Suddenly can't even get to rental referencing stage!!!

paddypaws101

Hmm, tricky.
I would suggest trying to forge a relationship with one or several local agents so that they actually put you forward for available properties as they come on to the books.
Visit the agent office in person and chat to them, maybe even offer to get credit checks done up front at your own cost, let them know you are a serious shopper.

Murphybear

nnb wrote: »

Good point!! Although LAs you can easily research online for reviews etc. Gumtree just has a lot of people renting out their home or spare bedroom or cupboard and are not regulated or protect your deposit. I've had bad experiences, as you can tell! I am sure there are good ones but filtering through it all is just scary.

There are good ones on Gumtree. We found a 5 bedroomed house at a good rent. The owner was experienced and insisted on referencing, bank statements and protected deposit.

Murphybear

We have been looking for a while and, like you, couldn't get to the referencing stage. We thought it was because we were retired but one one agency said 50 % of their tenants are retired. We made a few offers on bungalows but were not offered anything. Having a cat was a sticking point.

Sometimes it's a case of your face fits, a bit like getting a job. We went to see a big converted barn on a farm at a very reasonable rent. It was managed by the owner and he and my OH got on like a house on fire and he told the agency he was happy to have us as tenants. We've passed referencing and hopefully move next month.

Do you live in an area where every property goes immediately or some seem to stick, then the rents are reduced. We live in a very rural county and quite a lot of properties are a bit back of beyond and have been on the market for months. If you could find something like that it may reduce the competition.

Good luck with your search.

sheff6107

"But the best way for a self-employed person to prove their income is to attach last 3 years of tax returns, that makes it crystal clear that you are making stable and set amount of money every year."

Pretty standard to have to provide 1-3 years worth of SA302 forms.
Not that they demonstrate in any way shape or form how much your take home pay is considering everyone under-declares their turnover and inflates their expenses.

Annie35

Just a thought but is it the type of property you're applying for? For instance a 3bed semi landlord will prob want a family.

Tbh ive never come across agents putting forward applicants for landlords to choose from, its always been 1st to put down cash gets it, thou i guess that could be down to areas/demand, thou i agree its been getting harder to rent last few years in general. Have you tried just asking to put down the deposit at viewing 'yep, this is fine, here's my card...' type thing?

Dont discount private landlords, all our best homes have been private landlords & the worst have been managed by agency. (always found agency try to steal deposits!)

Openrent is a good site.

Also agree with murphybear that out of area, & also quirky & higher priced homes, seem slow to rent as less demand. Flats tend to be a good bet too as there are usually lots available.

You might just have been unlucky mind, get a few more viewings in this weekend, good luck!!

michael1234

My gosh this is all very scary but nevertheless understandable.

We've just sold our place and at one stage were thinking about renting whilst deciding what to do next (our two cats have quashed any thoughts in that direction). Buying is at least very straightforward - its only about cash. The main downside is the stamp duty.

From reading threads like this, renting sounds awful. I do get however that LLs need to be very careful about tenants but still the whole thing has a whiff of unpleasantness.

I do wish the OP well in finding a nice place to live.