[impy78]

Hell o there

I am just about to move to London to go back to college, and I am having difficulty providing references, as I have never lived in rented accomodation before, other than my halls of residence (about 10 years ago), and that university no longer exists.

I am leaving my job to go, and they have said that they cannot give me a character reference for a landlord, as they only give references to other employers.

And my credit rating sucks - what do I do?

Any pertinant advice would be welcomed!

[Bluey]

Not living in rented accommodation before is not a bar to passing standard tenant checks.

My pals have passed the comprehensive checks at the following site undertaken by their LL when they’ve moved to private rented accommodation straight from living from home and/or halls of residence. Not having a previous LL is not a bar to securing accommodation or no-one would be able to rent…

http://www.tenantverify.co.uk/

Your self-declared problem is that you have a ‘poor credit rating’ though you aren’t specific about your finance record.

If your LL undertakes very basic check and you’re not actually bankrupt or have CCJs against you, you might not encounter problems.

If you need to convince prospective LLs that you will be a good and reliable tenant, you could offer to provide a guarantor, who will pay the rent should you be unable, or offer a higher deposit if they have reservations about you.

You need to address and improve your credit rating – the only problem you have is your poor record of dealing with finance – not having a previous landlord is not going to be a factor.

http://www.tenantverify.co.uk/credit-score.htm

Go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau if you need specific advice on dealing with personal debt or similar.