Mary K Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hi, I just spoken to an estate agent in Devon (quite rude and clearly wanted me off the phone) anyway, he said that without a job and no credit rating there ( I've been in Australia 10 years), then he only way to get a rental is through a guarantor who needs to earn 36 times the monthly rent per annum... example: rent 1,000 pounds per month...=36,000 pounds income. Anyway, I offered to rent for six months and pay six months rent in advance but I was old that I can't do that because I can't guarantee how I will pay month 7 (because even though the tenancy agreement is six months, it automatically continues (go figure)! So, basically, without a job to go to (and what are the chances of being able to sell property here in Australia and start a job there and everything fall into place at the right time; I won't be able to rent anything!!! Hmm mm big problem selling house here to move half way across he world only to find my family and I will have no where to live. Any suggestions? I hope this makes sense...I'm writing on my Samsung tablet and I am not that good at typing on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianaussie Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Well thats not very nice Do you have a guarantor - family member etc who can 'co-sign' for you? How about looking for a private rental instead of through an agency? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary K Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hi there, thank you for replying. Most of my English family are now in Australia and I am not comfortable asking English friends to be a guarantor given I haven't seen much of them in the last 10 years. I hadn't thought about private rental... I guess it is a risk... do you know how that works with legally binding contracts? I would be worried that they could ask me to leave at any time. Good idea though and certainly worth investigating. How bizarre that no amount of money paid up front is sufficient for them. We don't even have anyone who we could stay with temporarily so I would have et pay B n B prices until I found rental. They won't rent you a property until you've viewed in person aghhhhhhhhhh.... I'm doomed I tell you....doomed! Hahahah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Look at airbnb for short rentals, might help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amibovered Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I'd try calling a few estate agents, some aren't really interested in lettings and only want to sell houses, sounds like you were unlucky with the one you called, might be worth calling some letting agents as well. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noworriesmate Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Six months upfront (plus deposit) would satisfy most letting agents so try a few more. Re having to view the property first, that's actually the law and the contract could be considered void if it was later found you hadn't seen it before signing. NWM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hi there, thank you for replying. Most of my English family are now in Australia and I am not comfortable asking English friends to be a guarantor given I haven't seen much of them in the last 10 years. I hadn't thought about private rental... I guess it is a risk... do you know how that works with legally binding contracts? I would be worried that they could ask me to leave at any time. Good idea though and certainly worth investigating. How bizarre that no amount of money paid up front is sufficient for them. We don't even have anyone who we could stay with temporarily so I would have et pay B n B prices until I found rental. They won't rent you a property until you've viewed in person aghhhhhhhhhh.... I'm doomed I tell you....doomed! Hahahah Providing you have a shorthold assured tenancy agreement it will make no difference to your legal rights - an agency gives you no more comeback. I'm afraid the law in the UK is very unfavourable to landlords (I know I am one) and it is not that easy to get a tenant out - we have really problematic tenants at the moment and even though they only have a 6 month tenancy agreement and we have said we do not wish to renew it, we cannot force them to leave, only a court can evict them, so if they don't leave and/or don't pay we will need to take court action. In Scotland a tenant has to be three months in arears before you can evict them (two months in England and Wales) so it is not really surprising that landlords are very careful about who they accept. A lot will depend on the area you wish to moive too - a landlord is more likely to take a risk if the alternative is an empty property but where there are more applicants than properties it will be harder for you. I know this doesn't really help but i just thought I would explain it from a landlords perspective. The other issue is lots of landlords have rental protection insurance which covers the rent if the tenant doesn't pay - it is a requirement that the tenant passes a credit check and without employment or a UK credit history then you wouldn't. Even our buildings insurance will over cover the property if the tenants are employed. Gumtree is a good source of private rentals or look at negotiating with owners of holiday rentals for a long stay rate. Airbnb is good for private holiday rentals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 This is a bit depressing as we are intending to rent long-term when we get back to the UK. We're not tied to any particular part of the country, so knowing my oh, it could take us a couple of years to research and decide where we want to buy -- even more so if we get comfy in our rental place!! I had read about paying 6 months in advance but it sounds as though that won't be accepted everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Six months upfront (plus deposit) would satisfy most letting agents so try a few more. Re having to view the property first, that's actually the law and the contract could be considered void if it was later found you hadn't seen it before signing. NWM I have heard this in certain states in Australia but never in the UK - are you sure? This article with advice for people wanting to rent in the UK from overseas certainly doesn't state that as a requirement http://prsupdate.co.uk/2011/07/advice-for-overseas-tenants/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noworriesmate Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I have heard this in certain states in Australia but never in the UK - are you sure? This article with advice for people wanting to rent in the UK from overseas certainly doesn't state that as a requirement http://prsupdate.co.uk/2011/07/advice-for-overseas-tenants/ We have been advised by ARLA that we may leave ourselves open to negligence charges and therefore all ARLA agents should follow this advice. I am not certain whether it has been tested in court but I certainly don't want our company to be the first! NWM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotrod Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 We had the same problem when we returned a couple of years ago. We asked several agents and had simialar responses to you. In the end. We found an empty property then offered to pay 3 times the deposit. Deposits are held in a goverment scheme. Unlike 6 months advance rent. So if the mortgage isn't paid you will get it back. We also has an offer from a private land lord too. So it can be done. Good luck.:wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 We have been advised by ARLA that we may leave ourselves open to negligence charges and therefore all ARLA agents should follow this advice. I am not certain whether it has been tested in court but I certainly don't want our company to be the first! NWM Fair enough - our agent is a member of ARLA but this has never been relevant to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamffc Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I guess a lot depends on whether the particular location is a tenants or a landlords market. I think six months rent in advance would appeal massively to any landlord, your problem is that you were speaking to an agent who has different interests. Sure they get admin fees for printing a couple of pieces of paper when a tenancy is changed but they also risk losing the business to a rival. I expect their priority is to have long term tenants earning them 10% commission for doing nothing as opposed to improving the landlords cash flow. Try gumtree etc and find a landlord directly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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