Student accommodation outside of halls is always in demand especially around about now until September. Quite rightly you want the best and you'll do anything you can to get it. Lets face it there is nothing better than renting a comfortable home rather than the normal student tip!

More and more landlords are gearing themselves up to taking students as tenants. The days of unscrupulous students are fast disappearing with the deposits being demanded. However there are landlords out there that will take advantage of you - well may be not so much landlords, but people who are osing as landlords.

How can you avoid being ripped off? Well you can use an agency - speak to Mark in Esher (01372 466 110) if you are looking to rent in Surrey or Hampshire - but be careful of the fees - Mark will help you out as much as possible. Now if you don't want to use an agency then you can try amd go it alone - always ask for evidence that the landlord really is the landlord. You need to see ID, proof of residency and proof of ownership. Dont overdo it or the landlord may decide you are way too fussy but at the end of the day any sensible landlord will respect your maturity and knowledge and if they have any sense they will have no qualms about showing you what you need. Remember you can use the Land Registry as well to confirm the ownership of the property only costs about £4.00 and could save you a fortune.

When a landlord asks you for a deposit never wire it abroad. a person can pose as a landlords agent and say that the landlord is abroad and give you details of the account into which you need to deposit money. You guessed it, it's a scam. NEVER do it - doesn't matter how nice the person is or how great the house is don't be a plonker! You must be mad to deposit money into an account overseas.

By all means give a holding deposit, get a receipt but only after you have seen proof of ownership.

At the end of the day if a deal is too good to be true, walk away. If you need advice give us a bell on 0871 590 6906 and we'll try and assist you.