Find a private rented home
Contents
- Find a private rented home
- Rights and responsibilities in a private tenancy
Find a private rented home
Finding a home that you can afford to rent doesn’t have to mean a council or housing association (‘social housing’) place.
There are advantages to renting from a private landlord:
- there are no waiting lists, so you’ll be able to move in quickly
- you can choose the area you want to live, and you can move to a different area if you want
- you have more choice over the size and type of place that you rent, depending on what you can afford
How to find private rented accommodation
There are lots of ways to find a privately rented property:
look in local newspapers
look on community notice boards in supermarkets and local shops
ask people you know, such as friends, family and people you work with
look and ask on local social media sites
register with as many local letting agencies as possible and keep in contact with them weekly to make sure you are on the waiting list for any place to go and see any place that becomes available.
look on national website websites, such as:
If you are living in our temporary accommodation, you may be asked to show us some of your searches for your Personal Housing Plan (PHP).
When you have found a possible place to live contact the landlord or agent and arrange to view the property, so you can see what its really like.
Costs involved in finding a rented home
To find a private rented home you will need to be able to pay:
- the monthly rent. Make sure you are clear about the level of rent you have agreed with the landlord or agent and check what your agreement says about when your landlord has the right to increase the rent
- the first month’s rent in advance
- a deposit – this is likely to be the same as five week’s rent
- the electricity, water and if the property has gas, gas bills (‘utility bills’)
- the council tax
A good way to check that you can afford it before you view, is to use the Government website entitledto.co.uk. This should be easy to use, but if you need help and are claiming Universal Credit (UC), pop a note on your UC journal and your personal advisor will show you how.
Letting agents’ charges
There are clear rules about fees and costs that a letting agent or landlord can charge for finding you a home and setting up your tenancy.
See the Tenant Fees Act for guidance.
It is illegal for letting agencies to charge for registering you or giving you a list of properties.
They can charge you a fee for finding a property and for other services such as drawing up a tenancy agreement.
Most agencies will insist that you provide a reference from a previous landlord and/or your employer.
If you are in temporary accommodation, we will provide a reference for you. Speak to the Temporary Accommodation team about this.
Helping you to afford a private rented home
If paying the costs of finding and moving into a private rented home are difficult, we may be able to help you in the following ways:
If you are not in work or are on a low income you may be able to get some help to cover your rent payments. For most households this will now be through Universal Credit Housing element, though some households will still be able to claim Housing benefit.
The maximum amount of Housing Benefit that can be paid to people living in private rented accommodation is set through Local Housing Allowance (LHA). This limit is set by central government, depending on the area of the country you live in. West Northamptonshire is covered by six different LHA areas, and the amount of HB that can be paid will be different in each of this.
Check our information about these areas and the levels of LHA payment, to help work out what you can afford and the areas you might want to live in.
If you are under 35 and do not live with a partner or children, you'll usually only be able to claim for a single room in a shared house.
This is called the Local Housing Allowance shared accommodation rate (SAR).
You can get more than the SAR if you:
- are a care leaver and under 25
- have previously lived in a hostel for homeless people for at least 3 months in total
- are an ex-offender managed under an active Multi-Agency Public Protection Agreement (MAPPA)
- are getting the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- are getting the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) at the middle or highest rate
- are getting Attendance Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance
- are getting Armed Forces Independence Payment
- are a victim of domestic abuse
- are a victim of modern slavery
Speak to your Housing Options officer if you need help with this.
Your landlord or letting agent is likely to insist that you pay a tenancy deposit at the start. This is a payment to cover any damage that might be done to the property or its contents. This money should be returned to you, when you move out, unless you owe rent or have caused damage to the property.
Since April 2007 all landlords must place new deposits in a government authorised scheme to stop them keeping the payment at the end of the tenancy, without good reason.
You can find helpful information on what your landlord can and cannot do with your deposit on Shelter’s website.
If you are claiming Housing Benefit or Universal Credit Housing Costs you may be able to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) to cover a one-off cost such as for rent in advance, rent deposit or removal costs.
To pay this, the Council must be satisfied that:
- you can afford the property
- you have a valid reason to move
- you are unable to fund the one-off costs (such as the rent in advance, rent deposit or removal costs)
- the level of the deposit or rent in advance is reasonable
- you must be claiming Housing Benefit or Housing Costs via Universal Credits before the application is submitted/moving into the property
A DHP will be considered for:
- where there is a risk of homelessness
- to support a move from temporary accommodation to a private tenancy
- to move to more suitable private accommodation.
- Speak to your Housing Options Officer for help with this
We can also help you with the first month’s rent and the deposit through:
- The Vicars Relief Fund. This is a grant of up to £350 to prevent eviction, and up to £500 to help access accommodation. Your Housing Options Officer can help you to apply for this.
- Our Landlord Incentive Scheme
Your Housing Options Officer will be able to advise you about both of these.
Council Tax
If you live in self-contained accommodation you will have to pay Council Tax. If you are on low income you may be entitled to help through Council Tax Reduction. You need to apply to the council for help with this.
If you live in a house that you share with other households, it will be your landlord’s responsibility to pay the Council Tax for the whole property and your rent may include a sum to cover this.
Insurance
It is your responsibility to insure your own belongings. They will not be covered by any insurance your landlord has to cover the building.
Do you need you own furniture?
If your tenancy is furnished, make sure your landlord supplies you with an inventory. This is a list of all the furniture and removal items in your home at the time you move in. Carefully check this to make sure everything listed is provided. This should help avoid any disputes when you come to move out.
If your home comes without furniture, or without ‘white goods’, such as a fridge, cooker or washing machine, you can often find these at low cost, or free, through:
If you are going to be living in West Northants, but outside of Northampton, the Housing Team can refer you to Daventry Contact who can deliver items to your home. There is a one-off charge for delivery, but the goods are free. Services they provide include a ‘one-bed package’ including rugs, curtains, white goods, a bed and cutlery.
Spencer Contact provide similar goods within Northampton.
We may also be able to help you access financial support via the Household Support Fund.
Your Housing Options Officer can talk to you about these options, other local charities and work related grants that may be available to you.
Last updated 10 December 2024