Tenant on benefits aint paid rent help.

Oldernotwiser

bestpud wrote: »

It does, I guess, but anyone can get into arrears and this person has because she is a bad sort and/or bad at prioritising her finances, not because she is on benefits!

That's true but the lower your income, the more likely you are to get into arrears.

(Why anyone thought it was an improvement to stop paying rent direct to LLs escapes me!)

hayley11

I think some people are being very judgemental about people on benefits. But then this is MSE, what do I expect? :rolleyes:

People who work are just as likely to get in arrears with the rent as people on benefits are. Simple as. Anybody who thinks otherwise are just being pathetic really.

And let's not forget, the tenant herself hasn't suggested getting a loan or further help from the social, it's the OP that has suggested that.

I think increasing the rent is a bad idea, because then she is getting the rent twice off the council/LA and it isn't on. I'd definitely make sure the rent was being paid direct to you and arrange something for the arrears.

Why don't you suggest she visits CAB to get herself sorted?

Good luck, hope you get it sorted

Oldernotwiser

hayley11 wrote: »

People who work are just as likely to get in arrears with the rent as people on benefits are. Simple as. Anybody who thinks otherwise are just being pathetic really.

Sorry to be pathetic, but that just isn't true.

If someone's getting the rent plus £65 pw JSA there's going to be a far greater chance of their getting into arrears than someone who earns the rent and has a surplus of, say, £150 pw.

Unless you believe that people living on benefits have more coming in than those who are working (and, yes, I know there are exceptions) it's only realistic to believe that this is more likely to happen.

DUTR

McKneff wrote: »

just curiosity, i thought that these boards were anonymous, so how do you know Zara33 is georgeous - if you dont know for sure then Zara33 might be a man:eek:

The only man Zara can be is a WOMAN, her personality is gorgeous, so it transpires that she must be gorgeous

hayley11

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Sorry to be pathetic, but that just isn't true.

If someone's getting the rent plus £65 pw JSA there's going to be a far greater chance of their getting into arrears than someone who earns the rent and has a surplus of, say, £150 pw.

Unless you believe that people living on benefits have more coming in than those who are working (and, yes, I know there are exceptions) it's only realistic to believe that this is more likely to happen.

I personally don't think the amount they have coming in is all that relevant, it's more about how you manage your money and the type of person you are. I know a girl, on £32k a year and yet she was close to getting her house repossessed because she was behind with mortgage payments.

I just think to suggest people on benefits are more likely to go into arrears than people that work is absurd and based on nothing factual. Anybody can into arrears, anybody at all.

Oldernotwiser

hayley11 wrote: »

I personally don't think the amount they have coming in is all that relevant, it's more about how you manage your money and the type of person you are. I know a girl, on £32k a year and yet she was close to getting her house repossessed because she was behind with mortgage payments.

I just think to suggest people on benefits are more likely to go into arrears than people that work is absurd and based on nothing factual. Anybody can into arrears, anybody at all.

Well, I've let out property in the past and, believe me, if you have a choice between a tenant with £65 left after paying your rent and someone who has £150 left after paying it, you'd be mad to go with the first applicant! If you were in this position can you honestly say that you'd choose someone who was likely to struggle to pay the rent over someone with plenty of available cash?

In addition, if a tenant does get into arrears with the rent, someone who's only just scraping by won't have any spare cash to make payments towards those arrears. In the OP's case, if his tenant hasn't managed to pay the rent in the first place, how will she manage to pay the rent AND £1200 of arrears?

Of course budgeting skills are important but LLs have no way of knowing who is or isn't a good budgeter apart from credit references. You usually just have to take a common sense approach.

bestpud

hayley11 wrote: »

I personally don't think the amount they have coming in is all that relevant, it's more about how you manage your money and the type of person you are. I know a girl, on £32k a year and yet she was close to getting her house repossessed because she was behind with mortgage payments.

I just think to suggest people on benefits are more likely to go into arrears than people that work is absurd and based on nothing factual. Anybody can into arrears, anybody at all.

I have to say I was a bit indignant when it was suggested her being on benefits has caused this issue, because I am on benefits and would not dream of using housing benefit money for anything other than paying the rent.

It takes a certain type of person to do something like that and I am not convinced she'd be any better if she were working tbh.

However, stepping back for a moment, I can see what ONW is saying because it is all about balancing the risk I guess.

I'm not convinced they are more likely to get into arrears either (possibly less likely if they receive LHA/HB) but a LL is less likely to receive their money if something does go wrong, if only because people on benefits are usually allowed to get away with ridiculously low repayments on debt.

Also though, they are probably more liky to seek social housing if they face eviction and councils will then support them to stay put as long as possible (by paying their legal fees etc).

And I have to say this (through clenched teeth as I'm aware I claim myself) but long term benefit claimants do sometimes develop a sense of 'entitlement' which can make them less likely to take responsibility for their actions/liabilities. *Runs for cover*

mitchaa

The simple answer here is to get her LHA paid direct to you as she is untrustworthy.

I wont go into the rights and wrongs of the system but i do find it insane that LHA is paid direct to tenant rather than landlord

Perr

As onw says why did the change the system over it worked ok as it was. There are lots of private L/Lords still willing to take people on H/B because if they are a registered drug addict or alcoholic they have no choice in the matter, the rent has to go direct to the L/Lord

Oldernotwiser

And, of course, there are plenty of people on benefits who actually have MORE income than the equivalent working person which totally turns things on its head.

I suppose I'm really saying that people with less money are more likely to get into arrears and people on benefits are likely to have less money.

I'm certainly not implying that the majority of benefits claimants don't pay their rent honestly as I'm sure they do.