Telling letting agent about historical bankruptcy

WonderingWanderer

Hi, apologies if this has been asked and answered before - I did a search but didn’t find an answer.

I’m interested in renting a property through the National Trust. On the application it stated “Please Note - If we proceed with your application onto the Credit Check stage, we will need to ask you whether you have ever been declared Bankrupt or if you have had any County Court Judgements against you.”.

I declared myself bankrupt nearly 20 years ago (stupidest decision of my entire life) and was discharged within a year. Since then I’ve built up a decent credit rating - 951 out of 999 - and there’s nothing untoward on my Experian credit score. I’ll still have to answer yes if they ask that question, though, and I’m worried it will completely scupper my chances. 

Do all agents do a previous bankruptcy check? Should I flag this with the National Trust agent before viewing, so I don’t waste their time (and my travel costs), or wait until after I’ve viewed the property to tell them? 

anselld

Bankruptcy records only last for six years on credit file so it is up to you how you answer.  There is only one reason they are asking so you may well be ruling yourself out by volunteering 20 year old data.

WonderingWanderer

Thanks anselld. Do they not do a scrape of publicly available records like The Gazette, then?

user1977

WonderingWanderer said:

Thanks anselld. Do they not do a scrape of publicly available records like The Gazette, then?

Going back 20 years? I very much doubt anybody would consider that worthwhile.

anselld

WonderingWanderer said:

Thanks anselld. Do they not do a scrape of publicly available records like The Gazette, then?

As above, extremely unlikely and even if they did how would they know it is actually you unless you have a rather unique name or you are still living at the same address.

macman

Your credit score plays no part in their decision. It's a fictitious number that lenders can't even see.

Jude57

WonderingWanderer said:

Thanks anselld. Do they not do a scrape of publicly available records like The Gazette, then?

I've just done a search of the Gazette for two people I know went Bankrupt in 1998 and 2006. Neither comes up using a name search.

Why not check the Gazette to see if yours is still showing?

https://www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/eiir/

luvchocolate

Just checked mine from 10 years ago and not showing 

WonderingWanderer

Thanks everyone for the replies. 

I did do a search of The Gazette, and it comes up if I put my full name in… it’s not the name I usually use, but presumably they’d want to see ID like passport/birth cert, and my full name is on those. It’s fairly distinctive - hyphenated first name (which I don’t use in every day life), middle and last names. 

Oh blimey, I’m really conflicted! I don’t want to lie, and presumably I’m committing fraud if I do so, but it’s so frustrating to know that I’ll fall at the first hurdle if I declare it (all for a desperate decision 20 years ago over c.£6k of credit card debt and student loans that I’ve never since reached the threshold I’d have started paying them off anyway!). 🙄

MalMonroe

WonderingWanderer said:

Thanks everyone for the replies. 

I did do a search of The Gazette, and it comes up if I put my full name in… it’s not the name I usually use, but presumably they’d want to see ID like passport/birth cert, and my full name is on those. It’s fairly distinctive - hyphenated first name (which I don’t use in every day life), middle and last names. 

Oh blimey, I’m really conflicted! I don’t want to lie, and presumably I’m committing fraud if I do so, but it’s so frustrating to know that I’ll fall at the first hurdle if I declare it (all for a desperate decision 20 years ago over c.£6k of credit card debt and student loans that I’ve never since reached the threshold I’d have started paying them off anyway!). 🙄

Hi, you don't want to lie, so don't. Just be honest and up front. Hopefully you will be given the opportunity to explain about the bankruptcy, as you have done here. You don't know that you are going to fall at any hurdle because it could be that they will listen to what you say and check your current financial position and make a decision on that basis. As any sensible landlord would. I agree with others that there's no need to volunteer the information - but do not withhold it when you are asked, as you will be.

If you lie and they find out, that's when you'll be falling - and failing. If you are honest about everything from the outset then they will know that you are someone who can be trusted. They will surely realise that you were young at the time and made a mistake - taking out a bankruptcy when you weren't actually in great debt. We were all young and foolish once. But lying by omission is never to be recommended. It would be awful if they gave you the tenancy and then came along a few weeks later and evicted you - not for the bankruptcy but for lying.

Good luck, I'm sure that it won't be as bad as you are expecting.  It could all be hypothetical though, since they say - "If we proceed with your application . . . "

WonderingWanderer

Thank you MalMonroe. I don’t feel comfortable lying, even if I could get away with it, so I guess there’s my answer. I’ll hope it doesn’t count against me. 🤞