First time renting - got a few questions!!

alizee

My husband and i are thinking about renting an apartament at the end of january. my dad is planning to come live with us as well - he is not british and is coming over to get some paperwork sorted and then will live permanently.

What sort of paperwork do we need? I don't know if i have a credit rating as i have not had a job in the uk ( i'm starting in a week) My husband works full time and can get brilliant references from work.

However we have never rented before - so cannot get references from landlords or letting agencies.

Are we going to have problems in trying to find a flat?

We're looking at a 2 bedroom flat for 3 people - one of us not working - but we can afford the flat on our own anyway.

should i go have a chat with someone at an agency?

I wouldn't want to pay loads of fees but i can't seem to find any LL's in the area - only agencies. Would they be more interested since we want quite a long term let?

I have looked through the forums but there are so many things i don't understand! i'm not familiar with this at all.

i will have to sort everything out on my own mostly - hubby is too busy with work and hasn't got time ..



edited to add - i must be living in a very remote area - i can't find ANY private ads at all, how can i find a good agent that won't try and charge me silly amounts because i'm new to this?!

alizee

bump !

tbs624

Anyone can set themselves up in business as a LA, with no training, qualifications or specific knowledge and it's worth remembering that an LA acts in the LLs interests, rather than your as a potential T. If you are going to go via an LA check that they are voluntarily signed up to ARLA, NAEA, NALS, UKALA, TPO.

You say you have no prior experience of renting - where are you living now? Are you paying a mortgage?

Search on the main part of the website for MSE Martin's advice on checking your own credit rating.

When potential Ts don't meet a LLs/LAs criteria they may ask for more rent in advance or for a guarantor.

Contact your local Council , who will have someone who deals with private sector housing. Ask them if they run accreditation courses for local private LLs and, if yes, can they give you any contact numbers.

There may be a local LL association so Google your town and "landlord association" or look in the phone directory. You could put up your own "wanted" advert.

alizee

no, i've been living with my parents-in-law. My husband has a v. good credit rating but me and my dad probably won't have one, it happened when i opened a bank account, i've only just been put on the electoral roll, never in debt, never had steady income..when they opened my bank account they just said..i didn't have a credit rating...lol

the trouble is, the area is very small, there are only maybe 5-6 flats that fit the criteria, advertised, and literally nothing in the paper, nothing on the internet about private LL's.

tbs624

In which case go and talk to the local LAs, after checking them, as suggested above. Perhaps your in-laws would act as a guarantor if necessary?

Up at the top of the House Buying board there is a "sticky" for those new to renting - much useful advice in there

alizee

thank you - i have already read that thread but it's not entirely relevant to my problems, it didn't specify anything about what happens with people without references - i don't know what a guarantor is or how the procedure works - seems like having a chat with the letting agents is my only option at the moment.

tbs624

A guarantor is someone who signs up to say that if you fail to meet your obligations under the tenancy then they will pay up. They need to have a copy of the tenancy agreement before they sign, so that they can understand exactly what it is that they will be covering: it is a serious undertaking and is not something to be rushed into. Have a look here

alizee

i have just checked my credit report but i have no idea what it means!

BitterAndTwisted

Go to a local Letting Agent and explain your situation. It might be entirely possible for the rental agreement to be issued in your husband's name only if you don't have a satisfactory credit report yourself. Most landlords need to satisfy themselves that you as a family can afford your legal obligations and your husband's credit report, employer's reference, a large deposit and/or a few months rent upfront might be sufficient.

You could also try and find a private landlord via the National Landlords Association: there's a search function for properties on their site:

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

alizee

hello - on mine everything shows up as satisfactory and no payments missed - not a huge amount of stuff just my bank account and a catalogue account & i also am on the electoral roll - don't know if it is enough for them but as i said i will be starting my job soon so i hope that would be beneficial. i tried searching lor landlords but nothing came up for my town. I will visit some agencies soon and explain the situation and see what they say - thank you for the replies, i'm just worrying myself sick that i we won't be able to rent & being the first time we move out there are also a lot of other things on my mind - that obviously doesn't help!