HELP!! What can letting agency see on credit check??? Any one in rental market know?

Fairyfrog4

Help! Boyfriend and I have applied for a flat through a letting agency (Sequence). We earn 34k between us and the rent is 500 a month. We both have dodgy credit ratings and have just paid 400 for references including credit checks. Is it true that they can only see public data I.e CCJs/Bankruptcies?? - we don't have any of these.


Anyone who work in the rental sector know the answer??? Please help want this clarifying?!??

mije1983

http://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/questions/askjames370.html

Some info here

theartfullodger

Depends how thorough check is. They start at £7 which won't show much (tenant likely charged way more). There are 10s of companies doing them. Do you have a piece of string you could measure please?

KingS6

£400 for references? I think you've been jacked. Ask the LA to give you a full breakdown.

diluvsdiscounts

My daughter is in a similar situation. Her and her boyfriend are looking at a couple of houses and yesterday they were told they would need references, they can get excellent ones from their employers, but the credit checks are £250. How shocking is that. I was looking to see if I could do a free check to see if they would be rejected in advance to save them the money but it seems more complicated than that.
She has missed some of her phone contract payments so gone into an unauthorised overdraft and I wonder if this is going to go against her. Although she has just recently got a new phone contract which makes me wonder if her credit rating/score whatever it's called is ok.
What I don't want to do is do a check and that affect their scoring as I'm sure I've read on here that that can happen.
This is a completely new area to me which I don't have a clue about so if I am asking something that is obvious I apologise in advance but I would be grateful for any ideas anyone has.
I just think £250 is such a lot of money when they need a months rent as a deposit and a months rent in advance.
We live in a university town so most of the rental properties are rented to students so I think they're really lucky to have two to view this week, the other problem is that there is always a few viewers on each property but I suppose there is everywhere.

Fairyfrog4

I know but we have no choice but to pay them. Yes I know there's different companies but I want to know if there legally is a limit as to what info they're allowed to see. Surely there's some sort of data protection. As for string, not helpful..

theartfullodger

The application form for any tenant check I've seen contains something granting the landlord/agent rights to check whatever it is listed on the form, and unless you sign it ain't gonna happen. So in terms of what will be checked see the form you are asked to sign/electronically-fill-in. Sincere apologies but I cannot read it from here.

Sensible landlords also trawl social media & google applicants. It's amazing what you find! (A charming & respectable looking/sounding young couple had surprisingly open stuff about their heavy involvement in serious drug activities...)

See this for an example of what sort of things are checked on, bit it really does depend on which service is used: (If any: suspect some take the money then do nothing..) Note also the prices... £8:95 or £24:50 per person - there are cheaper - ... someone is ripping you off @ £400....
https://www.nlatenantcheck.org.uk/services.aspx

Whilst you may consider string comment not helpful it is, sadly, relevant.

Good luck, hope you find an honest, law abiding, agent & landlord who treats you with the respect due to any human being or client.

Such a shame you can't ask landlords for references also (actually you can but I think we know what would happen). Or that you can't look up landlords as in Scotland and at least find out exactly who they are, their address & if the council has accepted them as "fit & proper" people... And in Scotland charging tenants for reference checks or other fees etc etc has been unlawful since 1984. Come on Ingerland, catch up!

Boatdweller

We can see CCJs/Bankruptcies and if there are credit accounts linked to the name/address provided. Not what the credit is for, not if you've paid on time etc just that the address/name links.

Guest101

Only publically accessible information, as the letting agents are not (in all likelihood) registered with the FCA (or whatever its called now)

Fairyfrog4

Hey thanks for your help - they're going to be using an outsourced company - TLC (tenant letting check) do you have any experience of what they can see?

Boatdweller

If you're renting through an agent beginning with C it's not really an outsourced company. I've not used them personally but it can't be much different to the two companies I do use and that both give pretty much the same result. One company doesn't tell me about credit agreements, the other does (But lacking the info)