Help my confusion on rent due with LHA

Viberduo

Apologies if confusing I am mildly autistic

Situation is moved to property 3rd June, paid 2 months in advance I did assume that covered me to 3rd August but about the 8th July got phone call from LL saying I owed arrears! turns out I always have to be 2 months in advance.

Landlord has been pestering me until last Monday I found out my LHA had been assessed at £59 a week(rent is £275 a calendar month) and a payment of around £417 would be paid at the end of last week.

Got a phone call from LL today quite rudely saying my LHA doesnt cover my entire rent, this is true but I worked it out as if its £142 currently in credit and on the 3rd August I would be due to pay £130(though I wont be paid to around the 17th) but LL just says top up is £20 a month therefore I am due to pay £20 a month starting 3rd August but I am thinking that means I will always have a £140 credit that LL is making money off.

PasturesNew

Did you pay 2 months in advance, or was it 1 month's deposit (put into a deposit scheme) and the first month's rent up front?

You're right, the rest is confusing.

I presume you get paid your LHA (and it's not direct to the LL). Or does he get it direct each week and you have to top it up?

Viberduo

2 months for definite note a month plus desposit which I have checked and been told this may be illegal but also they may have got out of it by wording contract in a specific way.

Either way the more confusing part is if I pay the £20 from the next rent due date I will be about £142 in credit most of the time.

PasturesNew

Yes you'll be in credit most of the time, but it keeps a roof over your head and any perception that he's "making money" from this is an illusion. Even if he were getting 2% on that £140 over a year it'd only be £2.80 .... and he'd have to pay tax on it.

Viberduo

PasturesNew wrote: »

Yes you'll be in credit most of the time, but it keeps a roof over your head and any perception that he's "making money" from this is an illusion. Even if he were getting 2% on that £140 over a year it'd only be £2.80 .... and he'd have to pay tax on it.

Its more the idea that that £142 could be a lifeline for me plus they never made it clear that the 2nd months rent was constant so instead of me relaxing I had no rent to pay for months I find out I will basically be about £417 in credit all the time of living there but will be periods where I will be struggling to put food on the table.

What I also think of is that if they want to have that much credit then I should get good treatment i.e if something is faulty in the property they should fix it though.

I want the least confusing way of doing thing and as is seems to be beneficial to the LL not me at the moment.

tomtontom

Letting is ultimately to the benefit of the landlord, they would not do it otherwise!

What exactly does your tenancy agreement say about payment in advance?

Okydoky25

Did you pay 2 months rent plus a deposit on top?

NYM

Always being 2 months in advance with your rent suggests to me that no deposit was taken, perhaps to avoid paying it into a TDP ?

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Viberduo wrote: »

Apologies if confusing I am mildly autistic

Situation is moved to property 3rd June, paid 2 months in advance I did assume that covered me to 3rd August but about the 8th July got phone call from LL saying I owed arrears! turns out I always have to be 2 months in advance.

Landlord has been pestering me until last Monday I found out my LHA had been assessed at £59 a week(rent is £275 a calendar month) and a payment of around £417 would be paid at the end of last week.

Got a phone call from LL today quite rudely saying my LHA doesnt cover my entire rent, this is true but I worked it out as if its £142 currently in credit and on the 3rd August I would be due to pay £130(though I wont be paid to around the 17th) but LL just says top up is £20 a month therefore I am due to pay £20 a month starting 3rd August but I am thinking that means I will always have a £140 credit that LL is making money off.

As a landlord myself the two months credit is due to the notice period your landlord has to give you - ie 2 months. That way if the landlord gives notice to quit he won't find the tenant refusing to pay and vacating owing rent arrears.