Subject to status and referencing

Reply to the comment left by David Price at 12/06/2019 - 10:12
And yes David, when they could move often, they NEVER gave the proper notice. I had one woman 18 months ago, been with me 15 years, her bother, daughter, family etc. in my other houses so we do get on, she just upped & left, no notice nothing. In fact, may have mentioned briefly, but moved about 2 weeks before she said was gonna', & left place empty, a mess etc. 15 years was with me, homeless Xmas Eve approx 2003, gave her & her 3 kids a home as she was just about to go into Hostel, moved her to better area, moved into ground floor flat when her kids left home, & she now treats me like this. And I'm the bad one. Although her family wasn't happy with her about doing it.

Reply to the comment left by Neil Patterson at 12/06/2019 - 11:45
Yes Neil, very good point. We've had enough of HB UC for all the problems we know. BUT BUT IF the LHA rent was the PROPER rent & we wasn't chasing top ups that the tenant can't afford in times of austerity where the wise Tory Rich toffs have froze their benefits for 5 years, if we just got the ruddy correct rent that the house requires to help pay extortionate Selective Licensing & Mind-boggling Clause 24 etc., we may just grin & bear cause at least we being paid with one less thing to do of chasing rent.

Reply to the comment left by ameliahartman at 13/06/2019 - 05:36
Never ASSUME, it makes and ASS of U and ME. You could not be more wrong about my location and the size of the families I house.

Simple question when someone applies; Are you working?
if yes start the process.If no Dont worry yourself.
The Yes tenant gives Company name this enables Landlord to claim on attachment of earnings if there is default.Never had a problem doing this procedure I do not take deposits either and never have done in 20years. Obviously we have plenty of enquiries.

Reply to the comment left by ameliahartman at 13/06/2019 - 05:48
Amelia - thanks for that advice it's useful.

My experience of housing tenants on benefits is that some of them are probably illegal immigrants, some are claiming benefits they are not entitled to, some are moonlighting, some are obtaining credit under false pretences. You don't know this when they are in your property, you find out when they move out letters start landing on the mat and people come looking for them.

My view on tenants has always been if they pay the rent on time, look after the property, and don't upset the neighbours then their private business is their private business. I don't really see how I can check that they are entitled to the benefit that they are receiving if all that I can do is give them 24 hours notice to inspect the property. Wouldn't really work that well if the police had to give 24 hours notice of a drug's seizure would it? Or if the bailiffs said, "...we're just giving you 24 hours notice that we'll be around to collect your telly and your car tomorrow."

So I have housed tenants on benefits but always insisted they paid me directly because my understanding is that if it subsequently transpires they are not entitled to benefits, the agency paying the benefits can come and get the money back from you, the landlord. But as a landlord I do not see that you actually have the powers to check that they are entitled to them. Perhaps this is not much of a risk in your area, wherever that is.

Reply to the comment left by ameliahartman at 13/06/2019 - 19:38
Amelia, there is no need for clarification if you avoid benefit tenants, and that is what landlords are now doing. The government with the aid of Shelter (remember the charity which houses no one) has taken away all the tools a landlord could possibly use to collect rent or enforce social behaviour; so avoid benefit tenants like the plague and only take working families.
It is not the job of the PRS to house social tenants or the homeless as I used to do until the government made it impossibly difficult by introducing mindless, unnecessary bureaucracy and cut housing benefit further than the bone. Fortunately there are plenty of working families needing accommodation.

Clarification for Amelia, Shelter is the anti landlord charity which houses no one and will not provide a rent guarantee for any benefit claimants but still insists that they are little angles. If you need further clarification ask Larry Sweeney of the National Landlords Alliance.

"they have smashed up your properties in revenge? There are plenty of working families who do this too, who aren’t on ANY benefits at all!"

There are.
But if they have a career, a solid work history, a possibility of buying their own home one day, assets, no chance of a council house, home owning guarantors, pension, etc etc. Then they are far less likely to do so than someone with nothing to lose.

It is basic risk/reward for landlords or any other business.

May I ask you a question?
As quite frankly you sound like someone explaining how to fly a helicopter from just reading about it but who has never actually flown.

How come you were haemorrhaging long term DSS tenants at a rate of 15% last month?
All at a time when landlords accepting DSS tenants are becoming rarer than insurance companies offering rent guarantee policies for DSS tenants.

Reply to the comment left by ameliahartman at 13/06/2019 - 19:38
She was 52ish & went into a Council Sheltered accommodation thing. Was struggling with her weight & had to have electric scooter to get about. She was great the first 10 years or so. As soon as she started to wreck stuff with this big scooter & I asked her to pay for £650 composite door where she'd smashed frame apart banging into it with scooter, it was my fault. You've got a big house Mick, u can afford it.

Yes my people not wrecking properties is now brilliant. Most non HB landlords expect this to be the norm, but for us HB Landlords, a non HB wrecked property is a bonus.
I had my first Letting Agent property come empty 7 months ago, new tenant moved in & for first time in 10+ years, we had no repairs to do as moved in & no repairs asked for when in. A big learning curve on how posh pass credit checks working paid deposit rent up front tenants DON'T WRECK stuff like what I've been used to HB for 20 years.