Rent4Sure declined

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi niechea

Rent4sure has asked to provide a response. MSE doesn't endorse anything a company says on the Forum.

"At Rent4sure we are always sorry to hear of any frustrations a tenant may have encountered with our referencing process.

As one of the nation’s most experienced and trusted tenant referencing suppliers to the lettings industry, it’s essential Rent4sure has a reliable referencing policy in place - not only to protect agents and landlords but also to ensure tenants can afford their rent.
While it would not be appropriate to go in to your specific case in any detail on this forum, we would like to address your concerns in general terms.

The letting agent employs us to take a snapshot in time of a tenant’s ability to pay the rent for the term of the tenancy. Our report is based on the circumstances of the tenant at the time of the reference. Nearly all tenant’s circumstances change during the term of the tenancy - which is something we cannot predict. As such we provide the letting agent with a snapshot in time and encourage them to make an informed decision based on our report and other information they gather on the tenant.

The problem you describe is a common one for tenants on fixed term contracts.

We often reference tenants on fixed term contracts which will expire before the end of the tenancy. We have a duty to make the letting agent aware of this because there is, as I am sure you will understand, a risk the tenant may not obtain further employment at the end of the contract. We can only report to the agent what we know as facts.

We encourage letting agents to work with tenants on fixed term contracts – as we do not feel they are necessarily any greater risk than someone with a permanent job (who could be made redundant the day after the tenancy is granted.) There are many ways letting agents and landlords can work with tenants on fixed term contracts – some of which have already been commented upon on this thread. The most common steps are to have a guarantor in place, or to take a larger deposit to mitigate the risk, or to pay more rent up front to mitigate the risk.

While we encourage letting agents to work with tenants on fixed term contracts, sometimes their hands are tied and they can’t – even if they want to. The decision to let or not let the property to a tenant rests with the letting agent and/or the landlord. Some landlords allow the letting agent to make the decision on their behalf. Some landlords want to be involved in the decision. Some landlords impose very strict criteria on letting agents and simply won’t allow the letting agent to let their property in these circumstances. So, in some cases, it is not even the letting agent declining the let. And in all cases, it is never Rent4sure that declines the letting of the property.

So in summary, we are sorry for any frustration you have experienced. However, please understand we are simply reporting the facts at a point in time to the letting agent. These facts we report are then used by the letting agent and/or landlord to make the decision to let or not let the property. Rent4sure does not make the decision. And in some cases the letting agent does not even make the decision – the decision is made by the landlord.

Please feel free to contact us directly, off this forum, if you want to discuss the specifics of your reference in more detail.

It’s also important to note that administration fees you have been charged by the letting agent have nothing to do with Rent4sure. We charge the letting agent a nominal fee for our services."