to be really worried we won't get the house?

[extremepie]

Am moving to a different part of the country and yesterday saw a fantastic house that I absolutely fell in love with!

I had a really good 'feeling' about it as soon as I walked up to it and by a happy mistake I ended up being shown around by the owners of the house who happen to live next door. They are lovely!

It is huge, has a brilliant garden and will allow DC's to have their own bedrooms, plus a 'playroom' and a sensory room for DS2 (who has ASD).

In short, it is pretty much perfect!

Only snag is neither my or DH's credit history is very good, as I have been a student over the last 3 years and DH has been a carer for DS. Money had been very tight for us as a result and we had run up an overdraft and some utility bills but have now either paid or are paying off everything we owe.

I am now really worried that we will get refused this place on the basis of our credit check - is there anything I can do to make sure this doesn't happen?

The estate agent said if the credit check is refused the one thing we can do is have a guarantor but we don't have anyone who is able to do this for us.

Don't know what to do now, I really have my heart set on this place!

I am keeping my everything crossed!

I guess bad credit aside can you afford this house? then I should think you will be OK?

Oh sorry forgot to add we are stuffed as we have no credit history, no loans, cards etc - so we are in a poor position to borrow so both sides of the fence having history that you have resolved maybe works to your advantage.

It is for renting, yes (sorry, probably should have said that!).

I have recently started a new job so we can definately afford it now its just that our credit history up until recently has not been good - the frustrating part is that, right now, we are probably in the best position we have ever been in financially.

Unfortunately an insufficient amount of time has passed since I started this new job for our credit rating to have improved - it's literally just a big overdraft that we defaulted on as we couldn't afford to pay it off (at the time) and that is pretty much it so I'm not really sure why it is so bad? We have no credit cards, no loans, no ccj's or bankruptcy, do you think we will be ok?

I would think that having resolved virtually everything we did have would help but not according to experian :s

Estate agent did suggest 6 months up front but we are not in a position to offer that :(

We really don't have time to wait to it to improve, we need to move by Christmas!

If you get it you will be lucky, but luck happens and some things are meant to be.

You are probably in a better position because the owners have met you and will be living next door, so it's not just down to the estate agent.

We rent out a house. A prospective tenant once sent us a letter explaining that there may be issues with his credit rating as he had had a failed business. We then suggested that he pay six months upfront. An alternative was that his brother sign as guarantor for him. We were happy with this suggestion and offered him the tenancy (which never came about as he then disappeared off the face of the earth perhaps for the best!).

What I am saying in a rambling roundabout way is, you have nothing to lose by appealing directly to the landlord. Explain your situation. They might surprise you.

This is true....I had considered going directly to the owners and pleading our case explaining the situation but I'm unsure as to whether or not the estate agents will allow this?

I know that sounds like a stupid thing to say, after all it is the owner's house so they should get the final say as to who they want living in their house but I haven't rented through an estate agent for a long time and I'm not sure exactly how these things work....

Hopefully we will be ok :)

The estate agent emailed us the letter from the tenant, I think. They certainly knew about it and IIRC they also read it. The agent seemed to have no problem with it - and it is the landlord's decision ultimately.

Good luck

Make sure you're on the electoral register at current address.

Get a copy of your credit file - make sure any old linked addresses don't have anything too (e.g. if you left an account with old addresses by mistake and there was any balance and they contact you at the old address only to find you are gone they would register you as "goneaway" which is negative - so ensure all are closed.

The downside is that it usually takes a month or so for it all to update on your credit file but knowing what is on it might make you feel better and ready for any queries.

Good references should stand you in good stead?