I don’t have a guarantor. What can I do?
Answer
Guarantors are required by most letting agencies and some landlords. A guarantor is a person who agrees to pay rent or damages if the tenant does not make payment. For students, this is usually parents or guardians but you can ask another relative or your partner, or use a guarantor company such as Housing Hand. Make sure your guarantor is willing to take on this responsibility before you agree to a property.
The guarantor agreement may apply to your rent or damages only, however some agreements may apply to the 'the tenant'. If you are signing a joint tenancy with a group of people, ‘the tenant' means the whole group: your guarantor is therefore being asked to guarantee the rent or damages for the whole property.
It is unusual for guarantors to be called upon if the deposit you paid is enough to cover the damages or unpaid rent.
Care Leavers and Estranged students
If you are a Care Leaver or Estranged student and don’t have someone who can act as co-signer, you may qualify for additional guarantor support. Please contact the Student Diversity Team on StudentDiversity@salford.ac.uk for more details.
Advice for EU or international students
Landlords and agencies usually require a guarantor who lives in the UK. This may not always be possible for non-UK students. As an alternative, you could offer references from previous landlords, your bank, an employer or sponsor. Housing Hand are an organisation who may be able to provide you with a UK based guarantor for a premium.
If you cannot provide a UK guarantor, you may be asked to pay a larger deposit, or several months' rent in advance. Don’t agree to this unless you are certain you can afford it. It is also worth looking at student accommodation with Manchester Student Homes’ ‘International Friendly’ (IFS) badge as this means that the accommodation provider will not require a UK based guarantor and should still be able to offer you reasonable payment plans.
Guarantor scheme with Housing Hand
We are working in partnership with Housing Hand to offer a rent guarantor service to all UK, European and International students (subject to some conditions, see below). We have arranged a discounted price with Housing Hand for the service which is 4% of your monthly rent, or 4.5% if you select monthly instalments, and for this, Housing Hand will act as your rent guarantor for up to 12 months.
To apply to Housing Hand, you will need to provide:
- Proof of study in the UK
- A photo ID
- Co-signer's details and documents
- A National Insurance number (UK students only)
The easiest way to see if you are eligible is to use Housing Hand’s quick and free application form which can be accessed here.