Prospective Tenants not been in the country long!

manic

Thanks for the replies.

I've just got this from my council web-site & it appears that two couples living in a 2 bed flat is a HMO, BUT there is an exemption that has me confused. I know that 4 of the 8 flats are owner-occupied, 1 is empty - status unknown, 3 are rentals.

The standard test
Any shared house in which three or more tenants who form two or more households share basic amenities such as cooking facilities and bathrooms.
The self-contained flat test
An individual flat in which three or more tenants who form two or more households share basic amenities.

Exemptions
There are certain exemptions to the definition of an HMO.

• A building of self contained flats where two thirds or more are owner occupied

Looks like I may have to disappoint them

prudryden

manic wrote:

Thanks for the replies.

I've just got this from my council web-site & it appears that two couples living in a 2 bed flat is a HMO, BUT there is an exemption that has me confused. I know that 4 of the 8 flats are owner-occupied, 1 is empty - status unknown, 3 are rentals.


Looks like I may have to disappoint them

We are all confused. None more so than my council. The estate agents in the area had a meeting with the council and, evidently, it was a war ground.
Get this: 2 couples (4 tenants) in a two bedroom flat are ok. Three (3) unrelated people in the same flat are not ok.

manic

I have just spoken to my council. They say that the flat itself wouldn't be classed as a HMO if 2 married couples lived there. The building may be classed as such later on if it doesn't meet the requirements, but they have a list of "thousands" & will prioritise them when they have completed the project.

prudryden

Many thanks for that. May I ask what council this is? Did they say what two unrelated sharers (not a couple) sharing the same two bed flat would be?

barnaby-bear

prudryden wrote:

Many thanks for that. May I ask what council this is? Did they say what two unrelated sharers (not a couple) sharing the same two bed flat would be?

Two unrelated sharers in a two person flat share is the only exception to single household for HMOs...

manic

clutton wrote:

ANYone who is living in the premises needs to be on the AST


With the greatest of respect, i think you should be getting a good letting agent to be doing this for you - you clearly do not have a lot of experience, and this could cost you Very dear if you get it wrong I am always concerned when someone wants to move in very quickly

I had my property on the market with a "good" letting agent. They had 2 viewings in almost 3 months. I put it in the paper & had a viewing and a prospective tenant within a week, naively, I thought we had a verbal agreement, only for them to stitch me up & make up some lie about moving up north. In the mean time I turned down 3 or 4 viewings :mad:. LESSON LEARNT :rolleyes:.

clutton_2

lesson learnt - that LA's are rubbish ? or that you need a little more experience in lettings yourself ?

many tenants who are not "credit-checkable" will go for small ads in local papers, rather than LA - in the hope the the LL does not do the full checks.

i don't stop showing prospective tenants round until i have a signed AST

clutton_2

lesson learnt - that LA's are rubbish ? or that you need a little more experience in lettings yourself ?

many tenants who are not "credit-checkable" will go for small ads in local papers, rather than LA - in the hope the the LL does not do the full checks.

i don't stop showing prospective tenants round until i have a signed AST

Voyager2002

With the greatest of respect, I would ask why you are playing immigration officer and asking to look at their passports? Surely that is none of your business?

Again, since the credit referencing is for your benefit rather than theirs, it is a little unreasonable to make them pay for it. You should certainly not charge them more than the actual cost of the service you use.

I agree that you should contact previous employers and landlords, and it is absolutely essential that all four adults sign contracts.

prudryden

Voyager2002 wrote:

With the greatest of respect, I would ask why you are playing immigration officer and asking to look at their passports? Surely that is none of your business?

Again, since the credit referencing is for your benefit rather than theirs, it is a little unreasonable to make them pay for it. You should certainly not charge them more than the actual cost of the service you use.

I agree that you should contact previous employers and landlords, and it is absolutely essential that all four adults sign contracts.

Thank you for the respect. In answer to your legitimate question:

(1) As they are not normally resident in this country, I want to know that they are who they say they are.

(2) Most references can be forged or come from friends posing as employers, passports are much more difficult. Not impossible mind you.

(3) Banks, investment companies, currency exhange facilities etc. are doing it, why not me?

(4) It's my property, I can ask for whatever I want.

(5) They have no obligation to provide the passport and, the inverse, I have no obligation to rent them the flat.

(6) I would particularly be concerned in the OP's case because they seem to want to move in quickly, which does provide a reasonable excuse to be a bit more cautious.