Use these Sites to rent/buy British houses:
Once you have the address of the house from the estate agent, StreetView can help you see the location of the house and its surrounding areas before you decide to visit the house for a viewing.
If you want to know the flood risk of the area in which the house is located, you can use this Govt. website.
If you put the postcode of the property, this BBC website will tell you how high or low is the pollution in its street. You can get more information about its local area on StreetCheck.
This Govt. website will tell you its Council Tax. If you want to know whether the property has a valid EPC (Energy Performance Certificate), you can find it on this website. The property's gas or electricity supplier's name will be given by this Citizens Advice website. To know the water supplier, you need to click here.
If you intend to rent a house, you can use this rent affordability calculator to see how much rent you can afford to pay. If the rent hasn't been advertised as 'including all bills' then you need to take into account the additional expenses you need to bear besides the rent - council tax, utility bills (gas, electricity, water, drainage), TV licence, broadband bills, etc.
Whether you are renting a house or buying it, always check the ratings and reviews of the estate agent advertising the property. You can google their name and see what people say about them on the various websites that mention their business.
As a tenant, you'll feel more at ease if the house you rent is let and managed by an estate agent having glowing reviews from many happy clients. As a buyer, you'll also feel the same.
If your budget permits, rent or buy a detached house or bungalow instead of going for semi-detached or terraced properties and flats where the walls are shared with your neighbours. You'll have privacy, peace and quietude that will help you to study or work from home. You can rest or relax without worrying about next door's loud parties.
For property purchase, these websites will help in the buying process:
SDLT (Stamp Duty Land Tax) calculator
If you need a mortgage, you can use L&C - they give free mortgage advice and also get you the mortgage. They have a list of many brokers. If you are not comfy dealing with one broker, you can ask them to assign you another broker. Once you are happy with one of their brokers, you can keep going back to that adviser for every mortgage and remortgage provided he/she is still employed with L&C.
L&C also has conveyancing solicitors on their panel. They'll even assign you their recommended solicitor to help you with the legalities of the purchase process. It's not an imposition on you to use their solicitor. You can always google to find another conveyancing solicitor.
To ensure the house you are buying is structurally sound, you can use a RICS surveyor to get it surveyed. Please ensure you go through their detailed report.
If you want to buy a house as a BTL investment, the Coventry Buy to Let calculator and The Mortgage Works rental income required calculator can help you estimate the amount of mortgage you can get to fund your purchase. To prevent identity theft/fraud, you can ask the letting agent to use Goodlord PRO or Hooyu to vet tenants.
While shopping around for home insurance, you'll find many insurers selling buildings and contents insurance for your house. Cheapest prices are not always the best because when it comes to claiming from them after a mishap that plagues the property (for e.g. fire, flood, subsidence, vandalism, burglary, storm damage, etc.), their payout may be too inadequate to cover the cost of repairs. Hence, always check the fine print, the terms and conditions, the policy wording, before you buy the insurance.
That's all I had to say for now. Hope you enjoyed this blog post.
Good Luck with house-hunting whether it's for buying or renting.
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