Can you lie to landlords?

Keeping

Obviously I would rather tell them the truth but the truth isn't getting me very far at the moment. When you rent out a property from a landlord, what information do they usually want to see from you?

Basically I am on long term disability benefit and I've looked at 100's of properties and I just can't find a landlord who will accept housing benefit. Could I just lie to them and say I am self employed? Just tell the landlord that I work from home doing web development?

What evidence are they likely to ask for from me? Perhaps a bank statement showing my income or something?

Really don't want to lie but I'm running out of options

Stevie_Palimo

Lies will get nowhere I'm afraid.

thesaint

Not sure if serious?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Social housing?

http://www.colchester.gov.uk/article/3978/Gateway-to-Homechoice

GwylimT

I would still have to refuse you as the estate my rental property is on has a restrictive covenant meaning you cannot run a business from the premises.

I do not accept tenants who receive housing benefit as our BTL doesn't allow it, and therefore it isn't something our insurance covers either.

We do a credit check, we also explicitly ask all prospective tenants if they receive housing benefit and explain why we are unable to take tenants who do receive housing benefit. If we did find out our tenant was on HB unfortunately we would have to issue an s21 as not only would the mortgage lender not be happy, we wouldn't be insured!

Try not to get down hearted, you will find somewhere, have you approaches your LHA?

Svenena

There's no point lying - you'd be caught out very easily. Having to show bank statements is very likely.

When I was unemployed and looking for a place to live, I phoned letting agents and asked for details of properties whose landlords would accept local housing allowance. No point looking without checking this first.

Another thing to try would be landlords not going via agents, as agents often have a blanket policy of not accepting those on benefits. Try Gumtree, or local advertisement websites or papers. There are sometimes Facebook groups advertising accommodation for a city or town too. Good luck!

Keeping

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

Social housing?


I am already registered on this website but it's just a waiting game with no fixed date. It's all done by band and the length of time you have been on the list.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

jaylee3

You will get found out. Don't lie.

Cornucopia

Some Local Authorities have schemes for Private Landlords. I would definitely check with them, as I believe (a) the schemes can be less restrictive re: housing points, and (b) your disability benefits will equate to a particular level of points, anyway.

What is the scenario requiring you to move? If your present accommodation is unsuitable, or has become unsuitable, you should be able to get assistance.

edit: Found this... (assumed Essex from the above post).

http://www.dssmove.co.uk/property/search/?list_type=list&sortby=created_at&order=desc&agent_id=&pcode=&county=Essex&location=Essex&radius=&bed-min=&bed-max=&type=&price-min=&price-max=

JeLaw

GwylimT wrote: »

I would still have to refuse you as the estate my rental property is on has a restrictive covenant meaning you cannot run a business from the premises.

I do not accept tenants who receive housing benefit as our BTL doesn't allow it, and therefore it isn't something our insurance covers either.

We do a credit check, we also explicitly ask all prospective tenants if they receive housing benefit and explain why we are unable to take tenants who do receive housing benefit. If we did find out our tenant was on HB unfortunately we would have to issue an s21 as not only would the mortgage lender not be happy, we wouldn't be insured!

Try not to get down hearted, you will find somewhere, have you approaches your LHA?

Just out of interest. Would you include freelancers as running a business from home? I've worked from home in the past and have counted as self-employed for HMRC, but it wasn't really a business. It was me freelancing and performing services for various clients and companies, which did sometimes involve working from their premises but sometimes working from home on my laptop.

Also what would you (or your mortgage lender) do if your tenant has to start claiming benefits mid-contract? Anyone can lose their job or become ill. Legally you can't evict someone for that reason and would have to wait for the lease to expire.

OP, I sympathise and really hope you find somewhere. It's not easy being disabled or ill as it is without struggling to find somewhere to live. I'm lucky that I have some savings but know I'd find things so much more difficult if not.

I would suggest asking your council for advice. They almost certainly have long waiting lists for social housing but might be able to help with finding a private landlord who accepts tenants on benefits.

I don't think you'd get away with lying because most landlords will want to see some proof of income.

cloo

Yes, I'd always thought restrictive covenants just mean that a property can't be used as, say, a shop or a factory or something that might cause people to be going in and out of the property all day in a way inappropriate for an area of residential character, but I don't think someone working from home designing web pages and maybe having one or two visitors a day is going to fall under that.