UK Landlord Forum / Life

Any advice would be a great help

Me my girlfriend and 2 young children are looking to move but are in an IVA we have rented for the last 3 years never missed or been late with a payment our landlord is always telling us we are perfect tenants as we have decorated her property to a very high standard and given her no hassle at all the only problem is that on paper we look like bad tenants because of the IVA and we wouldn't pass the credit check! We haven't got a guarantor and haven't got 6 months rent to put down would putting down double the deposit be enough?? I have also read about rent guarantee and legal expenses insurance which I have never never come across before so any advice on that would be a great help as this seems a real option if it is as good as it sounds! And would this work with renting through an estate agents or just private??

Hello Dave,

Just out of interest, why are you moving?  Especially if your landlord says you're excellent.

The rent guarantee covers I've come across are bought by the landlord or agent.  Each insurer will have a few blanket yardsticks and I would not be surprised if they won't take cover for people under an IVA.  Maybe a chat with a local lettings agent for a bit of friendly advice will show what these firms "standard" approach is and, if not favourable towards you, if it can be bargained over.

I perceive the role of the agent to present to the landlord a set of people who all want to rent the property and the landlord choses the best looking ones.  And an IVA is a handicap in you winning this "beauty contest".

You might get lucky and find an agent who is actually wiling to help house someone, but: My gut feeling says you may get more mileage in dealing direct with a prospective landlord.  Don't do a sob story as to how you got into an IVA, just focus on providing proof of:
- Where you now get your income from and how much it is;
- Proof (like bank statement or rent book) of regular rent payments over three years;
- Reference from your existing landlord.
And in the negotiation, don't be afraid to check the landlord out.  From other posts on this blog there are too many landlords who take advantage of tenants with "non-standard" backgrounds.

Hope this helps...

Thank you for the advice

We are moving across the country, I have been offered a transfer with work it's where all my family are from and where I grew up so is to good to turn down

I have bank statements, pay slips and a written ref would anything else be advised to take? The problem we have is that we only have 10 weeks to find somewhere with working and being 2hrs away from where we want to be a private landlord is a big push and an estate agent seems a much better option!

Most of the estate agents we speak with and explain to are more than happy to say 'don't let this put you off coming to us we will do our upmost to help you BUT you will still need to do a credit check' and the average price seems to be around the £200 price range which seems a lot of money to be told no!

Would a double deposit be any good or is much of nothing for a landlord?

Your continuity of employment is another great thing and if you're returning to your family you could see if someone will be a guarantor.  Offering to pay more deposit could help, but if it's more than double the monthly rent it may not be accepted by the landlord.  Having that great a depoist may give you statutory right to rent on without permission from the landlord.  Offering to pay two months in advance is a different way of achieving a similar thing.

That's a really pants offering from the agents.  As their suppliers, like Experian, may charge them only tens of pounds for the reference, this could just be a nasty way of getting £175 profit from you before telling you you're not going to make the cut.  You're right to be suspicious.  The question you've got to ask the agent is: The credit check will show up my IVA and the history that went into it.  Will my more recent sound financial management be enough to pass the test.  And if teh agent was really customer focused they'd be thinking that, too.  Maybe you could get in touch with an outfit like Experian directly?

Some landlords who deal directly with their tenants are happy to individually assess people.  Some aren't.  You may get more flexability from dealing directly, if you can get over the logistical problems.  Can you get some holiday or time off in lieu to help you move?

A guarantor is not an option there is only my parents are they are a guarantor for my little sister who has just moved into we first place otherwise we wouldn't have a problem as all estate agents have said with a guarantor we would be fine! I will make a point of asking the estate agents what they will get out of the credit check as they know I will already fail it so what's the point?

I think I will have to ring the estate agents today and ask them what my options are and see if putting up a bit more money would be enough to help a landlord feel more secure about us being there! We are also hoping that a few of the house we love have been up for rent for the last few months and don't seem to have gone so maybe the estate agents would rather have us there than have no one in it at all? Do the estate agents think this way or will there insurance be covering them?

Hello Dave,

As a Landlord, if I was offered the choice between:
- My house sitting empty for many months, earning nothing and costing something to run (insurance, council tax, winter heating, etc)
- Taking a tenant with one blemish but many good points and who's willing to go beyond the normal to prove he's a good tenant.

Then it would be a no-brainer.

Your plan sounds good and I hope it works for you.  My only comment would be the one I keep coming back too.  Keep your plan flexible enough to switch to contacting landlords directly if the agencies turn into a waste of time.  Blogs on this site give you some good websites where landlords advertise directly.

Hey!
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I currently use this program that gives my tenants a score based on previous landlord comments, reviews, and it also records any late payments to deduct form your score. If you truly think you will be a high-scoring tenant, get this program and give it to future landlords and you'll get approved anywhere. It works for me.
https://www.trustedtenant.com/

Enjoy!