Can't even get a flat viewing

[malpoet]

Hi there,

Can someone advise on getting a flat viewing?

My daughter is a postgraduate student (23), being fully sponsored by a very prestigious company, with whom she has a job afterwards.

Her friend who she wishes to share with, is a PhD student, aged 25, and is fully funded through scholarships.

They requested a viewing of a flat and were told they wouldn't get a viewing, by a polite but very snooty estate agent. Apparently they are looking for a professional couple ideally to rent the flat. The estate agent said that she would call them back if all the other viewings bore no fruit.

The estate agent said that for referencing a salary needed to be 30 x the monthly rent. The rent is £1800 a month for the two bed. So they would need to prove a salary of £54,000. Their stipends wouldn't reach that. But both of the girls are being supported by their family/savings. They would have more than enough to pay 12 months rent in advance to secure the property.

But the estate agent was insisting that as the property was so popular, it was better not to waste their time in viewing it.

How do you get around this?
Why is other people's money any better than theirs?

I would be willing to be a guarantor to prove a salary above the required sum.

Is this normal practice, or is this because they are looking to rent in a very affluent area.

The landlord will have specified what kind of tenants they want. It isn't just about affordability. If they don't want students there's nothing you can do.

By the way, is your daughter aware that the other tenant will be exempt from council tax and she will have to pay it on her own?

Assuming (from the rent) that this is London, the market is good and they shouldn’t find it too difficult to find other decent places. I’d just advise them to look for alternative flats. Maybe the landlord knows the neighbours are likely to complain about noise, maybe they’ve had issues with noisy student tenants before, who knows - but if this property is popular then the landlord has options and there’s no much point causing a fuss.

Unfortunately landlords can stipulate all kinds of things. My parents' friends rent out a 4 bed house and refuse to let it to anyone with children

Is there not much on the market in the area they're looking? I thought it was meant to be easier to find flats, post covid.

That 30 x rent rule is advised by many professional organisations and agents tend to be wary of rent upfront. It’s a red flag for money laundering and makes it even harder to get rid of shit tenants.
Is there anyone who can act as a guarantor for the rent?

The estate agent is paid by the landlord to find the kind of tenant the landlord specifies. That's nothing new. Just a fact of life.

Your DD doesn't fit the LL's requirements for this ONE flat. So there was no point the agent wasting time letting her view it.

So she'll have to keep looking.

Plenty of other landlords will be interested, don't worry. Yes, they are students, but they are on the superior end of the spectrum of students given their ages and ability to pay up front.

Unfortunately they are within their rights to specify certain tenants they're willing to consider. When I was looking 10 years ago with two friends we found a rental property that was perfect. I was a postgrad student and worked at the same time, had enough earnings to cover the rent. We were given a viewing, said we'd like to take it and then got a call a day later to say because I was a student the landlady wasn't willing to rent to us... Despite me being an older-than average postgrad in employment and my parents were happy to be guarantors too. Sorry that it's disappointing for your daughter but something else will likely come up! (and someone else's comment about council tax is correct - that really stung me a few years later when I moved to a new area for a job, rented with people who I thought were employed but turned out to all be students and I to shoulder the council tax solo 🤦🏻‍♀️

Oh sorry, just reread your OP and if they're both postgrad students they should be fine!!

I get it. I'm having trouble finding a place for my teenage son and girlfriend. I'm happy to have the tenancy in my name and pay six months (or even a year) up front, which is the length they want.
No one wants teenagers. So where are they going to live? I'm moving 70 miles away, and the girlfriend's mum has three other kids, rents herself and doesn't want another teenager, though she said she'd have them for the summer.
When I was growing up many kids started full time employment at 16 and couldn't always live with their parents.

I think landlords can afford to be very picky; demand outstrips supply in many areas. DD and partner are trying to move and just getting viewings is hard. Places go within hours of being listed and others have waiting lists for viewings.

And they are in their 30s with stable professional jobs, and references from previous rentals.