Tenant on Housing Benefit

tbs624

clutton wrote: »

with the amount of rent outstanding you needn't bother adding up repairs costs.. you will be entitled to all the deposit for rent arrears i would have thought

OP can of course attempt to pursue T/guarantor for dilapidations costs if rent repayments effectively eat up the tenancy deposit.Some LLs will of course write it off, depending on how high the bill is, and simply set it down on their tax return.

clutton wrote: »

you are not allowed to charge for our own time as a LL - but you can submit receipts from others for work done on your behalf.. bonkers....

Not bonkers at all - LLs personal time expenditure is simply part and parcel of the overall property rental. Some properties obviously require a greater input of LL time than others.

skintsue

tbs624 wrote: »

skintsue - how in-depth was the start of tenancy inventory? Did both parties sign it?

The woman came round for about 2 hours going through each room dictating messages about the sizes, colour scheme, carpets, light points, sockets etc.
She seemed very thorough but again, because it was arranged through the agent, I believed it when I was told that it was in order and kept on file, so I haven't actually seen it.:mad: HOWEVER, hubby went round the morning of the move, took over 150 photos which are dated of every aspect of the house, inside and out, before taking the keys to the agents office.
I am hoping that the inventory is in order, just because the agents are acting in a questionable manner doesn't mean everyone they deal with is.

Clutton asked -

which deposit scheme did you use sue ?

The agents put into one of the approved ones, but I can't find any paperwork which identifies which, but I have been charged £20 for keeping it whichever it was.
At least that's what they told me, and confirmed it again when I questioned it last week, when I demanded that the tenant does not get a penny until the quotes are in, and the rent is paid in full.

I rang the agents again this morning, as they were informed she was doing the runner the before she went.
Runner Day (Thursday) - no e-mails, text messages, phone calls to home or mobile.
Friday - RD+1 - No contact at all.
Today - I rang them, nothing back. Maybe they don't have any news, or staff to call round and check etc, but it is not very professional, and hints at more than just embarassment.

Worst thing about today? - I've had to tell my Mum.

BitterAndTwisted

What about the hint that the agent was seen with this tenant viewing a different property? If I were in your position I would have been standing outside their office this morning waiting for them to open up.

After everything you have disclosed about this experience with this carp agent I would assume that every day you do not hear from them is another day of a$$covering going on. If I were the agent I'd be soiling my skivvies

clutton_2

sue go onto all three tenancy deposit schemes and input your postcode and see if the agent HAS registered the deposit.

the agent may still, legitimately, have the deposit money, depending on which scheme they used.

skintsue

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

What about the hint that the agent was seen with this tenant viewing a different property?

If I were in your position I would have been standing outside their office this morning waiting for them to open up.

After everything you have disclosed about this experience with this carp agent I would assume that every day you do not hear from them is another day of a$$covering going on. If I were the agent I'd be soiling my skivvies

It wasn't a hint - they took the tenant to a house they are advertising next door to my friends house. He had already been keeping the owner up to date in a general way about my problems with the LA. He spoke to the LL after she and LA had gone, who gave enough info for them to put 2+2 together. The clincher was the car - very much a one off and he quoted the registration to me, and it was the same.

I'm trying to find out where she has gone to and check if it's another of their properties, and if the LL knows. Oh Boy, if it is I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they realise I know.

I would have been waiting outside, but I'd like some more ammo before I go in all guns blazing.
FYI - That is a metaphore, not a declaration of intent. I would only wish to have a discussion with the relevant staff to express my disappointment.;)

They are probably barricading their briefs with armour plating to protect themselves from the a$$kicking they are going to get from Head Office when this is in the public domain.
They might not give a damn about me, but what happens when they loose clients, and their management fees?
All the low life will be banging on their doors to get them to find a house, and all the decent LL's will be doing a runner.
It's a cut throat business at the moment, and the LA's are crying out for new LL's. I'm not using them again.
Makes you wonder if their claim to be so big is the volume of clients going through their books in one year, not how many stay with them after their first experience.

clutton_2

i had a row with a branch of Martin and Co - a national franchise.. and head office could not have cared less.. they were utterly utterly disinterested..... Once the franchisor gets their money they dont give a stuff

BitterAndTwisted

Sue, I think strife from Head Office or whatever you call in a franchise is a fond and understandable fantasy. Clutton's already given you her experience. I wouldn't waste much time or energy with that route, quite honestly. Not right now, in any case.

I wonder how much mileage there might be to be gained by the LL next door to your friend playing a bit of a game, stringing things a long a little and pretending that there might be the slightest chance of renting to this loathsome, criminal bint? Someone might be able to get her back to the property for a face-to-face chat with the prospective landlord so someone else could follow her or something?

If the agent has charged you twenty quid for registering the deposit this suggest that the scheme might be either TDS or MyDeposits. Why not get onto their sites to treble-check?

incorrect_2

I have been lurking on these forums for some time now and this is my first post I would just like to say how sad it is when tenants do this to their landlords I have been with the same landlord for 7years now and I do get some housing benefit. I treat this property as my home so it is well looked after and we pay ouir part of the rent on time by bank transfer. People have so many negative things to say about private landlords but there are an awful lot of bad tenants who have no respect for the property they live in or the person they rent from.

clutton_2

thank you incorrect.. how nice of you to say that... i have housed benefit tenants for 12 years, and the majority of them are great, its only the odd one that spoils it for the rest.

welcome to MSE

jamie11

I have a housing benefit tenant as well, last month I was informed she could not get to the bank to pay in her rent, well it didn't come when she said it would so I waited until yesterday and called her Mum (not really expecting to see any rent) Lo and behold, it appeared in my account today, mind you it was £40 quid short but I can live with that for a while.

I suppose it helps that Mum is her guarantor.