I have read a few threads recently about landlords. I went through the same thing and was open with the letting agency about being in a trust deed. It is the landlord's decision, ultimately, if they will let to you or not. There was a landlord posting on here stating that he saw being in a TD as a responsible effort to address debts so has no qualms about letting to 'us'!

I still had to go through the credit check and somehow managed to pass their criteria so it wasn't an issue. Your other option is to have a guarantor who will have to go through the criteria/checks too.

Your best bet is to talk to them and see what they say. There are plenty of letting agencies out there that are willing to listen and accommodate your needs. I went through Countrywide, if that's any help.

Hi, I was the Landlord posting about the reference process. I sincerely hope I never implied a view of a group of people in a TD as a stereotyped group 'us'
What I meant was the situation is easier for a Landlord to deal with than someone who has several creditors chasing and judgements etc. For most Landlords, non-paying tenants become a cashflow problem very quickly and they 'we' miss payments too and are part of the group 'us'
I am on the forum because I need to find the best way to get to the point of deciding what route is best for me.
Just as a car driver switches in and out of being a pedestrian, Landlords switch in and out of being customers, debtors, bankers too.
In general, for me, open communication and feeling people are trustworthy goes farthest. Some Landlords rely entirely on outside, objective referencing or agencies, I don't.

Hi dp1973.

Well... the form doesn't ask about trust deeds, but there again it might not go down well if you're in one and didn't mention it before the credit check results come back (assuming there is a credit check).

A £ amount for CCJ's or Decrees makes sense, but it doesn't make much sense in terms of an IVA or protected trust deed. Maybe you should ask about this.

Pamjo, sorry if I offended with the 'us' comment. Just a Tongue in cheek comment in jest. I wasn't implying anything about landlords as mine has been superb from the outset.

No offence taken- I have had a nutter Landlord myself in the past as well as really good ones.
I have had a wicked tenant the neighbours begged me to lose, a couple of p***takers and I have had many many more(The majority)who are just like me. They want to live in a decent way in a decent house in a decent area , pay their way and respect a property. Things change as we all know.

Hi Pamjo.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience in this area.

I'm really interested in this too as we are looking to surrender my husbands proerty to the mortgage lender and we have been out on the housing list with the council but we may have to end up renting privately whilst waiting depending on how quickly the counsil get us a place (we are in arrears with mortgage so they may take steps to reposses before we hand in the keys).

We are worried as there only is one house in our area that would be suitable for our needs and not more espensive than our mortgage is anyway. We have arranged to see the house next week just incase but it is being let through a letting agency and she said they want £760 deposit plus first months rent and they take £150 up front to just run the checks ect. I told her I would be worried about the checks due to my husbands trust deed but she just said she would do all she can to ensure we would pass the checks before taking the money but if it is a credit check then we will def fail. The house has been empty since June and the lady was looking to sell or have someone rent long term. Would the decision ultimately lie with the letting agency or the lady who's house it is? Also it states £110 per week rent but then £475 a month so would they take it weekly or monthly?

Hi gillianr2.

It's really up to the landlord, though you'd want to know that the agent would at least talk to the landlord about it if the credit score is poor.

I'm not sure about how often you would have to pay, but it sounds like they might be flexible on that.

£110 per week and £475 per month are pretty much the same thing ( there are an average of 4.33 weeks in each calendar month).

Gillianr2

I am getting really concerned with the information you are receiving from your local housing office.....

Putting it simply if you move to a tenancy that suits your housing needs then there is no reason for you to be assessed as Homeless, as you are suitably housed under the Homeless Act. It does not matter one bit that it is privately rented it is still suitable for your Housing Needs....

If you are being told otherwise, to paraphrase Mark on here "Get it in writing" as I can only advise what you are being advised goes against the Homeless Act.....

Hi we arent on the homeless list, just the normal list so it shouldn't affect things I dont think as the guy at the council even suggested we rent privately if we desperately want out of our house (which we do for the damp) and we can still wait to hear from the council.

Gillian

If you go to a private let, then you will have zilch priority as you will now be suitably house you will now be simply a waiting list applicant. Which I would expect would mean waiting years for an offer of a council tenancy.......

Oh it's so hard to know what to do, the house is majorly damp and absolutely full of mould, with 4 young kids it's a real worry for their health. The council have basically put us on the waiting list stating the main reason as financial difficulties. The guy was good but said he couldn't give us a timeline as people could jump the line with homelessness ect but all he could say was there wasn't a huge demand in our area and that with me having stayed here all my life we would stand a good chance as they want people who will secure a tenancy rather than flitting about. He said we would get a letter with our points on it in a wee while. I had mentioned something to him about worrying about stayong on the list with no offer for like 2yrs or soemthing and he just said there was no way we would be on it that long. I just worry that we will still be here this time next year waiting in a house that's falling to bits and causing us ill health.

Gillian

Basically at this point you are simply a waiting list applicant, you will be given a Homeless Priority once your mortgage lender gives you notice to quit your home as you would then be potentially Homeless. The council will then have a duty to rehouse you....

If you move to a private let, you will then be suitably housed and have no priority becoming a simple waiting list.

You will know the area you live better then me, so I will advise you to ask yourself the following questions is there many council4/5apt properties near you and how often do they become available, in my experience properties that size are like gold dust and only become available once in a blue moon.....

Am not trying to worry or upset you but am just concerned the housing officer is telling you what you want to hear and not what could really happen.....

If you want to ask me more feel free to private message me....

They said we would only be allowed a 3 bedroom house as the kids are 5, 3 and 7mths twins so the boys would need to share. There are much more 2 bedroom places here than 3 but there are some 3.

The local council states that there are 53 3 bedrooms with a turnover of only 5 in the last 2yrs! There are also a few housing association places we would also be considered for. We were allowed to go on the homeless list if we wanted but he said it would mean opening up our areas to the surrounding places and they are not decent areas to live in and it would mean my family wouldn't be able to get to me easily and I rely on them for help with the little ones so we decided on the normal list.