Do I have to tell my landlord if I am on housing benefit?

janeawej

Hi asking on behalf of my daughters friend who is 18 and a single mum expecting her first baby in March. She is looking to rent a property but is worried because a friend of hers rented somewhere about 4 weeks ago and the council made the landlord sign a statement saying they knew she was claiming HB. I have a house i rent out and I know my tenants (in their 40's with one child) claim HB but only because they told me, i didnt have to sign anything and the council / Hb people didnt contact me, so I am confused about this, is it a new rule or is it because they are young single people or is it not true at all? Any advice welcome. Thanks J

BitterAndTwisted

It's not HB it's now LHA (Local Housing Allowance) which is paid direct to the tenant. Perhaps in the example you repeated the tenant couldn't show a signed tenancy agreement and that's why the Local Authority needed confirmation from the landlord.

theartfullodger

Do I have to tell my landlord if I am on housing benefit?

No, but you may need his help to countersign some local council form. Also, you letting LL know your true position is probably preferable to him finding out some other way (eg a letter from the council).

Be Honest! Be upfront! It;s the traditional British way!

Cheers!

Artful

Wee_Willy_Harris

A sensible LL will expect to see some evidence of how she intends to pay her rent. Having said that, even this message board throws up enough examples for you to realise that not all LLs are sensible.

Wee_Willy_Harris

theartfullodger wrote: »

Blimey! I always thought you couldn't be a LL if you were sensible!!

Granted, it seems to be frowned upon.

janeawej

Thanks, for your advice, as a (honest) landlord I do ask how the rent will be paid and am happy to accept tenants claiming housing benefit if they have good references. However it does seem to be difficult for people to rent properties in this area of they are claiming HB

BitterAndTwisted

That's because it's paid direct to the tenants so landlords can't be 100% certain that it will be passed on responsibly.

Gwhiz

I don't know the circumstances but it's so sad a reflection on our society to hear of yet another single teenage mum

tbs624

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

That's because it's paid direct to the tenants so landlords can't be 100% certain that it will be passed on responsibly.

no more than LLs can be 100% certain that *any* T will pay their rent in full and on time......

Wee_Willy_Harris

tbs624 wrote: »

no more than LLs can be 100% certain that *any* T will pay their rent in full and on time......

And, of course, only LHA tenants give the LL the facility to have the money paid direct to them if there are modest arrears.

mchale

theartfullodger wrote: »

No, but you may need his help to countersign some local council form. Also, you letting LL know your true position is probably preferable to him finding out dome other way (eg a letter from the council).

Be Honest! Be upfront! It;s the traditional British way!

Cheers!

Artful

Surprised at your answer, what about LL insurance policy if it exempts HB tenants ?????