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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to give up on private renting completely..

166 replies

Bornfizzle · 06/09/2014 02:19

Hi all Sad

I've just recently given birth and due to unforeseen circumstances I'm going to have to look for a home to rent privately but this is proving to be an impossible task as most landlords are listing in their ads "no dss" or "no housing benefit", some for homes that are 300 a month and under so I am no way looking too far out of my price range. The LHA in Belfast NI is roughly 363 for a two bed.

I know some landlord's mortgages don't permit tenants who are getting housing benefit but after surfing the subject for a while on MN and other sites there seem to be those landlords who tar anyone who is getting benefits as scroungers who will ruin their property and spend their rent money on drugs, alcohol ....you name it! I understand being spurned by previous tenants but surely blanketing us all is slightly unfair! Sad

I am in no way any of those things and only want a place to call home for my DC. Sad

Sorry for the rant ...after DP abandoning us at the last minute and a difficult pregnancy everything just seems hopeless. Waiting list for council housing for non priority is roughly 3 years, even waiting for a hostel would take a good while....I just feel like crying and screaming all a at once! Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
Bornfizzle · 06/09/2014 05:16
Sad
OP posts:
NadiaWadia · 06/09/2014 05:25

I'm sorry Born . Don't have any useful thoughts, but I sympathise. It is shit. Saw a landlord on another thread who was happy that her tenants had 'no children or pets and were not at home much' - so that's what it takes to be a good tenant eh? God forbid you should mess up a landlord's property with, you know, having a life and a family. A lot of landlords and letting agencies are guilty of stereotyping re anyone receiving benefits.

Have you tried calling Shelter (although sometime it is hard to get through)? They might be able to advise you. Anyone at work or friends know of anywhere? But I expect you've thought of all that.

MissWimpyDimple · 06/09/2014 05:53

It's very hard. Can you get a guarantor? That often means that agencies will take you.

The other option (which I realise is out of reach for many) is to pay 6 months rent in advance.

The council should be able to give you a list of agencies who take benefit claimants.

At least once you are working again you should be able to cover the rent at 300pcm. Here the HB for 2 beds is 850pcm (and you'd be lucky to find anything for that) so for many many people including couples, it means a lifetime getting HB too ups Confused

OneLittleToddleTerror · 06/09/2014 06:04

nadia that's because landlords are running a business. If rentals are in short supply then they will choose a household where all adults go out to work full time. It is a lot less wear and tear. I know because I have a cat and a toddler. It's all back to supply and demand. I have seem those ads saying no children or pets. It's very common here.

OP no real advice but I have read on here what helps are references from previous landlords.

NadiaWadia · 06/09/2014 06:10

Yes but they could get a couple of working tenants who were filthy and trashed the place. They should treat people more as individuals, look at references etc., rather than stereotyping. I must say I have not had this problem myself as a tenant, but then I'm not in the South East. Do you not find it frustrating?

Andrewofgg · 06/09/2014 06:37

If I was a landlord I would prefer two working people without children because overall they are more likely to pay on time and do no damage. It would not be realistic to carry out a detailed assessment of every applicant: time is money.

As for animals, forget it, why would any LL allow that?

3pigsinblanketsandasausagerole · 06/09/2014 06:40

Could your local council perhaps give you information on letting agents accepting benefits?

We had this problem when I first moved out of my parents house

The agency I ended up with is a small family buisness not a high street chain such as Reeds Rains etc

The letting agents I use do seem to be more expensive than the high street names to be honest. About 5 years ago we tried moving to a house with I think Jordan Fishwicks and were told we couldn't have the house because we had dc

canweseethebunnies · 06/09/2014 06:47

YANBU and I really feel for you. I'm lucky enough to not be in that position anymore, but I was once, and it's shit.

The whole system needs overhauling. Capitalist notions of 'they're running a business' and 'supply and demand' are trotted out to justify why human beings get treated like shit. How long is this going to continue to be the accepted way of operating in this world?

PhaedraIsMyName · 06/09/2014 07:43

I'm very sorry to read about your situation

I know some landlord's mortgages don't permit tenants who are getting housing benefit

I don't have a mortgage but my insurance company stipulates only professional or students. I'm not entirely sure what they mean by "professional" beyond being in a job and one could be employed I assume and still get benefit, but I can't accept anyone not employed or in full time education.

therenter · 06/09/2014 07:44

So sorry for you. We are in a very similar boat. No dss but finding It impossible to find a rental that will accept 4 kids and 3 cats.
Andrew as one letting agent told me - we pay a hell of a hefty deposit to give LL some peace of mind. It is LL with views such as your own that mean animal rescue centres are inundated with pets that simply could not be kept. I refuse to give up my cats they are part of our family and the children love them!
But hold on a minute children in rentals aren't allowed a life or any fun.
We have been looking since April and will be homeless in 6 weeks if we don't find anything.
There are two perfect houses nearby. One won't take my cats and the other won't take my children either despite it being a 4 bed. They are both sitting empty!

So despite the fact that we don't smoke or drink- that we both work - we are also being rejected over and over again.
As I said we pay huge amounts to live in these house and huge deposits- I find the whole system very very unfair.

Hope u find somewhere soon :-)

3pigsinblanketsandasausagerole · 06/09/2014 07:56

A four bed not excepting children is crazy IMO

prettywhiteguitar · 06/09/2014 08:06

Well I'm a landlord and I always look at the tenants as individuals, at the moment I have a couple with a 2yr old, I have accepted pets before on the basis that they clean.

You can't guarantee anything with tenants anyway, they might be single and cook really greasy fried food and cover your kitchen in a layer of fat for three years !!

I would recommend finding a smaller company and still asking if they will take dc, if their property has been on the market for a while they might change their mind.

Always always ask, please don't give up hope, you will find somewhere.

I was in the same position as you btw and I had to move in with a friend short term till I could find someon to share with, good luck !

BlackeyedSusan · 06/09/2014 08:09

they are running a business and it is supply and demand.. this is what social housing is for. shame there is not enough.

BlackeyedSusan · 06/09/2014 08:10

oh and I am sorry you are in this position. there should be council housing available.I hope you can find somewhre decent.

FraidyCat · 06/09/2014 08:29

A four bed not excepting children is crazy IMO

It depends where you are. The three bedroom flat next-door to me has nearly always been let to house-shares, 3 or 4 adults in their twenties or thirties sharing. They are seldom ever home. The rent is probably now in the region of £500 to £600 a week.

OneLittleToddleTerror · 06/09/2014 08:35

Want to say the same about 4 beds. I'm in the south east. They are rented to 4 young working adults or 4 students depending on area. Lots and lots of young adults are renting. I know especially because my work has a lot of graduates and all of them rent together. It's really strange when you here x lives with y and z and so on.

OneLittleToddleTerror · 06/09/2014 08:37

It is frustrating but there is a huge shortage in rentals. The problem is the disappearance of social housing for those who want to settle down and are no longer transient.

OneLittleToddleTerror · 06/09/2014 08:39

And I know they also look for rooms using sites like spareroom.co.uk. So not all of them are looking together as a group.

WooWooOwl · 06/09/2014 09:35

I don't think it's fair to blame landlords for being wary of renting to people on benefits when statistically those are the people that are most likely to default on payments. The blame for HB claimants having difficulty in finding properties that will rent to them lies with other claimants who have defaulted in the past, not with the landlords.

As we have a situation where there is not enough social housing, I think councils should be more willing to act as a kind of guarantor, so that landlords don't have to take such a big financial risk on people that need housing but who can't afford to pay their rent on their own or pay big deposits. That way people would get the homes they need, landlords would have more assurance, and everyone's a winner.

femin · 06/09/2014 09:46

No the local authority should not be giving landlords more financial assurance. Landlords already make a lot of money out of local authorities with housing benefit. You are a business, you need to accept there is risk involved.

What we need is more social housing.

juliascurr · 06/09/2014 09:55

there are areas with vacant social houses - Lincoln, Hull, Salford I've heard recently
try phoning other councils to find out?

WooWooOwl · 06/09/2014 09:55

Landlords don't make money out of local authorities from housing benefit at all. Housing benefit is paid to people who can't afford their own housing, not to people who already have it.

Of course renting out property is a business and there is risk involved, but it's pretty normal for any business to want to minimise their risk of loss, and that's why we have this situation where perfectly good tenants can't find housing because they have to claim help.

You don't blame shops for minimising the risk to their business by using anti theft devices, you don't blame hotels for minimising the risk to their business by taking credit card details, so why shouldn't landlords take whatever steps they can to minimise the risk to their businesses? Councils have an actual responsibility to house people that can't do it for themselves, landlords do not have that responsibility.

I agree we need more social housing, but as that just isn't going to happen any time soon, there needs to be another solution to the problem that people are finding themselves in now.

femin · 06/09/2014 10:10

If housing benefit didn't exist, landlords could not get the rents they currently get. Most people simply couldn't afford them.

WooWooOwl · 06/09/2014 10:14

And if housing benefit didn't exist, then many more people would be on the streets or living in over crowed conditions with family, and there would be lots of empty houses as some landlords would still choose to hold on to their property and keep it empty rather than sell.

Rents may go down and we might end up with more homeowners but without a doubt, if HB didn't exist, the biggest losers would be the poorest people.

Mintyy · 06/09/2014 10:17

I really feel for you op and everyone else who has to rent privately in the UK at the moment. It is expensive and insecure and seems impossible for people who rely on housing benefit or even just a housing benefit top up. I am sorry it is so hard Flowers.