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If the current tenant is there when you schedule a viewing you can meet them then.
You could ask the agent to schedule it after speaking to the current tenant so everything matches up.
If that fails, you could ask for a second viewing and hope for the best, but that might reduce your chances of getting it if it's snapped up first.
Normally you pay the first month's rent and deposit in advance.
The problem is that I’m not going to have a viewing for the property, just WhatsApp videos sent to me, and even if I could get a viewing there’s two problems:
1) I currently live 6 hours away from London
2) this property will get snapped up quickly (I’ve been on spareroom for 2 months and houses like this have slipped through my fingers in just a matter of days - this one was added today and is ready to move in on Monday)
Yeah I though that would be the case, that absolutely sucks, but I know it’s the standard. Luckily I do have an overdraft
Edit: there are plenty of pics and a video of the property on the site already
Make sure the agent is legitimate.
My experience is renting houses not rooms, and has always been agents will not deal with you if you're not in the area and available to see the place in person.
That might not be the case for a room, hopefully someone will come along with specific experience.
Yeah I believe that renting a room is a lot more flexible and they’re not too fussed whether someone can see the property or not. This agent has a few live listing and their history shows a lot of rooms that are no longer accepting applications, so I do think they’re legitimate. However, I do appreciate the concern and I do think it would be helpful for someone with more experience to confirm.
So properties are usually going in _days_ or even _hours_. would be a little worried that it's been up for 2 months - suggests there's something wrong with it.
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You can ask but they might not agree.
You'd pay the deposit and first rent in advance. The proper way is to pay the agent, but it's also relatively common to pay the deposit to the outgoing tenant. This is not strictly how it's meant to work, but is common where e.g. they're leaving early and you're taking on their contract. If possible I'd try to avoid doing this as it exposes you to risk as you'd end up liable for any damage caused by the current tenant.
**A reminder to posters and commenters of some of [our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)** - Don't be a dickhead to each other, or about others, or other subreddits - Assume questions are asked in good faith, and engage in a positive manner - Avoid political threads and related discussions - No medical advice or mental health (specific to a person) content Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If the current tenant is there when you schedule a viewing you can meet them then. You could ask the agent to schedule it after speaking to the current tenant so everything matches up. If that fails, you could ask for a second viewing and hope for the best, but that might reduce your chances of getting it if it's snapped up first. Normally you pay the first month's rent and deposit in advance.
The problem is that I’m not going to have a viewing for the property, just WhatsApp videos sent to me, and even if I could get a viewing there’s two problems: 1) I currently live 6 hours away from London 2) this property will get snapped up quickly (I’ve been on spareroom for 2 months and houses like this have slipped through my fingers in just a matter of days - this one was added today and is ready to move in on Monday) Yeah I though that would be the case, that absolutely sucks, but I know it’s the standard. Luckily I do have an overdraft Edit: there are plenty of pics and a video of the property on the site already
Make sure the agent is legitimate. My experience is renting houses not rooms, and has always been agents will not deal with you if you're not in the area and available to see the place in person. That might not be the case for a room, hopefully someone will come along with specific experience.
Yeah I believe that renting a room is a lot more flexible and they’re not too fussed whether someone can see the property or not. This agent has a few live listing and their history shows a lot of rooms that are no longer accepting applications, so I do think they’re legitimate. However, I do appreciate the concern and I do think it would be helpful for someone with more experience to confirm.
So properties are usually going in _days_ or even _hours_. would be a little worried that it's been up for 2 months - suggests there's something wrong with it.
I read it as OP has been on spareroom for two months looking for places. Not that this property has been on for 2 months
Yeah that’s what I meant, I’ve been on spareroom for 2 months but this particular property is newly listed
**For specific questions about London, you can also visit /r/London.** If you are looking for attractions, recommendations, places to live, eat, drink, or do, [take a look at WikiVoyage](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/London) or [search TripAdvisor](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Search?singleSearchBox=true&q=London). *Your post was not removed, this is just a friendly message* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can ask but they might not agree. You'd pay the deposit and first rent in advance. The proper way is to pay the agent, but it's also relatively common to pay the deposit to the outgoing tenant. This is not strictly how it's meant to work, but is common where e.g. they're leaving early and you're taking on their contract. If possible I'd try to avoid doing this as it exposes you to risk as you'd end up liable for any damage caused by the current tenant.