Renting a house with bad credit

[lele11]

When you guys have rented

What information have you been asked for please

I've just spoke to a random landlord when I'm currently living (I'm moving away) and he said he asks for what their credit score is and everything!!

Thanks

Sar

It’s standard to be credit checked and have to provide three months worth of wage slips and bank statements.

My agents ask for three months proof of income and will do a credit check. They also ask for a reference from previous landlords.

It obviously makes sense to have some proof that a tenant will be able to pay for the property before handing it over to them.

I used to work for a referencing company, they did a credit check but we ignored the actual number. We looked for CCJs, IVAs and bankruptcies etc… Admittedly this was nearly ten years ago when I was at uni but the number wasn’t important.

Landlords and letting agents may do any of the following:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/renting-privately/private-renting/checks-your-landlord-or-letting-agent-will-make/

Credit checked

every single time

If your credit is bad you are unlikely to get a rental without offering either rental in advance or a proper guarantor. I am on the fringes of renting property and people either pay say a year in advance or get a robust guarantor. This guarantor MUST pass the credit checks too. We had one potential tenant who thought they could give any guarantor and as they were the renter we wouldnt do any checks

Guarantors are very very unusual nowadays and absolutely warned against in most scenarios

They are extremely common when students rent from private landlords!

My letting agent requests anyone on benefits has a guarantor. They don't have that written in listings but they asks tenants if they have one.

The home I rent recently changed letting agents but because I've been here for well over a decade so I didn't have new tenant checks, and it's only when I was signing the new contract and had to wait for them to print it in store I learnt about it, I overheard people walking in asking about places to rent, they weren't even asked if they work or their status, they were told they need a guarantor and they left because they said they didn't have anyone. I asked the staff when I was signing mine if that's a new thing and she said only for low incomes and because it's a low income area and majority of the homes in their books are in rough low income areas they just tell everyone who walks through the door they need one.

I mentioned it to a friend who moved last year from one private rent to another, and she not only was told she needed a guarantor by two other letting agents so it doesn't sound uncommon where I am at least. She ended up finding a private rent that isn't through a company and she didn't need guarantor.

No, they are not

Oh yes they are!

Nope

Yes that's what I've always been told and I don't have any of those

We've just moved into a rental property.

We had credit checks which search for adverse credit, CCJs and credit score.

We had to send over bank statements to prove we could afford the rent.

It was all done very quickly.

Sometimes if someone has bad credit they won't accept (it's landlord discretion) or they'll ask for your rent up front, or for a guarantor. Or sometimes they'll decline your application if multiple people have viewed the house and said they would like to move into it, unfortunately some will favour someone with good credit.

I've just split up so, I've left the family home, I'm renting for 12 months.
My agent used https://www.canopy.rent/
It'll ask you to give previous addresses, and links to open banking then you'll be given a score. The agent and landlord will then make a choice.
I offered 12 months' rent upfront.

If you can find a landlord to go via directly that would be idea. Last time I did this was back in 2011 but I just found a landlord advertising a nice little studio in the paper and paid him monthly until I left.

Prior to this I rented in London using myspareroom sharing no agents

Local paper.

Although I'm a landlord who doesn't use an agent, but I still credit check (using my own judgement), and usually ask for a guarantor. I don't think there's any rule of thumb. It depends on how risk averse the landlord is (and whether they realise what the risks are!).

I think things may have moved on since I was private renting. I've rented about 12 times off the top of my head and not once used any agents nor had any checks done.

Oh yes they are.

Why do you think this is not common? Just as a matter of interest? I've had two children go through uni, so quite a lot of uni accommodation and every year we have had to act as guarantor for our child. Oldest son also worked for a student accommodation company for two years after uni and they always asked for guarantors so I'm interested to know what your experience is.

My DCs also had to provide guarantors for uni halls accommodation and now the private accommodation they’re in. Same with all their friends at different unis too. The norm from the many current uni student parents I’ve spoken to about it.

The fact they’ve just said ‘nope’ without any evidence or back up shows they’re talking out of their arse.
Guarantors are still the norm for student lets

Maybe wishful thinking?

It is very common to have guarantors. Definitely beware giving a guarantee for a shared house on a joint tenancy though. You are probably on the hook for anyone defaulting, not just your kid. It's a very onerous undertaking, even if it's sold by the agent as just a signature on a piece of paper.

(And landlords beware - unless the guarantee is tightly drawn and properly executed it won't be enforceable.)

Apologies i didn’t realise the OP was a student

Very common in university student lets

Not common not encouraged in wider letting market

Wishful thinking… of what? Genuinely baffled! 😂