Benefits agency told me tenant they will only help her if the landlord evicts them

deannagone

This post is a good point, but the tenant will probably spend quite a long while, sometimes years in emergency accommodation, which could be one room in a hostel or even a bedsit in another cheaper borough.  I was able to argue against the hostel option due to all of us (including children) being autistic.  But most can't. It is very very rare for emergency accommodation to be better than what they were evicted from and someone can be in it for years (and be told to move elsewhere with no notice so its a period of worse instability too) 

To make matters worse, for at least three years councils can now fulfil their housing obligation (if someone is found to be needy and so the council have a duty to house them) by placing them in a private rental property so this would be more of the same.

I was lucky, I was given council accommodation but I spent two years in emergency accommodation with no idea how long I'd be there.  And the property had other guests, (cockroaches), when I arrived.  Thousands of the things so that wasn't pleasant.  I had to stay there while it was sorted.

Neruda

To recap: there are two ways to go forward.

The first would be to begin eviction proceedings, starting with an S21 Notice. This is likely to take about two years, and is inevitably stressful and expensive. At the end, you would be left with some substantial costs and an empty property, and would have to decide whether to look for another tenant.

Your other option is to put it on the market as is. The easiest way to sell a tenanted property is at auction, but you do sometimes see such properties listed by estate agents.

Murphybear

ftsos said:

IMPORTANT UPDATE - I have not read everyones replies. So apologies if this contradicts any advice. I just back from visiting the tenant and the reported issue. I took an electrician with me. The reported issue was a faulty cooker. I was lucky, the tenant had a friend around who lives at the neighboring property. And guess what we found? No problem, the cooker works perfectly fine, and so does everything else. I was lucky there were four witnesses including myself.

I am normally time poor, so I just send the electrician/plumber/work-person around if she tells me XYZ is wrong. I insisted on being present this time, and calling an electrician I know or have used before. We were truly shocked.

Had I done as she had wanted, which was for her to call her own electrician, she would have told me it was a problem even if none existed and passed the cost on to me. So, I have lost trust in this person after today's incident. 

When she first moved in, she used to make requests that you wouldn't normally make to a landlord. If its a friend or husband or something then yes. From things like helping her change the curtains to other small things. I turned it down flat, which she didn't like. 

I am no expert, but I am beginning to think that she may have a condition. I have heard of things like munchausen syndrome and Stockholm syndrome, and I am wondering if this is a strange form of seeking attention. I know I am probably clutching at straws and I will never be able to prove it. But so much about her doesn't feel right. Call it gut instinct or intuition. Anyway, whatever it is, it's too late, I am stuck with her until she leaves or eviction. 

Lastly, the last time she accepted responsibility, where he kid stuck a toy in the heater and broke it. But when she called me she never said that. But even after that, I never passed the cost on to her. But I cannot do that anymore. I have asked her to pay the call out fee for the electrician. I can't see why I should be paying for her mistakes. Maybe it make her think and double check before asking for a work-person to come around. 

Doesn’t sound like either of those

From NHS website

Munchausen's syndrome, a disorder where someone pretends to be ill or induces symptoms of illness in themselves.

Stockholm syndrome is a condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors during captivity.

justwhat

If your tenant is wanting to move out via eviction route then they may stop paying rent. 

I would ignore the phone calls and only repair anything there is a legal requirement to do. Start eviction now or start it when the rent dries up..

Then i would not rent to DHSS(Popcorn). Perfectly legal to do an affordability test on prospective tenants. 

Private LL's  should NOT be thought of as charities or  social housing providers.

 

Ramouth

You have a tenant who pays their rent and isn’t trashing the place.  Sound like a keeper to me!  Yes, a monthly request to fix something is irritating, but maybe a price worth paying?

davilown

Am I the only one thinking that the Op could be the one with a problem rather than the tenant? 

Once a month phone call about an issue? Yes it may not be a significant or even real thing to you but to the tenant it might seem really important.

As for you concentrating on the fact you have a tenant who’s rent is paid via benefits is nothing whatsoever to do with the thread - they’re paying.

Any tenant who is asked to leave can (and should, IMO) wait until just prior to a court date for eviction. Why should they move any sooner unless they want to?

2 points for you Op going forward.

If you think a phone call a month is too much work/hassle for you (as you’re currently not working either), evict the tenant and sell, or sell with tenant in situ.

Secondly, please don’t complain about a tenant in terms of them being on benefits - so what if they are, you’re being well paid and on time for letting them have a home.

justwhat

davilown said:

Once a month phone call about an issue? Yes it may not be a significant or even real thing to you but to the tenant it might seem really important.



Any tenant who is asked to leave can (and should, IMO) wait until just prior to a court date for eviction. Why should they move any sooner unless they want to?

its not up to the landlord to provide social care. And a tenant calling a landlord out for non essential, irrelevant work or non existent problems is a pain in the rear.  Its not yet a landlords responsibility to care for a tenants mental health(or whatever label you would like to put on it)

Well legally they have a right to stay. However many tenants do the right thing when asked to leave a property they don't own.  Out of choice some do not leave. Not many consider the burden that is left on the LL's shoulders.

The current system allows tenants to stay in a property rent free. Many tenants can and do go from one property to then next accumulating rent arrears. If the tenant has no assets there is not much that can be done. Hence people now do affordability checks.  

lookstraightahead

Op, are there any other issues apart from the tenant calling once a month?

I can't see anywhere how, from a professional landlords perspective, this is more than one of the hassles that go with being a landlord.

Honestly I was a private tenant for two years and probably contacted the agent every couple of months - and I have quite a DIY husband and no kids at home. Remember as a tenant there's stuff you're not allowed to do - I certainly have more repairs than once a month in my bought house!

I think analysing her mental health, her history, her behaviour isn't your job. You need to consider whether you keep these properties or sell if you don't like being a landlord.

You could serve an eviction notice (I presume all checks are in order) and then sell your properties. If you are time poor, you cant blame a tenant. 

lookstraightahead

justwhat said:

davilown said:

Once a month phone call about an issue? Yes it may not be a significant or even real thing to you but to the tenant it might seem really important.



Any tenant who is asked to leave can (and should, IMO) wait until just prior to a court date for eviction. Why should they move any sooner unless they want to?

its not up to the landlord to provide social care. And a tenant calling a landlord out for non essential, irrelevant work or non existent problems is a pain in the rear.  Its not yet a landlords responsibility to care for a tenants mental health(or whatever label you would like to put on it)

Well legally they have a right to stay. However many tenants do the right thing when asked to leave a property they don't own.  Out of choice some do not leave. Not many consider the burden that is left on the LL's shoulders.

The current system allows tenants to stay in a property rent free. Many tenants can and do go from one property to then next accumulating rent arrears. If the tenant has no assets there is not much that can be done. Hence people now do affordability checks.  

There are pain in the rear people in all jobs. If you don't like the responsibility of having a job as a landlord, don't be one. No one has to be a landlord. 

There's a great cheese sandwich story where a guy moans every lunchtime that he had cheese sandwiches "again". But he makes his own sandwiches.

justwhat

lookstraightahead said:

Op, are there any other issues apart from the tenant calling once a month?

I can't see anywhere how, from a professional landlords perspective, this is more than one of the hassles that go with being a landlord.

Honestly I was a private tenant for two years and probably contacted the agent every couple of months - and I have quite a DIY husband and no kids at home. Remember as a tenant there's stuff you're not allowed to do - I certainly have more repairs than once a month in my bought house!

I think analysing her mental health, her history, her behaviour isn't your job. You need to consider whether you keep these properties or sell if you don't like being a landlord.

You could serve an eviction notice (I presume all checks are in order) and then sell your properties. If you are time poor, you cant blame a tenant. 

i have had  a few  tenants over the years. You would be lucky if they contacted me twice a year.  Maybe i was just lucky  or had low maintenance properties. lol 

I probably contacted them more than they contacted me. Last tenant was evicted because they started making demands that i had no legal obligation to fulfil.(mind you they were in the property for 6 years).

An LL wants a tenant that causes no hassle and just pays there rent.  (if your tenant is causing you hassle evict them and get good tenants)