Agents & credit references - any way round it?

paintpot

If you visit my other post "calling all landlords - how are you finding the market" and view my last post you will see that at the moment I am doing just fine as a landlord. I am currently having my cake and eating it as you put it and there isn't a ccj/bad credit report in site when credit referencing my new tenants. In fact two of them work for banks :T Where I have property to let there aren't "hundreds of thousands" of properties to let", in fact there are b***r all to chose from.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=11518757#post11518757

SquatNow wrote: »

In a few months some LL will break rank.

Their are hundreds of thousands of empty rental properties suffering voids.

Eventually LL will have to scrap credit checks as virtually every prospective tennant will have some kind of bad credit history.

LLs can't have their cake AND eats it anymore.

50plusabit

Suzy
90% of agents use an independant company for references, they will want current landlord refs if applicable
Work references if applicable
They will check for ccj's, be upfront about them
The criteria for rent is annual rent x 3.5 = £6000 x 3.5 = £21,000, some work on 3x which would be £18,000.
Best to ask the agents before parting with any mony, what their criteria is.

Snooze

clutton wrote: »

if a LL is buying rent guarantee insurance he cannot offer to a tenancy with anything negative on their file - otherwise he wont get the insurance

if you came to me with deposit in cash, . references in your hand, copies of bank statements, NI number, passport, (copied) and explained yoru circumstances i would still do checks, but would be willing to give you a go....

:rolleyes: You live in cloud-cuckoo land.

To Suzy, the best thing you can do is pick up your local rag and look under the property bit of the classifieds where you'll find private landlords who don't require your entire life history nor require 13 years rent up front as deposit. :rolleyes:

I get sick of reading these "Big I Am" posts from the landlord's on here who think they have some right to all your highly personal data. No wonder there's so much identity theft going on :rolleyes: - it's clear where it stems from. The lot of them should be locked up for fraud.

Rob

paintpot

Snooze wrote: »

:rolleyes: You live in cloud-cuckoo land.

To Suzy, the best thing you can do is pick up your local rag and look under the property bit of the classifieds where you'll find private landlords who don't require your entire life history nor require 13 years rent up front as deposit. :rolleyes:

I get sick of reading these "Big I Am" posts from the landlord's on here who think they have some right to all your highly personal data. No wonder there's so much identity theft going on :rolleyes: - it's clear where it stems from. The lot of them should be locked up for fraud.

Rob

If any landlord decides to rent to someone without doing the checks clutton suggests then they are probably a cowboy landlord without a clue and the tenant will ultimately pay the price.

How far do you think someone is going to get with a photocopy of a passport etc in stealing someone's identity? So you think that all the identity fraud in this country is down to dodgey landlords :rotfl:

And it you had invested your hard earned cash in property then you would want to protect that investment - except you obviously haven't so you wouldn't understand.

And for your information I don't think I am "the Big I Am". I provide decent houses and treat my tenants with the respect they deserve.

jaype

A little OT, but I'd like to be able to check a LANDLORD'S credit rating before I moved in anywhere. Don't suppose any companies offer this, sadly. In these times, it works both ways - would be good to know people were not about to be turfed out by the repo men two months into a tenancy (facing more moving charges and credit check / agency fees) because the ll was already up to their eyes in debt as the ink was drying on the contract? Anyone know if such a service exists?

paintpot

jaype wrote: »

A little OT, but I'd like to be able to check a LANDLORD'S credit rating before I moved in anywhere. Don't suppose any companies offer this, sadly. In these times, it works both ways - would be good to know people were not about to be turfed out by the repo men two months into a tenancy (facing more moving charges and credit check / agency fees) because the ll was already up to their eyes in debt as the ink was drying on the contract? Anyone know if such a service exists?

Hi

If you read this thread you will see there are lots of things as a tenant you can "check" your landlord. No tenant has ever asked me to verify my worthiness as a landlord but if they did I would be happy to oblige to prove that I have permission from my lender to let my properties, it has never been my own home so was bought with the intention of letting, telephone numbers of previous and existing tenants to provide references and I could even go so far as to provide a bank statement that all my property business goes through to show I have funds to deal with repairs/contingency. Only no tenant ever asks.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=11525263#post11525263


I would advise tenants to check out their landlords, at the end of the day if they have nothing to hide then they shouldn't object.

clutton_2

""Only no tenant ever asks." - i will second that - i always offer contact details of present and past tenants for references for my - and no prospective tenant has ever said "yes please"

""f any landlord decides to rent to someone without doing the checks clutton suggests then they are probably a cowboy landlord without a clue and the tenant will ultimately pay the price." - spot on

Hector-The-Inspector_2

Snooze wrote: »

:rolleyes: You live in cloud-cuckoo land.

To Suzy, the best thing you can do is pick up your local rag and look under the property bit of the classifieds where you'll find private landlords who don't require your entire life history nor require 13 years rent up front as deposit. :rolleyes:

I get sick of reading these "Big I Am" posts from the landlord's on here who think they have some right to all your highly personal data. No wonder there's so much identity theft going on :rolleyes: - it's clear where it stems from. The lot of them should be locked up for fraud.

Rob

Remember snoozy, that not all rented property are owned by a LL! some are owned by people who expect LA's to look after their home, and their paying large fees.

Captain_Mainwaring_2

Snooze wrote: »

:rolleyes: You live in cloud-cuckoo land.

To Suzy, the best thing you can do is pick up your local rag and look under the property bit of the classifieds where you'll find private landlords who don't require your entire life history nor require 13 years rent up front as deposit. :rolleyes:

I get sick of reading these "Big I Am" posts from the landlord's on here who think they have some right to all your highly personal data. No wonder there's so much identity theft going on :rolleyes: - it's clear where it stems from. The lot of them should be locked up for fraud.

Rob

Hehehe - another one who rents...

The LL is entitled to do whatever checks he likes, it's in the public domain in any case.

When you are giving someone possession of a big lump of money, we need to check if they aren't half way near broke or dodgy - we don't want to take the risk with a "Small I'm Not".

As you say, if you have a bit of credit "history" but want to be a smart harris and don't want the LL to credit check you in case they steal your ID (What sort of a muppet would steal the ID of a renter newly moved into a house in anycase??) - what you do is look for those seedy little ad's that say "DSS Welcome" , otherwise try being honest.

Captain_Mainwaring_2

SquatNow wrote: »

In a few months some LL will break rank.

Their are hundreds of thousands of empty rental properties suffering voids.

Eventually LL will have to scrap credit checks as virtually every prospective tennant will have some kind of bad credit history.

LLs can't have their cake AND eats it anymore.

You are assuming that all of us are breadline with no equity and great big mortgages - some of us can afford to leave the place empty and instal a gurt big man-eating dog with those occasions when people think they are going to squat. Come down a couple of stops from Luton and give it a go.