Can I rent a property as a non-ltd company contractor on a short gig?

[Tractor Trace]

Is it possible to apply for a rental property working as a contractor employed by an umbrella company with only 4 months left on a current client contract? Would the only option be to provide a guarantor or are there alternatives? Has anyone else been successful on doing so? I expect this would be classed as very high risk but would be good to understand the prices so that I am not completely wasting my time by applying.

[SueEllen]

Chutney spoons is a real poster...

[Tractor Trace]

Chutney spoons is a real poster...

??

[mattster]

This is a question for your letting agent really. Nothing's impossible - I came back from Australia with my family about 10 years ago and neither I nor my partner had a job at all, or any credit record left in the UK. We managed to rent (with a dog and kids as well!) just by showing a rather large (recent house sale) bank account to show that we were good for the money (they didn't ask us to pay up front, either).

[northernladuk]

Yes you can apply for a rental property as a contractor under and umbrella

[Whorty]

Rental properties are like hen's teeth at the moment in some parts of the country so the landlord can be very choosy.

Just sold my house and place I was buying looked at risk so I applied for a rental. Only way I had a chance was to offer to pay 6 months up front to reduce landlady's risk. I did win the property but then this triggered my sellers to get sorted so I did pull out.

So yes you can, but it will be minimum of 6 months and you will need to make yourself look like the best candidate so offer to pay up front.

Good lubk

[ladymuck]

It's well worth having a chat with a few letting agents to get an idea of their affordability criteria. Landlords can override that but they are often guided by the outcome of the checks done by the agency.

I wouldn't complicate anything by saying that you're a contractor working via an umbrella etc. You're an employee and you have payslips evidencing your income. You don't need to say you'll be out of work in 4 months as you might not be.

You may be asked to show evidence of savings and you may be asked to pay up front especially if you only want to rent for a short time, such as 6 months. I wouldn't offer to make an upfront payment - you'll soon know if that's going to be necessary to secure the property.

[Lance]

what's wrong withy AirBNB?
Find somewhere, try it out for a week or two, then do a side deal with the owner if you like it.
If you want it Mon-Thu, or Tue-Fri, and it's usually a weekend holiday retreat the owner may be more than pleased with a revenue stream that reduces their cleaning bill.

[ladymuck]

what's wrong withy AirBNB?
Find somewhere, try it out for a week or two, then do a side deal with the owner if you like it.
If you want it Mon-Thu, or Tue-Fri, and it's usually a weekend holiday retreat the owner may be more than pleased with a revenue stream that reduces their cleaning bill.

I used a Mon-Fri let for a good while. Lovely little pad not far from Greenwich, a short walk from the DLR. The owners were sometimes there, as I was technically just renting a room, but more often than not I had the place to myself. They were ex-contractors themselves so were perfectly happy to put the agreement in myCo's name and give me VAT invoices

[Eirikur]

Usually you have to pay something like 6 months rent in advance + the deposit