I just rented out my flat - Council bribed me
Discussion
LooneyTunes said:
First time we’ve ever had a complete set of no shows, but typically 10-20% don’t bother showing up, in spite of having said how much they want a property. It is irritating but simply increases the chances that someone who does turn up will be successful.
Well, I planned to keep all viewings in one day once (6 arranged). Only one showed up on time (International student), one of them said they are late and the rest did not even respond (all locals).I also had one local lady, who said she is on holiday for two weeks, so requested a video of the place before actually arranging a viewing (also partially supported with benefits).
Those blaming the market seem to think the private rental sector is a market, with all the idiot government meddling I think that is a stretch.
DSS tenants (DSS used for ease not as a pejorative) should be the tenants every landlord wants. They tend to be stable, stay in the property long term and their ability to pay rent is beyond doubt.
I believe brow/ blair meddled first and made landlords liable if tenants lied on the HB application if payed directly to the LL, so all’s stopped accepting direct payments. HB was then paid to tenants to spend as they see fit, so DSS became something to avoid. The torries then compounded this by stopping paying ANY HB payments to any LL until there was arrears etc.
The changes made by the tories under pressure from various groups due to a made up “rental crisis” in 2016 have made the PRE very un attractive hence rents have rocketed. It’s hardly surprising and it was widely predicted by anyone actually involved in letting property.
If they put all the risk on a supplier in any market the price of what they supply will rocket.
There is nowhere else that a customer can steal from a supplier and the pan be supported by the legal system in doing that.
If they did the same to the car lease market prices would rocket.
DSS tenants (DSS used for ease not as a pejorative) should be the tenants every landlord wants. They tend to be stable, stay in the property long term and their ability to pay rent is beyond doubt.
I believe brow/ blair meddled first and made landlords liable if tenants lied on the HB application if payed directly to the LL, so all’s stopped accepting direct payments. HB was then paid to tenants to spend as they see fit, so DSS became something to avoid. The torries then compounded this by stopping paying ANY HB payments to any LL until there was arrears etc.
The changes made by the tories under pressure from various groups due to a made up “rental crisis” in 2016 have made the PRE very un attractive hence rents have rocketed. It’s hardly surprising and it was widely predicted by anyone actually involved in letting property.
If they put all the risk on a supplier in any market the price of what they supply will rocket.
There is nowhere else that a customer can steal from a supplier and the pan be supported by the legal system in doing that.
If they did the same to the car lease market prices would rocket.
I'm a landlord in a small coastal town and one of my flats recently came up for rent - previous tenants had bought their own house (yay!). Anyway. 40 requests to view, agent did a full day of viewings every 20 minutes, so 24 viewings. From that, 9 applications. 5 of them fairly decent. Ended up going to a single Mum of two (ie applied for in her name only). The application needs full credit and income check. She's not working but clearing a little over 2k a month into her account. The youngest is about 6 months old. The father of which, 100% doesn't live with them, but his Mum is the guarantor, he helped her move in, his car is outside the flat in the evenings/first thing in the morning and so on. Also, she was very firm in stating that his name shouldn't be listed on any paperwork, which is fair.
e2a: She'd been looking for somewhere new as, apparently her old landlord had got wind of the new child and the fact she was getting another £65 a week in benefits as a result, and had put her rent up by 200 quid a month. Knowing the guy in question, I can well believe he did that. I questioned the £65 a week as I couldn't square how any sum of child benefit plus... anything, really, could come to that but she was quite sure it was true. I'm not sure how much I believe it though. 65 a month maybe, but, no, she was adamant £65 a week.
e2a: She'd been looking for somewhere new as, apparently her old landlord had got wind of the new child and the fact she was getting another £65 a week in benefits as a result, and had put her rent up by 200 quid a month. Knowing the guy in question, I can well believe he did that. I questioned the £65 a week as I couldn't square how any sum of child benefit plus... anything, really, could come to that but she was quite sure it was true. I'm not sure how much I believe it though. 65 a month maybe, but, no, she was adamant £65 a week.
Edited by mrmistoffelees on Sunday 23 June 23:31
mrmistoffelees said:
I'm a landlord in a small coastal town and one of my flats recently came up for rent - previous tenants had bought their own house (yay!). Anyway. 40 requests to view, agent did a full day of viewings every 20 minutes, so 24 viewings. From that, 9 applications. 5 of them fairly decent. Ended up going to a single Mum of two (ie applied for in her name only). The application needs full credit and income check. She's not working but clearing a little over 2k a month into her account. The youngest is about 6 months old. The father of which, 100% doesn't live with them, but his Mum is the guarantor, he helped her move in, his car is outside the flat in the evenings/first thing in the morning and so on. Also, she was very firm in stating that his name shouldn't be listed on any paperwork, which is fair.
e2a: She'd been looking for somewhere new as, apparently her old landlord had got wind of the new child and the fact she was getting another £65 a week in benefits as a result, and had put her rent up by 200 quid a month. Knowing the guy in question, I can well believe he did that. I questioned the £65 a week as I couldn't square how any sum of child benefit plus... anything, really, could come to that but she was quite sure it was true. I'm not sure how much I believe it though. 65 a month maybe, but, no, she was adamant £65 a week.
If she's netting 2k a month I'd easily believe £65 a week. Bloody joke that we fund thate2a: She'd been looking for somewhere new as, apparently her old landlord had got wind of the new child and the fact she was getting another £65 a week in benefits as a result, and had put her rent up by 200 quid a month. Knowing the guy in question, I can well believe he did that. I questioned the £65 a week as I couldn't square how any sum of child benefit plus... anything, really, could come to that but she was quite sure it was true. I'm not sure how much I believe it though. 65 a month maybe, but, no, she was adamant £65 a week.
Edited by mrmistoffelees on Sunday 23 June 23:31
markiii said:
If she's netting 2k a month I'd easily believe £65 a week. Bloody joke that we fund that
£2K a month is the equivalent of a £29K a year job. Plus on top of that you get your National Insurance contributions paid so she will get a full state pension when she gets to retirement age.Wonder why these people don't bother working?. If she is getting another £65 a week on top, that is the equivalent of a £34K a year job.
Lets assume boyfriend is working as well earning the same, that means they have around £4500 take home a month.
I have English neighbour's, mum 60’s daughter 35 and two kids in a 4 bed £1m house I think the rent is about £3.5k a month.
They returned from Italy after daughter divorced, paid 2 months deposit and rent in advance-then went on HB, never seen anyone work but complaining to other neighbours they want a house with sea views.
Systems broken why work.
They returned from Italy after daughter divorced, paid 2 months deposit and rent in advance-then went on HB, never seen anyone work but complaining to other neighbours they want a house with sea views.
Systems broken why work.
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
markiii said:
If she's netting 2k a month I'd easily believe £65 a week. Bloody joke that we fund that
£2K a month is the equivalent of a £29K a year job. Plus on top of that you get your National Insurance contributions paid so she will get a full state pension when she gets to retirement age.Wonder why these people don't bother working?. If she is getting another £65 a week on top, that is the equivalent of a £34K a year job.
Lets assume boyfriend is working as well earning the same, that means they have around £4500 take home a month.
If it wasn't for the ability to take a piss outside easyly i think given the choice next time arround when god asks what gender do you want to be ill pick female... lol
During Covid, one of our tenants stopped paying and then stayed after covid, still not paying.
The local authority in cahoots with Law Centre (a charity that gives free legal advice to low income people) assisted her with not budging. They used stalling tactics and played the legal system to keep her in situ.
She was working, but claimed not to be to get the free legal help.
Eventually, we caught her out lying to the court and essentially blackmailed her. Unless she went, we'd pursue contempt of court, which carries a theoretical custodial sentence She left.
I haven't totted up her total debt but it was around £13k.
To my surprise, she started paying £50 per month which would see her debt paid down in, what, twenty-five years with interest?
Anyway, she stopped paying a couple of months ago, so I chased her up today. "You never told me who my deposit was protected with" came the reply.
The local authority in cahoots with Law Centre (a charity that gives free legal advice to low income people) assisted her with not budging. They used stalling tactics and played the legal system to keep her in situ.
She was working, but claimed not to be to get the free legal help.
Eventually, we caught her out lying to the court and essentially blackmailed her. Unless she went, we'd pursue contempt of court, which carries a theoretical custodial sentence She left.
I haven't totted up her total debt but it was around £13k.
To my surprise, she started paying £50 per month which would see her debt paid down in, what, twenty-five years with interest?
Anyway, she stopped paying a couple of months ago, so I chased her up today. "You never told me who my deposit was protected with" came the reply.
Puzzles said:
The council force them to stay until the bitter end, hardly a surprise some struggle to rent is it.
A recent applicant said they had a guarantor. "Great, we'll take you" we said.
The next day the applicant said "my guarantor wants a copy of the AST, gas safety cert, electrical safety cert, EPC"
"Is this the council?" we asked.
"Yes".
"NEXT!"
Not a legal person but ran a property co for 25years.
All guarantors must see the tenancy before signing the guarantor form and best practice have the guarantor worded as signed as “a deed” also ask them to upload a copy of their mortgage statement or copy of land reg and passport (compare signatures)
I used to like posting out by proof of postage so the address always relates to the address on the guarantor form, Also I close a SAE as amazing how lazy people are.
The actual tenancy can be signed online with something like docusign.
Best practice put them thru the same referencing company as the tenant and nothing happens on a promise after all your handing them a property worth 100’s of thousands.
Any issues or the tenants trying to rush you and they don’t get in and always blame your insurance company.
I personally didn’t take HB or UC but I do know by law if the tenant/s is in 8 weeks arrears you or the agent can insist the council pays the rent direct to yourself or agent.
I’m glad I’m out of the game as certainly the tenants have more rights over the property than you the owner, I sometimes wonder if the government/council want you to give your car keys to the tenants as well-before you touch your toes.
All guarantors must see the tenancy before signing the guarantor form and best practice have the guarantor worded as signed as “a deed” also ask them to upload a copy of their mortgage statement or copy of land reg and passport (compare signatures)
I used to like posting out by proof of postage so the address always relates to the address on the guarantor form, Also I close a SAE as amazing how lazy people are.
The actual tenancy can be signed online with something like docusign.
Best practice put them thru the same referencing company as the tenant and nothing happens on a promise after all your handing them a property worth 100’s of thousands.
Any issues or the tenants trying to rush you and they don’t get in and always blame your insurance company.
I personally didn’t take HB or UC but I do know by law if the tenant/s is in 8 weeks arrears you or the agent can insist the council pays the rent direct to yourself or agent.
I’m glad I’m out of the game as certainly the tenants have more rights over the property than you the owner, I sometimes wonder if the government/council want you to give your car keys to the tenants as well-before you touch your toes.
Edited by Good Plan Ted on Tuesday 2nd July 07:36
Louis Balfour said:
A recent applicant said they had a guarantor.
"Great, we'll take you" we said.
The next day the applicant said "my guarantor wants a copy of the AST, gas safety cert, electrical safety cert, EPC"
"Is this the council?" we asked.
"Yes".
"NEXT!"
What's your take on the 'Rent Guarantee Insurance'? Did you have to use it, does it work properly ?"Great, we'll take you" we said.
The next day the applicant said "my guarantor wants a copy of the AST, gas safety cert, electrical safety cert, EPC"
"Is this the council?" we asked.
"Yes".
"NEXT!"
Landlords have been warned that thousands of tenants face losing their housing benefit and may struggle to pay the rent as changes brought in by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) take effect.
Tax expert and Property Alex Wood says some 184,000 people face losing their benefits including for housing as the DWP migrates hundreds of thousands of claimants from legacy benefits such as Housing Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowances to Universal Credit.
Government figures show that out of 824,050 people who have been migrated over the past 21 months, some 184,000 or 22% have not been moved over and therefore have had or face having their benefits stopped, says Wood. Many of these individuals are likely facing significant challenges, and the DWP must prioritise their well-being over meeting migration targets. The primary goal should be ensuring that no one is left without essential support."
"The DWP's ability to manage the migration of claimants from legacy benefits to Universal Credit is concerning, especially for those vulnerable.”
The problems faced by some tenants could make tenants in receipt of benefits even less attractive to private landlords – a poll late last year found that 43% would not accept this kind of tenant, a practice that Labour has promised to prevent when it resurrects the Tory’s Renters Reform Bill should they win the General Election this week.
Tax expert and Property Alex Wood says some 184,000 people face losing their benefits including for housing as the DWP migrates hundreds of thousands of claimants from legacy benefits such as Housing Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowances to Universal Credit.
Government figures show that out of 824,050 people who have been migrated over the past 21 months, some 184,000 or 22% have not been moved over and therefore have had or face having their benefits stopped, says Wood. Many of these individuals are likely facing significant challenges, and the DWP must prioritise their well-being over meeting migration targets. The primary goal should be ensuring that no one is left without essential support."
"The DWP's ability to manage the migration of claimants from legacy benefits to Universal Credit is concerning, especially for those vulnerable.”
The problems faced by some tenants could make tenants in receipt of benefits even less attractive to private landlords – a poll late last year found that 43% would not accept this kind of tenant, a practice that Labour has promised to prevent when it resurrects the Tory’s Renters Reform Bill should they win the General Election this week.
ooid said:
Louis Balfour said:
A recent applicant said they had a guarantor.
"Great, we'll take you" we said.
The next day the applicant said "my guarantor wants a copy of the AST, gas safety cert, electrical safety cert, EPC"
"Is this the council?" we asked.
"Yes".
"NEXT!"
What's your take on the 'Rent Guarantee Insurance'? Did you have to use it, does it work properly ?"Great, we'll take you" we said.
The next day the applicant said "my guarantor wants a copy of the AST, gas safety cert, electrical safety cert, EPC"
"Is this the council?" we asked.
"Yes".
"NEXT!"
I have no experience of the former, but I suspect you’ve got to be very careful with complying with T&Cs and further imagine they could be onerous.
Local authority I do have some experience with, albeit not recent. It was not effective.
Anything whatsoever relating to our local authority we avoid at all costs. Ditto tenants reliant upon UC.
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