Renting

Cissie1

Hi All,

I am looking for some advice on renting for ex bankrupt. My husband and were both made bankrupt in Sep 2010. Discharged in sep 2011. We have been renting since Aug 2009 in the same house but the landlord has now decided to sell his house so we are having to leave.
my worry now is trying to rent again with a new estate agent. I have tried to clear up my credit files and my experian score is currently stating 'fair' 728. Not sure this means much really as the bankruptcy will of course still be there for another couple of years yet.
So I would like to ask what other peoples experience has been to rent with a similar situation. Will we fail the credit score straight away?
Thanks
Cissie

TheGardener

Hi - A good reference from your current landlord will probably be worth more than your credit score. If you always paid your rent on time and looked after the property you should get a reference from your current landlord saying so.

Going by previous posts on here - it seems letting agencies are keen to know if you have sufficient income to afford the rent now (as opposed to a few years ago when you were BR) - have you tried the local housing associations and/or council?
Another option is if you can find a guarantor or better still are able to provide up to 6 months rent in advance - I know that is a tough call though.
Private lets through small adds and places like gum tree also seem to have worked for others but you could try approaching a letting agent and explaining the circumstances and see what they say?

futurefree

Hi

I had to have a family member act as a guarantor. I failed the letting agents credit check so they agreed to accept a guarantor and I agreed a longer initial rental (12 months) instead of the usual 6 months so that they knew I was serious about staying.

I have been renting for almost 4 years now with no problems.

They wanted all my guarantors financial statements, proof of income, list of debts etc so ask someone who has little debts or a good income as they have to prove they cover both their own commitments and yours if you should fail to pay the rent.