How can we convince landlords we would make good tenants?

Reply to the comment left by "shakeel ahmad" at "09/12/2013 - 20:43":

Yes Shakeel, doesn't it just. If landlords do regular checks/drive-bys this needn't be a major concern so I don't know why the subject keeps coming up especially when criminals are using the front of a rented property for far more sinister things that aren't as obvious as a cannabis factory!

Katy, as has already been said, for those landlords that are able to make their own decisions and are not restricted by the constraints of the terms of their mortgages honesty is your best bet when approaching them, coupled with an understanding guarantor.
Good luck.

The problem is that a Guarantee is very difficult to enforce. If for instance if one is requesting a loan from a Bank on the basis of a guarantee the Bank will not accept the Guarantee.The question arises why would not not do it ?

In addition a guarantee is as good as the paper it is written on. Will the guarantor provide an statement of all his/her assets & liabilities ? this may not be suitable in the case of a family. Who is going to verify them and the time it will take. Will the landlord wait & have a long drawn void period.

While, I appreciate the social aspect of housing for a landlord. It is a business & he/she has to place his/her commercial hat on.

Reply to the comment left by "shakeel ahmad" at "10/12/2013 - 07:53":

There are many form of guarantees.

Most letting agents will offer to collect your rent and may even offer to sell you a rent guarantee policy. However, very few will ever pay your your monthly rent on the day it is due even if the tenant hasn't paid.

At National-Lettings we have managed to pass this risk on to a leading warranty provider. For a fraction of what most letting agents charge it is possible to have your rents collected and paid to you on the due date, whether the tenant pays or not, seriously, to repeat that, whether your tenant pays or not! If the tenants need to be evicted the rent continues to be paid to you on the due date until they are gone. The scheme provider even pays the legal fees associated with evictions based on rent arrears!

As you would expect, this service is only offered where we have referenced the tenants and where the referencing has returned positive results. We will of course offer to complete thorough referencing on all of your tenants whether you want to take up this service or not.

You might expect this service to cost more than you would pay to a conventional letting agency. However, due to the volume of transactions we deal with at National-Lettings, we are able to outsource the risks associated with providing this service and attract incredibly competitive terms. Therefore, we can provide you with certainty of regular monthly rent payments, on the due date, for a commission rate of just 5% of rent. The set up cost of this scheme is just £80 + VAT and includes a bespoke tenancy agreement and deposit protection arranged via our appointed partner solicitors.

Full terms and conditions of the optional rent on time, any time product will be provided to all landlords who instruct National-Letting to market their property to let.

How, will Katy's problem be solved in her case. As her reference will not be gold standard ?

Reply to the comment left by "shakeel ahmad" at "10/12/2013 - 09:06":

Agreed, but based on my brothers advice to her it could be if she is able to find a suitable guarantor as the underwriting of the Collect & Pay scheme will be based on the referencing of the guarantor.
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Hi Katy,

I have to say that my advice would be to go to your local Council or Housing Association. You have a right to ask the Council to house you and they have a duty to provide a home for you and your family. They won't really have any concerns about your credit history either.

In addition you have a fair chance of getting a home that is at a lower rent, in better condition and cheaper to keep warm.

Surely Katy will fail to get RGI if she fails credit checks? So the RGI will be based on the guarantor and if someone is willing then the referencing is taken care of.

Katy, I have had tenants in your situation who have been fine. My agent contacted me and asked if I would consider them. They had had a lot of bad luck, marriage breakdown, job loss etc which they were trying to put behind them. I decided to meet them myself and they were probably among the best tenants I have ever had. I took the view that they would need to rebuild their credit status and a good landlord reference would be high on their list. I was not disappointed and I would certainly consider you if you were looking at a property of mine.

Whereabouts do you live?

I don't understand the comments about six months rent upfront.

Why does that facilitate cannabis farms? Do they assume no-one will inspect the property?

My agent no longer accepts it as it creates a tenancy with a six month period, i.e. the rent becomes only payable in six months' batches ever after (not monthly) and notice likewise can only be given for the end of a six month period. I think there might be ways around it such as a new agreement after the six months. I would be interested to have more information about this.

Reply to the comment left by "Puzzler " at "15/12/2013 - 10:09":

Way around it:
- State rent payable monthly,
- Request payment in advance only for fixed term - 1 month: E.g. if fixed term is for 6 months request 5 months on advance, or if you want 6 months in advance create a 7 month fixed term.

Agent should know 😉