Why you should rent privately 

27% of properties in Barking and Dagenham are now privately rented.

We want to make sure that people renting privately in Barking and Dagenham understand their legal rights and know what to look out for. The government has published a useful guide about renting privately called How to rent. 

You will need to work out what your costs will be, including a deposit, rent payments and fees a lettings agency might charge you. Remember to check the property and the local area. Rents are very expensive in London. You can check the Mayor of London's rent map to find out what you can rent for your budget. You will find cheaper rents outside of London. 

You can look for properties using the following websites.   

Rightmove and Zoopla both list properties available to rent. Just enter the postcode in the area you want to live in.    

Sharing a property can be a good option to pay a cheaper rent. Spare Room and Room Buddies are good places to look.

Gumtree also advertise rented properties, both self contained and for sharing.              

If you are on a low income you can claim Universal Credit to get help with paying your rent. However, the amount of Universal Credit you get for housing costs is based on something called the Local Housing Allowance and the number of rooms in the property you rent. For example, if you have two children under 16 of the same sex, the rate will be based on them sharing a room, so you should look for a two bedroom property.

Single people under 35 years old, are only entitled to a shared room rate, i.e. a room in a house where you share a bathroom and kitchen with other people. If the property or room you want to rent is more than the Local Housing Allowance rate you will have to find the extra money yourself. There are different rates across London, you can see them here. Local Housing Allowance rates in London

Local Housing Allowance rates in Barking and Dagenham

For April 2020 to March 2021

Protection for private tenants