Hi all, I understand the housing market is fierce at the moment with too many tenants not enough houses but I’m not getting anywhere with finding a rental, I pass the affordability to be able to view but then it seems the landlord chooses to progress and reference other, more suitable people. (Location is Accrington and surrounding areas in Lancashire)
I am 25 (mature 25) female and a home owner who is recently separated and I am being bought out of my house, hence wanting a rental until next year when I look to buy again.
I have never rented before, I’ve only ever owned my house, I have a FT stable managerial job with a salary of £35k, decent savings, 1 small child (I think this may be a put off), all documents ready to send inc. passport, payslips, bank statements and I have brilliant credit but never seem to get past viewings as the landlord proceeds with other potential tenants.
Any ideas regarding how to make myself more appealing to LL please?
I would keep that you looking to buy next year to yourself. Where there are muliple suitable tenants i would normally go with who i think would stay the longest so if you are saying your plan is to buy next year that may count against you.
You could also offer 6 months rent upfront and a guarantor assuming you have one.
Hi Richard, I don’t let people know this information regarding buying again in the future.
I was planning on offering rent up front, but people have told me to be careful as people may question why someone young has so much money to offer circa £5k up front and think it’s sketchy money (it’s not, I just save my money wherever possible).
Some landlords will be a bit careful with rent upfront as it can be used as a way of evading referencing but if you provide full reference details it should be a positive. Saving shows responsibility and landlords like responsible tenants.
Not sure what other Landlords use but 40x is an affordability calculator that I am inclined to use. i.e. 40 x rent = your required gross income (especially with the current rising energy prices). Obviously income only is not everything but it is one of the criteria. So that will give you an idea of what you should be looking for. If you are rejected then it could be simply because of this. Saving is a good indicator of your financial maturity and awareness but I never asked for savings and I am not sure If we are allowed to either! For me it will make a difference when selecting a tenant as you have plan B if things go wrong. One of the challenges of working, being single and having a child is ; some landlords might think looking after house might not be your top priority as you might have too much on you plate. I think you should keep looking and if something is meant for you it will come your way even if 100s of other candidates are there…
Thanks for your advice I now have a property with a move in date. The only thing is a sent the deposit and first month’s rent as soon as the agent sent confirmation, but I have not received a tenancy agreement yet. Should I have waited until the agreement was signed? I feel like it’s okay as it’s via a reputable lettings agency, but I sent the money and confirmation at the start of this week but no agreement has arrived yet? Thanks in advance
I now have a property with a move in date. The only thing is a sent the deposit and first month’s rent as soon as the agent sent confirmation, but I have not received a tenancy agreement yet. Should I have waited until the agreement was signed? I feel like it’s okay as it’s via a reputable lettings agency, but I sent the money and confirmation at the start of this week but no agreement has arrived yet? Thanks in advance