Landlord wants our help to convince mortgage lenders he lives here

ukbilly

Our landlord contacted us today and asked to have one of the utility bills in his name. He told us directly that this was because his mortgage lenders will charge him more interest and that if his name was on one of the utility bills, this would help him convince his lenders that he hasn't let the property.

My flatmate and I are not getting involved in any of this. Anyone else got any similar stories or advice on anything we should look out for?

Many thanks.

eco-friendly_2

He sounds like a right chancer!


Although you could put the leccy in his name, and grow cannabis in the bedroom.

Jowo_2

Find the thread on this forum by Miss Moneypenny which warns about the risks of living in a property where the landlord only has a residential mortgage and doesn't have permission to let.

Have a look at the section of the Shelter website which deals with repossession of the property by the landlord's lender and the difference in process between those that have permission to let and those that dont.

Some landlords also want to give the impression to the tax authorities that they are living in the property to avoid paying tax on rental income and evade CGT.

silvercar

Anyone else got any similar stories or advice on anything we should look out for?

Your next home?

PasturesNew

Conspiracy to defraud ... probably 18 months to 5 years.

Ulfar

Add accessory to tax evasion in as well.

poppysarah

Any post that is not for you or "the occupier" should have "Not at this address" written on it in black pen, the address scrubbed out so the postie can't try and deliver it again, and it'll get back to whoever sent it.

Jowo_2

If you are in England and Wales, did the landlord protect your deposit by lodging it in a tenancy deposit scheme?

barnaby-bear

ukbilly wrote: »

Our landlord contacted us today and asked to have one of the utility bills in his name. He told us directly that this was because his mortgage lenders will charge him more interest and that if his name was on one of the utility bills, this would help him convince his lenders that he hasn't let the property.

My flatmate and I are not getting involved in any of this. Anyone else got any similar stories or advice on anything we should look out for?

Many thanks.

Put the most expensive one in his name and don't leave a forwarding address.... and go through quidco to change suppliers....

ukbilly

Our letting agreement states that we should always forward any mail for the landlord to him which we always do.
We don't have reason to believe he's in serious arrears but he doesn't seem to pay very promptly because he always gets reminders (which we forward).
Clearly his lenders now suspect something is up, hence his phonecall today. Ordinarlly we never heard anything from him and never see him because he lives in another town.

ukbilly

Jowo wrote: »

If you are in England and Wales, did the landlord protect your deposit by lodging it in a tenancy deposit scheme?

Yes, the deposit is protected. We got the tenancy through an agency but their role was to find tenant only and they don't manage the place.

Neither the landlord nor the agents produced an inventory when we moved in but that's another story.