Can't afford to fix boiler

YorkieDave

deannatrois said:

If you have rented out a property this long, you must have known that at some point the boiler would need replacing, and allocated some of the rent (that has been paid for years) towards repairs/replacement.  If the tenants haven't paid rent for months, are unemployed and in receipt of benefits, you don't just sit there waiting for a miracle, you ask the council for direct payments a lot sooner.  I don't have that much sympathy.  If the 'profit' from the property wasn't great, you sell it.  

Of course I knew it would need replacing at some point! I didn’t expect it to be within 5 years though. But then I didn’t expect the tenants to cause £1000 worth of damage while living there or leave 200 bags of rubbish in the garden! I equally didn’t expect Coronavirus to shut my business down causing me to spend the money I’ve saved. So rather than assuming I’ve been either naive or stupid please offer advice on the question or scroll on by! 

[Deleted User]

YorkieDave said:

I rent out rooms in a house. It's the only house I own. I live in a rented house elsewhere. The two people renting the rooms haven't paid rent for months. I haven't been able to evict them due to coranavirus restrictions. Now the boiler has broken in the house they rent from me. It's not economical to fix at all. Two plumbers have looked. I don't have the money to replace it. The non-paying tenants are threatening court if I don't fix or replace it. What do I do? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Find the money from somewhere because rent paid or not they can legitimately take you to court and the court could order you to not only fix the boiler but pay the tenants compensation. 

Would stopping all payments to your creditors on a DMP give you enough money to fix/replace the boiler?  If the rental property is mortgaged could you request a payment holiday from the lender?

ETA:  How many months arrears are the tenants in?  More than 6 months?  If so then current notice for a Section 8, ground 8 where arrears are more than 6 months is just 4 weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-and-renting-guidance-for-landlords-tenants-and-local-authorities/technical-guidance-on-eviction-notices

A section 21 notice will take longer, longer still because the tenants have reported a repair issue so are protected from so-called "revenge evictions".

KatrinaWaves

YorkieDave said:

Aranyani said:

YorkieDave said:

numbercruncher8 said:

Surely gotta be a wind-up?
Some options, default on your current rent and use that money to pay for a new boiler.
Renegotiate with your lender and try to free up some capital.
Unsecured loans are expensive but possible to get.
I expect you may already be aware of these routes.

I wish it was a wind up. I am on a DMP so borrowing money isn’t an option.  

Why on earth are you renting out property?  

Plug in heaters and an electric shower and get it sold.

I’m not sure why I shouldn’t rent out property? I used to live in the house, then kept it when I got married and moved and rented it out. For 19 years it’s brought in some extra income with no issues. I didn’t predict Coronavirus and the associated delays in eviction. So now I’m a bit stuck. Hence asking for help. 

Because you’re skint mate. Businesses should always have contingency plans and funds. You don’t.

Angela_D_3

theartfullodger said:

And some still wonder why landlords have such a bad name.  

Situations like this make it tougher for the few decent landlords.

Ive not had to do it,  but i wouldnt hesistate.  Go to a hairdressers,  use their  services then refuse to pay its theft,  the police would be involved.  Do the same with a house/flat and the LL is in the wrong ?  Its madness.  The Op is only broke because their tenants are thieves.  

Aranyani

YorkieDave said:

Aranyani said:

YorkieDave said:

numbercruncher8 said:

Surely gotta be a wind-up?
Some options, default on your current rent and use that money to pay for a new boiler.
Renegotiate with your lender and try to free up some capital.
Unsecured loans are expensive but possible to get.
I expect you may already be aware of these routes.

I wish it was a wind up. I am on a DMP so borrowing money isn’t an option.  

Why on earth are you renting out property?  

Plug in heaters and an electric shower and get it sold.

I’m not sure why I shouldn’t rent out property? 

Because you can’t afford to replace a boiler.

grumiofoundation

Angela_D_3 said:

theartfullodger said:

And some still wonder why landlords have such a bad name.  

Situations like this make it tougher for the few decent landlords.

Ive not had to do it,  but i wouldnt hesistate.  Go to a hairdressers,  use their  services then refuse to pay its theft,  the police would be involved.  Do the same with a house/flat and the LL is in the wrong ?  Its madness.  The Op is only broke because their tenants are thieves.  

Well you should hesitate (well in reality you should sell the house and stop being a landlord).

The landlord is in the wrong if they illegally evict the tenant as you (seemingly) proudly state you would. 

The difference with your hairdresser analogy is the landlord (or at least a competent one) understands that tenants can not pay rent and that the landlord's mechanism for getting them out can take many months and the landlord may well not get their money owed. 

Did you do any research before becoming a landlord?

grumiofoundation

Lover_of_Lycra said:

YorkieDave said:

I rent out rooms in a house. It's the only house I own. I live in a rented house elsewhere. The two people renting the rooms haven't paid rent for months. I haven't been able to evict them due to coranavirus restrictions. Now the boiler has broken in the house they rent from me. It's not economical to fix at all. Two plumbers have looked. I don't have the money to replace it. The non-paying tenants are threatening court if I don't fix or replace it. What do I do? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Find the money from somewhere because rent paid or not they can legitimately take you to court and the court could order you to not only fix the boiler but pay the tenants compensation. 

Would stopping all payments to your creditors on a DMP give you enough money to fix/replace the boiler?  If the rental property is mortgaged could you request a payment holiday from the lender?

ETA:  How many months arrears are the tenants in?  More than 6 months?  If so then current notice for a Section 8, ground 8 where arrears are more than 6 months is just 4 weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-and-renting-guidance-for-landlords-tenants-and-local-authorities/technical-guidance-on-eviction-notices

A section 21 notice will take longer, longer still because the tenants have reported a repair issue so are protected from so-called "revenge evictions".

I believe the protection from revenge evictions only applies if they have reported to the council and council serves the appropriate notice to repair on landlord?

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/revenge_eviction_if_you_ask_for_repairs

AdrianC

Slithery said:

YorkieDave said:

I’ve asked them to pay but been told I can make them until at least 25th January. I’m about to serve them notices. 

If you haven't even served them notice yet then yes, 25th January 2022 sounds about correct.

Optimistic.

25th January 2023 should be fairly certain.

nicmyles

Some of the comments berating the OP are unbelievable. Yes, there are a lot of bad landlords either posting or posted about on this forum, but suggesting he is negligent because he cannot, nine months into a pandemic, cover his responsibilities, is ridiculous.

The OP doesn't say what his business is, but if it has been badly affected by Covid as he suggests, he could have been on reduced or no income for up to nine months at this point (we already know he has lost his income from this property). How many people, or even businesses, have savings to cover that length of interruption? People are struggling everywhere and needing to make difficult decisions, so please have a bit of empathy for what is clearly not a situation he asked for.

To be clear, he may well have been negligent in his contingency plans, but that is quite a conclusion to leap to in December 2020!

[Deleted User]

grumiofoundation said:

Lover_of_Lycra said:

YorkieDave said:

I rent out rooms in a house. It's the only house I own. I live in a rented house elsewhere. The two people renting the rooms haven't paid rent for months. I haven't been able to evict them due to coranavirus restrictions. Now the boiler has broken in the house they rent from me. It's not economical to fix at all. Two plumbers have looked. I don't have the money to replace it. The non-paying tenants are threatening court if I don't fix or replace it. What do I do? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Find the money from somewhere because rent paid or not they can legitimately take you to court and the court could order you to not only fix the boiler but pay the tenants compensation. 

Would stopping all payments to your creditors on a DMP give you enough money to fix/replace the boiler?  If the rental property is mortgaged could you request a payment holiday from the lender?

ETA:  How many months arrears are the tenants in?  More than 6 months?  If so then current notice for a Section 8, ground 8 where arrears are more than 6 months is just 4 weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-and-renting-guidance-for-landlords-tenants-and-local-authorities/technical-guidance-on-eviction-notices

A section 21 notice will take longer, longer still because the tenants have reported a repair issue so are protected from so-called "revenge evictions".

I believe the protection from revenge evictions only applies if they have reported to the council and council serves the appropriate notice to repair on landlord?

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/revenge_eviction_if_you_ask_for_repairs

Indeed and the tenants are threatening to take the matter further.