Your application was accepted and you’ve put down a deposit – WOO!…
What now?

First of all – congratulations! Umega isn’t a first-come-first-serve business, so when you’ve been accepted, that means the landlord chose you based on the information you put on your Offer To Let form!  This also means the next stage of your application is crucial, as we’ll need to verify everything your Offer To Let form stated, so staying organised and gathering all your references early is the best way to ensure everything goes smoothly. The last thing anyone wants is to delay their chosen move in date – nightmare! We’re here to help you prepare for exactly what you need. We know the renting process can be daunting so we’ve fine tuned our reference process to ensure we ask for everything we need, only when it’s needed. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

When do I need to have my references?

We would recommend that tenants start gathering everything as soon as possible, even before they start viewing properties. Tenants can ask their landlord or letting agent for a reference as soon as they hand in their notice to leave, and most companies allow employees to view their payslips online so they can easily download them.

 

What should I expect after I pay the deposit?

Our fabulous Admin team will send the lucky tenants an Online Application to complete – this will be similar to the Offer To Let form, but will contain more details we need to draw up the tenancy agreement. It’s really important the Online Application is completed as accurately and fully as possible as incomplete information may cause delays with the lease.

Once all tenants have completed their Online Application, they’ll receive an email from Amiqus. This is the portal we use to perform our reference checks, and it’s where tenants can upload all their documents. All personal information is encrypted throughout the process, and the level of encryption means Amiqus ID is more secure than requesting personal documents to be sent as email attachments. For more information on the security around Amiqus ID, click here.

 

Sounds good – what information do I need?

  1. Credit check – if you’ve been in the UK for a year or longer, we’ll ask you to perform a credit check. Don’t worry about doing this yourself! Amiqus will ask for the information it needs to complete this check for you. Phew. 
  2. ID check – Amiqus will ask you to upload a photo of your ID (this can be a passport, driver’s license or residence permit). It will need to be an original, not a photocopy or scan, so Amiqus can verify that it’s authentic. 
  3. Proof of Address – If you’ve uploaded your driver’s license, this will show your address so you won’t need to upload anything more. Otherwise, you can upload a picture PDF of a council tax or utility bill. 
  4. Landlord Reference – If you’ve rented before, we’ll need a reference from your previous landlord or letting agent. This is to confirm you’ve paid rent on time and kept/left the property in good condition, and it’s vital to help show your new landlord that you’re a responsible tenant. It’s also important to know that we’re not able to contact your landlord/letting agent for you; the information in a landlord reference is considered sensitive and personal, so under Data Protection, we can’t access it without your explicit consent. This means you’ll need to contact your landlord/letting agent directly. 
  5. Proof of Income – If you’re working we’ll ask for proof of your income so we can verify that you meet affordability for the property. We would never want to put anyone in a financially vulnerable position, so it’s important these documents are provided. Acceptable documents are two months worth of payslips, or a copy of your job contract. If you’re self-employed, we can also accept a P60 or a letter from your accountant. If you’re retired, we can ensure sufficient finances through pension income or bank/saving accounts.

What if your income doesn’t satisfy affordability checks or you can’t be a credit checked?
This is where a guarantor can come in handy.
Instead of carrying out checks on you, we can do so on guarantors instead as they’ll be jointly responsible for the terms of the tenancy agreement, including rent payment.
If neither you nor your guarantor can be credit checked, we may ask for three to six months rent in advance (although this is subject to the landlord’s approval). More information on guarantors and our reference processes can be read here.

And that’s everything! Not so bad, right? We hope this is useful in explaining what documents we need, but you are always welcome to give us a ring in case you need anything explained further. We’re here to help!