Receiving Housing Benefit and have Greedy Landlord

HappyMJ

JasonBat wrote: »

Thanks. I have been renting here for 10 years too. I imagine I have nearly paid off their mortgage.

I somehow (speaking as a landlord) doubt that. Have you taken interest into account?

There are so many costs of home ownership that renting with housing benefit is much cheaper than owning a property.

cattie

I would have thought if your rent is just a bit more than a studio flat would cost then your rent must be a relatively fair one. Perhaps your landlord needs to put your rent up to cover rising costs that he has to pay, ie; mortgage, insurance etc. Not all landlords are greedy.

Even if you do have to wait a few years for a suitable council/housing assoc. property, you have nothing to lose by going on the waiting list.

How old are you? Only a lot of councils have housing for the over 50's,which is far easier to secure as waiting lists are nowhere as long as the general housing list.

JasonBat

Pixie5740 wrote: »

You've got to be in it to win it.

You might find that whatever your health problems are could bump you further up the list so it's worth looking in to. You could also consider other councils nearby which might have less demand for council properties.

Duly noted. I will look to sign up shortly.

Many thanks. :cool:

JasonBat

tomtontom wrote: »

How often are these rent increases, and as already asked, is the rent comparable to others in your area?

As for moving, you'd need to save up for moving costs and deposit etc.

Seems like over the recent years the rent has gone up after every tenancy renewal. I got a call from the estate agents today and they have informed me the landlord wants another increase.

I am currently paying £725 pcm for a 1 bedroom place which is nothing fancy. I live in Berkshire.

I've not looked that much into the properties around here but looking briefly on rightmove.co.uk I may be able to find something more economical. I dread the thought of having to move into a studio flat though.

JasonBat

HappyMJ wrote: »

I somehow (speaking as a landlord) doubt that. Have you taken interest into account?

There are so many costs of home ownership that renting with housing benefit is much cheaper than owning a property.

I see. I imagine they bought the place for just over 100k. I pay £725 pcm currently.

JasonBat

cattie wrote: »

I would have thought if your rent is just a bit more than a studio flat would cost then your rent must be a relatively fair one. Perhaps your landlord needs to put your rent up to cover rising costs that he has to pay, ie; mortgage, insurance etc. Not all landlords are greedy.

Even if you do have to wait a few years for a suitable council/housing assoc. property, you have nothing to lose by going on the waiting list.

How old are you? Only a lot of councils have housing for the over 50's,which is far easier to secure as waiting lists are nowhere as long as the general housing list.

Perhaps so.

I am 39. I will definitely contact the council shortly and ask for an application form.

G_M

JasonBat wrote: »

Seems like over the recent years the rent has gone up after every tenancy renewal.
That does not really help. Every 6 months? Year? 2 years?
I got a call from the estate agents today and they have informed me the landlord wants another increase.
So did you reply "Sorry, I can't afford any more."? Or "I don't think the local market justifies another rent rise."? And/or "Well I could pay £x pm more, but not £y pm."?

Or simply not reply, AND not sign the reneawal contract when it came?

I am currently paying £725 pcm for a 1 bedroom place which is nothing fancy. I live in Berkshire.

.

Have you read:

* Ending/renewing an AST: what happens when a fixed term ends? How can a LL or tenant end a tenancy? What is a periodic tenancy?

* Rent increases: when & how can rent be increased?

HappyMJ

JasonBat wrote: »

I see. I imagine they bought the place for just over 100k. I pay £725 pcm currently.

Then negotiate.

You can find out the purchase price by looking it up on websites such as Zoopla.

The property I live in now was purchased in 2006 for £130,000 and we currently pay rent of £475 per month. It's probably worth about £100,000 now.

JasonBat

G_M wrote: »

Have you read:

* Ending/renewing an AST: what happens when a fixed term ends? How can a LL or tenant end a tenancy? What is a periodic tenancy?

* Rent increases: when & how can rent be increased?

It goes up every year it seems.

I intend to be a bit more stubborn next time.

JasonBat

HappyMJ wrote: »

Then negotiate.

You can find out the purchase price by looking it up on websites such as Zoopla.

The property I live in now was purchased in 2006 for £130,000 and we currently pay rent of £475 per month. It's probably worth about £100,000 now.

Thanks. I just looked it up on Zoopla and I cannot see the purchase price.

I started off paying £650 pcm so 10 years later I imagine that £750 pcm is not too bad (though currently paying £725 pcm)?

Your property has lost value? How come?