Good evening. My friend (50 yrs old) is looking to rent a three bed property in the London W3 / W5 area with his wife and two boys (11&14). He has 3 ccj’s totalling about £3400 - two of which are paid but not yet satisfied and one is being queried.
His company will pay the rent and would offer quarterly in advance plus the deposit.
Has he any chance of getting a rental ?
Under RRA landlords can’t require rent in advance (except 1st period In time between contract signed and move in date). Tenants can p ay it in advance on a voluntary basis but LLs mustn’t encourage it and can’t rely on it.
(Get the 3rd ccj satisfied, till then why would anyone want to rent to your friend…)
If he meets other eg affordability criteria it’s possible but having not one but 3 ccjs implies quite a lot of risk..
Good luck
Thank you for your reply
In truth he probably doesn’t have much of a chance with any landlord that does their homework. I’d agree that getting the CCJs off his record would be best.
Imagine the aggravation and loss of money each person has had to have to take this “individual” to court, wouldnt touch him with a barge pole.
Sorry to hear about your friend, I`m not judging him but tenants with bad credit/ccj etc need to get used to seeing this problem that they caused and wanted with the new RRA. No LL will risk anyone with a CCJ under the new rules. My “friend” gave a tenant with a CCJ a chance to rent and after 3 months he refused to pay any rent (in a perfect condition flat) and brazenly said “just take me to court, try evicting me” In my opinion anyone that refuses to pay their rent should get slapped with a CCJ.
The Nob from the North said he would help the homeless.
So, with the RRA, the new LL register and the increase for LL only Tax hikes imminent, he certianly has helped create MORE homeless such as your “friend”
How many more will be unable to find homes after the next budget with further LL taxes/regs/bills?
Is there a way to tell if an applicant has had a CCJ in the past, but it has now been removed? Basically I don’t want a contract with anyone who’s ever had a CCJ.
I use openrent, they do it as part of their service
Normally credit checks only shows CCJs for last 6 years
Best
--’
How CCJs Appear on Credit Reports
Unfortunately, THREE CCJ’s are usually an evidence of certain attitude towards debt. I can’t see why anyone would be willing to let a property to someone with such a questionable attitude.
No they don’t.
Yes you are correct - I had missed the part you asked “after it was removed”
Under the RRB the credit check will show up as risk Low, Medium or High depending on the age of the debt. Medium and low is actually a pass but it really all depends how the LL will view it. Recent CCJ will be a high risk and may flag up to provide a guarantor. Affordability and previous LL references should be taken into account
just to clarify on a legal point here: what you are asking to do isn’t possible through legitimate channels, and attempting it moves into dangerous territory regarding UK GDPR.
Once a CCJ is paid within 30 days or 6 years pass, it is legally wiped from the Register of Judgments and all credit reference agency databases. Legally, it no longer exists.
Trying to source ‘deleted’ or expired financial data via informal blacklists or old records is a breach of the UK GDPR ‘right to erasure’ and data accuracy principles. Furthermore, applying lifetime blanket bans risks indirect discrimination under the Equality Act if it disproportionately affects vulnerable groups. Standard referencing is there to show a tenant’s current financial reliability, not to dig up legally erased history.
Legally erased or not ,if I had a hint of CCJ no matter if satisfied, not going to get one of my places. I will not give out a reason to the applicant. Will choose a “better” tenant
You can legally erase records you can’t “legally erase history” - we arent living in a dictatorship.
It would be entirely legitimate to ask an individual if they have ever had a ccj including more than 6 year ago. They can refuse to answer or refer only to the last 6 years, which is an answer in itself.
All sorts of organizations ask about credit/financial history more than 6 years old (mortgage lenders etc). Nothing illegal about it. If I keep records about a tenant’s payments (or not) or what their ccj history was 10y ago when they started the tenancy, as part of running a LL business and assessing risks, that’s totally legal and legitimate too so long as it’s not any sort of blanket blacklist.
In fact we are supposed to keep records of successful tenancy applications for 6 years after end of the tenancy - see below
Best
--
You must keep records of a successful tenant application for 6 years after the tenancy ends, but you should delete unsuccessful tenant applications within 6 months. [1]
Successful Tenant Applications
Of course it is not illegal to ask
You’re completely right that you can ask, and keeping your own business records is standard practice.
However, mortgage lenders operate under completely different financial rules. For private rentals, once a CCJ is legally removed, it is wiped from the system for a reason. There is no legitimate backdoor to find third-party history that has been erased.
It is also worth noting that asking those questions for the sole purpose of enforcing a strict, lifetime blanket ban can be legally risky. Because historical financial shocks often hit vulnerable groups, rigid bans can inadvertently trigger indirect discrimination claims under the Equality Act. Referencing is meant to look at an applicant’s current affordability, not their distant past.
Best
Thank you for being honest — because what you’ve written is exactly the issue tenants face.
A CCJ that is old, managed, or included in an IVA is not a legal barrier to renting, and referencing companies routinely approve tenants with historic credit markers.
Saying you would reject someone purely on the existence of a past CCJ — regardless of affordability, rent history, employment, or the fact it’s satisfied/managed — is your choice, but it’s also the definition of blanket discrimination.
Tenants aren’t asking for special treatment. We’re asking to be assessed on the actual risk, not a single historic line on a credit file that’s already being repaid and falls off soon.
Your comment is a perfect example of why many renters struggle even when they meet affordability, pass referencing, and have a stable income.
Good luck
Understood. I want a tenant that has similar ideas to me.. If they come along smelling of drink, say they have 4 pets, never worked a day in their life, live a certain lifestyle that I do not like, Then I will choose someone else. If they do not like me , they will choose another landlord. My property, my choice . I do not give any reason to those I reject ,I do not need to. I have tenants that have been with me for many years so I must be doing something right
Not really. The reason tenants may struggle is because it’s competitive, many tenants chasing each property. Meeting affordability, passing referencing and having a stable income is just a minimum. If a tenant stops paying the landlord faces a year of no rent (3m arrears 4 wk notice 8m average application for possession to bailiffs eviction) while still having to pay a mortgage, insurance, maintenance and repair costs. RRA has made eviction slower, harder and so more expensive and end of s21 and tax rises have been the last straw for many small LLs. Pets can now rarely be refused yet the average damage they cause when it happens is well over the 5 wks deposit. After inflation property is not worth more than 20y ago. So not surprising landlords will inevitably choose the least risk they can, and many have been selling up.
As you say, actually data on ccjs older than 6y would be hard to find, most LLs rely on standard referencing reports. So although many LLs would like to blanket ban any tenant who’s ever had a ccj, it’s not what actually happens and isn’t a reason tenants find things difficult.
Best