flat hunting...tips please!

[twisted_trinity]

i'm going hunting for a flat tomorrow, mainly so i can show social services that £85 a week won't get me a shoe box in london, and i can't stay in halls all year round, and i'm not guaranteed a place anyway.

So, currently i'm leaving my options open, so i might have to lodge with someone, if i can get a bedsit or a flat that would be great. i'm looking at quite a large area, so i should have lots of choices.

but seeing as i've never done this before, i am in need of tips. What should i ask, what should i find out, what things are normally hidden that i should look for, or are there any things that i really should be wary of?

thanks

[piccolo]

Take photos.

Meet the landlord and make sure that they will secure the deposit.

Ask absolutely everything that springs to mind.

[purplebutterfly]

Questions:

Whats the area like?
What local facilites? (Nearby shops/lesiure centre/parks)
Transport links?
Crime rates/ highanti social behavoiur?
Does the property have known problems, (dry rot, leaking drains, subsidence)?
What (if any bills) are including in the rent? (Coucil tax/electic/gas/water/other utilites)