By Tony Booth

There has been a substantial increase over the last few years in the number of landlords relying on guarantor agreements.

Guarantors are usually sought to remedy potential letting problems, which could occur later into a tenancy through a landlord accepting tenants that have failed reference and credit investigations at the outset.

Unfortunately, enforcing a guarantor agreement can sometimes be difficult, because these documents are typically rushed through at the last minute and are often created without the stringent attention to detail actually required.

Lettings to students, overseas residents temporarily working in the UK and to those who are unemployed or who are on low incomes, often require a guarantor to underwrite the rent and other tenancy obligations.