Hi, I replied to a previous poster who had a question about affordability checks. I'll copy my previous response to them below. I hope it went well.
"So with affordability checks, we would look at the last 3 months income/outgoings normally. If someone is self employed then we know income can fluctuate, so if it was me conducting it, I would request last 12 months to get a better understanding of averages across the year. If you don't currently receive housing benefit but would be entitled to it, that would be factored in and we would base affordability on the benefits you would be getting once you're living in the property, although you'd still need to ensure you can make your payments on time until the benefits kick in.
I've approved an application where a tenant has been in their overdraft because they have enough money coming in versus going out, but needed more time to get out of their overdraft.
If you want to help yourself, I would get 12 months bank statements ready, plus proof of income, so invoices/wage slips, benefits, etc and be prepared to explain why you're in your overdraft and when you can get back to 0.
We would rather approve applicants if we can because we make a loss on empty properties (voids) but equally we don't want to be chasing you for rent owed in a few months time and taking you to court to recover the costs. It depends what the landlord is comfortable with in terms of liability so try and be as open and transparent as you can.
Hope that helps."