

05/03/2019

There are numerous reasons, from a change in job location to a change in financial position, that could lead to a tenant wanting to end their lease early. However, this is not always possible and doing so when it’s not permitted could lead to some nasty consequences. When is ending a lease early possible for tenants? There are four instances which would allow the early termination of a lease agreement by a tenant. These are: The landlord agrees that the lease agreement can be ended early...

Tips on figuring out how to set a budget for rent

04/18/2019

Whether you’re a first-time renter or you’ve been renting for years, figuring out how to budget for rent can be difficult. There are so many things to consider: from the obvious, like rent prices, to the ones everyone always forgets, like phone bills. However, Roomlala is here to help you figure out how to set a budget and put these worries behind you. How to set a budget: what do you need to pay for each month? Unfortunately, rent prices aren’t the only living expenses that you need to ...

Just like with online reservations, online rent payments for long-term rentals become mandatory

02/05/2019

We told you here that as of 1st January, online reservations have become mandatory on Roomlala. In line with this news, we would also like to inform you that the online rent payments for long-term rentals will now be mandatory beginning 12th February 2019. How does that work? It's really simple! As requested by the majority of our landlords, Roomlala now makes it easy for you to manage rent payments and secure your rentals. Thus, as soon as you confirm a reservation for a long-term ...

As of 1st January: online reservations will now be mandatory on Roomlala

12/13/2018

Roomlala is preparing for some exciting changes this coming 2019! Among them is the obligation to pay online for all reservations. Up until 2018, thanks to our Connect pass (or formerly called Premium pass), you are allowed to share your contact details in our messaging platform as well as choose the mode of payment for your reservation: online or in person (outside our platform). As of 1 January 2019, all reservations must be paid online through the Roomlala platform. Why is online paymen...

Say goodbye to the Premium Pass and say hello to the Connect Pass

12/13/2018

At the end of the year, Roomlala is evolving the Premium Pass into the Connect Pass. Keep reading to find out more! What is different with the Connect Pass? Up until now, if you wanted to exchange your contact details through Roomlala's messaging platform, we suggested you become a Premium member. If you also proceeded with online reservation, you were also required to pay for 2 services on Roomlala: your Premium Pass subscription + the service fee. If you become a Connect member, you...

NEW: rents for long-term stays can now be paid online

11/30/2018

For long-term rentals (2 months and up), Roomlala now gives landlords the possibility to activate a Payment timeline. What is it for? In activating the Payment timeline, landlords notify their tenants that the rents are to be paid online each month, and no longer in person. This saves time and provides better safety to both landlords and tenants. Roomlala takes care of everything! Each month, Roomlala sends a payment notice as well as several rent reminders to inform the tenant th...

Discover your new dashboard!

12/13/2018

Prepare a cup of coffee and get comfortable. We'll tell you everything about Roomlala's brand new dashboard, as you can probably notice. To provide you with a better interface matching your rental needs, we have completely redesigned your dashboard. To learn more, follow the guide! Your notifications are always at your fingertips Landlords are always informed about their rental requests and reservations on the left side of the dashboard. You are also able to view the details in a simple ...

Finding the best tenant for you

05/24/2018

So maybe you’ve finally decided to rent out that spare space of yours, to rake in some extra cash. You may be doing this for the 1st or 20th time, but either way one very important step towards a smooth rental process is finding the best tenant for you. This does not mean you’re looking for a friend or partner for life, ok maybe you are but that’s besides the point. You’re trying to find someone who’s going to follow the tenancy agreement at hand, treating you and your property with utmost respe...

How to deal with bad tenants

05/16/2018

Renting out your property can prove to be a very rewarding process as you are able to make additional income from an available space without causing you to have to perform heavy workloads, just a good use of management and respect. With that also comes good understanding and being aware of what sort of tenancy you want to establish, clearly setting out the rules needed for the tenancy to run smoothly. This can often be disrupted by many factors, such as your tenant not complying with the so call...
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