Advice on renting property with partner who has a bad credit history

PrincessBubba

Hi,

We are moving house and I need some advice please!

I am looking to rent a house with my partner, but he has a very poor credit history so would fail the credit check.

We are moving because I have a new job (with a good salary and I have a good credit history).

I have lived where we are for 7 years on a rolling contract, have never missed a rent payment and we will both have good references from our landlady. He moved in a year after me and so never had a credit check done here - we have a fairly informal relationship with our landlady.

How will his poor credit history affect our renting a home together? Is it possible for the lease to just be in my name? Can I act as guarantor for him?

Furthermore there is the possibility that he will not have a job lined up in time when we move (we are moving out of the area) therefore is this a legitimate reason for not having him on the lease? i.e. the fact that it will be just me paying the rent at first.
He is also looking to go back to uni next year to do his PGCE so realistically speaking I will be the one responsible for the rent while he returns to study anyway.
Just in case this relationship looks very one sided he supported me through uni so it's payback time!

Where do we stand legally on this? Can we just have my name on the lease?

I would appreciate as much advice as possible please!

Jowo_2

If you are joint tenants, then you won't be able to be a guarantor simply because you would be legally liable for his arrears anyway.

Do you earn enough to pay for the property in your sole name?

PrincessBubba

I will earn enough to pay for the property in my name alone - is it ok to just have the tenancy in my name?

bdl1brick

You will need to have the tenancy in joint names but if your income covers the rent you should be fine, not all agencies do a credit score check anyway.

PrincessBubba

Thank you for the responses

I thought it was standard procedure for agencies to do credit score checks?

birduk

I had exactly the same problem with my partner. We both went through credit checks- which he failed. Because I could pay all the rent myself, I was then simply a guarantor for him. They just asked if I would do this.

aylithuk

I've just done what your looking to do (I earn more then him and he unemployed but I asked him too because like you I got a better paid job).

They do credit score him but as long as he doesnt have CCJs or defaults he should still pass the checks. If he doesn't but you do you'll just stand as guarantor for him.

My company used Rentwise and did a Applicant credit profile and risk analysis on him only.

Hope this helps