Common Mistakes People Make When Preparing Rental Applications

The rental market continues to get more and more competitive. As people’s pockets are squeezed by ever-increasing costs of living without any growth in their take-home income, more people are turning to the rental market instead of trying to get on the housing market. This results in more applications for each new rental property that gets listed with letting agencies.

So how can you make sure your application is the one chosen by your prospective landlord? There are a few simple ways to give yourself the best chance of getting the property you want. We’ll give you the lowdown and make it as easy as possible for you to succeed.

The information on your application needs to match the details a referee provides

One of the most common ways people have their applications turned down by a landlord is when the personal information they give does not match the details offered by a referee. This can be as simple as ensuring you have the correct job titles for the correct employment dates, and that the name and date of birth you provide match any personal information a referee might be asked to provide during the verification process.

It is this simple, specific transparency that gives a landlord the confidence that the rest of your application is completely truthful and a fair reflection of who you are and why you are interested in their property. It sounds too easy to be true, but when the market is this competitive, many people will overstate their job title or add a few months onto their current employment period.

A landlord will disregard any application when they do not think their prospective tenant is telling them the complete truth throughout, so this is the easiest first stage to get right and give yourself the best possible chance of success.

Honesty about having a pet or being a smoker is the best policy

On a similar note, nowadays, landlords are becoming increasingly aware of tenants who bend the truth during the application process. A recent UK study details that not only have just over 8% of people lied about being a smoker during the application process, but also that 11% of people would consider lying in the future about having a pet. Combined, that is an estimated 20% of applicants, and as landlords are now aware of this, it is being factored into the questions they may be asking referees during their verification process.

Prospective landlords will ask your current landlord about your tenancy as part of the referencing process. Your current landlord will know whether you smoke in the property or if you have pets, as both are difficult to hide consistently during a long-term rental. Both factors may even have been previously reported to management as an issue within your property without your prior knowledge.

Whilst a previous landlord would have to be able to prove anything they claim to your new landlord, they can simply just say to the prospective landlord, “No, I wouldn’t rent to this tenant again in the future”.

Ensure that you give proof of income in your application

Earlier, we mentioned lying about your job title or dates of employment; this becomes more important when it comes to providing proof of income to your new landlord. Given that you usually have to provide up to three months of payslips (also known as pay stubs), it will be incredibly clear to your potential future landlord that you aren’t being open and honest with them about your current employment.

Landlords need to assess your affordability. They’re looking for the advertised rent cost to be approximately 30% of your monthly take-home income for them to feel comfortable renting the property to you. If you cannot provide the evidence that you earn enough money to live there, then your application will most likely be disregarded.

Take into account the cost of your utilities

Ongoing costs become increasingly more important when renting a property. Not only do you have to be able to make the payments to your landlord, but the cost of living has also increased so substantially that you really must include the average costs of power, water, and local taxes into your calculations before applying for a property.

The best way to do this is to make sure you have a recent utility bill from each of your current providers. This is especially useful if you are moving locally and retaining the same local taxes and water supplier, or if you plan to maintain your current contract with your energy provider. Once you have an up-to-date set of utility bills, you can begin to calculate the overall cost of the new property and your essential bills versus your current wages. Another important bill to include, which is often forgotten in the process of renting a new property, is your internet and/or telecoms provider - your new property may have a different level of access and therefore require a different value contract. A simple market comparison tool will be able to tell you the best available speeds by searching for your prospective property’s postal code.

Whilst a landlord does not have access to your utility bills, if the property has been left unoccupied for over a month, they will have been responsible for the ongoing costs of running the property. This means they will have recently paid any local taxes, energy bills, and water costs, and therefore have a good idea what it will cost you to live there. Given that they have access to your most recent paystubs, they can calculate the actual affordability of living in this property and decide whether you are going to be a suitable tenant in their home.

Sign a contract before making the move

A final crucial part of the rental application process is to sign a contract with your new landlord or a letting agency. So many people find the process of trying to rent a property so difficult these days that oral offers are accepted by tenants more frequently than before. The only way to make sure that your rights are covered is to have a paper contract signed by both parties.

There will always be potential for progression in the rights that tenants have when renting a property, but in these instances, it is only legal tenants who have all the paperwork to support their tenancy who will benefit. Never move into a property until you have it in writing that you are the legal tenant. This way, you can guarantee you are protected, no matter what may come in the future, and your new landlord will be able to become a referee for your next move, whenever that may be.