DSS tenant or students with no guarrantor

fumken

Please help! I have had my house on the market for over two months, because a deal fell through as tenants failed refs and had no guarrantor. The agent had previously lied that they passed, so I refused others and lost on all sides.

Now finally another agent (newly formed) say they have a prospective tenant. She is a young single mother of 2 (age 10 girl and baby boy). She claimed she would get full rent paid by council for a 3 bed (£1150) and everything would be done in 2 days. 3 weeks on, we are still here. Last Friday, I gave the agents an ultimatum, because I asked for refs from agents and details of her guarrantor and confirmation that I can contact council and will be paid directly and yet nothing had been sent. They still have not given me, but they now want me to sign a tenancy agreement first, claiming she wants to move in this weekend and they want to personally take the form to the council and that is when they can confirm how much council will pay????

I got another offer from the third agent that they have a "lovely chinese couple who are students" no guarrantor but will pay 3 months in advance. Offer is £1050 as opposed to £1150). I am so confused and fed up. Which is better?
Should I leave house empty or take risk? Which risk is better. I refuse to sign anything from option A without conditions.
Thanks.

bumpoowee

Why are the students a risk? More specifically why are you a landlord if you don't want to take any risk? Why should the students have a guarantor? just because your mother still washes your skidmarks doesn't mean everyone else is dependent on theirs.

fumken

Thank you. You have not actually offered any help here. They are foreign students with no roots here and no guarrantor, so in my view they are a risk. They have obviously considered themselves a risk, if they are offering to pay such a large advance without being asked. Everyone takes a level of 'calculated' risk. Sorry if that bothers you.
I have only asked for advice not insults.
Thanks.

G_M

why are you a landlord if you don't want to take any risk?

All letting is a risk but there are degrees of risk. Different LLs have different circumstances and different outlooks. So it's up to each LL to decide which is most important: minimising the risk or getting tenants signed up fast.

If risk concerns you, and your post implies it does, then [EMAIL="DON@T"]DON'T[/EMAIL] sign the contract with the single mum till you have the guarantor and/or confirmation from council etc. That's not 'washing skidmarks', it's responsible caution.

The Chinese students? Maybe great tenants and obviously have some capital. But what happens if in month 4 the rent doesn't come. arrears build up, then eventually they go back to China? No UK guarantor? You're stuffed!

On the other hand if you have capital yourself to fall back on, are willing to take more of a gamble and just want the property rented, then go for one of them!

skint-student-nurse

hmm,i personally wouldnt sign for the DSS tennant until you get hold of something in writing from the benefits dept at the local council,like a pre-tennancy determination on how much they will pay (this is done by the potential tennant and should be handed to the eatate agent,who should confirm it with you) and if the tennant does move into the property,they should be made aware that they will have to make up any shortfall from what they get in housing benefit and what they need to pay you.

i appriciate what you are saying about the students, we struggled for ages to get someone into our empty flat and it took us three estate agents to do their job properly,is there a third estate agent you could approach? hope this helps in some way!

G_M

ps - without wishing to scaremonger unnecessarily, or generalise overly, but there is a growing problem, typified by tenants offering rent-in-advance.. see

here

Fire_Fox

Foreign students are usually much better off than the average student and often mature. They have to pay huge fees to come here to study so they may not bat an eyelid if you ask for six months payable in advance.

delain

£1150?? Where is it, Kensington??

You can check how much she is entitled to towards her rent here: https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Secure/LHARateSearch.aspx?SearchType=LA

Also check your local council's guidelines on whether she is actually entitled to the 3 bed rate. With only two children she may not yet as one is only a baby and the other is not 13. It's not the same everywhere so check it out!

RecoveringAlcoholic

Yvette Tamara was devastated to discover her 200-year old cottage had been used as a cannabis farm. Yvette, 50, is divorced with two grown-up children and lives in Maidstone, Kent.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1219071/It-happened-My-house-used-cannabis-farm.html#ixzz0Uhr9VINW



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Oldernotwiser

Under curent LHA rules (the new Housing Benefit), rent can't be paid direct to the LL except in exceptional circumstances .

mchale

RecoveringAlcoholic wrote: »

Yvette Tamara was devastated to discover her 200-year old cottage had been used as a cannabis farm. Yvette, 50, is divorced with two grown-up children and lives in Maidstone, Kent.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1219071/It-happened-My-house-used-cannabis-farm.html#ixzz0Uhr9VINW



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Did she sight and copy any ID, if she did, she wouldnt be in the state she is in now