How to do a free Credit Check

Whilst it is not a statutory obligation to conduct a tenant's credit check before moving into a home, it is undoubtedly a good option and could help prevent unpleasant later surprises. What do you do to check the creditworthiness of a lessee? A number of ways are available to find out if a lessee has a bad credit rating.

As a rule, lessors and rental agencies will carry out at least a fundamental credit assessment of all applying lessees, but many will do so as part of a wider, more extensive lessee funding exercise. You can do this via a credit bureau if you only want to check the creditworthiness of your lessee.

Three of the biggest credit refinancing agents in the United Kingdom are: The majority of the major credit review firms will provide a private landlord rental screener but the results will be much more confined than a full rental reference analysis. As an example, Expert Immant Testing includes an ID check and an unfavorable Finance check that checks names/addresses and searches for a CCJ, scam, or other unfavorable finance information.

On the basis of these two tests, they then create a risk rating for the renter, which enables an unbiased assessment to be made as to whether it is wise to let your real estate to the applying renter. When you want a more thorough backgrounds check on a prospective lessee, you should select one of the best lessee recruitment agencies that specialises in this type of landlord check.

An exhaustive Renters References will always include a credit check, and they do not charge much more than a basic credit check, so you may as well choose an appropriate Renters Referenceservice, as you would a credit only products. Which information does a rental income statement contain?

A full renter assessment is much more extensive than a credit check and provides a much more thorough assessment of your prospective tenant's eligibility for your real estate. In addition to the identification check and a credit check, a complete client references list is usually included:

Employers reference: Lessee's business will liaise with the lessee's employers to verify the lessee's pay and job position. You can also obtain a statement from your employers in writing. Last rental reference: Tenants are asked to submit a letter of recommendation from former owners to demonstrate that they are dependable and accountable tenants of your real estate.

Accessibility tests: Through the combination of job information with a tenant's credit reports and finance histories, the referring business will perform a valuation to determine whether the lessee can reasonably pay the rental and any extra charges associated with renting your real estate. The combination of all the above information, along with a wide range of other backgrounds and review procedures, allows the lessor to obtain an exact and thorough list of references to help him determine whether the lessee is fit for his real estate.

Will I need the tenant's approval to conduct a credit check? Yes, you must always obtain your tenant's consent before carrying out a credit check or ref. Irrespective of whether you use a credit bureau or a lessee information office, you must obtain your lessee's approval before you can perform them.

Usually this is requested in written form and the business or agent you use to carry out the review will liaise on your behalf with the tenant to obtain their consent before you begin the benchmark. Which information is contained on a credit information? Comprehensive credit reports contain a wealth of information, covering all your credit defaults, creditworthiness, missing or delayed payment, and an overall view of your finance histories.

You can only see the full range of information for your own credit reports. It is only the audited individual and creditors, such as bankers, who can see the full audit reports with a full 6 year historical record. The credit information you provide does not contain any personally identifiable information about you, such as your banking account and balance, your compensation, previous convictions or health record, etc.

You can find a complete listing of the information on your credit reference here. Learn here why a good credit rating is so important. How can lessors see on a tenants' reference? If a lessor carries out a credit check on a lessee, he can only view publically available information on the resulting credit information.

No information is available to the lessor about the tenant's credit lines, such as credit card, credit lines, cell telephone agreements, etc. The following public information on a tenant's credit reports is available to a landlord: In summary, yes, lessors can carry out credit assessments on prospective lessees, but only if they have received the lessee's consent in writing.

A landlord can use one of the major credit bureaus to conduct a credit check on a lessee, but the resulting survey shows only publically available information and does not give a comprehensive view of the lessee's finance record. With this in mind, lessors should consider using a full client reference rather than a mere credit check.

Renters recruitment agents specialize in landlord renters screenings and can produce much more thorough reporting that provides a deeper understanding of your tenant's fitness for your real estate. A full leaseholder credential is not much more costly than a credit check, so it is recommended that the landlord select a full leaseholder credential check to make sure they find the best leasers and prevent unpleasant shocks further down the line.

You are not yet prepared to refer to your lessees? Take a look at our extensive guide: What is the procedure for reference to renters? What does the reference of renters mean?