Has anyone ever been turned down by a landlord?

[cornofthebab]

My dh and I found the perfect house in the perfect location. We live in the south (not London), but in a very very pricey town. I've been house hunting since January as the landlord is moving back into our current place. This is only the second time that a house like this has come up.

The landlord received five applications to rent the property. We offered 10% over asking and would pay 12 months upfront. We really really wanted the house. I assume that someone else either offered to pay more or would sign a 24 month lease.

Argh! Back to the drawing board it seems.

Paying upfront is a massive red flag for landlords.
It’s a hassle with regards to money laundering checks and it is a tactic used by people who want to circumvent referencing

We haven’t but we have had to be the ones turning people down (we’re the landlords of a single house that we can’t sell). It was really hard, but we only have one house to offer! The first couple were living in a horrible basement flat and were having a baby, they really wanted the house and it was all good until they asked if the man’s mum could come and have a look round and in she came with his step dad who was a stereotypical toothless druggie. Another lady was just going through a divorce and she would have been perfect but the final couple were also perfect and I thought the single lady might be a bit picky as she picked on a few small things about the house, I hated letting her down though. At the end of the day, it’s probably nothing you did wrong, the landlord just has to decide.

@lastqueenofscotland

Paying upfront is a massive red flag for landlords. It’s a hassle with regards to money laundering checks and it is a tactic used by people who want to circumvent referencing

@lastqueenofscotland

Speaking as a landlord, I would disagree with everything you say.

For example, one flat that we let out has someone in that pays six monthly in advance and has done so for the last three years.

They were fully referenced for being employed, no CCJs etc and copies of bank statements to show where the money was coming from.

No problem at all.

From your username, perhaps things are different in Scotland?

I agree - paying up front is fine by me! In fact preferred in many cases.
One flat I had was pricey but in a university city which attracted a lot of foreign students. No credit history but had money. So they paid six months up front, and then another six months when lease renewed and so on. They stayed for the length of the course then I got another foreign student in. Best tenants ever.
Don't take it personally - like pp says, only one property so only one applicant is going to get it.

We were because DH was doing a PhD so was a ‘student’. As he was 23 and I was 25 it was beyond frustrating. Found a sane landlord in the end who could spot the difference between us and undergraduates.