UK Landlord Forum / Life

HI - new to all this, so advice would be amazing. I've just bought an HMO, and a guy wants to rent it for five years - he says he's got electrical apprentices he needs to house. He's offering full price, and it all seems a bit too good to be true...anyone else had this experience? Can't work out what the scam is, apart from the obvious rent-to-rent scam, but with they type of house it is, he wouldn't be making much money from that.
Much appreciated.

Starting with an HMO is diving in at the deep end, but you are where you are. This guy could be legit, or he might be a cannabis farmer, or a modern slaver, or just running a rent-to-rent scam. The golden rule is there are (almost) always other tenants, so don't be afraid to pass on this one if your landlord instincts tell you he's not quite right.

Is he offering a nice lump sum up-front to assuage your fears? A year would be good, but limit the fixed term to a year too...

But, same message from me, what were you thinking?

Two things don't seem right.I have read and heard that apprenticeships are like hen's teeth now,so how can this person be confident enough to fill a place  for 5 years ? He may be thinking of packing the house with illegals/slaves.I would not let anyone have a 5 year lease unless they already had a proven track-record,and probably not even then. Run a mile from this one.

Have you not done credit checks?
Wouldnt go near anyone without doing them and would only offer a 1 year renewable tenancy to start with.
Has he provided proof of the company status and history of tenancies for apprentices?
Sounds not right so turn away and wait for someone more suitable.

You realise the OP asked for guidance mid-February, don't you? I'm sure, being new, you are keen to engage... but it's OK to start slowly.