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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to move house? It's f***ing impossible.

93 replies

MyDogShitsMoney · 06/07/2012 18:52

I'm renting and want to move as the house I'm in is starting to need a fair bit of maintsoenance. (damp issues, wiring problems, garden wall falling down, kitchen tap broken.....)

The problem is every single fecking advert says no housing benefit. Every single one. WHY?

Surely a Landlord would be happier with HB as it means guaranteed payment?

I do work as well but only part time so since stbXh left I have to claim a little help.

My credit history is absolutely fine, I keep my house immaculately, I have never once been even a day late paying the rent and I have great references from 2 landlords from houses I have lived in for 4 and 6 years respectively to prove it.

Yet just because I no longer have a husband I'm not deemed worthy of renting a little 2 bedroom house. Anywhere.

I'm so fucking pissed off. I just want a nice little home for me and my son. Is that really too much to ask?

OP posts:
TalHotBlond · 06/07/2012 19:42

In my borough the landlord only has to repay if they have been receiving the HB (not the tenant as most claims are set up now) and it can be proved that they knew the fraud was being committed (the claimant was working/partner moved in/tenant had vacated etc) and that they should not have been receiving the benefit. Which is pretty hard to prove and so appeals against the decision are usually successful.

CrikeyOHare · 06/07/2012 19:42

PS..OP if only a little bit of your rent is paid by HB then hell, don't tell them. Where your income comes from is your business imo.

Dunno about the insurance aspect, but since you're a good tenant who pays the rent & cares for the place then it's unlikely to become an issue in the future, right?

CrikeyOHare · 06/07/2012 19:44

TalHotBlond Ah...they've changed it then? That's good...about time.

TalHotBlond · 06/07/2012 19:48

Just one of the crazy points they've had to concede over the years I'd imagine Grin.

Original poster
MyDogShitsMoney · 06/07/2012 19:52

Thanks Crikey I didn't know that about the council website. I'll have a look now.

I'm nervous of not going through an agency as I need a proper contract and for everything to be done properly. Really don't want to end up with a crappy LL. Plus (And I know this makes me sound entitled) but I want somewhere nice. I don't want to have to go somewhere crappy just because that's all I can get.

My house now is only small and it's by no means anything special but it's nice. I just wish the LL would get things fixed. I can't push her because I can't risk her deciding to sell up.

It's not just the water damage it's constant little things.

The fire in the living room broke so instead of fixing it she put new coals on it so "it looks ok" then left it because "there's central heating so you don't need it".

Also the boiler breaks every year at least once but every time she tells the engineer to "bodge it for now" instead of just replacing it. (it is safety checked)

OP posts:
AfternoonDelight · 06/07/2012 20:07

We've just moved and we're on HB.

I found a house that we loved in a village we really, really wanted to live in. I called the estate agents and explained that we were extremely interested in the house, but unfortunately we were going to be claiming HB. I did say though that we were willing to provide any information that they needed - good references, guarantors, and if need be we could get the money paid direct to the agent. The estate agent said that it was down to their discretion as well as the landlord's, we provided them with everything we had, and they were happy to accept us.

So I'd talk to estate agents directly and see if there's anything that they can do.

Original poster
MyDogShitsMoney · 06/07/2012 20:23

Good to know it's worth a try!

Glad you found somewhere Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
MyDogShitsMoney · 06/07/2012 20:26

I do have a deposit btw, not a massive one but just got a tax rebate type of thing so will have a months rent.

Don't know about a guarantor but I could probably ask my sister. Would she have to pay anything or is it just that she would have to pay my rent if I did runner?

OP posts:
Emmielu · 06/07/2012 20:28

Guarantor needs to be in full time work and/or a own their own home. Wouldnt need to pay anything but would need to pay if you dont pay rent.

Original poster
MyDogShitsMoney · 06/07/2012 20:31

Oh that's ok then, her and BIL own their house and both work.

(I also don't plan on doing a runner!)

OP posts:
Cheriefroufrou · 06/07/2012 20:37

not a house but a large flat: we are leaseholders and we basically are only allowed certain types of tennants by our freeholder, we have no choice!
If we put the "wrong" kind in our flat and he found out, even if WE hadn't been told, we would be in serious trouble! he has taken away people's leaseholds in the past!

I really hope if we ever did rent it out noone witheld being on HB from us! Its not snobbery we just can't afford to loose our property!

(In some areas quite a few small houses are actually leasehold too!)

EveryPicture · 06/07/2012 21:04

My sister owns 2 properties which she lets out. One of them has been empty for over 6 months because she will not accept anyone on HB. It's a two up, two down in a shitty area

It is madness in my opinion. I have to claim benefits (not HB but other stuff). It doesn't automatically make you a bad person or about to do a runner.

She should screen anyone who is interested carefully and get references. Meet them. Ok, yes, any tenant could seem trustworthy and it is a risk, but being a LL is a risk. There are horror stories out there.

OP, I hope you get sorted soon.

Original poster
MyDogShitsMoney · 06/07/2012 21:07

That's exactly why I wouldn't lie, I don't think it's fair if the LL has a genuine reason.

(Sorry only ever rented to don't know what leasehold or freehold mean.)

But tbh honest your freeholder is exactly the kind of person who boils my piss.

How dare he say me and my 10 month old son are the "wrong kind"?
Absolute pig ignorance.

OP posts:
Original poster
MyDogShitsMoney · 06/07/2012 21:12

Sorry EveryPicture X-post.

I agree completely, every potential tenant should be carefully screened. Being a LL is a risky business admitedly but it's also bloody profitable!

What I don't understand is why am I any more of a risk than anyone else?

OP posts:
Cheriefroufrou · 06/07/2012 21:16

"Sorry only ever rented to don't know what leasehold or freehold mean"

it means that when we bought our flat, what we bought was the right to live in it for 120ish years at a nominal rent (like £100/yr). The freeholder owns the building, so we would be landlords with a landlord if we rented our flat

We have a 120ish year lease and there are conditions in it. Some freeholds never pull anyone up on the terms of their lease, ours does!

If we rented our flat we would have to condition our tennants to all the conditions which we are under and then some..

Most common for flats to be leasehold, but quite a few mews type houses are also leasehold

Cheriefroufrou · 06/07/2012 21:19

(FWIW it wouldn't be at all profitable for us to lease our flat, the one time we considered it it was so that we could rent a smaller flat near to where DH could find work, we don't actually earn enough to rent there at all so would have needed the rent from the flat we owned to just cover our rent/expenses plus a small fund for maintenance of the flat we own.. we certainly wouldn't have made a profit, it would just have enabled us to live somewhere smaller but nearer more work for DH... so you can see how scary the prospect of getting in hot water with our free holder as a result of us not having found out properly if our tennants meet HIS conditions would be for us!)

GrahamTribe · 06/07/2012 21:24

"Problem is, HB is NOT guaranteed for landlords. Almost all councils will only pay the money to the tenant who sometimes don't pass it on"

But that's a crap excuse! (By landlords, not you, Crikey). Someone earning the full amount of rent could just as easily not pay it.

MyDog, I hope you find somewhere soon.

Cheriefroufrou · 06/07/2012 21:29

but also MDSM, if I did rent out I'ld be DELIGHTED to find someone like you.. I just can't choose from the "whole market" when it comes to tennants unfortunately Sad

Best of luck x

EveryPicture · 06/07/2012 21:40

No problems MyDog I just feel for you and anyone else in this situation.

My sister is letting her second property stand empty because the rent she is getting from her first property covers both the mortgages. There is nothing wrong in that. She is running it as a business, but I totally agree with you that you should not be ruled out because you receive HB.

FWIW, I have a leasehold house and I don't understand the difference either. I pay ground rent of £100 a year and the lease is 999 years. All the houses round here are leasehold. A lot are rented out though.

I am kind of lacking in the lease/freehold knowledge department Smile

Original poster
MyDogShitsMoney · 06/07/2012 21:54

I have absolutely nothing against LL making a profit. Business is business.

I just want one which is fair.

I pay my rent, on time, and have done every month for 10 years. I keep my house exceptionally clean and tidy. I never call a LL unless it is absolutely necessary.

All I ask is that it's maintained properly. Why should I have to live with damp? Or go without a fire so I have to pay to heat the whole bloody house every time it gets cold? Or to warn all guests not to lean on the garden wall in case it falls down?

I'm not asking for favours, just what I pay for.

OP posts:
thecook · 06/07/2012 21:59

Hi there

There is a website that links HB claimants with landlords who are willing to take HB claimants. I don't know its name but I was applying for jobs online in Ingeus last week and a man next to me was searching for properties in the NW London area. I was being nosey!

thecook · 06/07/2012 22:01

Where are you OP?

Original poster
MyDogShitsMoney · 06/07/2012 22:11

I'm in North Wales. I'll try googling!

TBH I'm torn, I really want to move but what I want the most is for my LL to pull her finger out of her arse!

I love my little house Sad

OP posts:
TheSpokenNerd · 06/07/2012 22:48

HAve you seen this site here it is a DSS site where you put te postcode of where youwant to live and then it throws up potential landlrds who are happy to take HB. You need to register on the site before you can search.

Naoko · 07/07/2012 00:09

It's absolutely worth approaching agencies and landlords - I've rented on HB and so have a number of friends. I would often phone up about a property I'd seen and just be completely up front with the agent or LL - always said I was very interested, that I was a postgraduate student and my partner was looking for work, and I knew it said no DSS but was there any possibility of negotiation? If you're polite and come across as professional (in your case it should be even easier as you do work, which you should mention and emphasise in the same breath as mentioning the HB), a lot of them will at least want to talk about it, and having a guarantor makes most of the remaining issues go away. If your sister were willing (she'd have to be credit checked, for which you'd have to pay a fee, but otherwise there's no cost involved unless you do a runner) that would really, really help.

Where in North Wales are you? If you're anywhere near me (I'm in Bangor) I can point you at a few agencies who have been willing to work with me re: renting on HB in the past.