Make sure you check out the area thoroughly. You want to know who your neighbours are before you move in. The local kebab shop three doors down will be obvious, but the rowdy nightclub with the discreet door might not be apparent until things hot up at night.

On the quieter side of things, you might find that you are very close to a funeral home or chapel of rest, and there may be hearses arriving in the night. That won’t bother everybody, but if you are likely to be spooked it’s probably best to avoid it.

The basic rule is to give the area a thorough check, at random times of day and at night. You need to know if there is going to be noisy traffic, for example are you on the route of the bin men at 06:30 on a Friday morning? There could also be early or late deliveries.

The landlord is not likely to tell you if there has been a previous problem with neighbours, so it’s worth taking a look at nearby properties to get a feel of who your neighbours will be if you take the place. A good indicator is whether rubbish bins are kept neatly and not over-filled.