Taking property to rent in Edinburgh from friends can be a blessing if it all works out well. The landlord is someone you can trust; gives you less hassle and is friendly. The rent might also be cheaper and another big advantage is that you might not get into so much trouble for not paying it on time. Moreover, you might be allowed to decorate your room in any style you wish.
There can be problems as well and that is the purpose of this article to bring to light some of the issues and factors with regard to the Edinburgh property so you can find a solution.
There can be two scenarios when renting Edinburgh property from friends; either you will have to live with them or living separately from them. This article focuses on living with a landlord who is also your friend.
This will give you the advantage of saving money, constant company, shared workload and obviously having fun. At the same time there will be the downside of having arguments, space, cleanliness and other factors which are discussed below. Living separately however is much the same as renting from anyone else.The command and control of the property
In such a scenario most people don’t have the experience of owning their own home and many landlords don’t have the experience of renting to their friends. This can lead to trouble. The landlord has the rights to want the property treated in any way he sees fit. At the same time the tenants think they have the right to be treated as equals rather than subordinate. Hence, deciding who gets which room and to set some basic ground rules can be a problem.
The bills
If you have a property to rent in Edinburgh from a friend then this can be a time of confrontation when it comes to paying bills. First and foremost you must decide among yourselves the bills that you will actually receive so that you can try and budget. Also you must decide the proportion of bills.
Moreover, setting up a joint bill's account in which all flatmates have a standing order can also prevent confrontation. This means as the bills come in, direct debits can cover them.
Couple landlords
If you rent Edinburgh property from a friend who is a couple there will be a lot more that you will have to deal with e.g. getting caught in the crossfire of their arguments will create a tense atmosphere - not that pleasant to live in and obviously taking sides will lead to further problems. The worst case is where the couple splits up –where will you be going if the house is to be sold or goes to the partner who does not want you.
Hence you must think of all the pros and cons before coming to a decision as friends can turn out to be a little different when you live with them.