I am looking for a property to rent for my family preferably within Lichfield/Burntwood/Cannock/Aldridge as we really love this area, but in reality, we’re able to move almost anywhere in England.
Our family has just been evicted from our current home- section 21- because the landlord is dying and his family are selling all of his properties. We are looking for a 4 bedroom house, with 2 receptions (or an office), with a garden and parking.
A little bit about our family. I am a British Citizen, and my husband and children are Canadian and have full residency in the UK. I am a herbalist/aromatherapist and have my own organic skincare/supplement company that works with private clients, I am also a graphics artist and work for a video game company as their Content Coordinator, and I am an organic gardener (permaculture design), and teach foraging to local groups. My husband is a fully certified and licensed “Serviceman”- a “construction” trade that England does not have here- He has his own contracting company (primary maintenance contract for Dunton and Soterion corporations) and he’s currently on a course to give him his Retrofit Assessor level 4 accreditation. We have 3 grown kids ages 21, 18 & 15, 2 very old dogs, 1 young dog, and two cats. As my husband is currently on course, we are limited in budget to £1300 per month.(Course should be finished by end Feb).
My first impression is that you are on paper a difficult family to accommodate simply because of the mix of nationalities, ages, pets, income sources. On top of that, you’re asking for a sizeable property and, again on top of that, you want it for minimal rent (relatively). The north east where I’m based is pretty much the cheapest area in England for rent so that’s where I’d be looking IIWY. Even there, £1300pcm is going to be a tight budget.
Hi tatemono- thank you for your comment. So here’s the thing, the difficulty is perception, and it depends on the landlords needs, right? The whole family are British citizens/residents, so that can be removed from the difficulty immediately. We have well behaved pets, and that’s either something a landlord is good with or not. As for “Sizeable” property, 4 bedrooms with a second reception or office isn’t really that large, and is available through out the midlands. What we bring to the negotiation table is that we are excellent tenants. Responsible, and more importantly talented, with the ability to maintain and renovate a property, and grounds. Some landlords don’t particularly care about quality of tenants, and just want their monthly money, and of course that’s their choice to make. But some landlords are looking for long term responsible tenants that they KNOW will look after their investment property. There is a give an take to that. Yes, the landlord that picks our family might get less monthly income, but in exchange, they will know that the property will be in excellent hands. Give and Take.
Danielle
A landlord will not know that “ the property is in excellent hands” They will not know you. That is like me saying “ I am an excellent joiner” to someone i meet in the street… 5 animals and a family of 5 .. That is a lot in a household. You need references from previous landlords for a start also accounts going back 3 years for both of you. To me this sounds difficult Others may have a different view
Except that “The property is in excellent hands” is backed up by letters of reference from our previous landlords- for the past 10 years, letter of reference from my husband main contract as chief of maintenance & renovations for Soterion, and Dunton Environmental corporations, and the fact that he’s a fully certified Canadian Serviceman. All of which is available for any landlord to view, with contact information so that they can communicate with any of these references. And as we’ve renovated several houses due to the damage left behind from previous tenants- students, small families, and a working couple who were absolutely pigs, I can very much assert that it’s not the size of the household that causes wear and tear and damage, it’s the quality of people renting the house.
interesting response Danielle, couple behave like pigs…. I suggest you go to an estate agent (as this is not the forum to search for a property) and I am sure they will find you suitable accommodation for your family and pets particularly with your great credentials , refs and credit history.
Several houses renovated … if this is in 10years then implies you have moved several times, why would a LL expect you to stay long term? May worry some LLs. And nobody will care what course your husband is doing or when it finishes or ‘talent’ LLs aren’t betting on a tenant’s future earnings potential only on assumption that proven past income will continue (and obtains RGI and/or a guarantor in case not)
reality is you will face the same affordability checks as anybody else so if rent is more than 30% gross income you may not pass and LLs will want a guarantor or they won’t be able to get rent gtee insurance. Having great maintenance/repair skills is great but counts for nothing if you will struggle to pay the rent. 1300 pcm is 30% of a gross income of 52k pa. For 4 adults that is 13k pa each which is well below min wage. LLs will look at that and may conclude you may struggle (even without cost of pets)
Suppose you find a LL who has a dilapidated house that needs bringing back to a better standard. Even supposing you get a discount initially in return for doing repairs, once done the LL will quite reasonably expect the normal mkt rate. Most LLs will not assume tenants are handymen it is a bonus if they are and take care of a place. But normal good tenants do manage that too.
Personally I would suggest focussing on emphasis great past refs, evidence you can afford and that you had made rent payments on time for 10y.
Last, might be worth reaching out via services contacts - might easily be someone in the services who’s on an overseas posting with their family (or family here considering joining him/her) and has a place here in uk to rent and knowing tenant is ex services might be more of an advantage to them.
In video maybe showing all your family, all the animals, the garden and the property you live in to back up your claims, would be more to your advantage?
Thank you for your reply! But I’m confused as to why you will need to go through eviction process? And why would this apply to us, compared to anyone else you might rent to?
I think Abhishek’s point might be that given the complexity of your domestic situation, four months’ notice might not be sufficient for you to find somewhere else to live. I agree though that his post is ambiguous.
