Getting Started
Some of the basics to get you started
Registering is easy, simply click sign up in the top right corner and register with your name, email
address and create a password.
There is no registration fee, nor monthly subscription. Your account will work on a “Pay as you go”
basis, you pay per product you order, no hidden costs.
To ensure the security of your data, creating an account and making payments must be done through
the website and unfortunately cannot be taken over the phone.
Products
About our products
A Credit Check provides an insight into a potential tenant’s financial behaviour in an
easy-to-understand report. This will flag up any past CCJs, bankruptcies and IVAs
(Individual voluntary arrangement).
A Full Reference includes a Credit Check and an income reference, where a tenant’s income is
validated through a verified source to ensure that they can afford the rent. The reference will also
include a landlord reference, where we will check if the tenant has paid their rent and looked after
their current rented property.
We also offer a Know Your Customer check and a Right to Rent platform to help you be compliant under
the Immigration Act 2016, along with an MRZ validation tool to help you confirm the validity of your
tenant’s documentation.
Landlords
Questions often asked by landlords
A Right to Rent check is an initiative launched by the Home Office on 1st February 2016 obliging
landlords and letting agents to confirm a tenant’s right to live in the UK before commencing a tenancy.
We reference a tenant’s income on 2.5x the rent share to ensure that can afford the rent along with
their other outgoings. Guarantors are referenced at 3x the rent share.
We will reference many types of income including but not limited to, Employed PAYE, Self-Employed,
Pension and Benefits.
If your tenant has offered to pay their rent term up front, we would still recommend conducting an
income reference. This is in order to confirm they have the ability to continue payments should you
wish to extend their tenancy.
You can reference any individual who is over the age of 18. We recommend referencing everybody over
the age of 18 who will be living in the property, including those moving from outside the UK.
All we need you to provide is the tenant’s name, contact number and email address. We will take over
and obtain the rest of the information directly from the tenant. You will be able to access all this
information once we have received it, through your online portal.
If your tenant’s reference is returned as a fail, the decision still lies with you whether to have
them move into the property. We will provide you with the facts for you to make an informed decision
going forwards. However, if you would like to continue with the tenant, you can reference a guarantor
free of charge to add security.
Since the Tenants Fee Ban Act came into force from 1st June 2019, tenants can no longer be charged
for their referencing. We charge the landlord or letting agent to conduct the reference, not the tenant.
We can reference a person who has not lived in the UK before. It is unlikely that an applicant has
generated a line of credit if they have not lived in the UK for a period of 12 months or more within
the last 18 years, we will therefore set them to a default credit score which will be stated on your
final report. In this case, we would recommend obtaining a UK based guarantor.
To be eligible for our Rent Protection all tenants must pass their referencing or have a successfully
referenced guarantor, before commencement of the AST.
A minimum of one month’s deposit must be lodged in a government recognised tenancy deposit scheme,
you must take a month’s rent in advance in cleared funds. Full conditions are outlined in our Policy Wording
and IPID documents.
To generate an AST, the applicant or a suitable guarantor must pass their reference and have had a Right to Rent check
conducted on them. An EPC, Gas Safety certificate (if required) and proof of deposit must also be uploaded to the property.
Deposit
Questions often asked by landlords regarding deposits
As stated on the Tenants Fee Ban Act 2019, a refundable tenancy deposit is now capped at no more
than 5 weeks’ rent where the total annual rent is below £50,000 or six weeks’ rent where the total
annual rent is £50,000 or above.
There are three government recognised deposit schemes; DPS, TDS and MyDeposits. In the event of a
dispute regarding the use of a tenant’s damage deposit, they will independently adjudicate the use
of the funds. Our insurance policies require that the deposit is lodged with one of the aforementioned firms,
within the first month of the tenancy.
The AST generated by us states that a section 21 can be issued by the landlord, in order to do so it
is required to provide proof that the deposit is held within a government recognised scheme. We
therefore request proof before generating the AST to ensure that we and the landlord are complying
with the Housing Act.
We require both the deposit certificate and prescribed information. Some deposit protection
companies often have both the certificate and prescribed information on one page or within the same
document.
We would recommend either DPS or TDS as these schemes are both approved by the government.
Re-referencing
Questions often asked by landlords regarding re-referencing
Whilst it is not a requirement to re-reference someone if the rent has changed, it would be advisable
to do so if the tenant’s affordability won’t be met.
It is not a requirement to re-reference a tenant if the current AST has expired and there are no
changes to the current circumstances. However, for peace of mind and to ensure there have been no changes to
the tenants' creditworthiness, you may wish to conduct another reference.
We would advise referencing any new tenant who will be named on the AST agreement.
Know Your Customer
Questions often asked by landlords regarding Know Your Customer checks
A Know Your Customer check, otherwise known as KYC, is an Anti-Money Laundering check which searches
credit bureaus, government watchlists, financial sanction registers and other public and private data sources
to verify your tenants' residency, identity and help to ensure there are no adverse alerts.
It is not a legal requirement to carry out a KYC check. However, for peace of mind we would strongly advise all
tenants named on the AST have a KYC check conducted.
If a KYC check fails, don’t panic! This will not fail the reference overall. There could be many
reasons for this – for example an international applicant that has not lived in the UK long enough
to be on the electoral roll.
Guarantors
Questions often asked by landlords regarding guarantors
Guarantors do not have to be homeowners and will only need to be UK based for the purpose of taking out insurance.
Yes, if there is still a contract in place between the tenant and landlord, the guarantor will remain
liable.
EPC & Gas Safety
Questions often asked by landlords regarding EPC and Gas Safety
As per UK law, all landlords need to provide an EPC and Gas Safety certificate in order to rent their property.
To ensure that the Housing Act is being complied with, we require these documents to be uploaded
before the AST can be generated.
Need more help? Call us on 0333 332 7938 or email us at enquiries@tenancypod.co.uk.
To learn more about referencing, click here.