Renting in Manchester without a UK guarantor

This is the thing that nearly stopped me and nobody warns you about it. Most letting agents want a UK-based guarantor earning around 30x the monthly rent. If you have just arrived you do not have one. What worked, in order of how much it cost me: 1. Offering six months rent up front. Accepted by two of the four agents I tried. Expensive but free. 2. A guarantor service. Roughly 5 to 8 percent of the annual rent as a one-off fee. 3. Company lets through the employer. Only if your employer already does this. Also: you will be asked for a UK bank account and a credit history you cannot have yet. Open the account in your first week, even a basic one, because everything downstream needs it.