I am from the United States and am moving to the UK to get a PhD, and I’m searching for a flat to rent. How can I find housing without a UK credit history and without a job offer? Am I able to provide verification of my United States credit history?
You’d need a letter proving you are a bonafide student studying at your university. Evidence of funds and/or bursary arrangements. Possibly a UK guarantor if you can find one. Get a UK bank account set up and preferrably funded. I’d also make sure you are ready to provide a share code (proof of right to be in the UK) so you are seen to be efficient and ready to go. It is really down to the landlord’s risk appetite. The university might be able to help?
You might also have more success with a flat share, where the risk is also shared
Thanks for the advice! I’m studying at Cambridge, and I’ve noticed that university-sanctioned housing is far more expensive than a private landlord’s. Unaffiliated flats tend to be cheaper or nicer for the same price point.
If you have paid rent before in the US then you will have a record in Experian RentBureau which UK landlords could also access. It depends on the individual landlords, I rent to a couple of US students (well, they used to be students) but I didn’t even get guarantors for them as one has parent in the FBI and another in DoD… so you will probably need to find a landlord who does their own credit checks and doesn’t rely on the standard processes as you won’t be able to fulfil the standard processes. But it is much easier just renting a room rather than an entire flat.