Owen Waters knew he would have to share information about his job with potential landlords when he started looking for a new apartment last August, but he never expected to reveal details about his love life and hobbies, too.
The 27-year-old was excited to move in with his girlfriend, Emily, after almost six years together. They embarked on a search for a two-bedroom apartment to rent near Wimbledon, west London.
But when they started looking for apartments on real estate portals, it quickly became clear that they were facing fierce competition. The properties sold out within days of being listed.
“When we went to see an apartment we liked, the real estate agent said he would visit it 12 times the next day,” says Owen, who works at a new consulting company.
Renters pay an average of £1,226 a month for a property in the UK, £350 more than five years ago, according to property website Zoopla.
‘He told us that if you want to have a chance to get it, you will have to be quick.
‘Our friends had written a letter to the owner when they applied for a flat a few months before us and he helped them get it. So we ran home and wrote a letter that night.
The couple made sure to include details of how they met at Loughborough University, where they worked, and their hobbies, which include playing rugby and traveling to destinations such as Argentina, Lisbon and Madeira.
They also attached a smiling photo of themselves to the application in the hope of convincing the landlord to rent the apartment to them.
“At the bottom we even added a link to our LinkedIn profiles,” says Owen.
“The next day, the real estate agent called me to tell me that the landlord really liked our appearance as tenants and that we had already purchased the apartment.”
Owen and Emily were not asked to send a photo of themselves, but in other cases prospective tenants were.
As the rental market overheats across the UK, tenants are now being asked to do everything from submitting personal statements and paying a year’s rent in advance to taking part in a fitness race, in order to find a house
Competition is fierce: There are now 15 inquiries for every rental property that comes on the market, double the typical number before the pandemic.
Renters pay an average of £1,226 a month for a property in the UK, £350 more than five years ago, according to property website Zoopla.
More than half of privately rented homes now cost more than £1,000 a month.
Polly Neate, chief executive of housing and homelessness charity Shelter, says renters are being forced to overcome “extreme obstacles” to find a home as the market creaks under the weight of demand.
“Tenants are routinely pitted against each other as they compete for a limited supply of often poor-quality and expensive housing,” he says.
“Some of the increasingly unreasonable demands from landlords include eye-watering rent sums up front, guarantors with excessive conditions such as the need to earn 36 times the monthly rent, and the continuation of illegal bans on tenants claiming benefits.”
Meanwhile, in its Guide to Renting a House 2024, London estate agency Hudsons Property recommends paying between 6 and 12 months in advance as it “can give you a competitive advantage over other applicants”.
In one case, a homeowner asked all applicants interested in his property to join a Zoom call, before proceeding to draw the “winner” of the property name out of a hat.
There are so few options available that tenants are even forced to install CCTV in kitchens and other common areas so that landlords can monitor their every move.
Dr Abi O’Connor, a researcher at the New Economics Foundation think tank, says the balance of power in the rental market has shifted in favor of landlords over the past two years.
“In one case in Liverpool, the estate agent said whoever got to the office first would get the property, so whoever could run there fast enough,” he says.
‘We have seen landlords pit tenants against each other. For example, look at their CVs and their job titles and make it clear that there is a hierarchy.’
Websites including credit reference agency Experian now offer advice on writing a “rental CV”, with applicants encouraged to share details of their savings, hobbies and work history.
Tom Darling, 28, who plans and manages campaigns, had copies of his passport and payslips ready to send to his estate agent at a moment’s notice as soon as he found his dream flat near Old Street in east London in January. .
Tom Darling, 28, was shocked when he was asked to send a photograph of himself to a potential owner. He refused and his application was unsuccessful.
But what Tom wasn’t prepared for was a landlord asking him to submit a photo of himself on his application.
“I was told the landlord wanted a photo to establish a connection with the tenant,” he says.
Horrified, Tom refused and his application for the flat was unsuccessful.
“I refuse to send a photo because I felt it was a way for the owner to discriminate against applicants based on their appearance,” she says.
“The concern is that if you don’t play ball, it reduces your chances of getting the floor.”
Tom says that when he applied for other rental properties, they asked him to submit bios, which included which college he graduated from.
“Owners now feel entitled to select people in a way that is almost like a job interview,” he says.
“It’s a complete Wild West. Anyone who has been through the rental process in recent years will know how much bad practice there is.’
Luckily, Tom has since found a cozy two-bedroom flat in East London to call home.
Tenants hoped a “once in a generation” bill to reform the rental sector would increase protections for tenants by strengthening their rights and banning no-fault evictions.
However, the tenant reform bill was shelved a fortnight ago when the general election was called.
There may be a glimmer of hope in the Conservative manifesto with the promise to scrap capital gains tax for landlords selling their properties to tenants.
What are my rights as an owner?
Landlords may request an interview, photo or CV from applicants who want to rent their property, but tenants are under no legal obligation to provide this.
However, if tenants do not provide you with this information, you may decide not to let them rent your property.
You are not obliged to rent an apartment to a tenant if you think they will not take care of your property, do not earn enough money or have bad references from a previous landlord.
However, if you refuse to let a property to a tenant because they receive benefits such as Universal Credit, then you could be breaking the law under the Equality Act 2010.
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