Letting through Council

K_and_N

Hi All,

I have a flat let to a private tenant via agent. And I've been hearing some saying that it is better to let it through a council or housing association as they can provide longer term contracts.

Is that true? Could anyone tell me pros and cons of letting through concil?

Thank you.

K&N

poppysarah

I would assume you'd not be able to get your property back in a hurry. And have no control over who lived in it.

Jowo_2

The cons, based on experiences of a few friends that have gone the HA/LA route, is that they house vulnerable tenants, including the type that private landlords won't tolerate and would generally screen out during the application process, plus their aversion to holding the tenants responsible for damage to appliances and the property. Payment is reliable but a lot less than market rent (this applied to HA, don't know if its better under LHA).

A friend has now alienated the freeholder and neighbours after 3 years of continual complaints about a stream of short-term homeless tenants, including noisy, dirty and unsociable ones with allegations that their behaviour has led to broken windows, dumped bulk rubbish, pests, stolen post from the communal hallway and that the interior of the flat is now virtually trashed. The inventory/schedule of condition issued is so inadequate, as to be useless in the event of a dispute after check-out, so my friend will have little legal redress. I expect the poor inventory at the outset is deliberate and done to limit the LA exposure to the tenant's damage.

In addition, the LA seems incompetent about responding to the landlord with queries and even knowing whether or not the gas safety certificate is currently valid so their record keeping is poor.

Generally, the contracts with the landlord do not cover the condition of the property after its been handed back.

One HA that was contacted actually expected the property to be furnished at the outset and handed back with none left, plus required additional changes under health and safety that isn't required by law, just their own rules (locks removed from internal doors, extra door fitted on open corridor to kitchen, all glass shelves removed, pond filled in, etc). Obviously, the HA is daft to expect the landlord to lose thousands of pounds worth of furniture and pay hundreds of pounds to make changes to the property to suit social housing preferences.

K_and_N

Thank you for your replies.

Looking at those advice, I don't think I'll pursue this option further. Sounds like loads of trouble to me.

Thanks again.

K & N

Jowo_2

Some councils operate referral lists where private landlords can select a tenant who is on benefits and therefore the landlord can screen the tenant for suitability and manage the letting themselves and through an agent rather than being locked into a 3 year thing with no control. Don't write either option off, look into the pros and cons much further and your appetite for risk versus security. Take a look at the HB forum on Landlordzone to see how some landlords manage HB/LHA tenants and their hints and tips for success.