Can I rent house to my boyfriend?

Wee_Willy_Harris

bewilderedhelpneeded wrote: »

Ah! We hadn't even thought about that! Does it still count as his capital if his ex continues to live in the house (ie he has no way of getting hold of the capital until the house is sold when the children reach a certain age?)

Possibly..... but possibly not. They may view the equity as being releasable, and therefor available, to him.

For what it's worth, reading through this thread, it sounds like a whole heap of aggro (real and potential) for very little reward.

bewilderedhelpneeded

Catblue wrote: »

You would need to declare the relationship and it would be up to the Local Authority to decide.

What is the benefit of this to either of you? I just can't see it - there are only downsides and no upsides. You get a tricky relationship with a tenant and he gets a tricky relationship with a landlady and nothing else. If he only gets LHA for a one-bedroom place, and rents your 3 bedroom place then he will have to make up the difference himself obviously. And if he has no money now, then how on earth will he manage it month after month? And then you get to kick him out. How do you think that will affect the relationship?

Would it not be easier to let him rent another place entirely and you get a complete stranger as a tenant in? He gets his LHA paid and you get your rent with no strings on either part.

Another thing - if your ex finds out then he could make the situation look really quite bad for you. He will put a spin of "colluding with her new boyfriend to defraud the taxpayer" on it and it could really hurt you if you have ongoing financial ties with him.

Keep things separate.

If he needs to find another private house to rent he will need to find deposit whereas I would just charge monthly rent and no deposit. Also, a lot of the private houses for rent that we have seen in the paper state no housing benefit. Ive just had my BTL house renovated and new carpets put in and my bf says that it would be perfect for him.

There will be no problems with my ex - he agreed to me remortgaging my house (he has charge on it) so that I could buy the BTL, we are on very good terms and he gets on well with my bf.

Catblue

bewilderedhelpneeded wrote: »

If he needs to find another private house to rent he will need to find deposit whereas I would just charge monthly rent and no deposit.

You need to get a deposit from him. Seriously. If this really was a business arrangement, would you take on a tenant who told you that he couldn't afford a deposit?

bewilderedhelpneeded wrote: »

Also, a lot of the private houses for rent that we have seen in the paper state no housing benefit. Ive just had my BTL house renovated and new carpets put in and my bf says that it would be perfect for him.

Yes, I'm sure it will be lovely for him.

OP, the more you say, the more I fear for you. You seem desperate to "save" him.

I don't intend to be harsh here but he is a grown man and a father and he needs to be responsible for himself. His accommodation and financial problems are HIS problems, not yours.

Take a step back, be supportive to him, and encourage him to take responsibility for himself. Any other route will end up in heartache and a big financial loss on your part.

Wee_Willy_Harris

bewilderedhelpneeded wrote: »

If he needs to find another private house to rent he will need to find deposit whereas I would just charge monthly rent and no deposit. Also, a lot of the private houses for rent that we have seen in the paper state no housing benefit. Ive just had my BTL house renovated and new carpets put in and my bf says that it would be perfect for him.

There will be no problems with my ex - he agreed to me remortgaging my house (he has charge on it) so that I could buy the BTL, we are on very good terms and he gets on well with my bf.

Perfect for him, maybe. But not so tickety boo for you.

The difference between the 1 room rate and the 3 room rate can be considerable. Your own LA website will give you the rates but, out of interest, and not knowing where you live, I looked at a pretty typical area, Swindon.

1 room rate = £425 a month
3 room rate = £650 a month.

If he can't make up the £225 a month difference, that's what you will be losing. In the new year, if he is under £35, he will get the shared room rate of £303. Another £120 hit for you.

Of course, that assumes that LHA is even awarded.

McKneff

If he needs to find another private house to rent he will need to find deposit whereas I would just charge monthly rent and no deposit.

You see, youre doing it already, you are treating him differently to a normal tennant = contrived tenancy, see what I mean

PasturesNew

What if he moves in, ditches you, then moves in some new bird ... one he met at the local pub just 2 weeks before ...?

Then what'd you do? He'd have lots of rights.

Beckyy

So what will happen to the the deposit he'll get back from his current house?

Werdnal

All I can say is don't do it. There are lots of posts here relating horrible tales of woe from LLs who have let to friends, or even family, and been caught out when things go wrong. You must seriously consider whether your relationship would survive you having to kick him out of the house if the LHA dried up or he was unable to make up the difference.

It is easy to say you would run it properly as a LL/tenant should, but I can see it all turning very sour. You are bound to feel sorry for him - you are already waiving your entitlement to a deposit, so where will the favours stop? "Can't afford the rent this week love, I'll pay you next week"!

I would also be very wary of falling into the contrived tenancy trap. You will be financially benefitting from his LHA claim and it is a very fine line - when does your tenant stop being a tenant and become your partner?

BitterAndTwisted

PLEASE, DO NOT DO THIS!

An arrangement of this kind means that you are taking on all of the risks and he none.

Do not ever do business with friends or family. It WILL end in tears, I promise you.

Emmzi

If you would like a financially dependent project, please consider fostering or weekend respite care. It is much more rewarding.

I am sorry if that sounds harsh. I have been you, I have been the rescuer so many times. It creates a massive power imbalance in the relationship and then you're done a few months later. The difference here is that you will also have the pain of eviction.

Do not do this, if you want your relationship to survive, or if you don't have a giant trust fund to keep you going.