Is this now the norm?

jammother

We went to view a place for rental today. We're renting now but moving to a new area due to job relocation. We saw the house and decided to take it but when we got to the office things started to get a bit strange.

We filled in the application form and there were the usual questions; name, current address, employer. But then there was a page where you have to list any credit agreements such as loans or credit cards and how much was outstanding. It seemed a little personal but then things got even more strange.

The letting agent went through the form with us and wanted to know what our loans were for and how we had run up the credit cards. Then he went through my bank statements asking what was going where and what was debt and how were we paying it off. They even asked to see my DLA letters.

I know that lots of people don't pay their rent and so agents have to be careful but it seemed very intrusive. We have never missed a rent payment in ten years of letting and have no CCjs, defaults or IVAs.

I'm just wondering if this is the norm now? We're a bit worried we won't be able to rent the house because we have a large amount of debt (no missed payments - it is manageable debt on a life of balance rate).

pjread

Definitely not the norm, I would have walked out and gone somewhere else.

LoopyLu

We had a Letting Agent do that to us too. They asked for 3 months worth of bank statements then started questioning all the different amounts and said we couldn't possibly afford the rent (we were offering 6 months upfront!)
What business is it of theirs how many times we eat at McDonalds lol! (in example!)

jammother

Well the new rent is £100 less than we are paying now and we're moving for a promotion which will mean even more money coming in. We earn 4x the rent! It was a horrible interrogation...

jimpix12

Yes, they are allowed to go through your outgoings with your consent of course. If they sat there and nitpicked against individual payments and you felt they were too intrusive and personally judging your spending habits, you could make a complaint, but it probably won't go anywhere.

A mortgage adviser went through my statements the other day and was "shocked" I was paying so much for Lovefilm (top package) but it was just a jovial thing, and certainly not personal or b1tchy. They use it to figure out what's coming in vs what's going out....

pjread

Your local pub landlord is allowed to go through your underwear drawer with your consent, it doesn't mean it should be expected...

nollag2006

pjread wrote: »

Your local pub landlord is allowed to go through your underwear drawer with your consent, it doesn't mean it should be expected...

I have to tip my publican a fiver a time for that particular service

jammother

Just an update. The LA called and said they were turning down our application despite passing all the checks. They said that the landlord was unsure about a dog. I countered that we had confirmed before viewing that a pet would be allowed and we wouldn't have driven a 200 mile round trip without that confirmation.

After a little more pushing, the said 'I was just trying to be polite - we don't like the state of your finances':eek: and think you would struggle to pay the rent.

The place came up as let as soon as the phone call finished. They had shown people around the property despite being in possession of our holding deposit.

Think we had a lucky escape...

GAH

OP, sounds like you def had a lucky escape. Thats the first time I have heard of a letting agent checking how much credit you have outstanding, def not the norm.

Put it down as an experience and move on

Oneday77

I would ask for all your personal information to be destroyed to be honest. If they are that 'thorough' they may be that useless at keeping it safe..

tbs624

I'm sure regular readers of the board are tired of me saying this but anyone can set themselves up in business as an LA, despite the fact that they handle thousands of £££s worth of other people's money and property and have access to very personal information. They dont need to have any specific knowledge, skills, training or qualifications and many would probably struggle to get work in any other capacity.

A LL or LA asking to see your bank statements is pushing too far and the sight of them actually tells the LA very little. You can have a T who for example, regularly operates their current a/c on an overdraft yet has savings stashed away. The LA/LL y obviously needs to have evidence of your current income and referencing to show that you have met regular financial commitments/don't have CCJs /defaults etc but this LA sounds far too intrusive in their methods.

OP you could try finding a local LL who self manages their properties, via either the local Council's private sector rentals officer ( many councils run accreditation schemes for PRS LLs), or via the local LL association.

As oneday77 says, you should write to this LA and ask them to confirm that they have destroyed all data relating to your application with them. You can make a Data Subject Access Request to them formally requesting details of what info they hold about you - they can charge you a tenner for this and have 28 days (IIRC )in which to comply with your request