Big Badger House (aka Noisy Lodger) HE'S GONE!

Badger_Lady

It's possible that she was having trouble with her disability benefit (rather than housing) but still - housing is for rent! Everything else can wait, especially when the bank has just given you a massive overdraft and credit card to cover food :mad:.

Just composing a pair of letters...

barnaby-bear

Badger_Lady wrote: »

It's possible that she was having trouble with her disability benefit (rather than housing) but still - housing is for rent! Everything else can wait, especially when the bank has just given you a massive overdraft and credit card to cover food :mad:.

Just composing a pair of letters...

I would check the room....

Badger_Lady

Here's the first letter:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I write following a telephone conversation with one of your people, during which we discussed the fact that my lodger QuackersLodger has not been passing her housing benefit payments on to me, her landlady.

Here follows a list of rent due dates and payments made:

11th May 2009 £300 PAID 25th June 2009
11th June 2009 £300 PAID 25th June 2009
11th July 2009 OVERDUE
11th August 2009 OVERDUE
11th September 2009 OVERDUE
11th October 2009

As you can see above, there are 3 months’ of outstanding rent, which your department assures me has been paid to Quackers. I would therefore like to request direct payment of these benefits to ensure that she retains her lodgings here.

Please feel free to contact me at any time on xxx or by email on xxx. I hope that this can be resolved before the next payment becomes due on 11th October.


Yours sincerely,
Badger_Lady

Badger_Lady

And here's the other one:

[FONT=&quot]Dear Quackers,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As you are aware, you have fallen behind on a number of rent payments since moving here. I understood that this was due to issues with benefits payments, however I found out today that you have been in continuous receipt of your housing benefits since moving in here. These payments are for your rent, not any other purpose, and I’m greatly disappointed to find out that they haven’t been passed on.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have taken advice from the council to collect your housing benefit directly from them and attached a copy of the letter for your information. I don’t yet know how this will affect the outstanding amount (close to £900) that you owe.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As always, please feel free to contact me at any time – I know we don’t often see each other at home any more but I’m always on the mobile, on email or even on Facebook. I’d rather hear something from you than nothing.[/FONT]

Badger_Lady

Oh! I sent letter 1 via email and got the following response:

Housing Benefit has been suspended - we have contact your tenant and given her 2 weeks to dispute the fact that she may be in rent arrears - after the 2 week time limit has expired a desicion will be made

Does anyone know what that means?

Jowo_2

Badger_Lady wrote: »

Just composing a pair of letters...

I haven't identified a notice to quit among these letters now that you've belatedly realised your lodger has been deceitful and has spent her rent money on herself for almost 4 months.

Or a 'letter before action' which gives her x days to pay the sum in full or you will take action against her in court.

Realistically, you can probably kiss goodbye to those arrears since it is usually a waste of time and effort to get a judgement against someone who has no income, unless you feel that having a CCJ is useful for flagging her up in the system as a credit risk.

And realistically, you are only going to get a sob story or be blanked on the issue of your being ripped off.

You are probably going to have to put it down to experience, namely that unreliable lodgers love a sucker for a landlord.

Jowo_2

Badger_Lady wrote: »

Does anyone know what that means?

Yes, I think it means she is given a 2 week window to try and convince the HB department that she has passed on her rent to you, such as showing them receipts or bank statements. Unless she's any good at fabricating this type of documentation, rent will be paid to you until she moves out which she is now swiftly likely to do.

Time to check if she has cleared out the majority of her belongings from her room because your recent questions are telling her that the game is up. There's not many landlords that would tolerate 4 months rent arrears.

You seem to think she is guaranteed accommodation elsewhere?
Are you also aware that local authorities do not generally provide assistance when those seeking social housing have made themselves intentionally homeless, through, for example, being evicted for failing to pay the rent when they had means to. I imagine that there is still an obligation to assist pregnant women in some way.

Check with the LA what happens when she applies for LHA to be paid at a new address. I suspect that any payment due to you then ends and you just have to suffer all arrears to date but it might be worth checking whether they suspend payment until the arrears have been addressed.

Emmzi

oh BL, I'm so sorry your trust had been in vain.

Now. Lock change, and auditions. I wanna see the new lodger advert up soon!

Jowo_2

Yes, what's the notice period for your lodger and are you planning on serving her notice now you realise that she's lied to you for months and you are unlikely to see that £1200 again.

Did you undertake any kind of screening - previous landlord refs, credit check, employer check, etc?

Badger_Lady

Jowo wrote: »

Yes, what's the notice period for your lodger and are you planning on serving her notice now you realise that she's lied to you for months and you are unlikely to see that £1200 again.

Did you undertake any kind of screening - previous landlord refs, credit check, employer check, etc?

Oh Jowo, you seem so angry!

The contract stipulates a 1-month notice (more than I legally have to give)... but why should I evict her if/when I start getting a guaranteed rent from the council? It still won't help with arrears and I'll have to replace her with a stranger than I trust more to pay up...