Tenants asking to not pay rent this month

ifeelsad

Even if my bank said I could not pay the mortgage this month, they wouldn't be writing that money off, they'd simply be deferring that payment (and charging interest on it for that time). It's very different to say "can I please pay you the rent when I get wages from my new job in 2 weeks?" to "can you give me £600 out of the goodness of your heart, please?"

Anyway, after I replied to them yesterday, half the rent went into my account. No information on when I will get the other half but I told them that I expect the full April rent by the end of this month at the latest, and next month's on the 15th as usual.

In the meantime, DH has been reading all up on section 21.

For everyone saying I've been too soft. I know I have, so I've just got to be firmer from now on. But now they have made 3 late/part payments they are treading on thin ice as one more late payment and they could be evicted. I know they want to stay here long-term hence them redecorating so it's in their best interests to be on their best behaviour from now on, and I shall be reminding them of this.

PasturesNew

Sit outside the house, then follow them to Tesco - and everything they put in their trolley that isn't gruel and basics range, take it out, put it back on the shelf and say "you can't afford that, you've rent to pay".

What a wonderful world that'd be, eh

Errata

No money to pay the rent this month has suddenly turned into 'oops here's half the rent we just found it down the back of the sofa'.

What a surprise!

G_M

Errata wrote: »

No money to pay the rent this month has suddenly turned into 'oops here's half the rent we just found it down the back of the sofa'.

What a surprise!

Does the sofa have a matching armchair perhaps.............?

RAS

Given that the deposit was protected late (after the renewal), are there any implications for the OP if she uses section 8 or section 21?

OP did you have a proper dual signed inventory at the start of the tenancy?
Did you have another inventory when the tenancy was renewed?
Do you have copies of the inventories?

dktreesea

ifeelsad wrote: »

The problem is I have been too nice and I appreciate this, but I feel that because of that I can't suddenly go "get out straight away" with no warning. I am hardening up with my attitude to them and hopefully this will be enough but if not it's good to know I have options.

Also I called the council in my lunch break. I told them that I needed to discuss a tenant, that I know they received housing benefit back in November as they sent me a copy of the award letter, and that they hadn't paid their rent. They said "nothing we can do about it, you need to talk to the tenant". And just repeated this at me several times every time I asked anything, then said I can only get HB paid to me if they get 8 weeks in arrears.

So it seems like they don't care if HB money is not actually used for rent, until they haven't paid rent for 2 months.

I'm not surprised that some LLs state no HB tenants.

Yes, unfortunately of you want a council house but can't get one unless you are evicted, provided you could show you genuinely couldn't afford the rent, being evicted could well get you a council house.


However that strategy wouldn't work in this case, because the tenants can afford to pay - i.e. they get hb coommiserate with what they can afford to pay themselves, so a top up if they require it, but chose not to pass it on.


If the house is tip top condition, then I'd say just go ahead and evict them. Problem is if they have a reason to withold the rent,for instance if they need repairs done which are your responsiblity and they don't do them. Then the question arises, why haven't you met your obligations as a landlord? not say this is the case, but if it were, I could understand why they would withhold the rent.

anselld

RAS wrote: »

Given that the deposit was protected late (after the renewal), are there any implications for the OP if she uses section 8 or section 21?

OP did you have a proper dual signed inventory at the start of the tenancy?
Did you have another inventory when the tenancy was renewed?
Do you have copies of the inventories?

The OP did not say the deposit was late protected as far as I can see.

They said there was a delay in transferring between agent and OP when management changed. The deposit would have been continuously protected through that process so no penalties would apply.

SnooksNJ

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Read G_M's guide for New Landlords.









You are running a business and your cashflow or lack of is not your tenant's concern. If repairs need done then they need done. That said it's possible that not all of the repairs they have reported were necessary. Almost certainly you could have told them to poke it about the carpets.

If you would struggle to cover void periods and arrears is BTL really the best investment for you?




Good question but it's not up to you to make up for whatever they've blown HB on by giving them a free month.

Maybe tenant's should care that not paying rent could cause landlords trouble in paying their bills.

ifeelsad

dktreesea wrote: »

Yes, unfortunately of you want a council house but can't get one unless you are evicted, provided you could show you genuinely couldn't afford the rent, being evicted could well get you a council house.


However that strategy wouldn't work in this case, because the tenants can afford to pay - i.e. they get hb coommiserate with what they can afford to pay themselves, so a top up if they require it, but chose not to pass it on.


If the house is tip top condition, then I'd say just go ahead and evict them. Problem is if they have a reason to withold the rent,for instance if they need repairs done which are your responsiblity and they don't do them. Then the question arises, why haven't you met your obligations as a landlord? not say this is the case, but if it were, I could understand why they would withhold the rent.

I agree if we hadn't met our obligations it wouldn't be surprising they would withhold rent. They withheld rent from the agents before as they felt they weren't keeping up their side of the deal.

But any repairs they have requested from us have been sorted immediately.

SnooksNJ wrote: »

Maybe tenant's should care that not paying rent could cause landlords trouble in paying their bills.

They should, because they apparently want to stay in the house long-term, and have invested time and money improving the look of it, but it's getting to be more hassle than it's worth not knowing from one month to the next if the rent will go in on time. We're getting to the point of seriously considering selling it if/when the current tenants move out (or are evicted)

Pixie5740

Have you seen any of these "improvements" your tenants have done? Do they look ok or will you have to spend money re-decorating when they eventually go, by hook or by crook, to either sell or get new tenants?

Have your tenants managed to pay the full rent yet or is it still just half?