Pros and cons of renting to a full time Carer and her disabled child

icebergx

socrates wrote: »

My main and only point was - WHY do you need to pay a LA to find a tenant that you can find yourself - who are pre-vetted - with a deposit - sitting there waiting for you - all you need to do is call Brighton Council Private Sector Leasing.

socrates wrote: »

On top of that what decent agent would send a tenant that cannot move in for 7 weeks and does not have a guarantor.

These are valid points and I thank you for your input. I wasn't aware that the council ran this scheme and I will be investigating it further tomorrow. I guess calling me 'naive' got my backup a little when all I was asking for was peoples' opinion. I can't dispute that you've brought value to this thread, it's just that there isn't really much to be gained for anyone by making judgements/patronising people who are simply asking for others opinions..

Anyway, back to the issue at hand, does anyone have experience of these Private Sector Leasing schemes?

barnaby-bear

icebergx wrote: »

These are valid points and I thank you for your input. I wasn't aware that the council ran this scheme and I will be investigating it further tomorrow. I guess calling me 'naive' got my backup a little when all I was asking for was peoples' opinion. I can't dispute that you've brought value to this thread, it's just that there isn't really much to be gained for anyone by making judgements/patronising people who are simply asking for others opinions..

Anyway, back to the issue at hand, does anyone have experience of these Private Sector Leasing schemes?

A lot of LLs can't do this because mortgage providers don't like the long term commitment (3 to 5 years usually) - which is the reason they often insist on 12month AST length max and "no DSS" (HB/LHA) because of the difficulty getting the property back - the mortgage lenders like the asset as liquid as possible. I think it's a bad idea if you only want to hang onto the property a year as the tenant may have problems finding somewhere else and cause you problems but also one year with a child is actually a short lease - it takes me about 6months to finish unpacking each time I move it seems and with a kiddy schools/terms etc I don't think a one or two year intention is that fair on the tenant.

barnaby-bear

icebergx wrote: »

Look, this is just stupid.
I have no problem with the child having a disability. I wanted to know the 'pros and cons' as I would like long-term, stable, tenants who are most likely to pay the rent, cause as little damage as possible and who I can have an open honest relationship with.

And as far as my naivety goes, I think it's naive to suggest that all full-time carers and their disabled children/partners are bad 'types of tenants'. Socrates, If you had a disabled child and chose or had to look after him/her full time, would that make you a bad tenant? Sometimes people are unfortunate with the hands they are dealt, it doesn't make them bad people.
I know a very successful landlord with over 100 properties in London who only rents to Housing Benefit tenants so it can work financially too.

In the end, the lady saw the house today and made a low offer but is unable to start her tenancy for 7 weeks and doesn't have a UK based guarantor. I decided not to go with her but it wouldn't put me of going for someone in similar situation who did meet this criteria.

I think your intentions and queries seemed entirely reasonable and decent. I didn't perceive any prejudice or discrimination.

carlydoherty1980

OK so Pro's and Con's as requested.

I work for Newcastle City Council's Private Rented Project and I think there are several things that you need to consider.

1. How have previous tenancies been managed by her? Does she owe rent arrears? Was the property looked after? Were there any management issues? What reference checks does your letting agent do? Aske them. Meet the woman and maybe ask to visit her in her current property to see how she looks after it. Why does she want to leave her current property? etc etc Do your homework. Yes, this is what you pay the agent for but it wouldn't be the first time agents don't do what they're supposed to.

2. Will her benefits cover the rent? I've checked on the Rent Service's website and if it is just her and her son she would be entitled to a maximum of £196.15 per week in Brighton and Hove?? link is https://lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk/Secure/LHARateSearch.aspx?SearchType=LA NOTE this is dependant on her income though as she in receipt of Carer's Allowance this may affect her HB allowance. I can't remember if its means tested or not. Your local council should be able to help.

3. Pro's and con's of housing benefit dept's. Claims are paid in arrears. In Newcastle it is two weeks in arrears. This means the tenant may not be able to pay you in advance. Changes to HB last April mean that it is typically paid direct to the tenant not you unless they meet certain 'vulnerable person' criteria. You should check your local councils own criteria. Most councils have a private rented sector team who may be best placed to help rather than housing benefit. If she meets this criteria she can apply for the HB to be paid direct to you, which should be 4 weekly in arrears. Claims take time to process, if all of the info required is not provided by the tenant when she claims HB payments will be delayed. This can be 3 months in some circumstances. If she is currently claiming this should be quite quick as she will only need to submit a change of circ's form and a copy of her tenancy agreement.

I hope this helps. I know that your concern wasn't the disability issue etc but it is actually illegal to discriminate against someone because of their disability or the fact that they claim HB. The likelihood of anyone actually being taken to court for this is another matter. No case law to date.