Trying to secure a new rented house. (Private let) and have failed the reference check because DP can't cover "his half" of the rent. Which is ridiculous because he is SAHP and I can more than cover it with my salary. But they will only assess us on a 50/50 basis even though we're a family. (1 DC)
Our options are to (apparently) pay 6 months rent up front or get a guarantor. They are refusing to assess me for affordability by myself.
I cannot comprehend why, when the rent is affordable for us, we are now looking like we could lose this (lovely, ideal) house because of their daft way of assessing us. I queried the logic but they won't budge "it's just the way it is".
I bet we're going to end up paying 6 months up front (which we have in savings) but I'm annoyed that we have to, what if we didn't have it? Why should they get to earn interest on our money? We can't be the only family in the country who has one high/one low earner.
I wonder if it would be different if we were married? 
Anyone else come across this? Or have I just come across an unscrupulous and/or ridiculous agent?