Pretending to be gay to please the landlord...
Discussion
Yes, I'm joking, but I'm sorely tempted to do this.
Backstory. Me and a friend (fellow PHer..) have been living together for the past 6 months. It's going well, so we're looking at moving out to another place now with a bit more room for us and the cars (the flat we are in now was only really a stop-gap).
Found a few nice places around here (Harrogate), budget is up to £1k PCM and all we really want is a decent sized bedroom each, with a garage (or two!) and some driveway space.
I thought that would be simple, but the idea of two men sharing is not one that many landlords are keen on at all. I've now found 3 ideal properties to let, from each one the landlord's have said they do not want to let to sharers. One of which specifically said they would only let to a family...
So, my friend who is an Estate Agent in Hull suggests, just say you're a couple. Say you and your partner are looking for a place.
I don't want to do that, lying isn't something I'm good at nor like to do, but how could just those few words be the difference between us getting a nice place to live, or having to live in another flat or terraced house. Every time the estate agents have got back to us with bad news, they've sent us another property they think we'd be interested in, and it's always some s
te place with no driveway let alone a garage.
To end this rant with a question, is there anything I can do to make 2 single men sharing together sound more appealing to a landlord? Other than playing the couple card... I've already stated that we both have good jobs, earn more than enough to cover the rent individually if we had to, etc. But hey, I'm not sure what else to offer...
Cheers,
Dan
Backstory. Me and a friend (fellow PHer..) have been living together for the past 6 months. It's going well, so we're looking at moving out to another place now with a bit more room for us and the cars (the flat we are in now was only really a stop-gap).
Found a few nice places around here (Harrogate), budget is up to £1k PCM and all we really want is a decent sized bedroom each, with a garage (or two!) and some driveway space.
I thought that would be simple, but the idea of two men sharing is not one that many landlords are keen on at all. I've now found 3 ideal properties to let, from each one the landlord's have said they do not want to let to sharers. One of which specifically said they would only let to a family...
So, my friend who is an Estate Agent in Hull suggests, just say you're a couple. Say you and your partner are looking for a place.
I don't want to do that, lying isn't something I'm good at nor like to do, but how could just those few words be the difference between us getting a nice place to live, or having to live in another flat or terraced house. Every time the estate agents have got back to us with bad news, they've sent us another property they think we'd be interested in, and it's always some s
te place with no driveway let alone a garage. To end this rant with a question, is there anything I can do to make 2 single men sharing together sound more appealing to a landlord? Other than playing the couple card... I've already stated that we both have good jobs, earn more than enough to cover the rent individually if we had to, etc. But hey, I'm not sure what else to offer...
Cheers,
Dan
I bet I'm not the only who was cringing when they read the title , it could have been a lot worse situation !
There's no harm in saying your a couple if it's going to help , it's not like the landlord will want to come round one night a watch what you may get up to as a couple , hopefully .
You'll probably viewed as people who wjll kept the property clean and in good condition as opposed to men behaving badly types with endless partying and a string of guests living in a dump .
There's no harm in saying your a couple if it's going to help , it's not like the landlord will want to come round one night a watch what you may get up to as a couple , hopefully .
You'll probably viewed as people who wjll kept the property clean and in good condition as opposed to men behaving badly types with endless partying and a string of guests living in a dump .
Interesting dilemma! When I was house-sharing 20yrs ago there was no end of property available to rent to 'young professionals', nobody stipulated gender. Same applies nowadays, but Reading where I live has a very bouyant rental sector. Is this common across all letting agents in your area, or have you just got one stickler of an agent? Look at others maybe?
FYI I've got a mate who owns a lot of student buy-to-lets. The ones left as stpits are pretty much always the ones let to groups of girls.
FYI I've got a mate who owns a lot of student buy-to-lets. The ones left as s
tpits are pretty much always the ones let to groups of girls. 
Two of my friends were in a similar situation when viewing. A male and female, both gay. They had a lot of people not wanting to let to sharers. They considered pretending to be a couple but they wouldn't have fooled anyone. They did find a place eventually but they weren't being as specific as you in what they required.
It's encouraging to me that the perception of two gay guys living together is preferable to two mates living together.
Here's a few pointers that might be helpful when you look at a place you like that will leave a good impression on the agent or landlord.
No matter how much wardrobe space there is comment that it will be a tight fit for all your outfits. Ask where the nearest gym is. Ask if you are allowed to change the curtains or freshen up the paint.
With a DC2 you need to let them know your other car is a Corsa or similar shopping trolley/girls car.
Good luck with the search.
Here's a few pointers that might be helpful when you look at a place you like that will leave a good impression on the agent or landlord.
No matter how much wardrobe space there is comment that it will be a tight fit for all your outfits. Ask where the nearest gym is. Ask if you are allowed to change the curtains or freshen up the paint.
With a DC2 you need to let them know your other car is a Corsa or similar shopping trolley/girls car.
Good luck with the search.
from my experience 2 blokes or 2 ladies sharing don't work out well because:
a) they often fall out with each other very quickly and One wants to leave
b) Their jobs are more transient types thus One moves location because of job
c) they each bring back partners and you then have 3 or 4 people in a property when there should be 2
d) they are normally very young and as such generally don't make good tenants ie parties/lots of visitors
e) They may have a min of 2 cars but often will have more - boys toys etc.
f) There are tenants out there who are a better bet. - You can get a longer let to a couple/married/family who are also more stable, reliable and less likely to be a hassle.
If we were struggling to let a property then 2 blokes/girls sharing would still be very far down our list of who to put in. A gay couple would be ok as it shows some stability but also the age is important to consider for stability and good tenants but we would still assess them and fully reference.
a) they often fall out with each other very quickly and One wants to leave
b) Their jobs are more transient types thus One moves location because of job
c) they each bring back partners and you then have 3 or 4 people in a property when there should be 2
d) they are normally very young and as such generally don't make good tenants ie parties/lots of visitors
e) They may have a min of 2 cars but often will have more - boys toys etc.
f) There are tenants out there who are a better bet. - You can get a longer let to a couple/married/family who are also more stable, reliable and less likely to be a hassle.
If we were struggling to let a property then 2 blokes/girls sharing would still be very far down our list of who to put in. A gay couple would be ok as it shows some stability but also the age is important to consider for stability and good tenants but we would still assess them and fully reference.
Thanks for the replies so far. 
I've just gone for it with one estate agent. I previously asked why they felt the landlord preferred couples, to which their response was just generic "it's just the landlords preference" garbage.
So I've asked if those preferences excludes gay couples, and if gay couples are classed as sharers. I apologised as well for getting political, as I can imagine the headache you'd get if that email came in...
I've just gone for it with one estate agent. I previously asked why they felt the landlord preferred couples, to which their response was just generic "it's just the landlords preference" garbage.
So I've asked if those preferences excludes gay couples, and if gay couples are classed as sharers. I apologised as well for getting political, as I can imagine the headache you'd get if that email came in...
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