Advice please - renting with a DMP. How to survive credit check?

Stronger

Hello you helpful lot!

Hoping that someone (or more than one...) can help with information and some reassurance.

Having to find somewhere to live before the end of the year, probably in the next 5 months or so, and the only option we have is to rent.

We will not have enough for a deposit saved by then, and even if we did, we can't get a mortgage due to me currently having a Debt Management Plan and the bad credit that goes with it.

Quite happy to rent for a bit, so we are actually looking forward to doing it and getting our own place.

The problem I foresee, is the credit checks that estate agents etc run upon an application. they all charge between £150 - £250 to do these checks, and we wouldnt get the money back if we failed them, and I know we would fail them due to my poor credit score and my DMP.

We both have a decent, steady income and are both employed fulltime, and I am making my regular DMP payments, and my other half is paying her credit cards on time.

Speaking to someone who works in rentals today, I learn that it looks as if I am correct in saying that we would fail the credit checks.

How can we do this guys? I know private landlords can be more flexible and may not carry out such checks, maybe be satisfied with proof of income, but this is all 'maybes' and 'hearsay' to a point.

I am starting to worry that we may be unable to find a roof over our heads at a time when we really need one!

Can any of you offer any reassurance or advice to us?

Stronger

Nobody with any helpful input on this?

I was really hoping that someone could help with some info. Spoken to a couple of local LA and thay all seem to think the same, that we will be scuppered.

Really fearing the worst to be honest.

jamie11

You do not have to go to an Estate agent at all. There are many experienced private landlords that you can apply to directly. They will probably run a credit check on you but the devil is in the detail. If you are honest with them and declare your problems they will be aware of the glitches before the credit check is even started. If you have bank statements and all the usual guff to show that you are managing your problem debts now then I think you may have a good chance to find a landlord willing to give you a chance. Not all landlords are ogres you know.

If you are in a position to offer extra deposit funds, say 3 months instead of 6 weeks, that could also be a deciding factor.

Any deposit you pay will (should) be protected of course so it's not as if you will lose it.

Stronger

Thank you jamie for your post, nice to read something of use to us.

I know that not all landlords are ogres, but there seems little for rent in our area, aside from student digs and terraced street houses(not suitable or desirable for our situation), in the small ads etc.

Any home that appeals to us, is featured on Rightmove and others via agents sadly, all of whom are happy to gobble up our savings in application fees that we know we will lose.

Suppose its a matter of keeping an eye on the small ads and hope a private landlord has something of interest?

I suppose that its difficult to find out the landlord of a property advertised by an agent? Just thinking that it could be worth approaching one independantly if we could find out a name and/or contact details? Don't know how we would get such info, or whether it would be frowned upon?

jamie11

Stronger wrote: »

I suppose that its difficult to find out the landlord of a property advertised by an agent? Just thinking that it could be worth approaching one independantly if we could find out a name and/or contact details? Don't know how we would get such info, or whether it would be frowned upon?

What you could try is to knock on a few doors of properties that you know are rented and ask questions.

Are you thinking of moving in the next few months?
Could you put me in touch with your landlord?

That sort of thing.

You would get a lot of negative answers but you would be seen as being pro-active and positive in your approach.

Stronger

Thanks again, will take this on board.

Anyone else other than jamie have anything to add? The more thoughts and opinions the better for us.

theartfullodger

I'd suggest going round - face2face - local letting agents (well scrubbed up, positive attitude, smile...) explaining your position & seeing what response you get.. Face2face, not on 'phone...

What (In my experience) agents & landlords really really don't like is surprises.. if someone has told them up front of a "problem" they can decide to proceed, do credit checks etc & hopefully find nothing more.. What they don't like is getting check back with "nasties" staring at them from the report when they've spent time & money getting that far (I never charge tenants for credit checks for what it's worth...)

Add all the "good" stuff (eg can prove you've never missed a date or payment, can easily get good LL references, current house immaculate(invite them round) have a reliable job with loadsa nice payslips, can pay 3/6 months up-front(difficult I know..), have deposit(I know, but see if local council will guarantee it/advance it) , someone will be guarantor(difficult..) etc etc etc..)

In your shoes I'd "test" the chat with the agents somewhere you do NOT want to live (eg next town..) & when you've got the chat right to it for real.. You might just be surprised..

Hope it works out, best of luck!

Stronger

Thank you lodger.

Interesting points, will also take them on board.

Still worried, but nowhere near as much as I was. Brilliant to get advice and thoughts via here from such people, as otherwise, its brick walls at every turn.....

Emmzi

have a look on the bankruptcy board, many people in your situation, and lots of tips!

Jalapee

I have recently moved into a property with my OH, this is both our first time renting.

I have appalling credit (No CCJS) but I do have 6 defaults and missed payments, (all defaults are now settles bar one, but have only showed up on my credit report this month as ‘settled’) so obviously expected to fail the credit check and just have the tenancy in his name, I made the letting agent aware of this (expecting him to just laugh in my face and not even to attempt trying in both)

But he said well he’d make the landlord aware and go ahead in both names, she was perfectly happy for us to go ahead and was ok with the credit check as I hadn’t lied about anything, both of us are in full time employment and have been with the same companies for 2+ years.

Obviously I was very happy that we were both allowed to be on the tenancy!

Try telling the landlord / letting agent about your bad credit history and see what they say and go from there!