FY1s renting Apartments

Would an FY1 need a guarantor? I'm a final year Irish medical student hoping to start FY1 next year. Just wondering if I would need to have a guarantor because I don't have any family in the UK who can act as one.

Why would you need a guarantor when you're going to be working a full time well paying job?

Why would you need a guarantor when you're going to be working a full time well paying job?

Some agencies seem to ask for one if you aren't employed at the time of application, especially if you don't have a previous landlord reference. Mr Helenia needed one when he rented his first flat as a graduate before starting his first job - years ago now but I don't imagine they've got less strict!

Some agencies seem to ask for one if you aren't employed at the time of application, especially if you don't have a previous landlord reference. Mr Helenia needed one when he rented his first flat as a graduate before starting his first job - years ago now but I don't imagine they've got less strict!

Just like Helenia mentioned, some agencies ask for one but you won't know whether you need one until after the reference check.

Oh I see, fair enough (though undoubtedly very annoying!).

I know right! It's so hard to know whether I'll be able to get a flat or if I'll have any difficulty. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed, although it wouldn't make sense for me to need a guarantor

If it helps at all, I wasn't asked for a guarantor.

I can definitely see the hospital admin machine getting all "computer says no" if you ask for proof of employment before you've actually started work, so my (very obvious) advice would be to try and get on to HR early on so they can so they can offer some sort of assurance that you are definitely going to be in employment imminently.

If it helps at all, I wasn't asked for a guarantor.

I can definitely see the hospital admin machine getting all "computer says no" if you ask for proof of employment before you've actually started work, so my (very obvious) advice would be to try and get on to HR early on so they can so they can offer some sort of assurance that you are definitely going to be in employment imminently.

HR are absolutely awful at this. I nearly had to offer a guarantor for my house for CT1 because my deanery HR wrote a letter saying I only had a provisional offer of employment that remained subject to a million and one conditions, and because of the new contract rules they were unable to confirm what my salary would be. The letting agency just kept demanding to see a contract, which I didn't get until two months into the job.

Wow, that sucks! Gosh there may be no hope of me securing a place before working then...

Wow, that sucks! Gosh there may be no hope of me securing a place before working then...

When I initially started renting a place, the lettings agents did have a bit of an issue about me not having a contract at the time and asked me for a guarantor. However, the landlord was very nice about it and decided one wasn't needed.

When you start looking for places, make it clear in the beginning what your position is, so that the agents can think of ways around it (the letting agents I was with were actually very nice about it).

As Helenia has said though, a lot of F1s I am with were initially in hospital accommodation, so they had time to settle into the area and have a look around first before jumping on a property.

It depends where you look - some agencies are stricter than others. If you are struggling, it's quite common for people to get a room in hospital accommodation for a month or two while finding a "proper" place to live.

By any chance would you remember when you get your contract for FY1? I might just wait until I get that to look for housing.

Just adding that I have had to provide a guarantor despite being able to prove that i had enough money in the bank to pay the entire year's rent. A summary of our interaction:

'Oh, what if you spend your money huh? You need to provide a contract telling us your actual wage'.
'What if i spend my wages?'
'um erm... them the rules shut up and pay'.

By any chance would you remember when you get your contract for FY1? I might just wait until I get that to look for housing.