Letting a property to a council tenant without a buy to let mortgage

Letting a property to a council tenant without a buy to let mortgage

9:44 AM, 7th July 2015, About 9 years ago 18

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I am looking at getting an ordinary mortgage to buy my housing association house getting my right to buy discount etc….. Letting a property to a council tenant without a buy to let mortgage

I then want to move my nan into this house and she will live here for the rest of her life and I believe she has at least 20 years left in her, She would claim full housing benefit which would go into a different account my mortgage comes out of and I would still make sure my mortgage is paid in full – I will be working full time as well.

I would then move in with my girlfriend.

So long as the bank never finds out nor the council doing too many checks – would you say everything would be hunky dory with this set up? I know for a fact the mortgage would be paid with ease as she would always be living here and her housing benefit hasnt changed in 20 years or so……

Thanks all!

Matthew


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Comments

Philip Savva

9:52 AM, 8th July 2015, About 9 years ago

If it were that easy mate, we'd all be doing it

Paul Franklin

12:51 PM, 8th July 2015, About 9 years ago

It has to be a commercial arrangement for your mother to be able to claim LHA (housing benefit). The chances of this set-up meeting that test are slim. Your mother is unlikley to be able to rent her son's property and claim housing benefit to pay the bill.

This idea is stupid at best and potentially criminal.

Robert M

9:59 AM, 11th July 2015, About 9 years ago

Hi Matthew

I'm sure this is a question that many people with a Right to Buy would consider at some point, so it is good that you ask the question, but I think you can see from the responses that it is fraught with difficulties and risks which could result in your imprisonment (among other seriously bad consequences).

However, instead of moving your gran in and then you moving in with your girlfriend, have you considered doing it the other way around? Why not move your girlfriend in with you into the Right to Buy property, and then your gran can rent somewhere else (if your girlfriend owns her own property she could perhaps rent that to your gran, assuming she can get consent to let). That way you would be living in your own Right to Buy property, so there would be no mortgage fraud, no Right to Buy fraud, and no Housing Benefit fraud, and everyone would be housed.

Graham H.

8:42 AM, 22nd October 2015, About 9 years ago

Hello, I have a similar situation can anyone help?

This is my first post on the forum and I reside in Edinburgh. I am very interested in becoming a property investor, but first off my partner wants to buy her council property for building up our property portfolio and building collateral in an affluent market. I already have a property which I own and reside in, and she currently lives in her's and rents this from the council (should we purchase we will decide to move in properly together). Things get a little more complicated, when we consider the amount of discount available for years lived in the property - although this will only last until August 2016 when the right-to-buy ends. So there is a limited timescale. The cost of the property is relatively low but we would still need a mortgage/loan to purchase it but the issue is that my partner has not had a solid history of working for the past few years.

I want to help her and from what I have read, I don't think I can get a mortgage because I already have one, so think it would be a buy-to-let one or higher interest loan? Therefore, could the property be shared in a purchase application with both names on the deeds?

What are the options available to us?

Many thanks,

G

Neil Patterson

9:29 AM, 22nd October 2015, About 9 years ago

Hi Graham,

With a Council right to buy there will be a pre-emption period often 3 years where you cannot sell, release equity from or rent the property.

Therefore if you were allowed to move in and be added to the right to buy you could have a joint mortgage, but you would need to convert your existing property to a buy to let and rent it out. The Buy to let mortgage would not normally hamper your main residence application as it is deemed self financing.

Graham H.

11:12 AM, 22nd October 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Neil Patterson" at "22/10/2015 - 09:29":

Thank you Neil,

That is a viable option which I may explore. With regards to a joint-mortgage, would lenders look at both our financial history or simply measure the current level of collateral I have available and ability to repay? Also are you saying that we can take out a buy-to-let mortgage on the property which we would inadvertently have to stay in for the 3 year period, even though it would be another property that would be let out?

Neil Patterson

11:16 AM, 22nd October 2015, About 9 years ago

Absolutely not Graham. The only property that could be a BTL is yours and you would then not be able to live there.

Lenders will look at all financial information and assess it in a joint residential mortgage.

Alison King

16:08 PM, 22nd October 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Graham H." at "22/10/2015 - 08:42":

Hello Graham. If you are both intending to live in your separate properties for a few years until hers can be let, it may be possible for you to help her get a mortgage by acting as guarantor. This of course would have implications for you if she were to default so you would need to be very confident about your joint futures.

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