Will I pass the credit check

Tenant Discussion
1

Hi,

New here. I’ve been renting privately for 15 years with no issues. My current landlord is elderly and has decided to sell so I am looking to rent elsewhere. Affordability is not an issue as I have a well paid job. I’ve never missed a rent payment. My issue is the credit check. I have struggled in the past and do have a couple of defaults from a couple of years ago. No CCJs, IVAs or bankruptcies. The letting agent have told me they will be conducting a soft credit check. I just wondered what are the chances of me passing this check? I’ve been told they won’t be able to see the defaults with a soft check but not sure? Can anyone shed any light on this? Thank you

2

What do you mean by defaults? Are they registered anywhere? Are you paying them off? Are any related to rent?

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3

They were from a mail order company from a few years ago and are being paid in installments. Never defaulted on rent

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4

Late payments will have an impact on your credit rating but if this is a while ago it may be OK. You are able to get your credit score online for free so is probably worth you doing that, only takes a few minutes. Lots of companies do it, I use clearscore, then you’ll know if you have an issue, they will also give tips on improving your credit score if needed.

5

It is best to be upfront, actually rather than hoping for the best. If you can prove you have never missed a rent payment with bank statements or a reference from your current landlord that will also help a lot.

6

This is worth a read: it tells you what they can see on hard and soft credit checks…

So, they will see payment history, what credit you have and how much - best to be up front.

You can always look at your own credit report and you will be able to see what they will see. If you sign up with Clearscore, for example, they have a table going back to 2016 showing any late payments so you can see how it would look to the agent.

7

Very interesting link. Thanks for posting it.

8

I find the credit checks are very tough on prospective tenants
The hurdle is set at an income of three times rent.
Ability to pay is not as important as WILLINGNESS to pay.
Talk to prospective landlords to convince them.
Good luck

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9

Thank you all for your help. I passed the credit check and am moving in next week.

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10

Congratulations. I hope it works out well for you.

11

They can do a ‘soft’ search but there is a huge difference between what a landlord/letting agent can see and what a lender could.

A landlord/letting agent credit check will only see publicly availible information so CCJs, Bankrupcies etc. They will not see any information about late payments, defaults, total credit balances etc. Landlords and letting agents like to make you think they can see this info, when in reality they have no way of doing so and you do not have to disclose it to them.

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