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Original poster

Asked to guarantee students rent for next year ..

45 replies

Springsnake · 02/03/2021 11:33

It’s thousands,he’s not even sure he’s going back ,but wants to get a place just in case .
The agency has just emailed us the details to sign
When the fuck did this become a thing

OP posts:

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 02/03/2021 11:34

Its fairly common I think?? My husband lets out a student house and there have always been people who can gurantee the rent. He's had a call it in a few times.

OllysArmy · 02/03/2021 11:36

Is this private rental
We have always had to act as a guarantee for our DC whilst students, and that included paying a whole year of rent when they did not occupy. This was pre COVID and followed a drop out, it was a house share.

SnarkyBag · 02/03/2021 11:36

Pretty standard isn’t it? If he’s not sure about going back though I wouldn’t be guaranteeing any rent for him

frazzledasarock · 02/03/2021 11:37

I think due to lockdowns landlords are being stricter.

There's been disagreements about students having to pay for digs when they're not actually able to attend due to lockdowns therefore the digs remain empty but have to be paid.

Original poster

Springsnake · 02/03/2021 11:37

It’s thousands,we haven’t got it

OP posts:

Losttheequipment · 02/03/2021 11:38

I wouldn’t do it if he’s not certain he’s going back. He will have to find somewhere when he is certain.

Original poster

Springsnake · 02/03/2021 11:38

Oh well
I guess he’s not going back then

OP posts:

Lickofpink · 02/03/2021 11:39

You only have to pay if he defaults though - it isn't an upfront demand. It is totally normal and understandable.

Original poster

Springsnake · 02/03/2021 11:40

The letting agency sent an email ,that we can’t even see how much it is ,untill after we have agreed it .
Plus it doesn’t say if it’s an individual letting or joint one

OP posts:

AntigoneLost · 02/03/2021 11:41

When the fuck did this become a thing

It’s been a thing for years - I remember my parents having to guarantee rent on my student house in the 1990s.

askmeagainin5 · 02/03/2021 11:44

I’ve seen quite a few threads on MN being shocked at this recently. I swear it’s been commonplace for years and years. And everybody I know just did it because they knew they had to - DC most likely won’t be able to find a house that doesn’t ask for this. He’d have to see if the uni-owned halls could find him a place despite not being in first year and that’d probably be crap for him.

As a PP said, you only have to pay it if he doesn’t. Do you see a reason why he wouldn’t?

Lyricallie · 02/03/2021 11:48

Definitely been a thing for years. I lived at home for uni but my fiance had to have his parents guarantee his half of the rent and he had paid 6 months up front.

askmeagainin5 · 02/03/2021 11:48

Sorry missed that he wasn’t even sure about going back.

For what it’s worth, not that anybody should take this anecdote as gospel, one of DD’s housemates dropped out halfway through the year and moved home. She then couldn’t get her student loan so obviously couldn’t pay the rent. When landlord contacted her guarantor (her mum), she just said she couldn’t pay either and wouldn’t be entering any discussions about it. The landlord said there was nothing more he could do then and that remaining housemates would have to foot the bill. Luckily they found someone to take her room within a matter of days (very popular area) so it didn’t matter anyway. Does anyone know why the landlord didn’t push further? I was always under the impression that the guarantor legally had to pay if the tenant didn’t!

Limefizz · 02/03/2021 11:49

This is a thing now, I saw on WIWIKAU Facebook that there's even a insurance you can take out for it.

Might be worth considering. Not sure how much it is though.

loobylou10 · 02/03/2021 11:51

You always have to have a guarantor as a student wanting to rent. Please though, if you sign one, make sure it's an individual one rather than you acting as a guarantor for the whole house (bitter experience!)

bigbluebus · 02/03/2021 11:55

Standard practice - we've been guaranteeing our DS for 5 years now including 1 year where he'd signed up to rent a flat share but dropped out of the course so we ended up paying his share of the rent for 12 months whilst he lived at home (we did try to re let the room but no takers).
If you do end up being a guarantor try and ensure you only guarantee HIS portion of the rent and not the whole rental agreement for all parties.
If you aren't sure he's going back then I wouldn't recommend he signs any agreement at the moment and looks for somewhere if/when he knows he's returning.
If you look on the higher education threads (under education) you'll find multiple threads about rent guarantees.

HeartOfInk · 02/03/2021 12:01

Please though, if you sign one, make sure it's an individual one rather than you acting as a guarantor for the whole house (bitter experience!)

AllMyPrettyOnes · 02/03/2021 12:03

Very common.

hulahoopqueen · 02/03/2021 12:04

this was a thing when i started uni back in 2013, so not a brand new concept

MargaretThursday · 02/03/2021 12:05

It's standard. If you can't get a guarantor then you need to pay the whole year upfront. One of dd's housemates (from abroad) had to do that as they expect a UK guarantor.

emilyfrost · 02/03/2021 12:10

@Springsnake

It’s thousands,we haven’t got it

You know you only have to pay if he doesn’t, right?

You don’t just give them the money.

lastqueenofscotland · 02/03/2021 12:21

Guaranteeing rent has been a thing for ever; was when I went to uni well over a decade ago.
you only need to pay if he doesn’t.
Stopping him going back over this would be seriously shitty and is something you all should have looked into before he went in the first place.

Original poster

Springsnake · 02/03/2021 12:30

It’s one for the whole house
The other 2 parents have already signed

OP posts:

Original poster

Springsnake · 02/03/2021 12:32

Sorry to of started a thread that clearly you all knew was normal.I’ve obviously been under a rock my whole life

OP posts:

orangenasturtium · 02/03/2021 12:53

It is standard practice although that doesn't mean it isn't risky.

The letting agency sent an email ,that we can’t even see how much it is ,untill after we have agreed it . Plus it doesn’t say if it’s an individual letting or joint one

That isn't normal though. How can you sign a contract without knowing the terms?

Are you sure they aren't just asking permission to run a credit check to see if you are eligible or something? Definitely don't sign without seeing the contract.

Like PPs said, you can use a rent guarantor service like Housing Hand or YourGuarantor. They aren't cheap though. Some universities have their own guarantor scheme, which will be cheaper.

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