Move with fewer surprises

1Build your “renter pack” before you search

Agents choose the tenant who is ready first. Have everything in one PDF and send it with your first message.

• Passport and proof of your right to rent. With an eVisa, get a share code on GOV.UK (“Prove your right to rent”). Share codes expire, so make a fresh one for each application.
• Proof of income. Job contract or offer letter with your salary, your last 3 payslips, or 3–6 months of bank statements showing savings.
• A letter from your employer. Role, salary and start date, on company letterhead. It speeds up referencing a lot.
• A reference from your current landlord, in English, even if you rent abroad.
• A plan if you have no UK credit history. A UK guarantor, or a guarantor company that acts as one for a fee.

2No UK salary? Find your situation

Most landlords use a referencing company that checks UK income. If that’s not you, here’s what works instead. You can’t offer months of rent upfront any more (max. 1 month since May 2026), so a guarantor or the right paperwork matters more than ever.

3Search smart and check the area

• Set instant alerts on Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket (agents), OpenRent (direct from landlords) and SpareRoom (rooms and flatshares). Call, don’t just email, within the first hour.
• Check the council tax band on GOV.UK. Neighbouring London boroughs can differ by hundreds of pounds a year for the same band.
• Check the street, not just the area: crime on police.uk, broadband on Ofcom’s checker, flood risk on GOV.UK, and your real commute at rush hour.
• On a video viewing, ask the agent to run the shower (water pressure), open the windows, look behind furniture and in window corners for mould, and tell you the boiler’s age.

4Know what you can legally be charged

• Check every fee against the table above before you pay. Only a few charges are allowed, such as late rent after 14 days or replacing lost keys.

5Before you sign

• Understand your tenancy. New tenancies in England no longer have a fixed end date. You can leave with 2 months’ notice. The landlord can only end it on legal grounds, and can’t use “selling” or “moving in” in your first 12 months.
• Know the rent rules. Rent can go up only once a year, with at least 2 months’ notice on an official form. You can challenge it at a tribunal, which can’t raise it above what the landlord asked.
• Ask about pets now, in writing. Landlords can’t unreasonably refuse a pet request and must give reasons.
• Get the safety papers: Gas Safety Certificate, EPC (a home needs at least an E rating to be rented) and the electrical safety report (EICR).
• Check the landlord’s licence. Many London boroughs require one. Search the council’s licence register.

6Move-in week

• Do your own check-in record. Photos and videos of every room, then email them to the agent in the first week. The email date is your proof at the end.
• Deposit protection. Within 30 days you should get details of the government scheme holding your deposit (DPS, TDS or mydeposits). Check it on the scheme’s website.
• Photograph the meters on day one and send the readings to the energy and water suppliers.
• Order broadband 2–3 weeks before you arrive. Installations take time. A 4G/5G router covers the gap.
• Register for council tax with the local council.

7Your first month

• Bank account: app banks (such as Monzo, Starling, Revolut or Wise) often open in minutes with a passport and eVisa. Use their statement as proof of address for everything else.
• SIM card: pay-as-you-go plans need no credit check. Monthly contracts usually do.
• Register with a GP online or at the practice. Start looking for an NHS dentist early, as they can be hard to find.
• National Insurance number: apply on GOV.UK if you’ll work. You can usually start work before it arrives.
• Start your UK credit history: register to vote if you’re eligible, get a credit-builder card, and pay everything on time.
• TV Licence: only needed for live TV or BBC iPlayer. If you don’t watch either, tell TV Licensing online to stop the letters.
• Contents insurance. The landlord’s insurance doesn’t cover your things.

1Prepare your rental file

• Passport and residence status. From outside the EU? Your employer often arranges the permit with the IND. Ask for written confirmation you can show landlords.
• Employment contract, employer statement (werkgeversverklaring) and recent payslips. A new job offer letter usually works too.
• A short introduction about you: job, who is moving, non-smoker, pets. When dozens apply, landlords often choose by profile.
• Ask your employer about relocation support or a rent guarantee. Some offer it but don’t mention it.

2No Dutch salary? Find your situation

Most landlords want a Dutch salary of 3–4 times the rent. If you don’t have one, this is what landlords usually accept instead.

3Search safely

• Use verified platforms: Pararius and Funda (only registered agencies can list), HousingAnywhere and Kamernet for rooms and short stays.
• Reply within minutes, and bring your file printed to group viewings.
• Ask first: “Can I register (inschrijven) at this address?” If the answer is no, walk away. Without registration you get no BSN, and without a BSN you can’t get a Dutch bank account, health insurance or tax benefits.
• Learn the three words: “kaal” (empty, sometimes no floors or lights), “gestoffeerd” (floors, curtains, lights) and “gemeubileerd” (furnished).

4Know your money rights

• Separate the rent: basic rent (kale huur), service costs (servicekosten) and utilities. Service costs must be listed and settled once a year.
• Check the maximum rent with the Huurcommissie’s free rent check. Since 1 July 2024, homes up to 186 points (social and mid-rent) have a legal maximum. Only homes with 187 points or more are free sector.

5Before you sign

• Contract type. Since 1 July 2024, contracts are normally for an indefinite period. Temporary contracts are allowed only in specific cases, such as students.
• Check the owner in the Kadaster (land registry) for a few euros. The name should match your landlord.
• Sharing with friends? In cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht, renting to unrelated people may need a permit. Ask the landlord to confirm it.
• Check-in report (opleveringsrapport) with photos, signed by both of you.

6Your first weeks

• Register at the gemeente within 5 days if you’re staying 4 months or more. Book the appointment before you fly, as slots fill up.
• Put your name on the mailbox. Your BSN letter and DigiD activation code come by post and may not be delivered otherwise.
• Health insurance: basic cover is mandatory. Take it within 4 months. It’s backdated to when you registered, so waiting saves nothing. The 2026 deductible (eigen risico) is €385.
• Register with a huisarts (GP) right away. Many practices are full, and you need a GP to see a specialist.
• Bank account, energy and internet. Most Dutch banks need your BSN. Internet installation can take 2 weeks or more.

7Money and daily life

• 30% ruling: your employer applies. Apply within 4 months of starting so it counts from your first day. From 1 January 2027 the maximum becomes 27%, with transition rules for earlier starters.
• Allowances: on a lower income, check healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag) and rent allowance (huurtoeslag) with the Belastingdienst.
• Local taxes for waste, sewerage and the water board arrive as letters. On a low income you can ask for remission (kwijtschelding).
• Insurance: liability insurance (aansprakelijkheidsverzekering) is cheap and almost everyone has it. Add contents insurance.
• Travel: tap your bank card on trains, trams and buses. If you travel often, an off-peak NS subscription saves a lot.
• A bike and two good locks. Buy second-hand from a shop, not a stranger, as stolen bikes are common.

1Know the real cost

Stamp Duty (England and Northern Ireland) is charged in bands, like income tax.

• Add the surcharges that apply to you: +5% on the whole price if you already own a home anywhere in the world, and +2% if you’re not UK resident (usually: fewer than 183 days in the UK in the year before you buy).
• Budget for the other costs in the table below. For a simple purchase they start at about £3,000 on top of Stamp Duty, and more for complex ones.
• Plan your deposit. UK residents often need 5–25%. Buyers with foreign income and buy-to-let investors usually need 25% or more.

The other costs, at a glance (typical 2026 ranges in England, including VAT):

2Get ready before you view

• Mortgage in principle, or proof of funds. Agents take you seriously only with one of them.
• Prepare your “source of funds” file. By law, solicitors must check where your money comes from. Collect 6–12 months of bank statements, and proof for big sums: a sale, an inheritance, or a signed gift letter.
• Move money from abroad early, with a clear paper trail. A regulated currency provider usually gives better rates than a bank.
• Choose your solicitor before you make an offer. We work with our own solicitors.

3Check the property properly

• Look up sold prices (HM Land Registry data, shown on Rightmove and Zoopla) for the same street or building. It’s your best argument when you negotiate.
• Ask the agent four questions: How long has it been on the market? Any price cuts? Why are they selling? Is the seller in a chain?
• Leasehold flat? Check the years left on the lease, the service charge history, planned major works, ground rent, and rules on pets and letting.
• View twice, at different times of day. Look for damp, cracks and the boiler’s age, and check phone signal and noise.
• Check the surroundings: planning applications nearby (council website), flood risk, broadband and school catchment.

4Make a strong offer

• Offer in writing through the agent and state your position: cash or mortgage in principle, chain-free, and your timing.
• Once accepted, ask for the property to be taken off the market. In England an offer isn’t binding until contracts are exchanged.
• Use the survey to renegotiate if it finds problems.

5From offer to keys

• Solicitor checks and searches: title, local authority, drainage and environmental searches. For leasehold, ask early for the management pack, as it can take weeks.
• Survey: RICS Level 2 for most homes, Level 3 for older or unusual ones. The bank’s valuation is not a survey.
• Mortgage offer arrives.
• Exchange contracts: you pay the deposit (often 10%) and the deal becomes binding. Insure the building from this day if it’s a house.
• Completion: you get the keys. Stamp Duty is due within 14 days, and your solicitor usually pays it for you.

6For investors

• Work out the net yield, not just gross: subtract agent fees, service charge, insurance, repairs, licensing and empty months.
• Mortgage interest and tax. If you own in your own name, you can’t deduct mortgage interest from rent. You get a 20% tax credit instead. Get tax advice on owning through a limited company before you buy.
• Living abroad? Join HMRC’s Non-Resident Landlord Scheme. Otherwise your agent or tenant must hold back basic-rate tax from your rent.
• Know the 2026 landlord rules: open-ended tenancies, no “no-fault” evictions, rent rises once a year, fair pet requests, no bidding wars, and max 1 month’s rent in advance.
• Energy rating: rentals need at least EPC E today, and the government plans to raise this to C by 2030. Factor in upgrade costs.
• Check local licensing for the borough before you buy.