Knowledge Centre
Find the meaning of various terms related to renting & letting here.
When renting a new home, there's more to consider than simply picking a property and moving in. Especially when you're searching for a rental for the first time, there are several things to keep in mind. If you're new to the world of renting, you'll likely come across terms you're not familiar with, such as delivery condition, rent protection, and the rent tribunal. These are terms you really should know when you're renting a place on your own, as it's likely you'll deal with one or more of these aspects.
Family home
What does this entail?
House hunting is not an easy search. There are so many aspects you need to consider. You are also dependent on several factors when renting a house, such as your salary, the location of the property, the current market, and the size of the house. Renting a new home is not something you encounter every day. It often happens when you have just graduated, are moving in together, planning to start a family, or when the children have moved out. Therefore, you quickly come across the single-family home.
Single-family Home
A single-family home is a house intended for one person and his/her family. The size of family homes is typically based on families of about 2 parents and 2 to 3 children. When you live in a single-family home, you have the entire property to yourself. It's not like an apartment where you share stairs or hallways with others. This means that a single-family home belongs to the category of independent houses. When you have an independent house, you don't have to share sanitary facilities or the kitchen with others outside your family. Row houses, corner houses, semi-detached houses, and detached houses are examples of single-family homes.
Features
A single-family home is always on the ground floor. You don't have to go through a stairwell to reach your front door. You only have neighbors to the left and/or right of you, but not above or below you. A single-family home is an independent property, meaning no one can live above or below you. If you have a property that looks like a single-family home but has two front doors, we refer to it as a maisonette. The neighbors live in the same building but only use the upper or lower floors.
Most single-family homes also have a front garden or a path to the front door. This is not always the case, but it often is. When you walk out of the front garden (or down the path), you reach the public road.
Price
In most cases, the new tenants of a single-family home are a young couple planning to have children or two parents with a young child. They are looking for more space and a separate bedroom for the children. When you plan to rent a single-family home, you will quickly realize that the prices can vary significantly. A row house is generally cheaper than a corner house, semi-detached, and detached house. Of course, you have neighbors right against your house. Some people find this nice, as it makes it easy to start a conversation. Others prefer some distance and space for themselves. Moreover, you cannot choose who your neighbors are, so you also need to be fortunate in that respect. In general, detached houses are the most expensive. The more 'isolated' your house stands, the higher the rent. Therefore, you need to carefully consider what budget you are willing to spend (possibly combined with your partner), what is affordable for you, and where your priorities lie.