Landlords increasingly seek guarantors for well-paid tenants

Landlords increasingly seek guarantors for well-paid tenants

0:02 AM, 17th July 2023, About A year ago 14

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Landlords and letting agents are increasingly asking for guarantors from renters who earn between £25,000 and £75,000, research reveals.

RentTech firm Goodlord analysed 220,000 tenancies between January 2020 and June this year and found that there has been a steady rise in requests for renters to provide a guarantor.

The firm says that 5.8% of tenants are now asked to provide a guarantor if they earn between £25,000 and £49,999.

In 2020, that figure was just 3.7% and Goodlord says the request rate is now higher than it was during the Covid lockdown.

‘Rental market is facing a series of overlapping challenges’

Goodlord’s director of insurance, Oli Sherlock, said: “The rental market is facing a series of overlapping challenges.

“We’ve spent years not building enough homes, meaning the supply of rental stock is low.

“This is being compounded by landlords – who are facing rising costs and ever more complex regulation – selling up and leaving the market.”

He added: “This supply and demand problem means rents are rising at a time when tenants have less disposable income thanks to the cost-of-living crisis.

“This means more tenants are being asked to show they have the support in place to meet their rental obligations, should they need it.”

Landlords who facing increasing pressures

It appears that landlords who are facing increasing pressures from rising interest rates pushing up mortgage costs are looking for rental payment reassurance.

The data shows there has also been a surprising rise in the number of tenants earning between £50,000 and £74,999 to provide a guarantor.

Despite earning much more than the national average, 2.59% were asked to provide guarantor this year – a 92% rise since 2020.

However, Goodlord says the rate of guarantor requests will fall this year as rents peak in the summer.


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Reluctant Landlord

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16:51 PM, 18th July 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris @ Possession Friend at 18/07/2023 - 14:21
I'd have thought there's more of a harder hit for the tenant if you threatened them with court action and go after them for a CCJ if they start going 'rogue'.
Imagine having that on your reference/credit file in future....just look at the way we are all referencing/covering ourselves now as it is! A renter now may well be a home owner of the future and if you are not squeaky clean the banks will not be interested either. They will be cutting their nose off to spite their face.

So maybe it is a bit of levelling up that is happening - albeit unintended consequences. LL's are getting more cautious, renters are having to prove themselves financially more whiter than white or risk not having anywhere to live. Personal responsibility realignment? Sounds good to me - lol!

Not just for those with an earned income either. LL's are not taking benefit tenants as the LHA is not covering the rent, so why take the risk? Even if you do you are perfectly entitled to ask about rent arrears etc and rental history from the Council. In fact they are obliged to tell you. As part of some council SL you have to show you HAVE fully referenced your tenants so if you can't you uphold your obligations (cant wait to use that against a council that throws me tenants and says GDPR means they cant divulge what they have on record in terms about how they have been in temp accommodation previously or why they are on the council books in the first place....).

Financial referencing will not require a g'tor if they pass on their own merits. I can't see the real benefit of asking for a parent aged 60 plus to stand in good stead for their 40 year old professional son! What if they are not a home owner themselves? Any tenant can go rogue at any time, the point it to reduce the risk - there is no such thing as total elimination of it.

GlanACC

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16:52 PM, 18th July 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris @ Possession Friend at 18/07/2023 - 16:43
I am aware of that, but there are so many mitigating circumstances these days it is likely they would get away with it, especially if they have an outstanding mortgage. I have only ever in 20 years had 2 tenants with guarantors. One tenant a family took me over 12 months to get out, luckily the guarantor (the step dad) was a decent chap and paid me back everything over a 2 year period. The other guarantor sold his property and moved abroad so no chance of getting anything out of him (didn't need to as it turned out).

GlanACC

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16:58 PM, 18th July 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by DSR at 18/07/2023 - 16:51
To be honest, once you are in debt and can't pay the rent a previously good tenant rapidly becomes a bad tenant and really doesn't care about CCJ's any more. They get a Debt Relief Order or an IVA and thats it. Not paying the rent doesn't mean they have made themselves homeless in those cases as they are trying to resolve the issues. They will still get housing, especially if they have children. Theyy are pretty fireproof and the landlord picks up the tab.

Gary BTLowner

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13:56 PM, 22nd July 2023, About A year ago

A guarantor is an excellent idea as insurance against even a well heeled tenant having an accident, illness, redundancy, relationship breakdown etc. It is free, a far better idea than paying for insurance when the insurance co will look for reasons not to pay. Do we really need more overheads? And what of court delays for evictions when many tenants stop paying, or the deposit system which leaves most of us short of what the real costs are?

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