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What triggers a Credit Score Fail with an Estate Agent?

Hi.

Can anyone tell me what triggers a Credit Score Fail with an Estate Agent? Myself and my wife have put in an offer on a rented property and are just about to have credit checks done.
We both have good well paid jobs but our Credit reports don't look the best.

My Experian score is 841 (fair) I have a default from 2009 which is marked as satisfied and also a CCJ from the same year which is also marked as a satisfied judgement. I have never been Bankrupt.

My wife's Experian score is 695 (poor) She has some defaults on her file from 4 years ago but is paying them off through a debt management company.
She has no CCJ's and has never been Bankrupt.

Will this fail us ???

Comments

  • stclair
    stclair Posts: 6,849 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Estate agents will only have access to public records.

    Therefore they will only see information regarding CCJs, Bankruptcy etc.
    Im an ex employee RBS Group
    However Any Opinion Given On MSE Is Strictly My Own
  • It's not just the credit-checks that lettings agents, or the landlords they represent, go by. If you patently can easily afford the rent by providing copies of your banks statements, provide them. Having decently-paid jobs and can confirm this providing copies of your pay-slips, provide them. Plus a good reference from your current and previous landlords.

    All of these things on their own don't necessarily tell the complete story, but altogether they might.
  • Experian_company_representative
    Experian_company_representative Posts: 2,134 Organisation Representative
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Hi Colinairey,

    You can find more about what information a letting agent can see when they perform a tenancy check here.

    I hope your application goes well!

    Regards
    Neil
    Official Company Representative
    I am an official company representative of Experian. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to queries about the company, so that I can help solve issues. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. I am not allowed to tout for business at all. If you believe I am please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com This does NOT imply any form of approval of my company or its products by MSE"

    Posts by James Jones, Neil Stone, Stuart Storey & Joe Standen
  • The experian link is largely a piece of PR fluff about their somewhat dubious plan to credit-reference rental payments. Given how many private landlords are liars, I'm not sure how they are planning to implement it fairly, but that's a topic for another day.

    At the moment, agents normally do two things in their credit check; they check for CCJs and they check for 'affordability' i.e. rent/income ratio.

    There is no standard method of interpretation, some LLs will rent only with clean records, others are more willing to take the the time to understand individual situations.

    I'm afraid i don't know what happens with satisfied CCJs... I believe if they are sorted quickly then they don't appear.
  • The experian link is largely a piece of PR fluff about their somewhat dubious plan to credit-reference rental payments. Given how many private landlords are liars, I'm not sure how they are planning to implement it fairly, but that's a topic for another day.

    At the moment, agents normally do two things in their credit check; they check for CCJs and they check for 'affordability' i.e. rent/income ratio.

    There is no standard method of interpretation, some LLs will rent only with clean records, others are more willing to take the the time to understand individual situations.

    I'm afraid i don't know what happens with satisfied CCJs... I believe if they are sorted quickly then they don't appear.

    If paid within a month they don't show. As it shows, looks like it was settled after that so will show on a credit check.
    :beer:
  • jjlandlord
    jjlandlord Posts: 5,099 Forumite
    So overall the two of you have 5+ (I'm going to guess that 'some' means at least 3) defaults within the last 6 years... If you find a landlord who has a gambling addiction it might work.
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