Renting apartment? - need help with my situation!

Theresonly1

Hello,

I have graduated some while ago now and have recently found a job down in Manchester so will need to rent an apartment to live in.

My problem is that i am relatively worried that i might not pass ref/credit checks..because

• recent grad so will no employment history to act as reference
• been living with my parents all along therefore no rental history
• relatively good credit i believe (good credit score, no CCJ, no bankruptcy, but missed a few credit card payments)
• in the event of requiring a guarantor - i can't find anyone suitable (my parents are umemployed)
• will start my job soon so i can provide my employment details and they can hopefully confirm that i will be working
• Lastly, i will be earning more than 3.5 times monthly rent a month so a very good salary

However, i can offer to pay 6 - 8 months rent + bond up front and i believe this would be accepted by the landlord (think its a corporate landlord). But i still need to be checked for ref/cred for the following remaining months.

What should i do? And how can i proceed from here? (in the event of ref rejection)

BeardedWonder

I've rented in Manchester for last 10 years and would be surprised if you had any major issues.You won't need a guarantor if you're working (i never needed one). Try using an independent landlord through gumtree if you're concerned, they're less likely to have standard vetting procedures.

Oh, i've used independent landlords for last few years. They normally just ask for a reference and proof of earnings. No agency fees and normally much easier to deal with.

Worst comes to worst you could always get a house share for 3 / 6 months. Might help you settle in and suss out the city. What areas are you looking at?

princeofpounds

Be up front about your credit situation when applying and confirm that they will accept you if what you have said transpires as true. With a 6 month payment you should be quite acceptable, especially with no CCJs. Don't offer to pay more than 6 months. missed card payments are not an issue and may not even show I think, CCJs are a much bigger deal.

Theresonly1

princeofpounds wrote: »

Be up front about your credit situation when applying and confirm that they will accept you if what you have said transpires as true. With a 6 month payment you should be quite acceptable, especially with no CCJs. Don't offer to pay more than 6 months. missed card payments are not an issue and may not even show I think, CCJs are a much bigger deal.

Yes i think i will not offer more than 6 months. A few people i spoke to did say that missed card payments are not an issue whereas some others say it is. :think: Apparently missed payments come up on my credit report but i'm not sure if it will come up when checked..

Yes, i have been honest with my situation to agents but then again, should i 100% trust them? Some of them have been reassuring me that it's fine but at the end of the day it still needs to pass a vetting procedure and its all depending on what the result says...

Theresonly1

BeardedWonder wrote: »

I've rented in Manchester for last 10 years and would be surprised if you had any major issues.You won't need a guarantor if you're working (i never needed one). Try using an independent landlord through gumtree if you're concerned, they're less likely to have standard vetting procedures.

Oh, i've used independent landlords for last few years. They normally just ask for a reference and proof of earnings. No agency fees and normally much easier to deal with.

Worst comes to worst you could always get a house share for 3 / 6 months. Might help you settle in and suss out the city. What areas are you looking at?

If it's that simple i will not be that worried such that i need to come on to forums like this. :cool:

Push come to shove, i guess its all about persistence.. might even pay all years rent haha. Also, might do what you suggest and get a flat share of just get a crappy flat..

Just to note, i think i needed a guarantor at the first place because *i have not started work yet (i'm about to start soon) so they can't give ref apart from confirming that i will be working there and will be earning such a salary:T

G_M

BeardedWonder wrote: »

....Try using an independent landlord through gumtree if you're concerned, they're less likely to have standard vetting procedures.

... but more likely to be a scam-artist. Tread carefully!

tbs624

You may want to avoid this one OP https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1418589

BeardedWonder

Theresonly1 wrote: »

If it's that simple i will not be that worried such that i need to come on to forums like this. :cool:

Push come to shove, i guess its all about persistence.. might even pay all years rent haha. Also, might do what you suggest and get a flat share of just get a crappy flat..

Just to note, i think i needed a guarantor at the first place because *i have not started work yet (i'm about to start soon) so they can't give ref apart from confirming that i will be working there and will be earning such a salary:T

All depends on your budget but you could get a nice double room in a big house in Didsbury / Chorlton for around £350 pcm.

Bewarned about crappy flats in Manchester. You don't want to end up in some Salford crack den just to save a few bob!

BeardedWonder

G_M wrote: »

... but more likely to be a scam-artist. Tread carefully!

Perhaps, although my personal experiences have been very positive. In comparision to so-called "professional" letting agencies anyway!

If £200 agency fees aren't a scam I don't know what is!

helenut

I had the same problem as you. Recent graduate, no rental history, no references etc.

I was completely upfront about everything, offering 6 months in advance to all the places I was interested in. I got outright rejected from some but eventually found a place. It wasn't a private letting, it was through an agent so I still had to pay £144 for referencing and credit checks even though they didn't really do anything.

If you're honest I'm sure it will be fine. I'm moving a week today now

Theresonly1

helenut wrote: »

I had the same problem as you. Recent graduate, no rental history, no references etc.

I was completely upfront about everything, offering 6 months in advance to all the places I was interested in. I got outright rejected from some but eventually found a place. It wasn't a private letting, it was through an agent so I still had to pay £144 for referencing and credit checks even though they didn't really do anything.

If you're honest I'm sure it will be fine. I'm moving a week today now

Wow so you paid £144 for all the ones you interested in..must of been a lot of money you spent with no return. ouch!

Time is against me so i need to act quick plus my additional problem is that there is not much i like. The one i like is very hard to get..well i guess the only one problem is passing the ref/credit checks..

I don't understand how you can pass ref/credit checks for some properties and not for some? Surely ref/credit checks would be all same for all unless some of the ones you went for are private landlords which they gave a leeway.

Congratulations on moving in next week!:T