What Happens if I Fail Tenant Referencing?
When it comes to a rental property, as a tenant, you will always be subject to the process of referencing.
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This is a landlord’s way of finding out more information about the tenant, which allows them to make an informed decision on whether to allow the tenant to rent the property or not.If your finances check out and you have a good credit score, you will most likely pass the tenant referencing process.
However you might fail tenant referencing may occur if you :
- have poor references from previous landlords
- have no proof of income
- have bad credit history
If you do fail, this does not automatically mean that you will be unable to rent out a property – there are a multitude of reasons for why you could have failed tenant referencing, some of which are negligible and can be overlooked.
What if you’re a student or you’ve just finished studying?
If for instance you are a student or without a job, thus making you unable to finance the payment of rent since you lack a source of income, you will most likely fail the affordability part of the referencing assessment.
Similarly, if you have just finished your studies and have not had a full-time job previously, it is unlikely that you will have pay slips to support your creditworthiness for the tenant referencing.
Can you provide a guarantor if referencing is failed?
The guarantor will be subject to identical referencing checks that they will have to pass for you to be able to rent your property of choice. This is done in order to safeguard against tenants that may end up unable to pay rent. Thus, you are able to rent out a property even though you may have failed tenant referencing.
Be honest about your situation upfront
If, however you are unable to find a guarantor, or have failed the tenant referencing assessment due to reasons that you are in fact able to control, being able to rent a home may become slightly more challenging.
If for instance you are aware that your credit score is not great, or that there are some elements of your credit referencing assessment that can come up as negative, it is in your best interest to come forward about those yourself to the landlord.
In being upfront and straightforward about some of the financial issues you may have faced in the past, you present yourself as a more trustworthy and honest individual to the landlord.
You should understand that although a tenant referencing review is important in determining whether you will be a suitable tenant, ultimately the decision to rent out a property is down to the landlord.
Being honest and sincere with your landlord with regard to your financial capabilities and history could mean that they are able to look past a certain element that you failed in the referencing test.
