Want to rent privately but credit rating awful!

IyaCiara

Hello all. My husband and I are both mature students and we currently live in a 1 bed housing association property. Because we have an 18mth old daughter we desperately need extra space so we decided to move house. Initially we approached our local council but we were told to expect at least a 3 year wait to be re-housed. So we decided to rent privately. All of our local estate agents told us that we would need a guarantor - my parents have agreed to do this for us. We located a lovely property in a perfect area, but when I brought the references into the agency today, I was told that because I have an unpaid CCJ and defaults (due to ex-boyfriend doing all sorts in my name) that even with a guarantor my husband and I would not be accepted as tenants! The letting agent said that it has something to do with insurance for the landlord. Now, we stand to loose our £200 holding deposit! I asked if we could go ahead and have the tenancy in my husband's name alone, but was told that it wouldn't make a difference because I would still need to be referenced as an occupant of the property. I must say that I'm at a loss as to what to do next. It seems that because of my previous credit history my husband and I will never be able to rent a house. Has anybody else been in a similar situation? Does anybody have any advice to offer?

Thanks in advance for your help!

creditboy

Try looking for a private Landlord in your local paper

Jewel_2

You should get your £200 back as they are refusing to take you (well, that's the rules with ours anyway).

With regards to renting a property, could you afford to pay upfront? Perhaps get a loan from your mum or something?

scrummy_mummy_2

IyaCiara wrote: »

Hello all. My husband and I are both mature students and we currently live in a 1 bed housing association property. Because we have an 18mth old daughter we desperately need extra space so we decided to move house. Initially we approached our local council but we were told to expect at least a 3 year wait to be re-housed. So we decided to rent privately. All of our local estate agents told us that we would need a guarantor - my parents have agreed to do this for us. We located a lovely property in a perfect area, but when I brought the references into the agency today, I was told that because I have an unpaid CCJ and defaults (due to ex-boyfriend doing all sorts in my name) that even with a guarantor my husband and I would not be accepted as tenants! Not necessarily true. The letting agent said that it has something to do with insurance for the landlord. Rubbish...you are being fobbed off, they don't want YOU as a tenant with tenant liabilities, you are too risky. Now, we stand to loose our £200 holding deposit! I don't think so! I asked if we could go ahead and have the tenancy in my husband's name alone, but was told that it wouldn't make a difference because I would still need to be referenced as an occupant of the property. Also not true, you go on the tenancy agreement as a permitted occupier (for which you do not need to be referenced at all) I must say that I'm at a loss as to what to do next. It seems that because of my previous credit history my husband and I will never be able to rent a house. Has anybody else been in a similar situation? Does anybody have any advice to offer?

Thanks in advance for your help!

You could........
1. If your husband's salary covers the rent liability (times the monthly rent by 30) and if you husband's salary exceeds this he can stand for the rent in his own right...he can take the tenancy in his own name with you on the agreement as a permitted occupier. As long as his refs and credit check are fine, no guarantor is required.
2. Offer to pay rental periods in full and up front...so, 6 months rent and deposit in one go, then do the same next time round.


Your letting gent appears to be ill informed/misleading you.

IyaCiara

Thanks for the advice guys. Spoke to the estate agent again today and she said that they were willing to add me as an occupant as opposed to a tenant subject to the agreement of the landlady. Then I got a call from them this evening to say that she would prefer to put the house back on the market :-(

IyaCiara

The good news is though that we will get our £200 holding deposit back!

JEWISHPRINCESS

I'm glad they are doing the right thing and giving you the holding deposit back.

I suggest that you scour local papers and shop windows to find a private landlord. That way chances are you won't be credit checked, can deal directly with the landlord and not have to pay any of the agency fees.



You could try and get a home swap. Perhaps find someone who wants to downsize. Unlikely I know but it is worth a try, as you never know.

Finally is it worth giving up the security of a council/housing association property and paying loads extra for private rented accomodation when it is just for the sake of an extra bedroom?

I notice that you are both mature students. Would it be wiser to stay where you are and save the differnce in rent to put towards a deposit to buy somewhere when you graduate? By that point the bad credit may have fallen off your file.

There are a lot of pitfalls that come with private rented accomodation. TBH I wouldn't recommend it when you have a family. Unless you have no other choice.

Goodluck with whatever you decide to do.