How can I get this house we so desperately need?

Bluebelle72

We are currently renting a 3 bedroom house from webbs for £550 per month, this payment is crippling us, we are not in arrears, although we have paid a week late on a couple of occasions, the credit check on my partner passed with flying colours, this was in 2006. we have now found another 3 bed house which requires some work, but the landlord assures us that the rent paid each month goes back into the property in repairs etc, we don't actually know the landlord, he is an aquaintance of a friend of ours who told us about his empty house and we enquired about it, it was not up for rent at all and hadn't been for a while. Since my partners credit check in 06 there may have been a payment default added to his credit report, from a loan we were having trouble paying back, this has now been picked up by a debt management company and payments are now being made. The new house is only £400 per month and I know we will easily be able to afford this, just worried sick now that his credit check will fail and we will still be in the same financial dissarray as ever!! Any advice will be gratefully received from any of you wonderfull people in the know. Thanks Kind regards Helen xxx

going2die_rich

IF it fails, could you offer a bigger deposit? Say instead of the one months advance in rent, say offer 2 or 3 months? If the landlord knows he will have 2/3 months rent in advance he'll know if you stop paying one month he can have you out while covering an extra few months while doing so.

Bluebelle72

Well the new property is with Chase Independent, I called anonymously and queried their policy on adverse credit. I asked her about making a higher rent advance and she said that they wouldn't do that because, say, if we offer 6 months in advance there is nothing stopping the tenant from defaulting after 6 months.

kunekune

But if it is only an initial 6 month AST, that isn't a problem? And once you've done six months of paying without problems, then they ought to be convinced.

Doozergirl

I'd be worried about "the rent going back into repairs". I don't believe it You take responsibilty for caring for a house. If it runs into disrepair it's simply a case that you don't appreciate what you have - a stitch in time and all that. The LL sees the property as a cash cow and not much else. I would not touch your landlord with a big fat stick.

I'd rent somewhere smaller and more decent - even with our kids.

You just have to try the credit check though - see what happens.

Some tenants that the in-laws have; the credit check reported a couple of small CCJs, not anything else - I don't know whether there was 'anything else' like defaults, but we took the decision as a family that as they seemed very genuine and had rented their previous property with no defaults, that we didn't mind if they gave a higher deposit. They've been in the house for 6 months and have paid rent on time every month so far.

Catblue

I'm with Doozergirl on the "rent goes back into repairs" thing. I wouldn't believe it for a second.

If it were true, then how come the place needs work now? Surely previous rent payments would have resulted in a house in absolutely tip top condition? A house that has £400 spent on it each month should look like a palace.

You say the house hasn't been rented for a while. Why not? Why is it empty? Does this landlord have a mortgage on the property? If so, does he have permission to rent it out?

My general view of certain landlords is that if they refuse to maintain or repair the property BEFORE you move in, then they sure as hell won't do it afterwards. Would you even want all this work going on while you are actually living in the place?

Avoid.

Running_Horse

Bluebelle72 wrote: »

house which requires some work, but the landlord assures us that the rent paid each month goes back into the property in repairs etc

That also struck me as being irrelevant. Either the house is fit for habitation, or not; and the landlord is responsible for maintaining his property. As long as he does that, he can do whatever he likes with the rent.

Bluebelle72

the house/bungalow actually belongs to the LL's father who is now too old to live on his own the LL's son moved in with a couple of friends and started to do it up but the friendship broke down and they moved out, the LL has no extra finances to do repairs/modernisation, so when the son moved out and the rent stopped so then did the work on the house. Also the LL works 12 hours a day 6 days per week so can't find the time. We were alerted to the empty house by a relative of ours who knows the LL, it wasn't up for rent, we approached him about it and persuaded him to rent it to us. We don't mind doing the work especially as the rent is only £400 pcm it will be saving us £150.00 pcm. Just hope the credit check goes ok, I made an anonymous call to chase independent and they told me that it depends on the individual circumstances, when I asked if guarantors were accepted she said yes but sometimes it still won't pass. So fingers and toes crossed!! :-)

BenL

If the house wasn't upto rent intially and you approached the LL to rent it to you where does Chase Independant come into this? I assume they are a Letting Agent.

Might be too late now but if you approached the LL it would have been easier to just sort it out with a contract between yourselves.

He would have got more rent and you woulnd't need credit checks.

Bluebelle72

I suppose your right BenL. Chase Ind are a letting agent yes, the LL put the rent through the letting agent when his son was in the house too. Thinking about it the letting agent is also there to protect the tenent as well as the LL so I feel it may be better to go through them. Although I do see where you're coming from on the matter. If the credit check passes and we put it to the LL about paying him directly, how would we go about a contract etc.

BenL

I think now you have made contact with the letting agent you will probably have to continue down this path.

I rent privately and my landlord has a standard contract that he used for one of his other properties.

He just amended it with the address I am renting and changed a few things about gardens access and a new inventory.

As he had already had an agreement with the LA he may have had to pay them anyway if you went privately - similar to if you are selling and have an estate agent but you find the buyer yourself you still have to pay the EA.

Good luck