Put in a letting application with two friends for a house last week. We've sent the application forms off including payslips, photo ID and bank statements (first summary pages) and guarantor information (for two of the tenants).
They've come back to us asking for the following;

- Three FULL recent bank statements.
- Since I've started a new job recently they want me to provide a guarantor.
- The guarantors full bank statements and payslips.

Now, neither of us feel comfortable sending off full bank statements, it also feels very unnecessary. They're justification in email was that they wanted to see if my rent had come out on time in the past three months - however isn't that the reason they need my current landlord's details to reference that with? Also, the summary pages show that there's enough money going in to the account regularly.

Prior to making the application they said that because I'm currently renting privately, I wouldn't need to provide a guarantor. However, now I mentioned I started a new job they're asking for a guarantor. I did include a copy of my signed contract for my new job which confirms it's full time, again shouldn't they be referencing with my employer and landlord?

Nowhere on the application check-list they provide does it say for the guarantor to provide any photo ID, bank statements or payslips. It only says a guarantor should provide that information if the tenants are full time students, which none of us are.

It probably sounds a bit juvenile but it seems to me like they're being deliberately nosey. I understand there are plenty of checks to perform but we're paying them £250 in "admin fees", surely they can get the checks done on the information we've given them?

Any landlords or letting agents can shed a light on required information would be much appreciated!

What an agency asks for tends to vary - sounds like they consider you and your potential housemates to be a poor risk (no offence!), and so they're asking for more information than they might of someone else.

However, unfortunately you have two choices here:

1) Hand over the information they're asking for.
2) Don't rent the place.

The agents want to check you out to make sure the landlord gets their money. If you're not willing to do this, unless the landlord directs otherwise they'll simply wait for someone else to rent the place who is, or who is what they'd consider to be a lower risk tenant.

It does sound a lot but if my letting agency had asked questions like that I wouldn't have got the tenant that cost almost £4,000 in arrears and repairs.