Guarantor Loans Help Build Credit
Guarantor loans differ from co-signed loans in several key respects. For one, guarantor loans are much more effective at building a positive credit profile for the primary borrower. That’s simply because a guarantor is not called upon until a loan is in default, whereas a co-signor is equally responsible (and therefore shoulders part of the burden) for making sure a loan never goes into default in the first place.
Guarantor loans are “guaranteed” by a “guarantor,” which means that the guarantor–whoever agrees to act as your guarantor–will be called upon only if the primary borrower defaults. The benefit of this type of borrowing arrangement is that the primary borrower is the sole party responsible for making sure that loan payments are made on time. The result is that the primary borrower gets a huge boost to her or his credit score if they successfully keep the loan out of default.
The downside of guarantor loans is that guaranty agreements often contain legal provisions that force guarantors to forfeit certain rights. The effect of that is simply that upon default by the primary borrower, lenders can take immediate legal action against guarantors.
Co-signors, on the other hand, don’t have to forfeit any legal rights. They are borrowers (just like the primary borrower) and are responsible for making sure that a loan never goes into default. While a co-signor doesn’t have to give up any legal rights, the fact that the primary borrower isn’t solely responsible for keeping the loan out of default simply means that co-signed loans are less effective for purposes of building the primary borrower’s credit.
Both co-signed loans and guarantor loans help individuals with little or no credit obtain financing. There are pros and cons to both types of loans, and whether a person would rather serve as a guarantor or co-signor is simply a matter of preference. My uncle, for example, offered to be my co-signor, because he wasn’t willing to waive certain rights. But he only agreed to do so after I beat him in three games of chess and proved that I could find the best loans on the market.
