Would you offer this family a tenancy ?

PROFESSIONAL_LANDLORD

bristol_pilot wrote: »

I would say NO.

The type who has had one violent partner will find another, then another. I don't know what it is but some of them are attracted to a certain type and get beaten up again and again. Do you want that in your property? Add to that some doubt about rent arrears, to me it's a no-brainer.

Sad but true!

I recently had a problem with a tenant who's partner decided to chuck a paving slab through a front window, the tenant is brand new, has rented from me since 2003, she has poor judgement choosing her partners I guess, I moved her to another property so far she's fine.


clutton like yourself I had an empty property for four months, no viewings, the only enquiries where HMO I then offered the property with 50% off the first month's rent , within 10 days it was gone.

franklee

zoelouise88 wrote: »

She tells me she is wanting to move because her ex is threatening her, and she told me she is living in a different house from the one she rents from the housing assocation. She has not put this temporary address on her tenancy application form


Many people have said about her fleeing from teh violent ex saying he will more than likely track her down and saying about her leaving council for a private but ... have you considered she may share the council house shes in with her violent ex partner (he may be threatening her if she doesnt move out) which is why she wants to move into yoru property - the council will not house her or chuck her ex out if they have a joint teenancy. Maybe that is why shes not living at the house she rents.

Good point but if she does have a joint tenancy with the ex then won't she be obliged to pay at least some of that rent too say if the ex doesn't keep up those rent payments? How would her benefits be affected by this?

Snooze

clutton wrote: »

""The fact that she says wants your property, & doesn't call you back is enough for me.""

i had texted her a number to call and i said i would call her back if she had no credit.

i am reluctantly beginning to agree with the "no" vote.

She paid me £50 admin fee yesterday - and she knows that is not refundable - its all most odd

i will keep the forum informed

+1 from me.

If she can't be bothered to reply to calls/texts at this early stage before she's even got the house then it would be an automatic no from me simply on a lack of courtesy basis. There is no excuse here and it's the little things like this that usually spell trouble further down the road.

Personally I think the 'violent ex' story is complete BS. I've seen and heard of loads of women use this excuse to get a sympathy vote and to get what they want as it usually works a treat because the story can rarely be verified. I'd be the first to admit I was wrong if I am but there are just too many inconsistencies with this whole 'thing' now and all I'm seeing is a whole pile of smoke.

If it were me, I would hand her back her deposit as a goodwill gesture and use whatever excuses necessary to get shut.



Rob

suze_g

It's not unusual for people to have social fund deductions and be managing their affairs perfectly well. The rent statement should show who is on the tenancy, so she probably is a sole tenant.

One of the people I work with is a lone parent on benefits , and because of a housing benefit mistake she ended up with arrears. She was paying it back, after a notice seeking possession was issued, then a court date. She had tried to challenge the mistake but got nowhere. When we looked closer at the issue we helped her appeal again and she won. My point being that many people don't get the help they need when these things happen and just start trying to pay it back.

Any working tenant could have a violent ex partner. That shoudln't be a bases to refuse in my opinion.

She might just be trying to make her life better. She may not like the area she lives in etc, but has few options. mutual exchanges are not that easy to come by, transfers pretty impossible. The LA may have offered her a poky one bed temp accomodation and probably recommended private renting as a way for her to move on.

She doesn't sound like a "waif or stray" to me. She has less than one month's rent arrears which she has been routinely paying back and keeping her rent up to date. She has a social fund loan that is way less than many people are paying for their overdrafts or credit cards or store cards each week. She's bringing up two children on her own which in it's self takes commitment and hard work.

suze_g

franklee wrote: »

Good point but if she does have a joint tenancy with the ex then won't she be obliged to pay at least some of that rent too say if the ex doesn't keep up those rent payments? How would her benefits be affected by this?

She would end her tenancy - the whole tenancy would end and he would then be given a sole tenancy, therefore she would not be liable for future rent.

clutton_2

the tenancy is in her sole name.

i suspect she has found another property and is too scared to say so

no phone call last night .......

hey ho i am off for a week away tomorrow, so, time will tell



""Which means she will be left with over £170 a week"" - blinkling heck ! i had no idea these benefits mounted up to so much

offering the property with 50% first months rent free is good idea .....


""The Housing Assoc. should take of your hands for a long time BUT will have a list of modifications from here to kingdom come.""

i lodged two of my properties with the local councils Accreditation scheme, and you are right the amount of beaureaucratic nitpicking modifications they wanted me to do were unbelievable. They seem to want landlords to improve housing stock to a better standard than anyone else ! They offered to pay up to £500 towards one of the the works if i used one of their accredited workmen .... i am still waiting for them to do some work 18 months later !

Councils ? i keep away from them if at all possible

I also once took a Deposit Guarantee tenant and the agreement the council wanted me to sign said that their guarantee was only valid for 6 months ...... lets see now - WHEN will a landlord MOST want the use of a deposit ?? at the end of the tenancy - and if they stay for longer than 6 months ??

sighs deeply

i did win this one and got 6 amendments to their Agreement - but it was a lot of time and effort.

i need a week off

---

Pssst

Remember,you are a landlord and business person first....being a social worker comes way down the list.

tbs624

Pssst wrote: »

Remember,you are a landlord and business person first....being a social worker comes way down the list.

If you look back you will see that Clutton has said that this property has been empty since January of this year and that there is a glut of rented property within her area: that being so, Ts who are in this sort of situation may be the only possibility.
A profit-wrecking quarter's void, which may turn into a longer period, clearly has to be balanced against the possibility that once LHA is sorted this T may run up yet more arrears (and Clutton would then face the additional costs of eviction & unpaid rent), or the T may just stay around and even renew after the initial let.

LLs who take on Ts who are reliant on benefits don't tend to do so because they see themselves as social workers or benevolent providers of housing: they do it because, despite the risks, it can turn out to be as profitable as any let to a working tenant (if not more so). LHA upper limits can turn out to be a higher rent than that which a working T would be prepared to pay and those in receipt of benefits will often take properties in areas that others wouldn't bother with, where the LLs have bought the housing cheaply. Ask Socrates.................

Pssst

Indeed-and i take your point. Income has to be generated no matter what.

I wonder if landlords who perhaps own one house in a row or small development,give any consideration to other residents when rented out to BC's given that there is a higher possibility of their lifestyle not being in accordance with those of non benefit claimants (generalised of course)

clutton_2

well i succumbed and called her last Sunday afternoon - i sent her a guarantor application form, and said that as part of my requirements she needed to find out how to open another bank account (to ring-fence her LHA payments into) - she fully understood my position - said she would do these


now back home (Saturday tea-time) - zilch, nado, nowt from this prospective tenant. So i am going to instruct an agency to find me a tenant.

For those on benefits and who may be reading this - Benefit tenants need to convince a landlord that they are taking responsibility for their own rent - EVEN IF the council are paying it for the time being.

Tenants need to convince us that they will help themselves and be adult about things

so, a shame, but - there we go - decision made.

Many thanks to one and all for the various points of view. I have learnt a lot i did not know before hand.

i had a great and relaxing week away tho !!!