homelet tenance checks - terrified help!!

mikeandrach_2

we have found a perfect house, and got on brilliantly with the landlords when we met, to the extent that they were saying they wanted us as tenants as they really liked us as a couple and our ideas for how we wanted to make some minor changes to the property (at our cost but looking at 4-5 year or more rental so we are fine with that).

we have been in our current property for 4.5 years and have a great relationship with our landlord. we have never missed a rent payment, although once due to an id fraud issue we were late paying although only by a few days, we told the landlord before the payment was due there would be a delay, kept them informed and they were totally fine about it. current rent is 600pcm, new one is 695pcm but we will save most of that in fuel so in real terms its a straight swap really.

we need to move for family reasons, and have our hearts set on this property. our credit ratings are awful due to a combination of young stupidity, living beyond our means and generally burying our heads. HOWEVER, we have woken up and have begun to pay off our debts, and have taken on no new credit etc, though we wouldnt get it anyway!

we are going to do the tenancy in just one name as the salary is more than high enough, require a salary of 21k and have a salary of just over 30k, other half earns 18.9k soonly need 1 applicant which will save a few quid on referencing fees. i understand homelet (who checked us 4.5 years ago but had less financial trouble then) use call credit. i tried to view my credit file but they said they were checking some info, so signed up to experian just now. it shows 2 public record, one for £777 in Jan 2011, and one for £389 in march this year.

i assume these are both ccj's. please odnt lecture about financial ignorance etc, i know we have both made some balls ups but we are both working to put things right, and have had no reason to look at our credit files before. i honestly dont have a clue what the 777 one was, i think the 389 may be littlewoods, due to a genuine dispute with them i was complaining for over a year, got nowehere so fought with my feet, ie didnt pay them. the costs of living, ie rent etc are ALWAYS paid no matter what. i believe the checks homelet do are not the most thorough in the world, but obviosuly the ccjs will show up. i cant actually remember what they were for is there any way i can find out tonight? i have the applicatin pack here and want to drop it off at the estate agents on my way to work tomorrow.

with this info, is it likely we will be declined? on 30k i have been with my employer for 5 years and its the local authority, pretty secure job. my other half has been on 19kish with employer for 2 years, in a job that is 99.9% secure even in the deepest recession etc long story but the job is pretty much for life if wanted. part of the reaosn the salary is low is the perks, brand new car every 2 years and quite relaxed hours.

with this info is it likely as it stands we would be declined? we are not in a position to pay 6 months upfront etc, it just cant happen so will be viewed as a normal tenant.

if it was the difference we may be able to provide a guarantor, its 90%+ he would be ok with it, he is one of our parents on approx 33k a year with a mortgage but no other real commitments.

any constructive help would be greatly appreciated, thanks

mikeandrach_2

anyone any thoughts/experience?

moromir

Firstly is the landlord prepared to accept only referencing one of you? You mention affordability but don't say whether you've assumed this means only one of you needs referencing (if I were a landlord I would be referencing both of you).

I would assume a CCJ is an automatic decline on the referencing report but if I were a landlord, it would be considered on balance with everything else I knew about you.

I'd certainly want the guarantor if I was going to proceed, with squeaky clean references.

BUT finding CCJs is a hard pill to swallow especially if I could easily let the property to someone with a clean record.

mikeandrach_2

thanks for the reply. we didnt discuss referencing just 1 of us with the landlord but estate agent suggested it so we assumed its normal and not likely to be an issue. our current landlord should give us a glowing reference i would think, and joking aside the local vicar would aswell despite not being religious. its a quiet, old village where the local vicar would hold a lot of influence i suspect. emplyment references wouldnt be an issue either. also this isnt a 'career landlord', its someone who is downsizing, took the balanced decision to let rather than sell. i think they want the money in their account every month and otherwise not even think about the house, thats the impression we got anyway.

mikeandrach_2

anyone else got any views?

ruggedtoast

The only people who can help you are the landlords. Suggest you don't give the agents hundreds for referencing if there is any doubt you will fail.

mikeandrach_2

dont have a choice though do i?

Clearlier

mikeandrach wrote: »

dont have a choice though do i?

If you have contact details for the prospective landlords you could contact them and let them know. The best that you can hope for after the letting agent does the referencing is that they or the landlord contact you to ask you about it so you might as well get out in front of it. If they say no, then at least you won't have wasted the referencing fee.

Guest101

If you have a CCJ, i presume you have bailiffs chasing you etc?

Just so we're clear, so everyone knows, a CCJ is when you fail to pay what the court orders, not just the court order itself. So if you did failt to pay, what's happened?

The LL could be concerned about his belongings in the property if you are being chased.

mikeandrach_2

Never had bailiff contact , one of them we repaid though Via an attatchement to earnings. Estate agent seems to think these wont be a problem as we have declared them, but what further credit checks do they do? Our landlord will give a glowing reference he has said so do they do a check in the way say a credit card company would I'm sure someone said that letting agents can only access publically available info in which case surely it's not a proper credit check? Estate agent seems very happy but obviously its homelet that matter not them

gazter

You dont want a lecture or need one, but on joint earnings of £50k (which is a lot of money), you didnt pay a bill, you were taken to court, you didnt pay the court, you were taken to court again and needed an attachment to earnings order for a piffling £389.

When you are on the dole £389 is not a small amount of money, it can cripple you when you are not expecting it. Getting in a mess over it is excusable. But you two are on £2,500 a month after tax and national insurance.

No matter how nice you are and reliable to the last landlord, if i had a choice, someone who does have a history of paying their bills, and those that require multiple court orders to get money out of, i know which i would go for.

Sorry.