Hi Kath
Can you let us have his/her name please.
the general area (city or town) you operate in would be a help
My main goal for carrying out the referencing is to obtain the rent guarantee insurance. If the applicant (or their guarantor) doesnât pass the referencing I wonât offer them the tenancy. This provides me with peace of mind should things go pear-shaped. However, before selecting the successful tenant, I meet all the applicants in person when they come to view the property. From this I can usually discount a good few from the selection process.
Since the tenant application charges were banned, I have also started asking to see 3 months bank statements and 3 months wage slips before the referencing commences. This gives me the opportunity to verify the wages are coming in and also get a rough idea of the outgoings of the applicant.
I also do quite a bit of Googling to ensure nothing negative is thrown up on the applicant.
I am also thinking that I will start paying the selected applicant a visit to their current home before offering the tenancy.
Each of these are small weapons in a landlordâs arsenal against nightmare tenants and so far have served me well. When the day comes that a tenant defaults, I have the rent guarantee to fall back on (assuming the insurance company doesnât try to wriggle out of paying).
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if you live nearby visiting their present home is a good idea
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Iâd rather not give his name but itâs in the Derby area.
thats why they get away with it if you dont share a name.
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