Too young to rent.. Apparently

jimpix12

Hi all.. Quick question and would appreciate advice, I visited a property to let, was near enough a perfect place and I've been looking for for a while... my offer was accepted, however the landlord then declined to meet me and cancelled after finding out that I was "too young" (24). It's a standard house, not a "seniors" place, etc. I am not interested in any sort of legal nonsense, I'll let it go, but I was wondering if that was in fact legal? I guess it's "their" property after all.

I've been renting for 6 years now since I was 18 and this strikes me as very odd and I found it quite offensive to be honest.

gratefulforhelp_2

Given that you can legally sign a rental contract under 18 as you are providing yourself with a necessity of life, then I would think this could be classed as discrimination on the grounds of age, which is, with a few exceptions, illegal.

If someone has told you this direct, they are a twit, they could have said "I had other applicants who I preferred" and there would be sugar all you could do.

But do you want to be bothered chasing this up?

Wee_Willy_Harris

I'm afraid you appear to have fallen foul of the SRR (Shared Room Rate) age restriction. Until you are 25, if you have to claim LHA, all you will get is the SRR, which is very low and unlikely to cover the rent on self contained accommodation. This age limit is soon to be moved to 35.

Wee_Willy_Harris

gratefulforhelp wrote: »

Given that you can legally sign a rental contract under 18 .............

No you can't. It is, in essence, a credit agreement.

tamarto

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

No you can't. It is, in essence, a credit agreement.

I was renting from the council under the age of 18, were they really breaking the law?

property.advert

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

I'm afraid you appear to have fallen foul of the SRR (Shared Room Rate) age restriction. Until you are 25, if you have to claim LHA, all you will get is the SRR, which is very low and unlikely to cover the rent on self contained accommodation. This age limit is soon to be moved to 35.

The OP did not state that he was on housing benefit. Only if he were would your argument be valid.

Wee_Willy_Harris

property.advert wrote: »

The OP did not state that he was on housing benefit. Only if he were would your argument be valid.

A LL, letting a property for a minimum of 6 months, will look into every eventuality. Neither you, I, or even the OP can, in these "exciting" times, offer any guarantee of continuous employment for the duration of any tenacy agreement offered. THAT is why many LLs are reluctant to take under 25 singles.

Wee_Willy_Harris

tamarto wrote: »

I was renting from the council under the age of 18, were they really breaking the law?

They have slightly different tenancies for under 18s.

slyracoon

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

A LL, letting a property for a minimum of 6 months, will look into every eventuality. Neither you, I, or even the OP can, in these "exciting" times, offer any guarantee of continuous employment for the duration of any tenacy agreement offered. THAT is why many LLs are reluctant to take under 25 singles.

He never mentioned that he was single. The SRR LHA rate is only applicable to singles.

tamarto

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

They have slightly different tenancies for under 18s.

Sightly off topic (ok a lot off topic) but what are the differences?

CloudCuckooLand

Maybe he lives next door, and assumes all 24-yr olds will be noisy, have loads of mates/parties, etc...

A Letting Agent saying, off the cuff, "too young" is not discrimination on the part of the landlord. The landlord may have said "I'd prefer this other applicant", then the LA tried to sweeten the rejection with a casual comment...

Perhaps the OP's old thread makes the LL worried about his relationship with neighbours, if he wishes to sell in the future.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/25268205#Comment_25268205 "RS or VXR8"...

Did the OP turn up in either of those, or something worse, and the LL was watching from another house, and thought "noisy thing...don't want to live next to one of those"..?!