Things to know about flat-hunting in Cornwall

Posted on May 19, 2007
Filed Under - leaving the rat race |

The last couple of days have been an improvement on my disastrous arrival. I have met up with a couple of friends who live in Penzance and seen a few properties in the St Ives area. I have a few viewings on Monday in both Penzance and Newquay but it’s all going down to the wire as I am due to fly back to London on Monday evening.

I now know that coming here over the weekend to view flats was not ideal. In London, it is very common to do flat viewings over the weekend, particularly on Saturdays. My London flat is being re-let at the moment and I have people coming for viewings every day, even over the bank holiday weekend. But here in Cornwall it would have been better if I had been here Monday to Friday. It would also have been a good idea to call all the agents the previous Friday or Saturday morning to set up appointments for the following week, as not all estate agents here seem to like people dropping into the office.

My job situation has also been an issue at times. I am giving up my current job and moving down to Cornwall with no confirmed job. I intend to work to help pay the rent while getting my business off the ground, but I can’t say exactly what I will be doing. This situation is not uncommon, and the usual way round it is to pay three or six months rent up front. The landlord gets his or her money and a few months is a reasonable window in which to find work. Not all landlords accept this as a solution though. Some want you to prove a particular yearly income, such as forty times the monthly rent. So for a flat that rents at £500 per month, you would need to prove an income of £20,000 per annum.

I suppose I could fib or not tell the whole truth, but I don’t want my real situation to come out later as it makes me look extremely suspect. Better to be honest up front and get a landlord who isn’t overly bothered about these things.

There seems to be a slight difference from town to town. The Newquay agents are a bit more relaxed and their modus operandi is closer to what I am used to. Some of the agents in Penzance are more difficult - a bit snooty, a bit suspicious, don’t work at the weekend. It’s a different market, I guess. Persistence seems to pay off though.

Someone who rents here in Penzance told me that it is possible to be gazumped, even on rental properties. This could happen if someone turns up offering more money and has their references ready. It is therefore worth checking the agents’ policy. One agency I spoke to said that once you pay their admin fee and start the reference procedure they take this as a commitment to rent and take the property off the market. So it acts like a holding deposit.

I am still not sure which town I would rather live in. Newquay, Penzance and St Ives all have attributes to recommend them. For example, St Ives is very pretty, Newquay has got a great scene and lots of sports facilities, Penzance has good transport links which are important for accessing work. So it will probably come down to the quality of the flats themselves. So far, I have only seen one flat I would consider renting, which is in the centre of St Ives. Let’s see what Monday’s viewings bring.

Stumble it!

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One Response to “Things to know about flat-hunting in Cornwall”

  1. Working in Newquay for the summer : Drop Out Diaries - leave the rat race, work for yourself, downshifting, financial freedom, make money online on November 4th, 2007 12:32 am

    […] See also my post on Things to know about flat-hunting in Cornwall. […]

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