# Spouse Settlement Visa – Request for evidence of accommodation (application from US)



## Jane14 (Jul 23, 2014)

Hello All,

Your help is much appreciated on this issue.

I'm a US citizen, married to UK citizen and applied for spousal visa in April 2014. Today we received a request from Sheffield for “Evidence of accommodation you propose to reside at in the UK – mortgage statement, Land Registry document or tenancy agreement". 

As both my spouse and I currently reside in the US, we've been searching for short term rental apartments, with a view to securing a long term rental once in the UK. However, we've been waiting for receipt of the visa before moving forward with a lease agreement given the date of our arrival is unknown. We therefore don’t have accommodation in place at present. 

Can anyone advise how we should respond to this request? Is it likely that the Clearance Officer will consider that we don’t meet the accommodation requirement unless we have a tenancy agreement? If we rented an apartment now for one to three months with a future tenancy start date of 1 September (for example), would that suffice, or does the tenancy agreement need to be long term (six months for more) and be in place at present? (Please note, we don’t have family/friends in the UK, so renting is our only option).

The email added that: “If you do not produce the information requested by 5th August 2014, the application will be considered on the basis of the documents and information you have already provided.” So we need to figure this out quickly! 

Sincere thanks in advance,
Jane


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## Pannyann (May 31, 2014)

Hi you need Joppa Nyclon or another moderator to answer this they have good knowledge and give you good advice. 

Out if interest would you mind saying when in April you applied.


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## Jane14 (Jul 23, 2014)

Pannyann said:


> Hi you need Joppa Nyclon or another moderator to answer this they have good knowledge and give you good advice.
> 
> Out if interest would you mind saying when in April you applied.


Hi Pannyann,

We applied non-priority on 19 April, biometrics on 22 April, with application package received at Sheffield on 9 May. We upgraded to priority on Monday (21 July) and received the request email today. Not sure if that's a coincidence....

J


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Home Office should realise that if both the applicant and sponsor are currently abroad, it's difficult and rather pointless to go ahead and sign tenancy (and pay deposit and rent in advance) when the granting of visa isn't guaranteed. They usually accept prospective accommodation in such circumstances.
What evidence have you provided about accommodation?


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## Pannyann (May 31, 2014)

Jane14 said:


> Hi Pannyann,
> 
> We applied non-priority on 19 April, biometrics on 22 April, with application package received at Sheffield on 9 May. We upgraded to priority on Monday (21 July) and received the request email today. Not sure if that's a coincidence....
> 
> J


Thanks it's good that once you upgraded they have got on straight way with dealing with your application. 

Goodluck and please post when your decision is done


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## Jane14 (Jul 23, 2014)

Joppa said:


> Home Office should realise that if both the applicant and sponsor are currently abroad, it's difficult and rather pointless to go ahead and sign tenancy (and pay deposit and rent in advance) when the granting of visa isn't guaranteed. They usually accept prospective accommodation in such circumstances.
> What evidence have you provided about accommodation?


Hi Joppa,

We've provided no evidence so far (in our application, we said accommodation was to be determined). I've been in touch with real estate agents with regards to future short (and long term) accommodation and were waiting for the visa before agreeing a start date and signing a lease. Is it sufficient to provide these emails as evidence?

Thanks for your help,
J


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes, while Home Office make an exception for fiancé(e)s putting forward prospective accommodation details, for spouses and established partners, they expect firm offer of an accommodation so tenancy agreement, mortgage statement or land registry certificate is expected. So getting a short-term rental seems the only way, as most people just stay with relatives and friends initially.


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## Jane14 (Jul 23, 2014)

Joppa said:


> Yes, while Home Office make an exception for fiancé(e)s putting forward prospective accommodation details, for spouses and established partners, they expect firm offer of an accommodation so tenancy agreement, mortgage statement or land registry certificate is expected. So getting a short-term rental seems the only way, as most people just stay with relatives and friends initially.


Hi Joppa,
In that case, does the start date of the short-term rental and its length matter? If I obtained a short-term rental starting 1 September for one month, do you think that would meet the evidence requirement? Or would three or six months rental be necessary? Not knowing when we can travel (once visa is granted) makes determining the start date difficult. Perhaps the safest option is to rent starting immediately...?

Thanks again,
J


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## Jane14 (Jul 23, 2014)

Pannyann said:


> Thanks it's good that once you upgraded they have got on straight way with dealing with your application.
> 
> Goodluck and please post when your decision is done


Thanks a million, Pannyann. I'll be sure to post an update :fingerscrossed:


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## Pallykin (Mar 30, 2014)

I'm interested in learning what you decide to do and also if it works out. 

We are in the same situation , but were planning to have my UK citizen boyfriend move to the UK ahead of the visa application to establish a household and collect evidence such as council tax statement, letter from landlord and tenancy agreement to meet the proof of accommodation requirement. The down side of this is that we would be starting the move without the visa decision having been made so there's some risk there. Also, the time needed to collect the information and then await the visa decision could be several months, so far from ideal, as we would be supporting two households and be apart during that time.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

One month will be too short. 3-6 months will be expected. I know it's difficult and potentially expensive, but you don't have many options. That's why most people initially stay with relatives and friends, or the UK partner travels ahead and gets accommodation sorted before applying for visa.


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## Jane14 (Jul 23, 2014)

Hi Joppa, Pannyann & Pallykin,
I wanted to update you on what happened in our case....

We responded to the Home Office's request for evidence of accommodation by advising them that my spouse and I intended to move to the UK together and therefore did not yet have accommodation arranged. We sent them evidence (copies of emails) to prove that we had been in touch with real estate agents regarding both short term and long term accommodation, and stated that we would secure accommodation once the visa was approved and our travel dates known. We received no direct response to the submission of this evidence. However, last Thursday (7/31), we received an email saying that, "A decision has been made on your UK visa application. Your application will be despatched shortly from the visa processing centre in Sheffield, UK." We had no clue whether this meant the visa was approved or denied... Thankfully, when the Fedex package arrived earlier this week, it contained a visa 

Here's our updated timeline:
Applied non-priority on 19 April
Biometrics completed on 22 April
Application package received at Sheffield on 9 May
Upgraded to priority on 21 July
Received request for accommodation evidence 23 July
Responded on 24 July
Visa approved on 31 July

Thanks again for the great help on this forum!
J


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## Pallykin (Mar 30, 2014)

Thanks for telling us how it went. I'd be nervous to go that route without some specific guidance from UKVI saying this was acceptable, which I can't imagine they'd provide.

I'd be interested in hearing about your accommodation hunt, and any tips you might have for those following you on the same path.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Prospective accommodation is sometimes accepted, sometimes not, depending on circumstances. Clearly it's difficult when couple are still living abroad to fix accommodation commercially, and that's one reason so many just stay with relatives and friends until something more suitable can be had after arrival. The fact you sent in evidence of actively looking for property must have helped.


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## stranded (Dec 12, 2013)

Hi Jane14,

me and my wife are going to try for a spousal visa, and I've been very interested in reading your posts about how you went about it, first question, did you apply yourself or through an agent etc, where did you stay when you arrived if you didn't have accommodation, and the big one, what evidence did you have to submit, such as pics, did you have a job lined up or did you have the savings etc, would really like to know, we're very nervous, we've been married for 8 years, been together for 12, and have lived in China all this time so a big move for us, congrats on getting your visa

Terry


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

stranded said:


> Hi Jane14,
> 
> me and my wife are going to try for a spousal visa, and I've been very interested in reading your posts about how you went about it, first question, did you apply yourself or through an agent etc, where did you stay when you arrived if you didn't have accommodation, and the big one, what evidence did you have to submit, such as pics, did you have a job lined up or did you have the savings etc, would really like to know, we're very nervous, we've been married for 8 years, been together for 12, and have lived in China all this time so a big move for us, congrats on getting your visa
> 
> Terry


The OP hasn't logged on for about 6 months. Read through FM 1.7 for options on meeting the financial requirement and start a new thread with your questions.


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## Jane14 (Jul 23, 2014)

stranded said:


> Hi Jane14,
> 
> me and my wife are going to try for a spousal visa, and I've been very interested in reading your posts about how you went about it, first question, did you apply yourself or through an agent etc, where did you stay when you arrived if you didn't have accommodation, and the big one, what evidence did you have to submit, such as pics, did you have a job lined up or did you have the savings etc, would really like to know, we're very nervous, we've been married for 8 years, been together for 12, and have lived in China all this time so a big move for us, congrats on getting your visa
> 
> Terry


Hi Terry,
My spouse and I are now happily living in the UK (we arrived in September). We applied for the visa directly ourselves - we carefully read the application paperwork and associated guidance documents, as well as finding this forum very helpful. On arrival into the UK, we stayed in a hotel for the first two weeks until we found an apartment to rent (we found it best to use a real estate agent for this). Neither of us had a job lined up so we had to provide proof of sufficient savings as part of our application (please note, due to our lack of employment, we also had to pay six months rent upfront to our landlord). We didn't submit photos of our wedding/relationship history with our original application; however, we were requested to do so subsequently (along with submitting evidence of being engaged in seeking accommodation), so it may be best to submit such photos with your original application.

We're finding life in the UK fantastic. The one major issue we had was trying to open a bank account. This proved very difficult indeed! You will need to have an address (one which you can provide evidence for - their preference is a council tax bill) before you can even open a basic account. So plan carefully to ensure you can manage without a bank account for possibly the first 2-3 months.

Good luck with your application! And please let me know if you have any other questions.

J


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## stranded (Dec 12, 2013)

Hi J,

Thank you so much for the reply, the forum, as you say, is very helpful, but current personal experience is even better, thanks for that, so, one question, which does apply to us, you said you showed evidence of looking for accommodation, what form did that take?

Best

Terry


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## Jane14 (Jul 23, 2014)

stranded said:


> Hi J,
> 
> Thank you so much for the reply, the forum, as you say, is very helpful, but current personal experience is even better, thanks for that, so, one question, which does apply to us, you said you showed evidence of looking for accommodation, what form did that take?
> 
> ...


Hi again Terry,

A few months prior to moving to the UK, I began contacting real estate agents and outlined our requirements (areas we wanted to rent in, apartment size, our budget, that it had to be pet friendly, our planned (subject to visa receipt) arrival date to start viewing properties, etc.). I received several replies and worked closely with 2-3 agents. I sent all those email exchanges as evidence of looking for accommodation. I also sent the booking confirmation for our hotel as evidence that we had a place to stay upon arrival (the booking was changeable if our planned move date was pushed back). 

I hope that helps.

Kind regards,
Jane


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## stranded (Dec 12, 2013)

thanks again Jane, it's a rel help, I think I have everything now.

Best wishes

Terry


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## christinacanadian (Mar 9, 2014)

My husband and I are in sort of similar situation. He lives in London, but is not on a lease, and the rent he pays his roommates covers bills. The house owner does not know he lives there, so we realize he/we need to find a new place. However, time is not on our side, as with planning and getting married, and me returning to Canada next week to apply ASAP, we haven't had proper time to find accommodation.

We have a friend who is willing to write a letter saying we've just moved to his owned house (he's the only person living there) will UK people judge that as recent address? Do we still need a surveyor to come inspect the property?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

A shared accommodation should have inspection report. In addition to your friend's letter, there should be a bill to show he lives there, and registry certificate (£3 from Land Registry site) to show he owns the place.


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## stranded (Dec 12, 2013)

Hi Marics, it's a tough one, what we did was contact an agent in the UK and over several emails calls etc we managed to secure an AST but we had to pay all 6 months rent in advance as well as agency fees and deposit, my wife is Chinese and didn't consider foramoment that she wouldn't get the visa, I've heard others have taken short term accommodation contracts and been successful.

Best

Terry


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