[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

I am looking for accommodation of my own, preferrably an unfurnished studio flat in the £600pcm range.

But do I pay the monthly rent to the estate agents, or the landlord?

I am NOT going to be giving my bank details to a stranger, so would the landlord expect cash in hand? This isn't the 1980s anymore, surely that kind of thing doesn't happen where the landlord knocks on the door each month and asks in a gruff voice "oi, wherez me money guv!"

[Dmon1Unlimited]

the landlord i presume, wouldnt know why they would expect money...agencies manage advertising several different houses, all of which have their respective landlords.
would have thought typically card would be preferrable but it depends on the landlord i guess.


though my knowledge of this is iffy, so itd be best if you waited for confirmation of this by another poster
a simple way to resolve this is to find the house you want, contact the agency, and simply ask...

[Shelly_x]

We put the money straight into the landlords bank account.

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by Shelly_x)
We put the money straight into the landlords bank account.

That's also what we'll be doing next year.

[Davidosh]

The estate agent usually gives you a standing order form with the details of the landlords account number etc. Sometimes they use a direct debit form where you give yours, rare that the landlord actually ever sees your bank details.

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

I am looking to live on my own in the flat, so how much in bills would I expect to pay on top of the rent? 600pcm basic rent, plus maybe 200pcm bills? From a full-time Sainsbury's job (39 hrs) I would not have hardly anything left over in the month to pay for food or my personal bills such as phone contract, gym membership, petrol, car tax/insurance, haircuts etc.

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by Isambard Kingdom Brunel)
I am looking to live on my own in the flat, so how much in bills would I expect to pay on top of the rent? 600pcm basic rent, plus maybe 200pcm bills? From a full-time Sainsbury's job (39 hrs) I would not have hardly anything left over in the month to pay for food or my personal bills such as phone contract, gym membership, petrol, car tax/insurance, haircuts etc.

£600pcm seems somewhat excessive - around here it's more like £300pcm for a studio flat, and only up to £400 even in Bristol.

And for a flat of that size, unless you like to leave the heating on full all week and the windows open, you shouldn''t be paying that much in bills either. It'll be worth speaking to the current tenant about how much it actually costs them. Don't forget that switching energy suppliers usually makes these things cheaper too.

Don't forget that you may be able to claim housing benefit and council tax benefit as you're on a low income.

[F1 fanatic]

(Original post by Isambard Kingdom Brunel)
I am looking for accommodation of my own, preferrably an unfurnished studio flat in the £600pcm range.

But do I pay the monthly rent to the estate agents, or the landlord?

I am NOT going to be giving my bank details to a stranger, so would the landlord expect cash in hand? This isn't the 1980s anymore, surely that kind of thing doesn't happen where the landlord knocks on the door each month and asks in a gruff voice "oi, wherez me money guv!"

It depends on whether you're renting through a letting agency or with a private landlord. If it's through an agent then rent generally goes through them to the landlord (and they take a cut), or if it's private let then it'll probably be via credit card or standing order directly into the landlord's bank account. Your house deposit should be protected by a deposit protection scheme and the rest should be laid out and protected in the contract.