This content applies to Scotland only.

Housing laws vary between Scotland and England. Get advice relating to England

There are several things to consider when deciding on rental property.

You can download a checklist of things to consider, and use it to make notes on any properties you look at.

Cost

• How much is the rent?
• Will you have to pay a deposit? Most private landlords will ask for a deposit.
• Does the landlord accept local housing allowance (housing benefit) as rent? It may be difficult to find a landlord willing to take local housing allowance.
• Will you get enough local housing allowance to cover the rent? You can find out how much housing benefit you will be entitled to by filling in a pre-tenancy determination form, which you can get from the council's housing department. It's best to get a pre-tenancy determination before you agree to take on the tenancy, so if there is a shortfall, you can work whether you can cover it.
• How much council tax will you have to pay? Remember, if you're under 18 or a student you don't have to pay council tax, and if you live alone you can claim a single person discount of 25 per cent. You may also be entitled to council tax benefit.

Location and transport

• How far away is the flat from your place of work or study, or your family and friends? On the whole, if you live in a city, the further out you move, the cheaper rent becomes, but if you're paying a fortune in bus fares to travel back into town, you may not end up saving much.
• Are there useful shops close by? How far away is the nearest supermarket? How about other amenities, such as pubs, takeaways and restaurants, a leisure centre, cinema or library?
• Is the property on a bus route or near a station? When's the last bus home?
• Is there enough parking? Will your car be safe?
• Is the area well lit? If you are viewing the property during daylight, try to imagine whether you'd feel safe travelling home at night.
• What's the local GP's surgery like? Is there an NHS dental practice you can join? Ask around to find out. If you have special health needs, you may need to find out if there are suitable medical centres or practitioners nearby.
• If you have children, are there suitable nurseries and schools in the area? Will they be able to get a place? Use the directory at the Scottish Schools Online website to find out.

TIP! If you know the postcode of the property, you can find out what the neighbourhood is like using the UpMyStreet website.

The property

Here are a few things to look out for when inspecting the property itself:

General condition

• Is there any sign of damp, such as mould on the walls or carpets?
• Is the property big enough for all your belongings?
• What form of heating does the property use and what is the average monthly bill? Where is the meter?
• Do all the lights work? As you are going from room to room, switch them on.
• Is there hot and cold running water? Try flushing the loo and turning on the shower to check they work.

Furniture and fittings

• How much furniture is provided? What condition is the furniture in?
• Is there enough furniture for your use? Use the checklist of essential items to find out.
• Does the furniture comply with safety regulations? Items such as sofas and mattresses should have labels on them to show they pass the regulations. You can see examples of these labels at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform furniture guide.
• Is equipment such as kitchen utensils, a washing machine or vacuum cleaner provided?
• Are the curtains and carpets in a reasonable condition?
• What about the kitchen - are the cooking facilities up to scratch? Is there a working fridge and cooker, ample storage? How clean is the kitchen?

Safety

• Is the wiring safe? Ask the landlord, and double check to see if any fittings, plugs, etc are loose from the wall.
• Are any electrical appliances safe? Your landlord should get them checked every 12 months. Usually the electrician will put a sticker on the plug of each appliance saying when they were last checked.
• Is there sufficient ventilation? Check especially near any gas appliances.
• Are there working smoke alarms, a fire blanket in the kitchen and fire extinguishers throughout the house? Is there another escape route besides the front door?
• Can your landlord show you a certificate of gas safety provided by an Gas Safe Register engineer within the last 12 months?
• How secure are the locks on both the doors and windows? Does the door have a bolt or chain? Is there a spyhole so you can see who's outside? If the property is a flat, does it have an entry phone system?

Energy efficiency

• Does the landlord have a valid energy performance certificate (EPC) for the property? Since 4 January 2009, any landlord who puts a property up for rent must obtain a certificate giving the property an energy rating and must show it to you free of charge. This will help you work out how high your fuel bills are likely to be. If the landlord doesn't produce an EPC within nine days, you can report them to the council.
  

Outside the property

• Is there a back yard or garden? If so, is it secure, or could someone enter the property through the back entrance? If there is a garden, who is responsible for its upkeep?
• How is rubbish collected? Is there a wheelie bin or bin house?
• What is the outside structure of the building like? Point out to the landlord if you see that any gutters are broken, or the brickwork looks as if it may fall off. This could be a major danger for you or the other tenants. The landlord is legally responsible for the upkeep of the fabric of the property.

Accessibility

If you, anyone else in your household, or anyone who regularly visits you is disabled, you'll need to make sure the property will meet their needs too. For example, do you need a property on the ground floor? Do you need a parking space nearby? If not, it may be possible to get a designated disabled parking space assigned to you by the council - check the council's website to find out more.

Download our accessibility checklist (also available in large print) to check whether a property will suit you.

The landlord

Is the landlord registered?

Before you agree to move into a new property, you should always check that the landlord is registered with the council. As of 30 April 2006, all private landlords should by law be registered or have applied to register with the council.

If the landlord isn't registered, don't enter into an agreement with them: if they haven't registered, you may end up getting evicted when the council finds this out. If the council has refused to register them or has removed them from the register, this may be because they aren't considered to be a fit and proper person to let out property. Go to the section on landlord registration to find out more about how the system works and how you can find out if a landlord is registered.

Is the landlord a member of an accreditation scheme?

If possible, try to rent from a landlord who's a member of Landlord Accreditation Scotland or an accreditation scheme run by the council or, if you're a student, by your university or college. In order to join an accreditation scheme, your landlord has to show that their letting policies and their properties meet the standards required by the scheme. For example, they will need to prove that they fulfil all their legal duties, that they don't discriminate against certain groups of people and that they care about their tenants - in short, that they are a 'good landlord'.

What's the landlord like?

Finally, how do you feel about the landlord in general? Do you feel intimidated by them? Would you feel able to approach them if anything went wrong, for example if the property needed repairs done or if you were going to be late with your rent?