Updating post from Reddit.
Hi, can anyone recommend how someone can rent with a CCJ which was from a credit card debit with an ex-wife dated back from 2020.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Pay it off, show proof to the agency.
I am in a similar situation dealing with this from a landlord chasing tenants debt they are both liable and only one party is willing to pay back but 50% which is fair enough but the debt is still going to be in their name until cleared. I guess if op does not want to pay 100% then they will have to wait for 6 years or however long it takes to clear.
No one is going to care about how.
You can get arround the CCJ issue by getting a homeowner guarantor to back your tenancy. You might find a landlord willing to accept you if you pay several months' rent in advance.
Additionally, you can improve your chances of securing a rental property by being open to lower-quality options. For instance, you might be able to stand out among other applicants for a rundown flat in a council estate, whereas there will likely be many stronger candidates for a nice semi-detached house near a reputable school.
How to rent? With great difficulty I'm afraid.....
I see the doomsayers are out in force. It sounds simple but be honest with the estate agent. Some landlords will very much care, others less so. The agent will know which are which. I rented through an estate agent a house in January this year with 2 unsatisfied ccjs and a number of defaults.
Name checks out 👌
I think you need to explain the whole situation to the landlord / agent and make sure the referencing agency has the full picture.
Bear in mind that (as far as I’m aware) in the UK it’s not possible to have a joint credit card; either it was your card (with your wife as a named user) or your wife’s (with you named). Only the card owner will be responsible for the debt, and named on the CCJ. Anything else is a red herring as far as getting references done, etc.
Go on Openrent. Then do the following:
Turn up to viewings on time and dressed okay (not formal, but not slacks and sportswear). If you actually like the property, be direct and say that you want to rent it and are ready to put down a deposit and proceed immediately. This will put you ahead of people who waffle on their journey to discovering their perfect rental (which is a fine thing to do but here you can one up them). Mention what you like about the property, location, state, size of rooms, whatever you actually like so you sound genuine.
At the end of the viewing, preempt the situation of you failing the reference check by explaining what you've explained to us.
After you leave, DM the landlord on Openrent with a link to a PDF or photo of the letter confirming you have paid off the court judgement in full. If you paid it off a while back, emphasise this in the message, e.g. fully paid off over a year ago, over 2 years.
If you have not yet paid it off, pay it off. You might be able to get a rental with an unpaid CCJ following the same steps above but honestly, if you want to increase your chances drastically, just pay it off ASAP.
One thing you could do is offer some months of rent in advance but if you have that money .. pay off the CCJ instead.
Exactly this!