Closed petition: Ban credit checks and requiring tenant income to be 30x monthly rent

Closed on 7 February 2026

Trying to find a house in the private rent sector is difficult. We think requiring income of 30x the monthly rent & passing a credit check can make it near impossible for a regular family to move. We think this may put a strain on the social housing sector which already has limited housing capacity.

We think the government should step in to make it easier for regular families to move into private accommodation by putting restrictions on letting agents ability to require these expectations of income 30x the monthly rent amount. We think the income requirement should be a buffer to ensure a family can afford the rent and bills this should be 4 -8x monthly rent. In addition, we think that credits checks should not be part of referencing since renting is not a financial loan.