I've come to the realisation that it maybe another ten years before I can be in a position to afford a house. Or at least the kind of house I want in the area I want. That plus the fact that I've essentially been kicked out means I'm looking to find a place.

As a student and the first years of my career, I rented. That's around 7-8 years. Apart from the last couple, they were student houses and with mates so the rent was reasonable. The last place I rented was a single bed flat in the heart of the town for £700pcm.

I'm now looking at renting a house (at least 3-bed) but for much, much longer - probably for the next 3-5 years. Most places seem to be unfurnished so I have money for furniture, goods etc.

What other things should I be looking for?
What kind of things do I need to consider?
Any pitfalls/tips?

Only thing I can think of is consider the area for car insurance, I've been static pretty much on 2 renewals now despite gaining NCB because I live in a very high risk area for car crime, same for housing insurance.

Also check what exactly the landlord will won't cover/allow, as even something as trivial as redecorating some landlords can be a bit arsey about (mine in Reading was fine with us painting the dining room/sitting room cream instead of the pink it originally was and even supplied the paint + brushes etc, but current landlord is a PITA to get stuff sorted)

Can you get part furnished? (fridge etc provided)
You can get sofas etc for almost nothing (if you're lucky) from ebay or freecycle.
Stay away from storage heaters, the cost a bomb to keep the house warm.
We rented for 3 1/2 years down a dead end street, it was very quiet as none of the local yobs ever passed by there.

At least 3 bedrooms? I didn't know you had a wife and kids.

I know you want something nice, but if you aim smaller and cheaper then you'll be able to buy something you really want sooner. It will also cost less to heat and furnish.

Please, for the love of god, have them fumigated first. The last thing you want is to introduce bed bugs etc into your new place.

Anything infested with bed bugs is not a pretty sight.

How does one arrange this fumigation?

yell.com

Put what ever you want to fumigate into a sealed room and throw in a bug bomb or two. As long as you follow the instructions they will be successful.

Due to family dynamics, I won't be the only one living in the house. There will be two others.

I'm not sure how easy it will be to get a let for a long as you are looking for. The vast majority of rentals will be on a Shorthold Assured Tenancy so you'll be on 6 or 12 months initially then either have to renew for a further 6/12 months or go onto a rolling monthly contract. If the landlord is using a letting agent then there may be fees for each renewal (the scum sucking g!ts my landlord uses charge £50 + VAT for each renewal or £20 + VAT if I went onto a rolling monthly contract )

The landlord must, by law, put your deposit in one of the government assured deposit schemes. From memory there are three of them. I have found the Shelter website to be very handy for information about rentals.

If you can meet the landlord it's worth finding out how long the previous tenants were resident as that may give you some idea as to whether the LL is likely to want you out to cash in on rising rental rates or is more interested in having a reliable tenant in for a while.

Most landlords will be very happy if you tell them you want to rent a house for several years. Finding decent tenants is a lottery, and it costs a packet when they move out and need replacing.

Yep, extending a lease for a nominal fee is much more appealing than the full works.