Renting - Credit Checks

QA5IS

What exactly do they look for in the credit checks when your going to rent a property. Is is just your credit score they look at or do they actually look to see if theres any adverse credit, missed payments etc.

The reason I ask is I'm looking to rent, it will be through an estate agents. I have no adverse credit, defaults, missed payments etc everything is bang up to date. However my actual credit score itself is very poor down to having a lot of checks done in the last month, about 4 or 5, as I was trying for a mortgage but they were declining due to adverse credit on my girlfriends part.

Could this be an issue? If it is do you think I could explain why its a low score and they may negotiate? Its really stressing me out at the moment, we need a new place as this one is falling apart and this is our last hope.

Thanks in advance

mrsplinter

When a credit check is done on a potential tenant they do look into CCJs, defaults, etc. It depends on the thoroughness of the check. When I last rented a property I googled credit checks for tenants (i wanted it to know how much they cost and compare it to the large fee I was being charged). That will give you an idea of what they are looking for.

To be honest, going by what you've said I don't think you have too much to worry about. Estate agents want to find tenants, so they are going to think hard before dismissing potential customers due to their credit history. There are other factors such as employment and ability to pay rent, references.