Existing tenant is applying for Housing Benefit...

clutton_2

Hugo - ""For 7 years I owned a house in Leicester and took up to 3 lodgers at any one time. When my GF moved in there were 5 of us."" - you are describing a different situation here to that of the OP - you had lodgers where you lived in and had day to day contact - the OP does not live in with these tenants.

i have not "got it in for" this particular person, (even tho the Op describes her as a bully !) i dont know her - but, i have seen the issues i described in more than one property. Arguments over fuel bills can cause havoc amongst tenants (and fuel has just gone up mightily, and benefits haven't) and there are already arguments in the house.

No doubt tenants will hate me for this- but why should a landlord have to wait for his/her rent for 1/2/3 months just because someone loses their job ?

""sorted out their housing benefit without any problems"" - of course this is possible - but it depends on the tenants ability to be organised, but most of all it depends on the local authority s/he applies to - some of them are so atrociously inefficient its unbelievable.

""assumed this girl is a born trouble maker" - she makes the others cry and they ask for her to be evicted - how would you describe that other than trouble-making ? OP also says

"" I can just see her behaviour getting worse if she feels more secure than the others, and I might loose the other tenants. "" - its not me that is "assuming worse behaviour" its what OP said !!!! (i assum "secure" should read "insecure" btw ?)

rjm2k1

She wont have any more rights due to being on HB, but the council will do their best to make it difficult and drawn out for you to evict her should you need to (after all, they will have to find her somewhere if she's not living in your flat any more).

If they pay her the HB directly, then they can't claw back if they overpay her, though there's no guarantee she will pass it on to you as rent (and if she doesn't you will have to evict). If they pay you directly, they can claw any overpayment back from you and you have no comeback so would be out of pocket. There may also be a delay in getting the benefit up and running.

I'm not sure why insurance would be affected, since as a landlord you would probably only be paying for buildings (since it's a flat I assume this would be part of your ground rent) and the tennents themselves should have sorted out their own contents cover, which may increase if they are sharing with someone on HB, in fact contents cover for shared accommodation is generally a "specialist" and more expensive product anyway.

Fran

The following posters have invented facts. The OP does not say whether she is in work or not. There is nothing in the OP to imply she intends staying on HB "for the long haul" or that she can't work out HB claim as well as anyone or whether she will or won't get the full rent. "Mixing HB & working tenants ....recipe for disaster". Why say that? Any mix of tenants can go wrong. Insurance depends on OP's insurers.

Fact from OP is that

Old_No.7 wrote: »

... this girl has been a good tenant to us (pays on time and helpful when things go wrong in the house)..

What I'm saying is don't be swayed by some things that other posters say that aren't true. The fact the tenants are not getting on is obviously a problem but you will have to work out who is going to give you more trouble in the long run. The tenants might work it out for themselves and leave anyway or you might evict the one tenant or the other two. The HB should not be an issue, you could check locally to see what your local authority is like on its delivery as it varies.

PasturesNew wrote: »

...once she's off HB and back in work

clutton wrote: »

She will almost certainly not get the full amount of her rent

For a tenant such as this who has been working - she will have no idea how to sort out her HB

Re insurance - yes it will go up if you inform your insurers.

mixing HB and working tenants in one house is a recipe for disaster.

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Sounds like she could be planning on being on HB for the long haul.

aardvarkuk

I used to rent to a chap who was on HB and to be honest I wish I had him back as a tenant he was the most responsible person in the housing market I had ever met, he was clean, tidy and decorated and also repaired the odd thing when I offered to do it and he actually did a very good job, I really do miss this chap, but now I have another bloke who is renting my flat and he is behind with his rent and has broken items on numerous occassions and in the middle of being evicted and he works as a dental surgeon on good money ( I expect ) but is just a complete waster.

Tarring people by advertising and saying no DSS or claimants is discrimination that has to stop and is unfair to certain sectors of society, you can get good and bad whether working or not.

Old_No.7

Thanks for all the information and your points of view, it is very helpful. I don't care about the money so much: i've been very lucky so far in the 4 years we've had the flat, we only ever had 1 room empty for a week, and never any trouble with tenants really. So if I lose out some money, in a way it is to be expected in this game. It's really the other tenants though, and how it will impact on them.

The fuel bills aren't an issue: it's all included in the rent. I consider myself a socialist, so I don't think claiming benefits is going to be a problem per se, but being unemployed (especially if it drags on) can change your behaviour or mindset, maybe only temporarily, but still. I believe work keeps one sane, really, boring as it is!

It's a tough call though, to try and predict what's going to happen. I'm more inclined to think being at home all day will make her more difficult to live with, as one of the other tenants was unemployed for several months (he never claimed benefits though), and just being in the one room all day, getting rejection after rejection for jobs made him a bit paranoid and depressed, and he's normally absolutely lovely (I used to share with him in that flat).

Anyway, I'm going to give the girl a call now, and see what comes of that. Might come back for more advice, but this is all been very insightful already, cheers!

SerenaGoode

Old_No.7 wrote: »

Thanks for all the information and your points of view, it is very helpful. I don't care about the money so much: i've been very lucky so far in the 4 years we've had the flat, we only ever had 1 room empty for a week, and never any trouble with tenants really. So if I lose out some money, in a way it is to be expected in this game. It's really the other tenants though, and how it will impact on them.

The fuel bills aren't an issue: it's all included in the rent. I consider myself a socialist, so I don't think claiming benefits is going to be a problem per se, but being unemployed (especially if it drags on) can change your behaviour or mindset, maybe only temporarily, but still. I believe work keeps one sane, really, boring as it is!

It's a tough call though, to try and predict what's going to happen. I'm more inclined to think being at home all day will make her more difficult to live with, as one of the other tenants was unemployed for several months (he never claimed benefits though), and just being in the one room all day, getting rejection after rejection for jobs made him a bit paranoid and depressed, and he's normally absolutely lovely (I used to share with him in that flat).

Anyway, I'm going to give the girl a call now, and see what comes of that. Might come back for more advice, but this is all been very insightful already, cheers!

Two thoughts:

1) I really think you should (with regard to the HB) treat her as innocent until proven guilty, eg. don't react to it unless it becomes a problem for you. I hate the whole 'No DSS' nonsense, especially when it is a case like this where she isn't some kind of long term benefits type. And it is a case of kicking someone when they're down to consider chucking them out simply because they have lost their job, when the chances are you'll get your rent.

2) Maybe you should consider a different arrangement for the flat in future if there is friction between the tenants. Make them jointly responsible for the rent and also for filling any voids that come along. Plenty of tenants are happy to work that way, and then they will deal with any issues between tenants among themselves instead of talking to you.

aardvarkuk

Just one quick point, when they become employed again an employer will usually need an address.

Tiglet

Old_No.7 wrote: »

I rent out 3 rooms in a flat to 3 people separately, they share kitchen and bathroom etc.

Several posters have responded on the basis that these people have ASTs. They don't, as tenancies only apply to separate addresses, not to rooms in a house. This means that many of the drawbacks of accepting tenants on HB do not apply as you don't have to rely on section8 / section21 if you want them to leave.

I have had HB tenants in the past and found that the main problem is that the council will consider them to have made themselves intentionally homeless if they give up a tenancy without waiting to be physically ejected by bailiffs. This means that it's expensive to get them out. Having tried that, I now don't let to tenants on HB. I've nothing against them as people - it's the council who cause the problems.

JeffMinter

This makes disgusting reading in what amounts to the privileged (ooh, we've bought a few houses, unlucky the rest of you) swindling the vulnerable over and over again.

A person on a minimum wage job needs HB just to top up things; someone on JBSA and HB is only earning a couple of thousand less, so you can imagine spending 40+ hour week just for that £2000 extra is hardly going to save up for a new place.

Besides, it's terrifying how many of you Buy To Let scum know so much about your tenants... I thought they were entitled to privacy, and surely don't know whether they claim HB, JBSA whatever or not?

adouglasmhor

The landlord has to fill out a form saying how much rent is due, so of course they know who is on HB.

I think you are more than harsh with your assesment of the other posters on this thread though.

I do know that sometimes people on low wages are entitled to HB though and totaly agree with this. I would rather someone had a little hand up like that than no help at all.