Married Couple Renting

lumscx

I was looking for a one bedroom flat to rent for me and my wife from a letting agent.

After viewing an reasonable flat I paid the holding deposit, passed the reference check (just me), everything seems to be fine but I forgot to mention to the letting agent that actually it will be a couple (me and my wife) to live in the flat rather than just myself (neither the letting agent asked me).

When the AST arrived in post, there is an occpancy term states that only one person should be allowed to live in the renting property and that would be me as I am the sole tenant. I rang the agent and asked and he said he need to talk to the landlord before amending the terms.

I am just wondering
1. what's the chance that the landlord not to let the flat to me bacause of this? (current tenant is a couple with a baby)

2. when a married couple renting, should my wife's name put as a tenant too? (I am the one who paying the rent anyway).

thanks.

RDB

I am interested in the answer as well.

I have very bad credit rating been blacklisted etc. So when we rent I want my wife to go through all the credit checks and provide good referenced etc not me.

The good news is for us that rents are falling and its getting harder for landlords to find good reliable tenants with good references.

Mips

Estate agents use a Tenant check thing - even with defaults you will pass.

They look for CCJs, bankruptcies, CIFAS (something to do with fraud I think). They also like you to be on the electoral roll, earning enough to cover the rent and with a bank account etc etc..

You would be amazed at how many people with seriously bad credit problems pass the credit checks!

spurs24

hi there,

both people have to be on the tenancy regardless who will be paying the rent.
me and hubby rent and have just gone through and we move mid july, i have a really bad credit history, i have 2 ccj's, but hubby has great credit, earns 3 times what i do, but they still had to chexk me as well, i failed but cause hubby didnt and earns more than enough to pay it is was fine, they was very quick at the references, they faxed both our works, our landlady, and they also credit checked us, then at the end they do this report and let EA know if they think you are suitable to rent that property,
I was really worried but all is well (cause hubby) and we move mid july.

Im sure LL will be fine if there was a couple in before with a baby it will be fine just you and your wife.

I must also say when we went for this property, i told them my credit was crap, and they said as long as hubby was good and could cover rent it would be ok, also both need to be on electrol roll and helped cause we have both been in jobs a while hubby 15 years and me 2 years.

hope all works out

PasturesNew

He'll also want you to pay for another credit check, one on your wife.

It's all a right b4st4rd to be honest

You're just renting a place !!!!!!, but unfortunately there are a lot of very odd people out there and it's their little way of trying to protect the LL's investment against lunatics and defaulters and other oddballs that society is not allowed to just cull.

Gingernutmeg

PasturesNew wrote: »

You're just renting a place !!!!!!, but unfortunately there are a lot of very odd people out there and it's their little way of trying to protect the LL's investment against lunatics and defaulters and other oddballs that society is not allowed to just cull.

Shame there's not an equal way for tenants to protect themselves against these lunatics, defaulters and oddballs, I think at some point I've had all three as landlords lol

I'm sure there was a thread on this not long ago where someone mentioned that they'd got round this by saying that their wife was a 'housewife-dependent'. Can't remember the details but it might be worth doing a search. However, if the LA is determined to go by the(ir) book then there's not a lot you can do.

tbs624

Wife *can* have "permitted occupier" status rather than being a full signatory to the AST, but if two are signed up as having "joint and several liability "it means that if one gets made redundant, runs off with the neighbour, or whatever, then the LA still has another party to pursue for the rent. ( The fact that one of those parties has no independent income is neither here nor there for that purpose as far as the LAs are concerned).

However, what wife needs to understand is that she has less protection if not signed up to AST - worse case scenario: hubby runs off with neighbour, LL can kick wife out of property if she is only there as a permitted occupier..

As Gingernutmeg has said, the LA wants two lots of admin fees and, as Pastures says, they like to gather much personal information to ascertain what "sort" of people will be living in their property

theartfullodger

(As long as the property will comfortably take 2 people) IMHO as a Landlord it is preferable to have 2 names rather than 1 on a tenancy, assuming they pass references/checks etc. Why?

Sorry to be so gloomy/talk about problems but should everything go horribly wrong and the LL end up being owed rent/repairs whatever, the LL can then pursue whoever is easiest to find/most likely to be able to pay(usually means the one working under PAYE).

The phrase "jointly & severally" in a tenancy means that EACH tenant will be liable & pursuably for the WHOLE debt (if the judge agrees).

I'd also usually feel happier with a couple rather than a single bloke. So, one way or another adding the wife might work in your favour..

Cheers & Good luck!

Lodger