Would you be guarantor in this situation?

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DS1, 25yo employed and doing well now after a slowish start. Also has been a spender, although has some savings now.

Split up with GF of 2 years, 8 months ago. She moved away to beautiful place 6.5 hours from here.

They're now back together and for the last 3 months he's been driving there every time he has a few days off. She's also been back here, but doesn't want to move back permanently.

She has accomodation with her job, and he can't stay there, so he books Airbnb when he goes.

He wants to move there and is hoping to find work with the large national organisation he works for, who do have offices locally.

Initially they plan to rent a room in an HMO (£850pm 😮) with a view to buying something if everything goes well. This is a plan I largely support. I'll hate him being so far away, but I can see the appeal, perhaps some concerns about the previous break up and for that reason the renting, as cheaply as possible initially make sense, ultimately I want him to do what makes him happy.

Anyway the HMO want a guarantor. I won't sign anything until I've seen the paperwork but they're telling me worst case I'd be up for 4 month's rent. That's a lot of money but I could find it without having to change my lifestyle.

He accepts he can't go until he's secured at least equivalent work to his current job, but she wants to move in straight away. She's paying £500pm for the room where she works, and he has to pay for accomodation when he visits, so it makes some sense.

But, I'm not completely comfortable paying for her accomodation before he's moved in.

It's not entirely clear why her parents haven't been asked, I don't know anything of their affairs, but outwardly their situation looks very similar to mine.

He says they have more than enough cash to pay the sum in advance, but that's not an option, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it if it was.

Also, for those in the know and before I have the paperwork, does the four months rent cap seem correct?

No in those circumstances I wouldn't go guarantor.

This one does have an ensuite bathroom and a cleaner for the communal areas. This is exactly why I thought the 4 month tenancy sounded good.

Interesting because they've found cheaper rooms, but you're right all for single people.

If your DS gets a similar job, will he be able to afford the rent on his own?

The only way I would do this is for DS to be the tenant with GF having permission to also live there (and contributing to bills). Then if they split up, she moves out & DS continues paying the rent.

Otherwise what happens if they split up & she refuses to leave, are you left as her guarantor forever?!! Definitely don’t do it before DS has got a new job & is ready to move!

No no no. It may well come back and bite you. Keep out of it. Give them emotional support yes, money no. They can live in their means if they plan it properly

I think it honestly just varies place to place whether a guarantor is needed. Landlords discretion perhaps?

Admittedly not recent experience (2014) but I moved hours away to be with a long distance boyfriend. I was 18 and he was 22 and we were able to rent a flat as first time renters without a guarantor, me working full time (but had only been there a month at the time of us finding the flat) and him working part time as he was also studying. Both very low paid jobs, barely scraping min wage, and rent was £750pm no bills included. Sounds like your son and gf will be in a significantly better financial position than we were but perhaps times have changed 🤷‍♀️

I’m a landlord. I don’t routinely require a guarantor for my tenants - but hell would freeze over before I became a guarantor for anyone else.
I don’t understand the 4 months. A landlord can’t normally instigate any eviction proceedings within the first 6 months ( I am sure there may be some very limited exceptions), and once the Renters Rights Bill becomes law it will make all tenancies open ended.
I have heard of some ‘limited’ guarantees but I’ve never seen one ( nor would I accept one), and the ones I have seen hold the guarantor liable for any payments which would be attributable to the tenant, such as rent, court expenses, damage, etc
In many ways the guarantor is in a worse situation than the tenant. They have all the risks, but not the right to bring the tenancy to an end.

Things you can't control:
Who he sees
Why/How/When he breaks up with them
Why/How/When he gets back together with them
Where he moves

Things you can control:
Whether you are financially liable for all of those choices

He says they have more than enough cash to pay the sum in advance, but that's not an option, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it if it was. - Why on earth would that NOT be an option? Is he being honest with you? I think you have to consider this tbh

Also, for those in the know and before I have the paperwork, does the four months rent cap seem correct? - No. You're being played. Not sure by whom

If agree to be a Guarantor for any of my DC because I trust them. I would not however agree to be a guarantor until your DS gets a job there and moves in. If gf wants to move in early she will need to find her own guarantor.

I think in both cases he's misunderstood.

He thought because it's a 4 month AST that would be limit of the liability and on that basis had calculated the cash amount, which is clearly not fixed

So, GF has now asked her grandmother. It's still not clear why (if?) she hasn't asked her parents. I'm not enjoying this.

That scenario is the wrong way for your young people secure somewhere to live. They need to stand on their own two feet and work it out between themselves rather than relying on the bank of Mum/Dad...
Sorry, being realistic here!

How? If every landlord requires a guarantor and properties are so scarce that the landlords can basically set their terms?

He's 25 years old. Let him manage his own job transfer and accommodation. Never be a guarantor.

Your ds wants you to be guarantor for a flat he isn't actually intending to move in to straight away?
He doesn't have a job offer in the area?
I think you need to have a very serious conversation with him about the risks and reality of being a guarantor (and then say no).

I agree with everything being said. I haven't agreed to do anything yet, and he knows I definitely won't do anything until he's sorted decent work for himself. But, I don't know how he's supposed to sort accomodation for himself if all landlords demand a guarantor, and despite that can easily fill their properties.

Would he need a guarantor if he already had a job.

About 6 years ago I said no to my DS, he wanted to rent a whole flat and because his annual salary wasn’t quite 30 times the monthly rent he needed a guarantor. I felt that the numbers were too tight and said no.

Your DS GF is far to pushy

They should only find a room together once he has secured a job and that’s that really

No I would definitely not be his guarantor

They’re old enough to sort this stuff out themselves without rushing into things unnecessarily

I wouldn't do it for the 2 of them even if he had got a job.

I might consider it for him alone, depending on how responsible he is, but probably not.

PP made a very good point that if you're guarantor for this flat and they split up, the GF refuses to leave, and doesn't pay - you're on the hook for her rent indefinitely, and there's not a thing you'll be able to do about it until she's evicted - and would the landlord even bother to evict if you're paying the rent?

If you really are going to do it I would expect him to have a job first and have sustained it for 3 months at least.

He could do a workers let somewhere or stay in a cheap hotel.

I would want to see that he’s serious about being there full time and that they get on ok being together all the time rather than long distance. Considering there’s been a huge trust breach with him being found talking to another woman I would have my doubts that they’d actually go the distance.

No! They are grown up and if they want to be together they need to fund it. One or both of them may hate living in a HMO and the whole arrangement fall through. If they are serious about each other they’ll find a way.

ASTs are legally for a minimum of 6 months, so the 4 months is nonsense.

As a guarantor you would be liable for any rent/charges they owed to the LL. That could include legal costs and damage to the property(depending on the agreement), and could easily run to thousands.

I had a client who’d agreed to be guarantor for a relative of her ex 15 or so years ago, she was now married and had a mortgage with to someone else - she is still liable if cousin Bob decides to not pay his rent.

Not every landlord does, in fact for 2 working adults its quite unusual and no, Landlords cannot set their own terms, AST's are very regulated
There is some information missing from what you are being told

All landlords do not require a guarantor.

The landlord that your son and his girlfriend want to rent from does.

A guarantor is not limited to the rent, you will be on the hook for any damage.