Advice for my sister renting with HB

m0bov

Hi all, my sister's relationship has broken down, she has 3 kids. Her current partner has told her to leave, she has no stake in the house.

She is self employed, gets a decent wage but needs HB to top it up. No idea on her credit score but she did have lots of debt which got paid off and she has a decent car on finance.

Now, what I have been told is that, she can't rent unless she gets a guarantor or earns 45k min. The EA who is offering a property has told her she needs a guarantor with £18k cash in the bank.

Not sure how accurate all this is, but since I have never rented not 100% sure. I do read this forum alot and I'm not convinced.

Any ideas how to deal with this, her only other option in council house or B&B, I can't believe its essential to have a guarantor.

We looked at a sort of insurance but you still need someone to co sign the agreement!

Thanks for any advice in advanced.

:beer:

Comms69

There is no 'standard'.


A typical example is earning 30x the monthly rent. Is the rent going to be £1,500 a month?


The need for a guarantor etc is probably due to self employment (letting agents don't see your debts etc - only IVAs, CCJs; public records)

Norman_Castle

m0bov wrote: »

Now, what I have been told is that, she can't rent unless she gets a guarantor or earns 45k min. The EA who is offering a property has told her she needs a guarantor with £18k cash in the bank.

This may be the expectation of this EA or landlord but others will have different requirements.

As above, there is no standard minimum requirement, just what the landlord or letting agents want.
Try other agents or properties.

MEM62

Is he the father of any of her children? Were they married?

Plenty of people rent without a guarantor. Perhaps there is something in her credit history that is causing potential landlords to view her as a high risk.

theartfullodger

m0bov wrote: »

Hi all, my sister's relationship has broken down, she has 3 kids. Her current partner has told her to leave, she has no stake in the house.... ...

Really? Surely she's contributed to the household budget, maintained the property, paid certain bills etc etc etc??

Just because someone is not on the deeds doesn't mean they have no interest: They may have a "beneficial interest".. see
http://england.shelter.org.uk/legal/relationship_breakdown/cohabiting_couples_sole_owner/preventing_saledisposal_of_home/beneficial_interest#1
- and she should see CaB or a family law solicitor BEFORE doing anything serious like moving out.

And see...
england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/23473/Relationship20breakdown20EW3202D20Cohabiting20couples202D20sole20legal20owner.pdf


& in particular
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/ending-a-relationship/if-you-were-living-together/what-happens-to-your-home-when-you-separate/

Comms69

theartfullodger wrote: »

Really? Surely she's contributed to the household budget, maintained the property, paid certain bills etc etc etc??

Just because someone is not on the deeds doesn't mean they have no interest: They may have a "beneficial interest".. see
http://england.shelter.org.uk/legal/relationship_breakdown/cohabiting_couples_sole_owner/preventing_saledisposal_of_home/beneficial_interest#1
- and she should see CaB or a family law solicitor BEFORE doing anything serious like moving out.

And see
http://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/23473/Relationship20breakdown20EW3202D20Cohabiting20couples202D20sole20legal20owner.pdf

To be fair a beneficial interest does not mean a right to reside.

[Deleted User]

If the LL is saying she needs a guarantor, then she either has to find one or walk away. LA's normally want an income of 2.5 times the monthly rental, LL's may set another formula. Obviously if she needs HB, she isn't earning enough for the type of properties she wants to rent. Could she try another (cheaper) area?

She could try Openrent, my ex was accepted for 2 properties out of 3 even though letting agents wouldn't help him at all because he didn't fit 'top tenant' criteria in an area where there are more tenants than properties.

When he went to view properties he took bank statements with him to prove income. If you sister has her accounting paperwork (preferably certified by an accountant) that will help.

theartfullodger

Comms69 wrote: »

To be fair a beneficial interest does not mean a right to reside.

Perhaps (indeed - she probably does have a right to live there), but she has a much stronger negotiating position if she stays until some agreement is arrived at.

KxMx

She could contact her local Councils housing department, they will have a list of benefit friendly landlords.

[Deleted User]

I doubt this is as common as you think. It is worth askiing, but they may not have such a list.

She might get help from the council with a loan to cover first month's rent and deposit, but will probably expect her to stay until the last minute in her ex's property.

If her ex wants her out of the property it might be worth asking him to help her move out (get another property).

Cakeguts

deannatrois wrote: »

I doubt this is as common as you think. It is worth askiing, but they may not have such a list.

She might get help from the council with a loan to cover first month's rent and deposit, but will probably expect her to stay until the last minute in her ex's property.

If her ex wants her out of the property it might be worth asking him to help her move out (get another property).

Even if the local council doesn't have a list of landlords that accept HB they might be able to help her with finding somewhere to move to.