It can actually not be a lie but a misunderstanding of the ‘questionaire’. Many tenancy forms ask you to fill your earnings and at the same time ask you to state your work details while as a tenant in the new house. To be clearer, sometime ago I was moving house and at the same time changing jobs. While the first part of the form required that I filled my earnings, the next part needed me to confirm that the details filled will be true during my tenancy. I had to call the agent to ask which details to use, the current job or the new job(as both met the affordability criteria). While he wanted me to fill the new job, where I’ll be during the tenancy, it’d have been a challenge getting references as I was yet to resume with them.
The question then is, if I put the new job, where I’ll be earning considerably more, would that be a lie? …that’s where I’ll be during the tenancy.
bit strong to say it’s a lie. Its a joint tenancy I assume, therefore the affordability is also joint, you shouldn’t be assessing it on single incomes. As it would pass the affordability you probably don’t have a strong justification for keeping the holding deposit, but you could return it and proceed with another tenant.
I think he has lied, at least by default. If he is having a pay rise in the future he should have put that on the form (that it will be in the future).
I would not personally continue with this applicant.
It’s much easier to choose someone else now, than take a chance on someone who lies. What else have they, or will they lie about. Plenty of people wanting accommodation, look else where.
I think you’re being a bit over critical / cautious. It sounds to me like they were just forecasting their future income from known or perceived criteria regarding bonuses and income increase. Perhaps a bit naive not to realise the reference would pick up on it, and not making it absolutely clear on their reference form, but I wouldn’t exactly accuse them of lying.
It also sounds like you have seen a preferable applicant that you’d like to change to, not an honorable approach to the letting.
If you’ve already accepted their application and, I presume, they’ve passed referencing, as you say they earn more than enough as a couple, then I believe you would be wrong / unfair to reject them.
I have been renting property for 25 years and I have had at least 100 tenants in that time. I don’t use credit reference agencies but instead I meet all prospective tenants and spend some time talking to them, then rely on ‘gut instinct’. I ask for employer details then contact the employer and say “xxx has applied to rent a flat from me and says he has been working for you for xxx months and is paid xxx. Can you confirm this?”. I also contact any previous landlords for references.
I have taken tenants who wouldn’t pass the criteria set by reference agencies. For example immigrants who have just moved to this country so can’t provide any references. In fact I have found these to be generally the best tenants.
I am also sceptical about references. A good reference from an existing landlord may mean he is trying to get rid of the tenant.
I then maintain a close relationship with all my tenants, and I’m on first name terms with them all. I know their circumstances and in many cases have helped them through difficult times rather than evict them immediately.
In all those years I have only had one bad tenant, who proved to be a professional con artist.
So my answer is have a conversation with your prospective tenants and trust your gut instinct.
Alan, great post. Would you say that professional con artists go more for upmarket properties? I don’t think they’re interested in budget properties at all. And hopefully not so much in middle range.
We did have one serial rogue T who went for budget properties, but it’s only because that’s what he could afford. And we didn’t check his credit. He had multiple CCJs. But his documents were his own. So, not a professional scammer.
Let me tell you about the only bad tenants we had:
We let a 2-bed flat to a couple who seemed very plausible. She worked for a local undertaker and he was a security guard. They had a nice new car and readily paid the deposit and the first month’s rent in cash. Their references were good but eventually proved to be fake.
They never paid a penny more, neither did they pay any council tax. I eventually had to take legal action, but they didn’t turn up in court. They were ordered to pay but they didn’t so I took further legal action. A bailiff was appointed and her employer was ordered to make monthly deductions to very gradually pay off the debt. They did a runner the day before the bailiff was to call and she left her job.
I engaged a private detective who found where they had moved and who she then worked for. The court ordered her new employer to make deductions. She then left that job. I gave up then!
The lesson I learnt was to be sceptical about references and contact them directly. I’ve never had problems with any other tenant.
Probably entering this discussion far too late, but are you certain that he is lying? Perhaps he entered his salary information based on what he will get (ie bonus, and promotion/higher salary). If i get a bonus from my company, and a pay increase then my company writes to me to confirm the amounts and then tells me i will receive the new salary starting from April and that the bonus will be paid in the same month. Perhaps you could ask him from proof (letters from his employer)?