Please help - Urgent housing problem

flis21

I am hoping that someone can offer me some advice.

We rent our flat and were looking at moving to a house. We found one we liked and spoke to the letting agent. We explained that we didn't have a good credit history, she said that as long as we hadn't been bankrupt or had any CCJ's we would be fine if we could provide a guarantor.

We did all the paperwork and paid the £200 admin fee. They have now come back and said that we cannot have the house as our credit history shows an IVA. They never asked about IVA's, but apparently it shows up as 'bankruptcy or voluntary arrangement' on the credit check and doesn't say anything else. So it looks like we have been bankrupt, although we have explained we haven't.

Biggest problem is now we have handed our notice in on our flat and are supposed to be moving out on 25th August.

Now I imagine all letting agents use this letsure referencing company or someone similar, so what are we going to do?

Please advice.

MrsTinks

Some agencies will still accept you and ultimately it's down to the landlord - ask the agency to contact the landlord of the new property for you and explain the situation (or write a nice letter yourself!) and do your best to come across very responcible etc. If the landlord accepts you then you might still get the house. If not go and speak to your local council they should eb able to get you emergency house if all else fails.
Also it might be worth seeing if you can cancel the notice on your current flat - ask quickly before the agency or landlord incurs any charges in trying to find new tenants

rog2

You can also try your local council housing department - some of them have a homes4u site, where, providing you have registered on the housing list, you can apply for these.
Also worth talking to CAB.

rayday2

I used to work in Whitegates and we used letsure they are a pretty big company. But each individual landlord should be given the chance to decide. The problem is that if they go against a Letsure report then there insurance against someone not paying is void. So it is a bigger risk for them.

If you provided a garantor why did they credit check you, they should have checked the guarantor. If you point this out to them they may refund your fees if you don't get the landlord to change there mind.

Estate agents do tend to know though what there landlords do and don't like but its always worth asking!

MrsTinks

Oh and if you carry on looking for a different property then make sur eyou tell them up front about the IVA - although the agents didn't ask I would always make sure you inform them about things like this... Some landlords don't care, others do, some don't want housing benefit tenants, some don't want pets etc etc - the agents are just that... an acting agent on the landlords behalf. They can only act on the landlords instructions. Some are better at it than others though (used to be one) and if they specifically said "bankrupcy" and so on then you MIGHT be able to get the full £200 back... I'd certainly argue it with them! And preferably LOUDLY with lots of clients in the shop nothing more effective than putting of potential clients to get them to do something