Can tenants lie that they have a job??

cheekykid

Am a new landlord after acquiring a property from my parents. I've got a tenant who wants to move in and after talking to him there are some things am concerned of as he seems a bit shady(i could be wrong). I have checked the tenancy application my agency is giving out to potential tenants and I have concerns about the body that will be carrying out a search based on the details given by the tenant.
For example the application which as we know will be forwarded to an external body for credit checks (right?) asks for Current employment details.
What if the tenant has a friend who has a shop and even though he is unemployed he puts down that hes working there full time. Can the body(in this case lets say LETREF which is what appears on the application i've seen) give a definete answer as to whether someone is REALLY employed or not? What exactly do they look for before they inform the agency that a given tenant is "viable"?

I know am being paranoid but....helps to know as much as possible

Planner

cheekykid wrote: »

Am a new landlord after acquiring a property from my parents. I've got a tenant who wants to move in and after talking to him there are some things am concerned of as he seems a bit shady(i could be wrong). I have checked the tenancy application my agency is giving out to potential tenants and I have concerns about the body that will be carrying out a search based on the details given by the tenant.
For example the application which as we know will be forwarded to an external body for credit checks (right?) asks for Current employment details.
What if the tenant has a friend who has a shop and even though he is unemployed he puts down that hes working there full time. Can the body(in this case lets say LETREF which is what appears on the application i've seen) give a definete answer as to whether someone is REALLY employed or not? What exactly do they look for before they inform the agency that a given tenant is "viable"?

I know am being paranoid but....helps to know as much as possible

Ask to see 6 months of wage slips.

cheekykid

Planner wrote: »

Ask to see 6 months of wage slips.

So unless i ask for wage slips the "standard" checks cant find out if hes really employed or not?

Planner

cheekykid wrote: »

So unless i ask for wage slips the "standard" checks cant find out if hes really employed or not?

No, as the usual checks are references and a credit check. References could lie and credit checks dont list employment history.

I dont think there is any problem with asking for wage slips.

AverageJoe_4

DITCH HIM. If you already thinnk this could be a risk, then dont continue, find someone else.

Anyone can lie about anything - the victim will be someone that takes it at face value - and you will KICK yourself down the line if you go ahead now having had these thoughts from the outset.

This guy is not the only person looking to rent somewhere.

It';s your money at stake, ask yourself - would you be prepared to lend this guy the value of your rent in cash on a handshake agreement?

If your instincts tell you no, then ditch him.

AJ

mlz1413

If you have the credit checks done you can take out LL insurance to cover non payment of rent, I'm pretty sure this can also be deducted from any profit you make as it is an expense of the rental.

If you really don't like this person and the credit ref's don't highlight anything then you can just say no to him or you can ask for more deposit, the whole rent upfront etc.

If you have more than one person interested then meet the others and decide from there.

AverageJoe_4

mlz1413 wrote: »

If you have the credit checks done you can take out LL insurance to cover non payment of rent, I'm pretty sure this can also be deducted from any profit you make as it is an expense of the rental.

If you really don't like this person and the credit ref's don't highlight anything then you can just say no to him or you can ask for more deposit, the whole rent upfront etc.

If you have more than one person interested then meet the others and decide from there.

This guy sounds high risk and like any business, high risk = high price.

Double the deposit and ask for 2 months up front rent before accepting him. Have a 6 month contract max and write letters the second his payments are late.

Or, find someone better and mroe trusted.

naijapower

I am a landlord and i do the referencing and management myself. Dont see why i should bother with letting agencies and their high fees when i can do what they offer and even more by myself.
Firstly i see your concern about false employment ref. Trust me, your letting agents wont spot this but you would.
In my case, i dont bother with credit check. My two main requirements are last 3 months wage slip, last 3 - 6 months bank statement, reference from line manager and reference from last landlord.
To cross verify, i carry out the following checks - I check his employers name on yell and other database. I ring up reception and stylishly check if his reference is actually a mgr by asking to be out thru to Mr X a mgr in XXXX dept.
I also check the bank statements carefully. I actually prefer bank statements to wage slip as they give a better reflection.
With regards to contacting the previous landlord, i verify by first asking prospective tenant for his old tenancy agreement. This together with his bank statements shows he lived at this address. I actually prefer to write to landlord myself after confirming he owns the property by checking public record e.g. land registry.
Of course, all this does not guarantee that your tenant would be 100% good but at least you would be assured that you have gone the extra mile to satisfy yourself. Trust me, only a stubbornly and very intent bad tenant would go past all these checks...a small minority in my opinion.

theartfullodger

I completely agree with naijapower. However I'd add get references that give names, addresses of people at work / private to contact in an emergency. Like naijapower I call all the people I am given on references to check they exist. I'd want to see the wage-slip also (for the NI number) and a copy of his driving licence/passport.

Why all this stuff? Well it might mean you spot a dodgy lying crook before you rent to them.. and, if you do rent and things go wrong you've got shedloads of information go give to people (their prices start at £45 each person) who go find people after they skip leaving debts..

Good luck!

Artful

AverageJoe_4

Last two posters have that "commonsense street wisdom" I spoke of in another thread.

Rare commodity. May your success be ever lasting.

AJ

mlz1413

I agree with naija and artful, would add that taking a guarantor is also a good thing, not only does it mean you have someone else to chase for rent/damage normally anyone of 'shady' charater cannot get someone to guarnator for them.