Intermediate rent properties - tenancy lengths and affordability

cherrybakewell90

Hello everyone,

I've recently been looking into the intermediate rental properties advertised by my local council. I earn just under the minimum threshold for some of the properties but something might come up which I am eligible for and it is cheaper than privately renting therefore more attractive - usually 80% of what it would be on the private market.

I have a few questions for anyone that knows anything about these properties - 

- Some of them say they have a maximum tenancy length of 5 years. Does anyone know of situations where it is possible to stay longer than this? I have a young child so I just want some stability.

- Usually intermediate rental properties want the tenant to be able to pay out of their own salary without help from benefits. I am not "benefit dependent" as I can technically afford the rent from my salary, BUT - having used online benefit calculators - I am eligible for UC help too which I currently do not claim. Does anyone know much about this and whether I could still claim UC after moving in and whether the local council would kick me out for something like this?

- Any other advice about intermediate rent properties or experience?

Many thanks

Snookie12cat

- Some of them say they have a maximum tenancy length of 5 years. Does anyone know of situations where it is possible to stay longer than this? I have a young child so I just want some stability.

I believe this is the max term, because if you sign more than this you are no longer in AST territory and that causes a lot of issues down the line. I imagine they would let you extend.

cherrybakewell90

Thanks. From what I read it said it is a one year tenancy renewable up to 5 years. But if there is possibility to extend then that would be promising. 

Snookie12cat

cherrybakewell90 said:

Thanks. From what I read it said it is a one year tenancy renewable up to 5 years. But if there is possibility to extend then that would be promising. 

Ah, okay - Worth checking with them really. 5yrs is the max tenancy term for any AST but then can be renewed after this, but 1yr renewable up to 5yrs could be a different thing and it could mean its 5yrs max in total. Hard to know without seeing the terms. 

theartfullodger

Fixed term of an AST ok up to 7 years, after that it must be a deed and registered with land registry.

Any AST will roll on, possibly forever, if tenant stays.  

Fixed term could be a week, 3 weeks, 2 months etc etc etc

cherrybakewell90

Thank you for your replies. 

Also as most say they do not want the rent to be covered by housing benefit - would they know if I later claimed universal credit and kick me out? I earn enough for most rental costs but I have childcare costs too which I would like to claim universal credit for if it was possible. 

canaldumidi

Snookie12cat said:

- Some of them say they have a maximum tenancy length of 5 years. Does anyone know of situations where it is possible to stay longer than this? I have a young child so I just want some stability.

I believe this is the max term, because if you sign more than this you are no longer in AST territory and that causes a lot of issues down the line. I imagine they would let you extend.

Sorry Snookie, once again your belief is misplaced. Did you not say in a thread a while back you are a letting agent? Maybe I'm mis-remembering, but if so....

Anyway, an AST can be anything up to 7 years, though any AST with a fixed term of 3+ years must be Executed as a Deed.