am i being unreasonable to feel like i’ll never be accepted to rent anywhere!!

[justtryingherbest]

i’m newly single, 2 children, self employed (3 years now) but i do receive universal credit and honestly, i am finding it very difficult to get accepted to rent anywhere. all i seem to keep getting is either ghosted by the estate agents or i view and apply and twice i’ve been told that ‘they’ve had bad tenants before and had people who haven’t paid so we’ll let you know once the landlords had more applications’ which sounds like they’re just assuming i won’t pay also….

any tips?! support?

Most EAs do credit/employment checks that require evidence of your income, so if you don’t declare benefits your declared income is lower and probably less than the multiples required.

I would say it might depends on what business you run. A self-employed accountant will be deemed differently to say an influencer.

Nail on the head and one of several reasons why I am deliberately vague on tax returns I prepare for my clients, as I’ve experience from many years over many clients where being too specific can bite you on the arse later. I’d never put “influencer” as the business description on a tax return.

‘Renting just seems to get tougher and tougher imo. Every change in the law intended to make things easier for tenants seems to end up making it harder.’

It’s largely because the law keeps being changed to make things harder for Landlords rather than to make things easier for tenants, there is a difference. It’s entirely predictable that there will be less rentals, rents are going to go up and Landlords will be super selective about who they rent to.

Do you know anyone who runs a business who can make you a “job offer” which you can show the agent? (One that gets retracted once you’re in)

it’s appalling that our social housing has been sold off, not replaced and the control of a commodity we all need to survive- homes - has been left in the hands of landlords who can make arbitrary discriminatory decisions, (for example no tattoos), and treat simply a means to extract money from people.

so if you have to duck and dive a bit to get somewhere, then I say fuck em, go for it

It’s very difficult.
When I was looking I was told i’d need a guarantor as I was on maternity leave.
This was despite glowing references and more than sufficient income.

I applied directly to housing associations and got lucky. Some have housing stock outside council waiting lists.

agree with others about applying to landlords directly rather than estate agents.

Is it true that landlords are leaving the market? I’ve heard other people say this too… (Sorry if I’ve misunderstood what you said), but my understanding is that whilst maybe some people are, actually things are not going in that direction at all

We now find ourselves in a situation where one in every 21 adults in the UK is a landlord. We have four times as many landlords as teachers.
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/19/end-of-landlords-surprisingly-simple-solution-to-uk-housing-crisis

The first paragraph sounded really sensible and helpful - the second is judgey.

What's your business? How much do you earn? If you are earning well and have accountant to prove it, I would just mention that and say you have UC top ups since your separation.
Are you taking the children with you to viewings? Are they wild or well behaved? How do you all present? Are you all smart and look like you would look after the house?
I'm a letting agent and on paper I wouldn't have an issue with you. Three years is nice and steady away for being self employed so there shouldn't be an issue there. Landlords will often choose people with steady jobs and no children so less wear and tear on the property, so you are on the back foot a bit. Also if you say you are looking to buy and they are looking for long term tenants that could put them off too. However, if no pets and you all look smart and well presented and good money there shouldn't be an issue. I think it's good to.offee 6 months and a guarantor too if they want it not that they should.need it. The new renters rights will stop people offering rent in advance but there is nothing to stop it now.

We are landlords. The flats we have are rented through an agency. I don’t care who the tenants are as long as they pass the agency references and more importantly pass the guarantee insurance which means if the tenant doesn’t pay the insurance company will. We’ve had guarantors in the past and when a tenant has stopped paying the guarantor doesn’t pay either. It’s gone to court, we’ve got a judgement and even the bailiffs can’t get any money back. Once you’ve lost thousands in court fees and rent you don’t make that mistake again.

I got a reference from my previous landlord.. Self employed also and dh had yet started his job..
Was honest about our situation - sob story.
She put a good word in to the landlord about choosing us and he did!!

Landlord here, a guarantor 100% makes a difference. If you don't pay we go to them to settle the debt which is always a comfort. Plus they are demonstrating that you are worthy of their trust.

We have lots of people on Universal Credit, that doesn't put us off. Strangely, the mix of SE and UC does make things a little more difficult. UC can alter at the drop of a hat if your income changes. BUT if you are already in the system of benefits it would be an easy fix for you to receive enough to cover housing.

Take the guarantor route if possible and good luck.

"You" may not care, but you're just abdicating responsibility to reference agencies, who WILL care and almost certainly not look favourably on applicants with "less than perfect" earnings proofs etc. Someone with a chequered earnings history/prospects will almost certainly fail the reference agency checks - you probably just don't know it's happening because you're not "hands on" and have given the vetting responsibilities to other people.

@Echlefecker i’m a hairdresser, i’ve got 3 accounts showing £27000 for my first year, then around £21000 for my second but then the last years accounts dropped to around £16000 due to having my second child and working less. i have taken my little boy with me once, he was lovely and honestly my children are so well behaved. everyone who meets them comments on this, he’s polite and friendly and does as he’s told. my daughter is only 16 months but again she’s equally as lovely haha

were all smart, for a 4 year old boy my son is always dressed well, hair cut (be strange if it wasn’t haha) and i’m well dressed, i do honestly think if the landlords met me they’d think differently. i have no problem myself with anyone on benefits but i do hope by this time next year i won’t need it all all. i am genuinely a very self sufficient person i just need a little support to get me out of a bit of a rough time. my ex isn’t helpful with money, he’ll send me odd bits here and there at the moment so until our house is completed and sold and i can claim a steady maintenance from him i’ll just need the support from the government

Trouble is that it's competitive so you'd probably be accepted if there was no one more suitable, but when the landlord (or their agents) have several people all wanting the property, they can be very choosy as to who they'll chose.

My son, despite having a good graduate job (national average wage rather than minimum wage) in one of the UK biggest insurance firms, straight after getting a First degree in Maths at a top university, still couldn't get a flat to rent in the city where had he to move to for his job. Six months of trying (from the date he was offered the job) and it was getting squeaky bum time as the day he started was looming. Multiple times the letting agents put others forward to the landlords to chose ahead of him, despite him offering a year's rent up front plus 10% more than asking price as default offer to the agents.

He only got the flat because the landlord turned out to be a guy who had retired from the insurance firm a few years before (and spent his pension lump sums to buy a few flats to rent!). There was clearly a "link" there with my son just about to start working at his old firm, so the landlord accepted him above other applicants. The estate agent was open in saying he was surprised as there were "better" applicants for the flat!!

You don't rent to tattooed people? Say what?

When I rented the affordability check was that my income needed to be 30x monthly rent. If they are looking at your most recent accounts it's unlikely you'd pass unless the rent is £500 pm ish, based on that calculation

@TutTutTutSigh with my current benefits, also assuming they’d take it into account (estate agent friend says they would) then my affordability would be much higher