Accept a tenant based on gut feeling?

Kim_13

It would be a no from me. If the law were likely to change to be more pro-landlord where the tenant or guarantor reneges on what was agreed when they moved in, then maybe, but that isn’t going to happen. If anything, it’ll be worse. The LL who posted their bad experience used S21 to get their property back - the section likely to be banned. Removing that is only going to add to the difficulty of getting a property back.

You and your girlfriend may feel comfortable with this lady, but you have no control over what her sons (who may be less inclined to take good care of the place, given it’s just a property owned by a stranger) or her ex husband do. Those sons will soon stop adding elements to her UC and even become deductions against what she herself is entitled to when they are no longer deemed dependents. She will not be able to force them to make up the shortfall and unless they have bank accounts/driving licences etc registered elsewhere, they are likely to be considered still resident. One of them being 18 and not in education would be enough to increase her council tax bill. Her ex husband may be less amenable as they become adults, or when he gets a new partner who doesn’t think it fair that he is on the hook for the entire rent. At the moment such a partner might argue that only 75% of the rent is attributable to his sons, therefore his share should only be 37.5% otherwise he is subsidising her, etc. 

If there is a problem, it becomes awkward for your girlfriend also. If you need the property back, you would have to pay court fees and bailiffs as a) in order to be assisted, she is required not to make herself intentionally homeless. Leaving before bailiffs arrive is deemed to be her choice, even if there are damages/unpaid rent which to the average person would make leaving the morally correct course of action. b) If she is struggling to find somewhere now, she probably will require that assistance.

newsgroupmonkey_

I've been thinking about this one overnight.
Without your rose-tinted (and rightfully) glasses, I don't think you'd rent to someone who can't afford the rent.

With my cynical hat on.....
Lady moves in with children. The 50/50 thing changes. She stops paying the rent (and yes, you have a guarantor, but you'll have to chase them). She then goes to the council - You've given a Section 21, overcrowding, pulls some other environmental health thing too.....
Maybe she might even continue to pay the rent, but you've got to go through the ache of going to court to get your place back.

And you're left to try and sue this fella and pick up the pieces.

foxreymann

Thank you so much to everyone who has replied. In the end I've said not. Based on this conversation and other ones I've had.

As I understand very probable scenario is:
- we sign the agreement
- council comes with a visit, decides there is an overcrowding issue and stop paying the benefits
- tenant can't pay but doesn't want to move out

Schwarzwald

foxreymann said:

... I'm overworked and need a rest ... My gut tells me it is a yes, I can trust her...

your gut doesnt tell you its a Yes, you want to hear a Yes as you are overworked and like to cut a corner here ... cutting corners typically never works in the long term ... 

theartfullodger

Can work.  My best ever tenants had no UK history before 1 month before.  A neighbour of mine told me "Mr Artful they very nice people" - and they were.  Excellent tenants. 

Slinky

theartfullodger said:

Can work.  My best ever tenants had no UK history before 1 month before.  A neighbour of mine told me "Mr Artful they very nice people" - and they were.  Excellent tenants. 

theartfullodger said:

Can work.  My best ever tenants had no UK history before 1 month before.  A neighbour of mine told me "Mr Artful they very nice people" - and they were.  Excellent tenants. 

And our oddest ever tenants had no UK work history. They ran up massive utility bills which they never paid, then did a flit with no notice back to their country of origin, taking 99% of their house contents excluding a bed, chair and broken clothes rail with them, but putting a cheque for rent through the door of the EA saying their bank details had changed. House stood empty for a month, then one night the male tenant returned in the middle of the night (neighbour opposite was woken by the sound of a helicopter going over and happened to look out as the tenant was in the bedroom with the curtains open).  He left a few days later surrendering the keys. EA said it was the oddest flit he ever encountered. Mind you I read that a few years later the EA did a flit with a load of landlords' deposits......