to not get why I'm being turned down for rental properties?

[Fpbww]

In our town (don't know if this is common in other areas) the process for renting is - view house you are interested in, submit a detailed application form (the longest has been 8 pages long) confirming employers, income, bank details, addresses and so on. Sometimes providing ID, bank statements, wage slips, you name it.

The landlord then has a look at the applications and decides who he/ she likes the look of best. And if you get to that stage, THEN they do any referencing, credit checks etc.

We've applied for 5 houses in the last month. We were offered one (having passed stage 1 we were invited to agree referencing/ checks), but decided due to some concerns over maintenance (a couple of damp patches which the LL tried to say were not actually damp!) we decided not to proceed.

With the other 4, we've been rejected at the first stage.

All different estate agents (there are about 20 locally) so it's not that

I can't see why on paper we are not attractive to a LL?
We're both in our 40s, no children at home, non smokers, no pets. We both work from home. We're looking to rent for up to 2 years.
Our joint salary is 3x the affordability criteria. DP is a director of his own small business, which I know is not always attractive to landlords, but his earnings are 50% of mine, so even if you didn't include his salary I could more than afford the place on my own.

Am I missing something? We needed to give notice this week but now are holding off as there doesn't seem much chance of finding something else quickly.

I think I was just looking for some reason why we've not been accepted. DP did apply last year for a property on his own and wasn't successful, we assumed due to low salary) but I thought with 2 incomes we'd easily be accepted by a landlord.

I also was wondering if there was anything else we could do, but it sounds like other than indicating we're looking to be in the property for a few years, there's not much more we can do.

There are zero properties right now, I guess because of the Christmas run up, so we're looking at moving in Jan at the earliest. Which is a shame as I'd liked the idea of Christmas in our new house but never mind.

We’ve just been through this with DC1. I had no idea getting a rental property was so complicated and drawn out.
He got ‘chosen’ by the landlord fortunately. I didn’t know if anyone would want to rent to a 23 year old lone male.
The ‘waiting to be chosen’ stage took a nail biting week.
It’s in a place where the number of rental properties on Right Move at any one time is about 8 and they disappear very quickly.

Wow, some of reasons given on here for rejecting potential tenants are unbelievable. If it's this difficult for good tenants to rent somewhere, then I dread to think what it's like for the truly less desirable tenants.

I think the issue is probably that the pandemic has changed the type of property that people want (gardens, extra bedrooms for wfh etc). People with kids who need the extra bedrooms are now finding themselves competing with singles or couples who just want the luxury of a spare room for wfh etc, but may previously have been happy without it.

If I were a landlord I'd look at the job types and pick the least risky. I'd pick two nurses over someone with their own small business or working in an industry that fluctuates with recession. Nurses get sick pay and are guaranteed work. I'd also look at who seems easiest to deal with. It's really not fair though OP. The last rental we had was via the local paper with no agency involved. You might have more luck with one like that. The landlady didn't ask for too much in the way of references or proof of wages but we did pay six months up front.

As a Ll I'd assume you wouldn't be long term so pick someone else plus and I avoid wfh where possible. More wear and tear/no break for neighbours /endless talking in the garden whilst complaining about the neighbours normal daytime noise etc etc.

It's a tough one, I think at the moment there is so much demand for properties. Also, it can depend on what the LL is looking for and it's not always the obvious. When we moved into our last property, there were 9 applicants. They chose us because we were a family and they wanted the home to go to a family. I was 8 months pregnant at the time and we also had a dog. However they chose us over single people and couples that would have created less wear and tear.

Do you have to say how long you want to stay?

We've won every rental we've applied for by attaching work and personal references to the back of the application before they've asked for it. Think it gave us an edge when comparing applicants

i can see how someone who's a director could be seen as risky, however his income is less than half mine, so our ability to pay would not be dependent on that - having said that, he's been paying himself a similar amount for 6 years and has rented houses throughout that time, and never had any rent arrears or issues as previous letting agents would confirm - as said, he's been in his current place for over 2 years. His income is pretty reliable as he contracts out his services, he's never without a contract except through choice.

We can't change the fact I WFH, although I can avoid mentioning it (there's nothing on the forms about it, so that's easy enough).

We have looked on Open Rent and similar but in our area it seems to be mostly landlords with 1 bed/ studio type places who use it, everyone else goes via an agent.

@showmethegin what would a work reference say? I work for a very large law firm who are highly reluctant to provide reference type info other than to prospective employers and even then disclosure is minimal; at best I'd be able to get something that confirmed my start date and current salary, and I'm not even sure if they'd be willing to provide that.

DP obviously can't get a work reference for himself because he is the company director.

OP, I think demand is just through the roof at the moment. Keep at it and try to get in there first. Friend of mine had to try for 3 months before managing to secure a rental.

It is worrying that demand for property both to rent AND to buy is so high in this country at the moment.

We have looked on Open Rent and similar but in our area it seems to be mostly landlords with 1 bed/ studio type places who use it.

This is what I mean. I think that people who were previously renting studios and 1 beds are now looking for more space which is what has caused the problem.

Just had a quick look on rightmove in my local area. There are currently 20 properties available. However, if you want 3 bedrooms then there are only 2. If you want a garden also, then there's only 1 property available.

I don't think that there's a shortage of properties as such, it's just that there's been a shift in the type of property that people want since spending more time at home.

It's not that your doing anything wrong, it's just too much demand for certain types of properties.

It’s really difficult, I’m dreading the time when our LL sells because I know we are probably less desirable tenants(3dc, home ed) despite having lived in our current home for 9 years with no issues.

I am a landlord and there's nothing wrong with you, the market is just crazy, I put mine up for renewal and it was gone 6 weeks before the tenants moved out, only required one Sat morning showing, lots of interest, you can't have everyone.

All those theorizing as to why, normally a dual professional couple without kids are the preferred tenants!

Ultimately this is a supply and demand issue, I've been a renter and I started to dread having to find a new property for this reason, it was highly competitive and just awful.

Keep trying!

Having managed large country estates with hundreds of rental properties, we never accepted anybody that offered rent up front.

As you earn 3x the affordability criteria it would also be considered that you wouldn’t be long term.

I am a landlord. I would be put off by you saying you only wanted to rent for 2 years. If there is another applicant who is looking for longer term that will always win out. Even though they could move out after a year, the goal for a lot of landlords is to get a tenant who will be settled for a good number of years. It saves the hassle of resetting, and redecorating between tenancies.

@MidnightMeltdown

Wow, some of reasons given on here for rejecting potential tenants are unbelievable. If it's this difficult for good tenants to rent somewhere, then I dread to think what it's like for the truly less desirable tenants.

I think the issue is probably that the pandemic has changed the type of property that people want (gardens, extra bedrooms for wfh etc). People with kids who need the extra bedrooms are now finding themselves competing with singles or couples who just want the luxury of a spare room for wfh etc, but may previously have been happy without it.

Can't blame LL's for rejecting tenants with 'frivolous' reasons. Only one can have the house and they have to make a choice.

The second part is true though. One bed flats/properties are going for dirt cheap... even value has dropped like a stone.

Which is why i dont think housing should be a private market but not relevatn to this thread

@LittleDandelionClock

Maybe if you earn 3 X more than the renting criteria, and your DH is a 'director of a business' they think you can afford to buy, and are letting people rent who don't earn such humungous salaries as you and your DH.

They are probably mystified as to why you want to rent for 2 years or more with such an ample income, and as I said, they are letting people who genuinely cannot afford to buy rent the properties.

Often it's not the mortgage payments it's the deposit My daughter and husband work hard and earn quite well....but renting a small two bed flat is costing them a £1000 a month ....they can't afford to save for a deposit of £35000 so that what they rent !!!

Landlord here - working at home wouldn’t/hasn’t put me off, if anything people have more time to clean and stay on top of things.
Depending on the property type you may not be allowed to ‘do business’ from the property , mainly with leasehold properties so it could be that.
Also in regards to minimum income for affordability, the estate agent i use has this set at 20k however I always have applicants earning between 50-100k applying.
I usually accept the highest income as there really is no other way to differentiate. There might be other applicants with higher incomes although on papers yours is more than yours.
If you can offer upfront payment or a slightly higher rental income this would make you more attractive to the landlord.

On the 'why don't we buy' point:

Firstly this is our first time living together - buying a house together is a massive commitment, I wouldn't do that without living with someone first.

Also, although I am in a position to buy, DP is not. In 2-3 years hopefully he will be. If not, we might well keep on renting for another couple of years until he is.

Our salaries fwiw are decent but not enormous, I'm lucky to earn above the average at £58k, however DP only receives £22k from the business. The places we're looking at are £800-900 pm - DP currently pays £600 on his own place.

@Lulu1919

£1000 isn't a lot when split between two people. When I was renting, I paid almost that much on my own, plus all bills, and still saved a deposit. If they aren't on low wages then it sounds like they aren't making the necessary sacrifices to save.

[quote MidnightMeltdown]@Lulu1919

£1000 isn't a lot when split between two people. When I was renting, I paid almost that much on my own, plus all bills, and still saved a deposit. If they aren't on low wages then it sounds like they aren't making the necessary sacrifices to save.[/quote]
Really !?!?
It would take years to save £35000 deposit
Renting can be a choice

@elbea

Having managed large country estates with hundreds of rental properties, we never accepted anybody that offered rent up front.

As you earn 3x the affordability criteria it would also be considered that you wouldn’t be long term.

So you can't possibly rent if you don't earn 3X the rent

If you do earn 3X the rent, then it's suspicious and you still won't be able to rent

Bonkers

I'm guessing they want good, reliable, long term tenants. And on paper you look like you will be buying somewhere soon. Even 2 years isn't that long. So if they have others who look more like long term renters they will take them.

As a landlord going via a agency I personally never got involved with who got the house. The agent did all of that and told me who they wanted. Normally it was one of the quickest to view. I think the agency built up a relationship with people who had possibly been looking and viewing before but I cant say for sure. If you pass the credit check I dont really care.

However saying that a two year let isnt always ideal. I would be wondering if I needed to red carpet and redecorate in two years. Five years it's less of a concern as everything would be getting tired anyway