Could tenant provide their own referencing/credit check info?
Is there anything stopping you from asking your prospective tenant to do their own credit referencing etc. and give you copies of the details?
Wouldn’t this take away the cost and time of the landlord searching for this info and speed up an application?
With competition so rife for rentals, surely the best candidate who wanted to rent would be more than happy to do this to ‘prove themselves’ creditworthy?
If the landlord was still worried, surely a quick call to the referencing agency to confirm this was valid would be all that is required?
DSR
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Member Since September 2015 - Comments: 153
9:47 AM, 14th February 2022, About 4 years ago
I think this was already covered when the tenants fee ban came in and it included anything where a tenant had to sign up and pay to be able to get the property…
If it is a requirement to get the property that the tenants do their own referencing and presuming you would require them to use a specific company or any company that would charge then it would be in breach of the tenants fees ban..
The legislation was quite comprehensive to stop any loopholes..
Member Since March 2016 - Comments: 19
10:06 AM, 14th February 2022, About 4 years ago
They can do a report on ClearScore free of charge and give you a copy of the report which wouldn’t breach any tenant fee ban
Member Since May 2015 - Comments: 2204 - Articles: 2
10:56 AM, 14th February 2022, About 4 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Elisabeth Beckett at 14/02/2022 – 10:06
I require all my applicants to do just that but so far none have complied, none have been granted a tenancy,
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 2006 - Articles: 21
11:32 AM, 14th February 2022, About 4 years ago
DSR, a landlord “must not require a relevant person [e.g. a tenant or guarantor} to make a prohibited payment to a third party “.
You cannot therefore insist they do their own credit referencing if that will cost them a penny. You can, however, say: “You are under no obligation, but it will assist my ability to process your application promptly if I were to receive a credit reference from a recognised referencing agency.”
Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 1647 - Articles: 3
12:39 PM, 14th February 2022, About 4 years ago
Subject to the ‘cost’ issue, I see no reason why a LL shouldn’t ask for a copy of a credit reference, employer details with salary, 3 months’ bank statements, current/previous landlord’s reference… in fact, anything which the prospective tenant believes will help them obtain the rental.
Member Since May 2015 - Comments: 2204 - Articles: 2
2:37 PM, 14th February 2022, About 4 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Elisabeth Beckett at 14/02/2022 – 10:06
But do not ask them to pay for a stamp to send you a copy!
Member Since September 2021 - Comments: 213
2:50 PM, 15th February 2022, About 4 years ago
Be registered with the ICO, and have a GDPR policy in place, and you can ask the prospective tenant/applicant to email you their 3 months’ bank statements, Pay slips; and obtain by e-mail a reference from their previous landlord and their HR.
They sign my Application form in which they agree to
the use of e-mail for serving of documents in pdf format and not a link.
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3550 - Articles: 5
9:31 AM, 16th February 2022, About 4 years ago
Reply to the comment left by David Price at 14/02/2022 – 14:37
…,.but I could suggested they scan/email me a copy presumably!
I think I am going to state “You are under no obligation, but it will assist my ability to process your application promptly if I were to receive a credit reference from a recognised referencing agency. A suggested method would be to forward a copy of this by email should you choose to do this.
I think that gets around the issue of the tenant fee ban and also an additional way of filtering out the less serious applicants.
Member Since November 2015 - Comments: 584
11:04 AM, 19th February 2022, About 4 years ago
One issue with this is that the amount of information provided in a credit reference of this type is potentially too extensive and many applicants and possibly the ICO find it so.
Member Since August 2014 - Comments: 336
1:11 PM, 19th February 2022, About 4 years ago
If you are finding that the cost of referencing is high, then you can increase the rent for the initial fixed term until such time as you have recovered your expenses. If the tenant stays longer than the fixed term, then you can choose not to increase the rent, and inflation will bring the rent more in line with local trends.
All landlords are in a similar position, and rents are soaring across the country. It is the meddling by government and councils that is causing this. You won’t have any difficulty in finding tenants who will pay a higher rent, as they are all having to do this to pay for the increasing costs for landlords.