At Last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wee_Willy_Harris

Londonsu wrote: »

Yeah right

There is nothing in it to say you must use your HB to pay your rent and nothing to say you dont have to. A get out clause for the !!!!less IMO

I would suggest you look at the DWP website and their list of what HB does not cover and ergo should not be claimed for or used for.

these include

Water
Council tax
Furniture
and Fuel

I will still say that people who take tax payers money for rent should use that money for that purpose hopefully the law will be changed to ensure that they do so.

No-one wants to see families on the street, but if those same families dont pay their landlords what is owed even though they are given money to do so, then they only have themselves to blame, you call it taking personal responsibility I call it being dishonest

dont think we will agree on this somehow

Your list from the DWP identifies specific limits to entitlement. However, should an individual wish to use HB/LHA payment to contribute towards those costs, that has nothing to do with you or I. Obviously, the rent liability remains regardless and ignoring that is a sure route to eviction and subsequent homelessness. But that's all part of personal responsibility.

There is one caviat surrounding the payment of rent, and that is the ability, as defined within the legislation, of the LL to obtain direct payments if the rent account is in arrears. So your wish has been granted to a certain extent.

tbs624

mchale wrote: »

.......New research launched at the conference reveals that almost nine in ten landlords (88.3%) will not cut rents to housing claimants.

It also found that almost half (43.4%) will stop renting their properties to housing benefit tenants.

Alan Ward, RLA chairman, said he was not surprised by the research: “It is clear that many LHA landlords are still intending to reduce their properties in this sector, about which the RLA has warned for over a year. The fundamental problem of direct payment must be resolved quickly, without a rent reduction.

Your blurb from the RLA has the usual evasive "research" quotes . It would be helpful to see the full info. Is that 43.4% of the RLA's or BPF's members who let to HB/LHA claimants? Is it 43.4% of those who bothered to respond to a tickbox sheet? 43.4% of all LLs who let to HB/LHA claimants. Without the background the quoted stats are irrelevant.

Most LLs do very well out of LHA/HB - they buy up cheaper properties in specific areas and get a fair old return on their "investment"

mchale

tbs624 wrote: »

Your blurb from the RLA has the usual evasive "research" quotes . It would be helpful to see the full info. Is that 43.4% of the RLA's or BPF's members who let to HB/LHA claimants? Is it 43.4% of those who bothered to respond to a tickbox sheet? 43.4% of all LLs who let to HB/LHA claimants. Without the background the quoted stats are irrelevant.

Most LLs do very well out of LHA/HB - they buy up cheaper properties in specific areas and get a fair old return on their "investment"

I was more interested in the £276 million stolen from decent citizens by the unscrupulous tenants

B_Blank

mchale wrote: »

I was more interested in the £276 million stolen from decent citizens by the unscrupulous tenants

LL arent decent citizens. They are parasites.:mad:

mchale

B_Blank wrote: »

LL arent decent citizens. They are parasites.:mad:

Keep up, I was referring to the money that taxpayers pay to our government, which in turn is paid out as benefits, try reading my posts.

B_Blank

mchale wrote: »

Keep up, I was referring to the money that taxpayers pay to our government, which in turn is paid out as benefits, try reading my posts.

I agree with the other poster who says it is better for all concerned that the money isnt given to the LL but it spent in shops etc. by the ppl who recieve the housing benefit. LL just consume the money and use it to buy another house they dont need to exploit more young and poorer people. Disgusting.

tbs624

mchale wrote: »

I was more interested in the £276 million stolen from decent citizens by the unscrupulous tenants

That's a figure that has been quoted by letting agents from tenancies *across the board*, ie not merely from Ts who are HB/LHA claimants but let's not let the facts get in the way of some sensationalist headlines ......

As with the other percentages etc bandied about, and repeated from one site to another, there seems to be little evidence of how they arrived at that figure.

Londonsu

B_Blank wrote: »

I agree with the other poster who says it is better for all concerned that the money isnt given to the LL but it spent in shops etc. by the ppl who recieve the housing benefit. LL just consume the money and use it to buy another house they dont need to exploit more young and poorer people. Disgusting.

Oh what a good idea

I'll do the same in reverse

I will tell the tax man I dont want to pay £800 per month in tax and NI I want to spend it all in the shops to get the economy moving.

After all why should my tax money go to line the pockets of greedy politicians, why should I pay for the running costs of things I dont own.

I'll e mail them in the morning and let you know what they say.
I expect their answer will be the same as the one I will give you.

Just because you dont like or approve of the person/organisation the money is paid to, does not negate the fact that the money needs to be paid.


And just because you are are envious and full of spite towards the person/organisation you are paying to provide you with a service does not mean that you can just refuse to pay yet still expect to have the service.

Your argument is total rubbish

Morglin

mchale wrote: »

LHA TENANTS WHO ‘PLAY THE SYSTEM’ WILL BE INVESTIGATED

Welfare Minister Lord Freud has pledged to look at the problems caused by housing benefit tenants who refuse to pay their landlords and ‘play the system’ to live rent free.

Quizzed on the Government’s welfare reforms during the British Property Federation’s residential conference, Lord Freud promised to consider landlords’ concerns over issues around tenant debt. Figures reveal that £276m of rent went unpaid in the private rented sector in December alone.

Lord Freud suggested that “extra protection” could be offered to landlords, who at present find it takes more than three months to evict non-paying housing benefit tenants, with no chance of ever reclaiming the money.

He said: “What I don’t like seeing is people messing you around and you losing 12 weeks’ rent every time someone does a bunk.”

Lord Freud told delegates: “I am determined we have a constructive relationship going forward, over the long term, in the interests of both parties,” he said.

He confirmed that landlords prepared to “meet us half way” by lowering their rents could expect a return to direct payment of Local Housing Allowance.

Ian Fletcher, Director of Policy at the British Property Federation, said: “The limited offer of a return to direct payment is welcome, but many landlords remain to be convinced that they should stay in the housing benefit market when they could easily take paying tenants, particularly in areas of high demand. Taxpayers deserve better than hundreds of millions of lost money each year that should be being paid out on housing.”

New research launched at the conference reveals that almost nine in ten landlords (88.3%) will not cut rents to housing claimants.

It also found that almost half (43.4%) will stop renting their properties to housing benefit tenants.

Alan Ward, RLA chairman, said he was not surprised by the research: “It is clear that many LHA landlords are still intending to reduce their properties in this sector, about which the RLA has warned for over a year. The fundamental problem of direct payment must be resolved quickly, without a rent reduction.

“However, if the minister considers it politically expedient, this research shows that it should be limited to a maximum of 5% to minimise the impact in a sector where margins are particularly under pressure.”

I think both parts of private renting need to be looked at.

Rent should, where possible, be paid directly to the landlord, to avoid non-payment.

In return, I think that the old 'fair rents' system needs to be bought back to stop some of the ridiculous prices some landlords charge.

There should also be much tougher regulations/laws/penalties around 'poor landlords' - those that do get paid but are very reluctant/unwilling to maintain their properties to an acceptable standard.

Lin