Renting After A Bankruptcy

[DebtDummy]

How does one rent after a BR? I know it can be difficult,but how did you finally obtain a roof over your head? If you owned your own home before filing for a BR, how did you go about getting references?
What did you tell estate agents? Did you offer to pay more per month in order to show you could afford the place?

Are there any websites that advertise private landlords?
How did you find your first rental?
Thank you all.

All I have left is my humour.

[freelili]

Hi DD

I am just wondering if you could apply to the local council for a place? Most have a homeless policy and given your health problems you may qualify as an urgent case. I am really sorry the IVA route didnt work out, this must be a really stressful time for you. A friend of my parents went BR and were given a house with an unsecured tenancy, meaning that if she behaved and paid the rent if would become secure. She is still there and has bought the house from the council. It just might be worth trying this.

My thoughts are with you
Good luck and take care

LILY

[jamesfalla]

If you are looking for private rented accommodation, I suggest that you are up front with the letting agency and tell them that you have been bankrupt in the past. Explain that this has now finished and in fact you are now a better credit risk than most other people as you now have no other credit payments to make.

In my experince, most agencies have dealt with people who have poor credit ratings and landlords are OK as long as they know they are going to get the rent. Depending on the letting agency you may have to pay a certain number of months in advance but this is certainly not always the case.


James Falla

Expert in IVA, Bankruptcy and informal Debt Management solutions, with extensive experience of solving personal debt problems over the past 10 years. I am regularly featured on BBC News, Finance Programs and Radio.

Visit my blog at: http://jamesfalla.blogs.iva.co.uk

[MelanieGiles]

You will find that you earn more "points" towards assisted housing if you have been made bankrupt, but be careful not to show that you have made yourself voluntarily homeless.

If you own your own home in bankruptcy, personally I would sit tight for the first 12 months, during which time a Trustee in bankruptcy cannot commence possession action. So long as you continue to pay the interest portion of your mortgage (no point in continuing with a capital repayment mortgage as you're just creating equity for creditors) then you can effectively rent your own property for the first year. Once that year is up, you can then go to the housing authority and ask for an assisted property - on the basis that you are about to be made homeless.

Another benefit of sitting tight for a year, is that you will have received your discharge from bankruptcy, which might make it easier to get a private rental.

Regards, Melanie Giles, Insolvency Practitioner for over 20 years.
View my IVA blog at: http://melaniegiles.blogs.iva.co.uk