Very young applicants with modest income

[Direct]

Hi,

I am about to become a private landlord and have been impressed by the generous help given on this forum, so I wonder if anyone could give me an opinion on this.

Having advertised in the local paper, I have received an application from a young couple for a tenancy in my one-bedroom house at a monthly rent of £525. I estimate that the utility bills and council tax would be about £150 per month. The female applicant is 20, employed with a declared gross income of £12,000. Her boyfriend will only turn 17 this month, so although he is apparently employed, so presumably he is too young even to be mentioned in a tenancy agreement. The initial enquiry about the house came from the woman's mother who seems supportive and enthusiastic but has not offered a guarantee despite my dropping it into the conversation.

Would it be unwise to take this on? If I did, should I insist on a guarantor, and should the tenancy agreement or any other document make reference to the applicant who is under eighteen? Are there other pitfalls I ought to consider?

I would appreciate any advice.
Thanks
Direct

[attilathelandlord]

Wouldn't touch with bargepole. They are too young and cannot get a guarantor.

[Esio Trot]

The initial enquiry about the house came from the woman's mother who seems supportive and enthusiastic but has not offered a guarantee despite my dropping it into the conversation.

Put the onus on them:

Say yes, with the condition that mother is a guarantor. If mother declines, you have your answer as to their reliability.

[taheemr]

I have had an identical experience, and bingo from month 1 the T started complaining that she could not afford the rent, I am now into £2ks worth or arrears.
By the way the G was also her mum, who has squat to her name so no come back here.

Please give it a wide berth, short term loss is better than grief in the longer term.

Cheers

[jeffrey]

"The female applicant's...boyfriend will only turn 17 this month, so...presumably he is too young even to be mentioned in a tenancy agreement."

Yes- those <18 are not legally competent to hold a legal interest such as a tenancy, AND one could not easily sue them either since they are not contractually bound except on a "contract for necessaries" (eg for food, travel fare, and small consumer items).

[Esio Trot]

I have had an identical experience, and bingo from month 1 the T started complaining that she could not afford the rent, I am now into £2ks worth or arrears.
By the way the G was also her mum, who has squat to her name so no come back here.

Please give it a wide berth, short term loss is better than grief in the longer term.

Cheers

Then may I suggest that your initial referencing checks were deficient.

Before accepting any guarantor, any landlord should make it standard procedure to check their credentials - particularly that they have an income/salary in excess of 3 x the rent guaranteed, and that their financial record is clean and residency is confirmed by the credit reference agency with regard to the credit check.

[Direct]

Put the onus on them:

Say yes, with the condition that mother is a guarantor. If mother declines, you have your answer as to their reliability.

So simple! I will try this, thank you. Thanks also to everyone else - it all helped.