Viewing
What it really means
A visit to see a property before renting it. Book through the agent or landlord. At a viewing, check for damp, water pressure, phone signal and noise — and never pay money for a property you have not viewed.
Context, tips & common mistakes
Never rent a property you (or someone you completely trust) have not seen in person. The standard scam targeting overseas newcomers runs exactly on this: attractive listing, 'I'm abroad, transfer the deposit and I'll courier the keys' — the property is not theirs, and the money is gone. Real landlords and agents expect viewings; anyone engineering reasons you cannot view is the red flag itself.
At the viewing, be a detective for fifteen minutes: sniff for damp (fresh paint over one wall is a tell), run the taps for pressure, check window locks and radiators, look behind furniture, test your phone signal in every room, find the meters and boiler, and ask what the previous tenants paid in winter bills. If current tenants are present, one question to them — 'how's the landlord with repairs?' — outperforms the entire brochure. Photograph freely; act fast in hot markets, but never faster than a viewing.