Would you sign this?

[devilinme]

DD is a student and wants to rent a house in London with 6 other students.

House they've found is 4K per month and landlord wants guarantors.

I've looked at docs and guarantor would be joint & several liable which means I could potentially be liable for the whole rent - for a year or anything else like damages.

I do t know any of the other students she's going to share with.

I won't sign and DD thinks I'm BU

7 people renting is a recipe for disaster, though. Too many and an exponential increase in the likelihood of something going wrong. How easy would it be to replace one of them if they left? What happens if they default on rent?

I'd advise her to rent a room in a shared house, or join fewer friends. 3+4 people renting two flats might work better.

How convenient is the location? It might make sense if it's walking distance from college, and thus a big saving on transport.

I don't live in the UK but that is a lot of money for rent imo

It's £570 a month per person. Landlords who rent to house-sharing students are quids in. I'm guessing they only have one bathroom and kitchen between 'em, too.

She's got most of the money in savings, I can lend her some ( things are a bit tight at the moment though we are having major property renovation and were ripped off by a builder last year ).

I'm upset she is so fucking desperate to get the house she'd sell me down the river and I've told her so.

Landlord wants several guarantors, not entirely sure exactly how many at the moment. But, he'd look to probably pursuing one if it goes tits up and on paper I look good even if I can't afford it

On the guarantor front YANBU. If there was an option just for hers though I would sign see if you can do that
On everything else yes you are and being very harsh. I get the impression you want her to stay living with you rather than move out but she is 21 and needs independence and your her parent help her find it

Are you in a position to lend her the 6 months rent and have her pay her rent to you instead??

If you’re not in a position to do that then you’re definitely not in a position to be able to guarantee the whole rent

No way would I have signed that. She needs to find a more reasonable living situation.

DD has lived away since she went to uni and I have supported her financially. This is her fourth year.

She is arguing and slamming phone down on me and cannot appreciate the seriousness of the liability. I asked for the phone number of another parent guarantor so I could discuss with them and she said no.

I have to be tough unfortunately as she IBU

As I said upthread I can help her, but she hasn't asked me, just ranted at how unreasonable I am

I should add that even if landlord agreed to you just being guarantor for her share of the rent, you would almost certainly still be responsible for any damage as the landlord won't know/be able to prove who caused it.

Maybe if she was staying with one other person who I knew well and trusted and their parents were also guarantors, but not 6 others who are presumably strangers!!

So £4k a month divided by 7 people is £571 or thereabouts a month.

6 months rent is £3429.

She will have to save or borrow the £3429 and pay 6 months upfront.

To leave you liable for everything, and lets face it students probably aren't the cleanest and may have parties, is madness.

If you can I would be more inclined to lend her the 6 months rent.

I was also concerned about damages as well .

DD thinks everything will be fine.

She can stay at home if necessary, she obviously doesn’t want to spend her savings but is happy for you to either act as guarantor or pay the rent. Maybe you could go 50/50 on the 6 months rent? You are not being unreasonable.

She is arguing and slamming phone down on me and cannot appreciate the seriousness of the liability. I asked for the phone number of another parent guarantor so I could discuss with them and she said no.

This kind of behaviour at 21 is shocking. She can pick her own toys up as she's thrown them out of the pram.

TBH, if my DS was slamming phones down on me for me refusing to be a guarantor, I'd be telling him to stop phoning me and get a job.

This is standard unfortunately. And she won't be able to rent without one. I had to sign one for two years for my DS (the first year he was in halls). If you share you are jointly and severely liable for the rent so the guarantor has to be as well.

The only other option is for her to pay her portion of he rent up front.

I double checked with the agency that all yes other students def had guarantors that met appropriate financial guidelines. And interrogated my DS on the backgrounds of his housemates ie what their parents did, were they financially secure, did hey own their houses etc etc.

No way! No way, no way, no way!

Sadly this is normal. However, if you could "lend" her the £3k she needs for 6 months upfront payment and then have her pay you rent monthly for 6 months then that would be a better solution. Unfortunately student houses get utterly trashed, and I remember the situation bring worse the more people were in a house as everyone thinks everyone else is responsible for cleaning etc. You don't want to be liable for that. Stand firm.

I would be very unimpressed with her attitude though, she sounds very self absorbed for a 21 year old. I didn't even feel entitled to my parents money at 18, never mind in my 20s! She's also coming across as very naïve and trusting of her friends. I think she's in for a rather large shock

Most people don't have 48 thousand to guarantee this for her... Expecting you to is unlikely unless you're super rich.

I don't think your daughter understands the implications of being a guarantor here, she's understandably upset but it shows a worrying lack of common sense if you've explained how the liability works!

Ds rented a room in a house in Egham for 2 years whilst at RHUL, and although I paid the rent direct to the l/l, as ds didn't have loans, we weren't required to be a guarantor for the whole house.

I would have refused point blank as well.

I wouldn't either.
My DD will have to get buy with little input from me,I have saved a bit but don't earn enough to pay for accommodation.I hope at 21 she will be independent,paying to keep a child independent is the opposite.

Would I fuck sign that! For my own child- absolutely but for someone else’s, no way.

Tbh her sort of childish behaviour is why landlords insist on guarantors.

No way would I sign it. I would try to help her 'find' the money for the 6 months rent though.

I'm seeing DD later so will discuss lending her the 6 months.

I always thought renting a house with six others was going to be tricky, she's always lived in halls, rented single rooms; but I can't help her by being a guarantor as the risks are too great.

DD is normally very reasonable and sensible, has savings which she has worked for, manages her money well. I don't have any issues with her, she is very responsible. However I don't think she even realises what can go wrong and how serious it can be in this instance, she seems to be all caught up in the desperation to secure the house thinking there won't be an alternative

I had the same issues earlier in the year. I spoke to the agents who reassured me that I would only ever be responsible for my own child, but, in the end, I stumped up 6 months advanced rent instead.