Forum spotlight: Does a guarantor need to be a homeowner?

A landlord took to our members' forum recently asking for advice with regards to guarators.

The prospective tenant had told the landlord his mother was willing to act as a guarantor. They said that while she was not a homeowner she had a good income.

The landlord said she had passed the credit checks with no issues raised but was, at the time, living with her own parents.

They wanted to know whether she would be suitable as a guarantor in the eyes of the law and what other landlords would do in the same situation.

Responses on our forum

One of the first landlords to reply said that it is usually recommended the guarantor is a homeowner, so that if the tenant did not pay their rent a landlord could ask a court the put a charge on their house. However they went on to say that this does not mean the guarantor must be a homeowner.

One landlord, a frequent contributor to the forum, disagreed. They said they always use guarantors who are homeowners, but suggested the landlord proceed with the guarantor as suggested, but request an extra months’ rent upfront.

Another landlord suggested that our landlord could possibly take the details of two guarantors for the tenant if they had concerns, the currently listed guarantor with the good income and also their parent (the prospective tenant's grandparent) if they are a homeowner.

Then, an advisor from our expert landlord support team joined in on the thread.

They confirmed guarantors do not need to be homeowners, but must be proven to have a good income. They suggested our landlord should run a full reference check on the potential guarantor as they would a tenant, as this would be a good guide as to whether the guarantor could meet affordability criteria. In addition, our advisor reminded the landlord guarantors also need to be UK based.