I’ve just had one of the most unpleasant experiences I’ve ever had with an estate agent after enquiring about a rental property through Mortimers in Clitheroe. I received a call to go through some pre-qualifying questions and was asked whether I had any adverse credit history. I answered honestly and explained my circumstances. The response I got was incredibly rude and dismissive — I was immediately informed that I would fail referencing and that I can’t even apply for any of their properties. I explained that I am now debt free, earn more than enough to comfortably afford the rent, have an excellent rental history, can provide references, and even have a guarantor available if required. None of that mattered. I was flat-out refused before even being allowed to view or formally apply for the property in question. What makes this even more frustrating is being told they would consider applicants currently in debt, but not someone who has had debt written off and has since rebuilt their finances responsibly. That logic makes absolutely no sense. The overall tone of the conversation was extremely judgemental and degrading. I was spoken to as though I was beneath consideration from the moment I answered honestly. There was absolutely no empathy, professionalism or willingness to discuss options. I appreciate landlords and agents need criteria but that is extreme and circumstances should be judged individually. There’s a way to speak to people respectfully — and this was not it.