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Can I ask for a narrower rent guarantee without letting my daughter down?

Housing category photographHousing

My daughter sent the form with a message: "Just your signature and we can stop looking." Her share of the proposed rent is £700. The tenancy lists three students and a total monthly rent of £2,100.

This is in England. I said I could consider guaranteeing her rent, then read wording about all liabilities under the tenancy. I can't tell whether it limits the guarantee to her share, covers damage, or continues if the arrangement changes. The agent wants it back within two days. My daughter says asking questions now will make her friends think she isn't reliable.

[Citizens Advice's guarantor guidance](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/starting-to-rent-from-a-private-landlord/using-a-guarantor/) warns that a guarantee for a joint tenancy can cover all the rent, and that the exact agreement matters. That is a much bigger commitment than the conversation we had at the kitchen table.

I could cover a missed £700 payment if needed. I couldn't comfortably support the whole household for several months. How do I ask the agent to clarify or narrow the guarantee while being honest with my daughter about the help I can offer? I haven't signed, and I don't want the deadline to make my answer for me.

Discussion

2 community replies

Tell your daughter the amount you offered to support and the wording you haven't understood. "I can consider guaranteeing your £700 share; I haven't agreed to guarantee £2,100" is clearer than saying you're uneasy with the form. The difference is a budget constraint, not a judgement of her friends.

The agent's deadline doesn't make the scope smaller. Request the full tenancy and guarantee together, and have a qualified adviser check any terms you can't interpret. You need to know what you're being asked to sign, including when the commitment ends.

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