Very stressed - need to move house ASAP!

PinkPrincess

I'm posting this as a last resort to see if anyone out there can help me?

Basically I currently rent a house with my partner and 3 children but the owner has decided to put the house on the market which means we have to move.

The problem I have is that my partner's credit history is very poor and mine has only really just started since Feb this year - I had no credit history before except a default on a disputed Orange bill 2 years ago which got to 4 months in arrears as I refused to pay!

Anyway, I'm not on the electoral roll at my current address, only my previous as I never got round to enrolling and I've moved house a lot. I have 7 months credit history now with all my payments being made on time each month. I've had one search in the last month but 23 in the last year!!!

The reason why this is now urgent is because I've had a couple of months to find somewhere (houses are far and few between on the letting market around here!) and I finally found one by chance (friend of a friend) through a private landlord. I paid the deposit and rent and awaited to hear from the LL as to when I could collect the keys but then it fell through due to a change in the LL's circumstances.

So now I'm back to square one. I found another house similar to the one through the private LL but the letting agent wants to charge me an extortionate amount in fees (which are non-negotiable) and I really don't know what to do? Plus I don't know whether I'll pass the credit check (we didn't need one for the house we're in as we're friends with the owner - so it was also a private let).

Do I wait for a house to come on the market that's suitable for me & my family and within my budget, or do I go for this house that I don't really want (it's in total need of repair/decorating and has no cooker or white goods!), pay the riduclous fees and hope I pass the credit check? I've checked my credit file on Equifax & Experian and apparently I'm in the poor catergory with 500+ on Equifax and 600+ on Experian. I'm using 46% of my credit with 10 accounts on my file.

I've searched the internet high and low for hours and hours on end going through every estate agents website in the area, as well as newspapers etc. but I can't find anywhere with private LL's that aren't renting houses to students only. Surely there must be a website somewhere? I'm in the Warwickshire area.

Thanks in advance for any help and/or advice

chewmylegoff

agents' checks are sometimes quite slack, and sometimes seem to consist of as little as just getting a reference from your employer which confirms your salary and nature of your employment (i.e. permanent / contract / temp). if you don't pass, if you have someone who can act as a guarantor to you then it may solve the problem?

i'm afraid letting agents' fees are a fact of life and that the only way of avoiding them is finding a private let. if you cannot, then you are going to have to pay fees. credit check will be around £30. contract fee can be upwards of £100. inevitable i'm afraid, and you just have to factor it into the overall cost of renting.

PinkPrincess

chewmylegoff wrote: »

agents' checks are sometimes quite slack, and sometimes seem to consist of as little as just getting a reference from your employer which confirms your salary and nature of your employment (i.e. permanent / contract / temp). if you don't pass, if you have someone who can act as a guarantor to you then it may solve the problem?

Thanks for your reply. I don't have anyone who could be a guarantor for me. The credit check is £52.88 with KeySafe.

chewmylegoff

PinkPrincess wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. I don't have anyone who could be a guarantor for me. The credit check is £52.88 with KeySafe.

so £45+VAT (presumably per person). seems high for a credit check which they will outsource to an agency who probably charges them £20 or so - but i have come across much higher (albeit in london). you could reduce by applying in your name only so they only credit check one of you. but knowing letting agents, they will probably insist on credit checking your partner even if he is not intended to be a named party to the tenancy.

BitterAndTwisted

Have a look on the National Landlords Association website then you won't have to go through an agent. Click on the "Property to Let" button on the left-hand side and search by post-code.

http://www.landlords.org.uk/index.htm

G_M

Strangely Keysafe's website does not show its charges. However they are probobly a bit below the 52.88 figure. Most agents add something on to cover their admin time/costs, and profit.

Not much you can do about this.

As with all referencing, it is ultimately the LL (sometimes delegated to the agent) who makes the decision based on the info obtained (including referencing) so be upfront/honest and say "given my circumstances, and once the reference has confirmed them, would you accept me? If the answer is no, save yourself the money. If the answer is yes, then the referencing becomes a formality since it will simply confirm what you've already told them.

shegar

I would suggest you fill in application form for council housing ASAP, you have 3 children so you will get housing, that way you will not need a deposit and credit rating check...and your tenancy will be for a very long time ...I hope you get yourself sorted out very soon...

PinkPrincess

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Have a look on the National Landlords Association website then you won't have to go through an agent. Click on the "Property to Let" button on the left-hand side and search by post-code.

http://www.landlords.org.uk/index.htm

Thanks. I've never heard of this website before. I've done a search but there's only one 3 bedroom house for £1200pcm!!! :eek:

PinkPrincess

shegar wrote: »

I would suggest you fill in application form for council housing ASAP, you have 3 children so you will get housing, that way you will not need a deposit and credit rating check...and your tenancy will be for a very long time ...I hope you get yourself sorted out very soon...

The council won't help. I've already spoken to them. They said unless I have a notice wih a court stamp on it, there's nothing they can do as I'm not deemed to be homeless and if I move out before then, I will be making myself intentionally homeless! The only way to to have a stamped court order would be to remain in the property and not pay any rent until the LL takes me to court to try and evict me! Not really the situation I want to get myself into! Plus if they were to house me, it would probably be somewhere horrific and I wouldn't want that for my children, it would need to be close enough to their school.

shegar

PinkPrincess wrote: »

The council won't help. I've already spoken to them. They said unless I have a notice wih a court stamp on it, there's nothing they can do as I'm not deemed to be homeless and if I move out before then, I will be making myself intentionally homeless! The only way to to have a stamped court order would be to remain in the property and not pay any rent until the LL takes me to court to try and evict me! Not really the situation I want to get myself into! Plus if they were to house me, it would probably be somewhere horrific and I wouldn't want that for my children, it would need to be close enough to their school.

Points taken on your post, I do feel for you very much with 3 small children , I hope that your situation changes before too long..