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Renting and moving
5 guides · Page 1. Open an article for the full text, steps, checklists and official sources.
Finding a rental: budgets, viewings, neighbourhoods and ownership checks
Start with the daily life the home needs to support, then compare costs, viewings, agents, ownership and payment arrangements.
- Budget for deposits, commission, stamp duty, moving and utilities as well as rent.
- View the property and verify authority to let before deciding to pay.
- Compare schools, commuting, noise and wet-weather routes together.
Reading a residential tenancy: term, repairs, deposits and notice
Check the parties, payments and early termination alongside handover and deposit return, using a practical agreement review list.
- A provisional tenancy can be binding: read key terms before signing or paying.
- A fixed term, a break period and notice are separate issues governed by the actual wording.
- Stamping, Form CR109 and contract terms serve different purposes and do not replace one another.
Rental handover and move-in: inspections, readings and address changes
Check equipment, utility readings, account transfers and keys before furniture arrives, keeping clear evidence for the eventual end of the tenancy.
- Receiving keys does not settle every delivery issue; check against the tenancy inventory.
- Photograph meter readings, existing damage and the agreed handover record on move-in day.
- Handle utilities, internet, bank and government address changes separately.
Stamping a tenancy: the 30-day deadline and electronic process
Check the signing date, amount, application information and stamp certificate, without treating stamping as certification of ownership or contract terms.
- Stamp within 30 days of signing, using the signature date rather than only the move-in date.
- Agree clearly who submits the application and how the parties share payment.
- Keep the stamp certificate with the signed tenancy and payment records.
Utilities and broadband: accounts, bills and move-out settlement
Distinguish an existing-supply transfer from reconnection, recording start dates, meter readings, deposits and bills to separate successive occupants' costs.
- The tenancy's cost allocation and the supplier's registered account are related but separate.
- Record meter numbers, readings and move-in dates, then check the first bill.
- Water, electricity, gas and broadband each require their own opening and departure steps.