Renting a flat in the UK - General advice needed AskUK

Hi everyone! I'm a Swiss student and in October I'll start working in the UK (Cardiff). I would like to have some general advice about the UK system for renting flats. Here are my questions: 1. Could you recomend me some trustworthy websites where I can find flats? 2. I've noticed that the flat size is usually described by the number of beds. Does this refer to any room of the flat (e.g. living room, bathroom, kitchen,...), or exclusively to the number of bedrooms? I would like to rent a flat with kitchen, bathroom, living room and one bedroom. To which number of beds would such a flat correspond? 3. Which home appliances are usually included when you rent a flat? In my country you usually get a fridge, a refrigerator and an oven. In modern flats you may also have a dishwasher and a washing machine. 4. How does it work with the building expenses (light, electricity, gas, maintenance, ...)? Are these already included in the cost of the monthly rent or are these extra expenses?

Thank you very much for your help!!

Submitted May 24, 2015 at 06:48PM by Tary_89 http://ift.tt/1LtGDVZ AskUK

Is 3k kilowatt hours in 3 months reasonable in a small 1 bedroom property? AskUK

Hi all, newbie here so be kind! I've just been hit with a £350 electricity bill for the last quarter and my energy use, judging by averages I've seen around, is outrageously high. Also, the night time amount is considerably higher than during the day. So is this unreasonable?

In terms of high-energy, high-use devices in the house it's only really my PC (600w), tumble dryer (rarely used), power shower (is this a big one?), electric heating (rarely used again) and then standard stuff like TV etc. I don't have a dishwasher or any a particularly large refrigerator, no freezer, so minimal on white goods.

Is there any way this is wrong? Are the meters 100%? It's pretty old. Is there any way something could be malfunctioning and using extra energy? I just don't see how this is possible otherwise!

Thanks in advanced.

Submitted May 11, 2015 at 08:53PM by amathyst7 http://ift.tt/1PC4WSL AskUK

Is it typical for a landlord to be responsible for maintenance of oven/stove/refrigerator? [Advice needed!] AskUK

I just moved into a new flat and my landlord has decided that when my 6-month contract is up he's going to take out the clause saying that he is responsible for the white goods.

I think it's incredibly cheeky of him and am wondering. . Isn't it normal for the landlord to be responsible for white goods left in a flat?

Also, any tips on what I should do?

Submitted November 14, 2014 at 11:58PM by 420836764677 http://ift.tt/1zVsVJ6 AskUK