Why Renting Is A Pain In The Arse

why renting is a pain in the arse

I am a late twenty something who, like many people my age, might not be able to buy a house for another ten years. Therefore, I am forced to rent. Those of you who also rent will agree that it is not an ideal scenario. There are many frustrating things about renting, and I want to get some of them off my chest.

Unfortunately, my partner and I have had to move quite a few times now. So we know the process of moving out of an old property and into a new one pretty well, and boy is it irritating and exhausting.

As tenants you feel like you really don’t have much control, and estate agents/landlords will take advantage of you whenever they can. Sure, there might be a few good ones out there, and we have had a couple that haven’t been a problem at all. However, we have also had our fair share of bad ones.

I know this seems like a pretty darn boring blog post, but I think it’s something that a lot of people can relate to at the moment. In an ideal world I would be able to buy a house, but unfortunately we are not in a position to get any help. We have to do this all on our own, and saving enough money for a deposit, when you are paying so much out in rent, seems near impossible.

Still, I will not give up. Now, more than ever I am determined to save every penny I have got, so that I can live in a house that’s actually mine, where no one will bother me. Until that time, I will still have to put up with renting. So to help me get through the next few years of renting I am venting my frustration. Here is why renting is SUCH a royal pain in the arse….

1. You don’t get your old deposit back in time

This is a ridiculous way of doing things. You don’t get your old deposit back until after you have moved into your new place. Which means not only are you a couple of grand down, but you have to then fork out the same amount for the new place. Why can’t this be done in a different way? FFS.

2. Inventory inspections are so darn particular

You don’t know fussy until you get an inventory report back. A fingerprint on a light switch? How dare you! They note down every tiny little thing, no matter how petty. Nothing escapes these guys. It’s very stressful cleaning a house knowing how closely it’s going to be scrutinised by the cleaning police. My advice? Pay for a professional cleaner to come in and do it, and keep the receipt. Then you can’t get charged for petty cleaning issues.

3. It’s so bloody expensive it hurts

Why does it cost so much to move into a rented property? How do estate agents get away with charging enormous fees, and for what? £250 plus VAT for admin, I think not. The amount of money you have to come up with to move into a rented property is outrageous. Plus when you are in, the monthly rent plus all the bills is soul destroying. You’ve got council tax and water and heating and TV Licence and house insurance and internet and TV bills. You have bills coming out your ears and you never hear the end of it, there’s always a new bill to pay. Hell, you even have to pay for some bills after you have moved out.

4. Estate agents and landlords can be idiots

Oh boy, estate agents do have a bad reputation, and I understand why. It’s so damn hard to find a decent estate agent. Try and look for reviews and client feedback before signing with any agency. And landlords? Well don’t even get me started.

5. Finding a rental property if you have a dog is near impossible

Now this really gets on my nerves. Why in a country where 25% of homes have dogs is there such a stigma about having one in rental properties? When I call up about places and mention I have a dog I can tell they instantly want to put the phone down, instead they politely tell me to eff off.

6. Sure, we will have that done before you move in…or not

When you view a property estate agents and landlords basically lie about what they will do. You pick out things about the property that need work or need to be cleaned and they say, ‘yup, sure, I will have it done before you move in’. You move in, and nothing has changed and you have to go through the hassle of nagging for it to be done.

7. It feels like it could be your home, but it’s not, and it never will be

It’s definitely not your home when you can’t hang anything on the walls. How are you supposed to at least make it feel like home? When you live in a rented property you pretend that it’s your home, when deep down you know you can be booted at any time, and everything you touch is in fact, not yours.

8. When things never get fixed

When you move in and things break and it takes you months to get it fixed. You tell the landlord and estate agent and nothing gets done. You literally have to turn into some kind of lawyer to persuade them it’s their responsibility to make sure your place is liveable. If the radiators aren’t working then that’s obviously not cool, in fact it’s freezing. You can’t even get things fixed yourself because if something goes wrong you will be liable.

9. Your rent can be increased

Oh yeah, your rent can be increased at any time. For realz. You sign a contract and agree that the rent can go up at any time. Wonderful, just what you need, more outgoings, as if renting wasn’t expensive enough.

10. Some things just aren’t up to standard

If it was your own house, you would make sure everything worked and you have everything you need to stay comfortable. Landlords don’t really care too much about your high standards,as long as they meet the legal requirements. One of the places where we rented our bedroom window wouldn’t open, which is an obvs fire hazard. Did they care? No, because replacing a window frame is too darn expensive.

You have to learn to accept that some things in your rental property won’t be up to scratch, and there’s not a thing you can do about it. Because upgrading things and improving your house in any way costs your landlord money, which they are obsv not going to part with unless they legally have to. End of.

 11. Inspections every three months are super annoying and inconvenient

It’s hard to feel settled when you have a stranger inspecting your house every three months. Every six months fine, but every three months is just too much. #leaveusthehellalone

12. When you think about how much money you are throwing away

Ohhhh the pain. Don’t entertain the idea of thinking where else your money could be spent, like paying a mortgage on your own actual house. Everyone knows that when you rent you might as well be throwing money away.

13. When they try and unfairly take money out of your deposit

This really brings the rage. When they try and take money from your deposit for the most ridiculous and unfair things. Stop trying to literally steal our money! You feel helpless. Well you are helpless unless you have signed up to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. In which case it’s still a ball ache to fight your corner and it also delays getting the money back.

14. Worrying about damaging things all the time

You can’t really relax when you are constantly worried about accidentally breaking things, spilling things on the carpet or causing any sort of damage that you will be charged ££££ for.

15. Your dream of buying a house seems light years away

Buying a house seems to far out of reach. It’s extremely difficult for young people to get on the ladder, especially at the moment. Back in the good old days it was supposedly so much easier. More needs to be done to help people like us make the first steps towards owning our own home.

 

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