Cannot rent due to debt/DMP

Bubbly85

Hello. I would like some advice on renting a property. I am a single, 30 year old woman, and a health professional. I am on a debt management plan with PayPlan and have 1 CCJ, which is also on the DMP. It is going to take approx 8 years for me to wipe off all my debts on the DMP.

I have spent the last 5 years living in shared houses, renting from private landlords who advertise on Gumtree or Spareroom. I have had awful experiences of sharing an house with others I recently successfully gained a permanent job in Sheffield (£28k annum), which is great because I will now have more disposable income.

However, I am really struggling to find a place of my own in Sheffield because of my debt situation. I would like to rent a 1 bed flat/studio or house. I have contacted around 20 different estate agents, explained my circumstances, told them I would be willing to give a high deposit, and all of them have rejected me. I don't have a guarantor, as I am not in contact with my parents and all my friends still live with their parents, and don't own any properties or have a stable income.

Also, both Gumtree and Spareroom don't often advertise 1 beds, and when they do, its an agent that still wants a credit check! This is causing me a great deal of distress. Has anyone else found a solution to this problem? Does anyone know of any agency's who would be willing to accept me?

Many thanks for your time,
Bubs x

BitterAndTwisted

Being on a DMP should not preclude you being able to secure rented accommodation. Being unable to afford the rent will. If you can prove your ability to afford whatever rent is being asked for, by providing copies of your bank statements and pay-slips then a sensible landlord would accept you.

I suggest in the short-term if you can't get an agent to accept you, then it's shared accommodation until your bank-statements can prove your ability to pay.

Your credit-record only tells part of the story, not the whole one.

ACG

It seems strange that you can not get somewhere with alarge deposit or paying a few months upfront.

When I failed a credit check (no idea how, I have no bad credit), I was asked to pay 6 months rent upfront. That was in manchester.

Have you tried some of the smaller agencies? Or on rightmove? They do allow individuals to advertise so you may find something on there not through an agency.

Brallaqueen

Unfortunately, your credit record is going to put a lot of sensible business people off, and if you are in competition with others with a clean credit history, you are always going to be second choice.

You need to be able to mitigate the risk you seem to be, and if a guarantor is off the menu, then you need a deposit plus 6 months rent in advance. If this is not possible you are stuck with the few non-agency Landlords who will take on people regardless of credit checks.

Best of luck!