Finding your own accommodation

Determine your monthly budget by calculating your monthly expenses, taking into consideration not only rent but also food, gas, electricity, water, Council Tax and other bills.

The UK Government recommends MoneyHelper as a tool to help you with this task.

For your income, you need to consider all your income sources, including:

• wages or salary
• benefits such as Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Housing Benefit and Child Benefit

Make a list of your preferred areas, determine the size and the location of the property that would suit your needs.

You need to be realistic. Agencies and landlords will conduct a credit check to determine your affordability. They will be aware of any arrears and other issues regarding your financial situation.

Guarantors and financial critieria

Many agencies and landlords will agree to rent to you if you have a guarantor. This is a person who signs a contract to agree to pay your rent if you are unable to do so. Depending on whether you have a guarantor or not the calculation agencies and landlords use to determine your affordability is similar to this:

With a guarantor:

Without a guarantor:

Most landlords will not rent the property to persons that do not fulfil the financial criteria.

If you are only slightly short of fulfilling the financial criteria, you should contact your case officer. They might be aware of other funding schemes and opportunities.

If you don’t fulfil the financial criteria, you might still be able to rent the property if you are able to provide six months' rent straightaway.

Find out how much deposit the agency or landlord wants against the property. You're likely to get this back at the end of your tenancy but it can be a significant expense at the outset. Are there properties that don’t need a deposit?

We may be able to assist you with an incentive payment which is equivalent to a deposit payment.

Often high street agents will have strict affordability criteria. If you source a property directly from a landlord, they are likely to be more flexible in their requirements.

Think about a room or flat outside London if this would suit your needs.

There are many wonderful towns and cities in Britain.  Almost all other towns and cities have much cheaper housing and lower cost of living, so you keep more money. Britain is a small country. You can travel almost everywhere in one day with good transport links. You can easily visit London and see people you know.

Research and learn about other towns and cities like Nottingham, Birmingham, Leicester, Leeds and Cardiff. Do not say ‘no’ straightaway. Many towns and cities are great places to live. They may be regional centres with plenty of opportunities for housing, work and leisure.

You will find libraries, colleges, English classes, international food shops, mosques, churches and other religious groups, food banks, GPs, doctors, health visitors and hospitals everywhere. You can find services you need throughout Britain.

Thinking about your budget, you can also search for Local Housing Allowance rates by postcode or local authority (GOV.UK) to see how rates vary in other parts of the country.

Look at websites to find suitable accommodation. For example:

• OpenRent
• RightMove
• Zoopla
• SpareRoom
• Gumtree
• DSSmove
• Choicedss
• Facebook Marketplace
• Nextdoor

You can also:

• reach out to your family and friends and ask whether they know of any rental properties that match what you’re looking for
• visit where you want to live and :
  • look in newsagents and other shop windows, as they often have small cards where landlords advertise
  • visit letting agencies in the area to ask if they have suitable accommodation
  • look in local newspapers

Make sure you discuss everything with your case officer before signing a contract or tenancy agreement.

You can talk directly to landlords and ask questions like:

• What proof of ID and references do they want?
• What 'right to rent' information do they need?
• Will they accept payments through Universal Credit?
• How much deposit they want? Are there properties that don’t need a deposit?

Go and see the property. Read the “How to rent" guide provided by the landlord.

You usually need to show these types of documents to landlords:

• identification (passport, driving licence, BRP)
• proof of address (utility bill, Council Tax bill)
• proof of income (pay slips, benefits letters, bank statements)

If you are not a British citizen

You need to get a share code (GOV.UK) if you either:

• have a limited leave to remain/enter
• have unlimited leave to remain/enter
• are a part of EU settlement scheme

You will need to give this to your landlord to prove you have the right to rent.

You may also be able to use immigration documents to prove you have the right to rent.

A landlord must give you a contract or tenancy agreement to read and sign.

To receive your incentive payment, your landlord will need to provide:

• completed documentation supplied by your case worker
• compliance documents (electrical certificate, gas safety certificate, energy performance certificate)