- A guarantor in the UK typically needs a gross annual income of at least three times the annual rent (or 36 times the monthly rent) to pass a landlord or letting agency's affordability check.
- This is a higher bar than tenants face themselves, because a guarantor is covering someone else's rent on top of their own outgoings, so referencing agencies apply a bigger multiplier.
- If the guarantor you had in mind doesn't earn enough to qualify, a professional guarantor service like Rentmigo may be able to step in instead.
You might already have someone lined up to be your guarantor, a parent, a family member, a close friend. But being willing isn't the same as being approved.
Landlords and letting agents run an affordability check on your guarantor just like they do on you, and if their income falls short, your application can still be turned down.
If the guarantor you had in mind doesn't earn enough to qualify, a professional guarantor service like Rentmigo may be able to step in instead.
Rentmigo provides professional rent guarantor services to tenants across the UK, with applications approved in just a few hours.
Sign up today and get started.
How much does a guarantor need to earn?
Most landlords and letting agencies expect a guarantor to earn at least three times the annual rent, which works out at 36 times the monthly rent.
That's the standard used across a lot of the industry, though the exact multiple can vary depending on which referencing agency your landlord uses and how cautious they are.
For example, take a tenancy with a monthly rent of £1,000. The landlord will ask for different multipliers, depending on whether they are looking at the tenant or guarantor.
Tenant: 2.5x annual rent (30x monthly rent) = £30,000 a year minimum earnings.
Guarantor: 3x annual rent (36x monthly rent) = £36,000 a year minimum earnings.
Stricter landlords: 3.5x to 4x annual rent (up to 40x monthly rent) = up to £40,000 a year minimum earnings.
So if you're renting a flat for £1,000 a month, your guarantor would typically need to show an income of around £36,000 a year to pass referencing. Some landlords set the bar higher, closer to £40,000 for the same rent.
These are common figures used across the market, not a fixed rule every landlord has to follow. It's worth checking with your letting agent or landlord what multiple they're actually using before you rule someone in or out.
Why do guarantors need to earn more than tenants?
Guarantors need to earn more than tenants because they're effectively covering two households' worth of financial risk, not just their own.
When you apply to rent a property, the landlord is checking that your income covers your own rent and living costs. A guarantor is being asked to cover your rent on top of everything they're already paying for themselves: their own mortgage or rent, their bills, their own household. That's why referencing agencies build in a bigger buffer for guarantors than they do for tenants.
It's also why a guarantor doesn't need to be a homeowner or a high earner in every case, but they do need enough spare income, or savings, to comfortably absorb an extra rent payment if things go wrong.
What if my guarantor doesn't earn enough?
If your guarantor doesn't earn enough from their salary alone, there are still a couple of routes that might work, though not every landlord will accept them.
Can savings be used instead of income?
Some referencing agencies will accept savings instead of income, as long as the guarantor holds enough in an account for a set period beforehand.
Exactly how much varies. Depending on the agency, guarantors relying on savings are often asked to hold somewhere between three and five times the annual rent, usually for at least three months before the tenancy starts. For a £1,000 a month rent, that could mean anywhere from roughly £36,000 to £60,000, so it's worth checking the specific figure with your landlord or agent.
If neither income nor savings quite stack up, or your only potential guarantor lives outside the UK, that's usually the point where tenants start looking at why so many landlords now ask for a guarantor and whether a professional guarantor service could work instead. Our guide on why more landlords are asking for a guarantor in 2026 explains what's driving this.
What else does a guarantor need besides income?
Income is only one part of the check. Guarantors also need to meet a handful of other requirements before they qualify.
- Live in the UK, so they can be legally pursued for unpaid rent if needed
- Have a clean credit history, since active CCJs, bankruptcies or IVAs will usually result in an automatic fail
- Provide proof of funds, such as recent payslips, an employment contract, or a tax return if they're self-employed
- Sometimes own a property, although this isn't always a requirement
Our guide on who can legally be a guarantor in the UK covers each of these in more detail.
Do all landlords use the same income multiple?
No, the exact multiple a landlord or letting agency uses is down to them, not a fixed legal rule.
Some stick closely to the 3x annual rent standard. Others, especially in competitive cities or for higher-value properties, ask for 3.5x or even 4x. There's no law setting a minimum income a guarantor must earn; it's a referencing decision made by whoever is managing the tenancy.
This has become more relevant since the Renters' Rights Act capped how much rent landlords in England can take upfront, limiting it to one month from 1 May 2026.
Landlords who used to ask for several months' rent in advance as a safety net now lean more heavily on referencing and guarantors instead. That change applies in England specifically, so the position can differ if you're renting in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
What can you do if your guarantor doesn't qualify?
If your guarantor's income or savings don't meet what your landlord is asking for, you don't need to lose the property over it.
This is a common enough situation that professional guarantor services exist specifically to deal with it.
Instead of asking your guarantor to somehow show a higher income than they actually have, Rentmigo can act as your guarantor directly. You apply online, we assess whether you can afford the rent yourself, and if you're approved, we provide the landlord with the guarantee they're asking for.
That means your guarantor's income never needs to be part of the conversation.
This tends to help when:
- Your guarantor's income falls just under the threshold
- Your guarantor lives outside the UK
- You'd rather not put a family member's finances on the line
- You're an international student, expat or new to the UK without a personal guarantor
Not every landlord accepts every guarantor company, so it's worth checking whether yours does before you apply.
Our guide on whether professional guarantors are accepted by all landlords covers this in more detail, and our pages for international students and expat workers go into who the service tends to suit best.
Check your eligibility with Rentmigo and see whether we can guarantee your tenancy without relying on someone else's income.
