Looking for advice from estate agents

[Ivyleaf72]

Hi, we are having some trouble finding somewhere to rent.

A little about us; we are a family of 4, my husband is working with a salary of £35,000. Currently we are on one income whilst I am at home with our two children. Our eldest will be starting reception this September, hence the need to find somewhere to live so we can apply for a school place in the new area.
We also have a small dog.

Our budget is £1200 per month. We are looking for a two bedroom rental in Wiltshire/Bristol/Somerset. This will be our first time renting as we currently live with my father.

I am getting the impression so far that landlords will be reluctant to let to us as we are on one low income, and have a dog. The estate agents we have spoken to refer us to Rightmove without offering any advice. How realistic is our budget and the possibility of finding somewhere to rent?

Thank you

You would be correct in having that concern op. No history of maintaining rental payments and a dog.

What kind of dog?

That is a low budget.

You need to work, you get funding now and tbh you can probably claim universal credit and get 85% of childcare back

Your husband presumably works from home? Otherwise that is a somewhat wide search area

How has this been allowed to happen, your poor father.

Oh dear...

A two bedroom rental for a family of four with a dog? It's too small isn't it? I understand budget restrictions, but it sounds too small. I rent a two bedroom and it would be a nightmare with three other people and a dog.

It’s not very realistic.

sorry.

most landlords don’t like dogs (they damage the house/flat) and it’s been made illegal to offer bigger deposits to cover their damages.

in most areas flats and houses are highly sought after and you’d need to pass affordability checks to get on the estate agents list, which you won’t not at that income.

sorry.

With renters right act coming in Landlords have to consider tenants with pets.

If you have children the same sex they could share a room for longer. In which case have you looked at buying with shared ownership?

You won’t get universal credit with your husband earning £35k . It’s a small wage but above the threshold to claim UC

And a two bedroom with 4 people in it would be a good enough reason to say no

You shouldn't have a problem.

Be proactive. Tell letting agents that you register with that you are prepared to offer a guarantor, if your father will act as one and is a home owner with a clean credit history great, if not then be prepared to use a paid guarantor service like Housing Hand and tell the agent this. Certain agents may have a guarantor service they prefer their tenants to use.

You are right on the border of affordability when you will be referenced for properties at £1200. Rightmove referencing normally wants to see gross annual (combined) salary of 30 times rent. At 35k you are 1k under and that will be flagged so may be best to look for £1150 and under.

Present yourself well and be clear when you call to register and when you go and view that you are reliable long term tenants looking to settle and be somewhere long term - registering for schools shows that - most landlords are looking for long term stable tenants.

The new renter's rights act means landlords must have a good reason to decline pets. Communicate the size and behaviour of your pet well and apply for appropriate properties with outside space.

Look at a listing date, the longer a property has been advertised for the more they will want the right tenants in. At that price for a 2 bed and a garden I can't see you will have a problem if you offer a guarantor, but you need to be proactive. Good luck

Plenty around: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/173818232

Many, the majority, do not accept guarantors

You don't meet the affordability threshold at £35k with £1200 rent.
The majority of leaseholds have an outright ban on dogs so there's little scope for manoeuvre.
You should focus on rural houses, with slightly lower rent where landlords are more likely to agree a dog.

As long as you drive and have a car op

If I were a landlord (I’m not), then I would not rent a 2 bed property to a family of 4 and a dog. The wear and tear on the small property would be massive compared to a couple who were both at work all day and have no kids or pets. My db is a landlord (accidental as moved into work accommodation) and he’s allowed his tenants to have a dog in the property - but they don’t have kids and honestly a small dog is probably less mess/wear and tear than 2 small kids.

That’s not true if they are supporting children and paying rent

Have you approached your local Council to see if they can help? Or try Open Rent/Gumtree etc

A slight tangent but I'm surprised £35k is classed as a low income. I might be a bit out of the loop but isn't that emergency services people would be on, not to mention shop workers, some trades people, professional drivers etc etc. I would have thought 35k but be around the normal/average bracket.

35k is not necessarily low income but the referencing companies have a threshold for affordability and generally annual salary needs to be 30 times monthly rent.

Have you applied for social housing?

Supporting 4 people? Eek

I think if you choose your area and house wisely it might be ok. And regarding size - you won't be able to afford more than a two bed. Choose a scruffy house, offer to do up over time to offset the dog. Have you a credit card to show you an maintain payments?

We are 4 in a two bed because we moved across country. Technically it's only 2 on the lease because it was supposed to be temporary but the landlord knows there's 4 of us (lives down the rd) and he knows we've made huge improvements to the house so he's ok with it. It's squashed and hard but doable given the circumstances.
Might be easier if it's direct landlord dealing. Good luck.

Why have you made huge improvements (like what) to a property that doesn’t suit your needs and only temporary?

Its not per person but per couple it is.

Helpful.