Getting a lease changed....advice? pitfalls?

posh_scouse

Hi

I've been renting my current house since 15 July last year. Initially a six month fixed term now on rolling.

My fiance moved in with me last October - landlords had no issue with this.

Both ourselves and the landlords see this as long term. We've redecorated and replaced the carpets (with landlords approval) and whenever they come around (we had a few issues with the garage) and we commented that we see ourselvves staying for a long time, the landlords eyes light up and she says words to teh effect of "I hope you mean that". From talking to the neighbours I get the impression she's had a run of bad tennants.

All the above is to indicate that we have no issues with the landlord and vice versa.

Now the issue is, My fiance has no security of tenure. IF something befell me, he would not be in an immediate position to continue with the lease. He also jokes that I could have the police turn up and evict him at a moments notice etc. Not that I would but he's been divorced twice and as he said, I didnt think I'd end up divorced.

I have no issue at all with getting him added to the lease - and I don't think the landlord would either. What we don't want to dois get fleeced by the letting agents for the privalege.

There are a couple of additional complications...

1. He has completed an IVA - got his certificate of completion last August

2. Since I rented the house, I have had to go bankrupt. The landlord is well aware of this and has no issues with it. I told her myself before it happened and she was more sympathetic than anything and even offered to delay a months rent to be caught up over the following months if I needed it for the fees.

If we ask for the lease to be changed and she uses the agency, chances are we'll both failthe credit check due to the above. We could get six months rent in advance if needed but I fail to see why we should if the agent insists on it.

Is there any other way of giving my fiance some more feeling of security if changing the lease is going to be problematic. Ideally we'd both like to sign up for a 1-2 year lease as well but reading through the threads on here, I get the feeling most landlords would not entertain the idea so we've abandoned that idea.

Sorry for the length of the post, I just wanted to make sure all the information was there.

DVardysShadow

If the Landlord has no problem with it and you are upfront about your situations, then I see no need for the Agent to credit check either of you. The Landlord needs to tell the agent quite clearly not to credit check

posh_scouse

Thanks.

I've rented in Europe and the sTates in the past which I think is why I have a different attitude to renting than I get the impression most do. In one flat in Kansas I replaced carpets with wooden floors. My friends back here were shocked at "doing up someone else's house". But as I explained, I planned to liver there a while (was there six years in fact) and if you owned a house, you wouldn't not change the carpets for six years because at some point you might sell it!

I'll email the landlord and ask and ask if she will tell the agency not to credit check.