Landlords Not Accepting Housing Benefit Tenants

ERICS_MUM

I’m going with many of your ideas, primarily contacting letting agents and presenting our ‘credentials’ as responsible relatives who are in a position to cover deposits, guarantees and rent in advance. I suppose it’s a matter of making the right impression and backing it up with proof of our financial means.

If we were younger we would be tempted to buy a house between us (my brother, who is her dad), but I’m 63 and he’s 55 so are limited re mortgage length.

Thanks again. We will plod on, I’m fairly confident we will get there eventually !

Cakeguts

Our problem with letting to HB tenants is that the majority of our property is in prime areas so the rents tend to be at least £100 pcm more than the LHA and one is around £250pcm more. This is not in the South East.



The LHA for a 3 bed property for the area is just under £500pcm. Our rents start at just under £600pcm. There are cheaper properties but not in that immediate area so we discriminate but there are properties to let that are much nearer the LHA amount. It isn't our business model.

Smodlet

LLs' greed over tenants need, always. The rich get richer and the poor get ground ever further into the dirt. I really hope there is such a thing as karma but doubt it.

Hasbeen

Smodlet wrote: »

LLs' greed over tenants need, always. The rich get richer and the poor get ground ever further into the dirt. I really hope there is such a thing as karma but doubt it.

They are providing a service which unfortunately the government/councils no longer provide.

The are operating a business like many other self employed people do.

They expect to make some profit after paying all the fees and tax that current legislation demands of private landlords.

Sadly these days most do not, because of said legislation and the fact that the tenant has mega rights.

With the demise of the small individual private landlord it means the rental properties are scarce, forcing rental prices up so only people that are in gainful employment can afford to pay.

Rather than demonise private landlords the government should be more encouraging, until they can provide more affordable social housing.

Cakeguts

Smodlet wrote: »

LLs' greed over tenants need, always. The rich get richer and the poor get ground ever further into the dirt. I really hope there is such a thing as karma but doubt it.

This is the perception that tenants are poor. Not all tenants are poor. Some are renting from choice not because they can't afford to buy anywhere. This choice is important because it helps people to choose how they want to live at certain times in their lives.



There are people renting properties in London at £1000s per week. Those tenants are not poor. What we don't want as a situation is for a huge reduction in rental property available or the poor will just get squeezed out by lack of property available for rental not even by high rents but just lack of rental property.

Smodlet

I think we are already there, are we not, Cakeguts? Yes, it is down to market forces, Thatcherism, immigration resulting in too much competition for too few properties and, more than anything, there should be more LA housing available but not at the cost of our green spaces.

We are where we are. All I can say is, thank all the gods for reasonable LLs like you. Were all like you, the world would probably be a better place. Thank you.

ERICS_MUM

Hello, thought I’d give you an update, as you were so helpful.

We’ve got as far as finding a landlord who will ‘consider’ letting to my niece, subject to financial safeguards from my brother and me.

My NEW issue :
They have asked if we would put our names to the tenancy agreement so that we are both liable for the rent if my niece can’t pay. This is do-able but we are now wondering if the council will be willing to pay HB to my niece when 2 other people are named on the agreement ?

Can anyone suggest a way around this that will satisfy both the landlord and the HB office ?

My brother and I are both retired ‘professionals’ yet we are struggling to get to grips with this whole housing thing. My young niece is completely flummoxed by it all.

Thanks again

Pixie5740

ERICS_MUM wrote: »

Hello, thought I’d give you an update, as you were so helpful.

We’ve got as far as finding a landlord who will ‘consider’ letting to my niece, subject to financial safeguards from my brother and me.

My NEW issue :
They have asked if we would put our names to the tenancy agreement so that we are both liable for the rent if my niece can’t pay. This is do-able but we are now wondering if the council will be willing to pay HB to my niece when 2 other people are named on the agreement ?

Can anyone suggest a way around this that will satisfy both the landlord and the HB office ?

My brother and I are both retired ‘professionals’ yet we are struggling to get to grips with this whole housing thing. My young niece is completely flummoxed by it all.

Thanks again

Offer to act as guarantors for the tenancy. You won't be named on the tenancy agreement so there shouldn't be an issue with her HB claim but you remain on the hook for the rent if she can't pay. The downside for you that as a joint tenant you could serve notice to end the tenancy if your niece stopped paying the rent but as a guarantor you wouldn't have that luxury.

Computer_Beginner

What about your niece becoming a lodger, rather than a tenant?
Less risk for the landlord with a lodger.
I know landlords who take lodgers on benefits. They don't ask for guarantors and they've never had any problems.

ERICS_MUM

Computer_Beginner wrote: »

What about your niece becoming a lodger, rather than a tenant?
Less risk for the landlord with a lodger.
I know landlords who take lodgers on benefits. They don't ask for guarantors and they've never had any problems.

I know even less about lodgers ! I’ve never seen the option of lodger when trawling through rental properties on Rightmove, could you give me a bit more info or a link ?

Thanks for the suggestion.