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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

LP on HB AIBU to want to be treated with a bit of respect?

101 replies

MoreThanAWoman · 17/01/2015 13:26

Are we the scum of the earth? Starting to slowly but surely feel like this. Very disheartened and wondering if there is even any point in continuing to look.

Little bit of background - I am looking to relocate for personal reasons and hopefully start Uni. I have been looking and enquiring about properties for rent for a few weeks now. I keep getting resounding no's. It's like banging your head off a brick wall.

I have sent emails, texts or left answer phone messages for properties as soon as they have appeared on line. Generally the landlords have not even bothered replying to them or I've had a couple of one worded NO texts.

Spoke to an estate agent on Friday regarding a property all was going well she was very pleasant, giving details about the property asking when would be suitable for me to view etc. I said I was a housing benefit tenant immediate change in voice tone "oh, well your not suitable tenant, we will only deal with people in full time employment. There are other estate agents that will deal with you and consider you for the houses aren't as easy to get rented out" She told me there was no point in looking at any of their other properties and I was not the type of tenant their clients looked for.

I have found a few that say DSS welcome on the ads and the houses are awful, really awful.

So because I am a lone parent on housing benefit I have to live in a less than desirable area, in a house that is not fit for a dog to live in?

My current private rent is due to end and I have got to find somewhere to go, starting to panic.

I know some landlords due to their insurance cant' accept housing benefit tenants and that some have also had bad experiences in the past. I totally understand that.

I'm just asking please not judge everyone as being the same and that Miss Sooty Pants takes the stick out that's firmly stuck up her arse. Sorry bottom.

OP posts:

EatShitDerek · 17/01/2015 13:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wherethewildthingis · 17/01/2015 13:29

Yanbu at all. We've just rented our very nice little house out to a lovely woman and her son. Against the panicky advice of the estate agent who we will not be using any more. They are bigots. I grew up in a house that was not fit to live in because of attitudes like this and I'm sorry such bigotry still exists. I hope you find somewhere

FightOrFlight · 17/01/2015 13:30

It's very common in our area that agencies/landlord won't accept people receiving HB.

Not sure how they deal with it if their tenants lose their jobs as I'm sure they can't legally evict on that basis.

It's a real shame and often totally unjustified. Being in work doesn't mean you will actually pay your rent or look after the property.

RJnomore · 17/01/2015 13:34

From a landlord point of view (I am not one but I know a little about the system) there can often be delays with HB payment which are often out of the control of tenants, even delays getting the payment processed and set up at the start. A lot of the issues with renting to HB tenants are not because people think all tenants on HB will be destructive and bad tenants but more to do with the administrative problems with HB itself.

It doesn't help you op but I hope knowing that might make you feel a little less like everyone is judging you.

Good luck with finding a home and good luck with the studies etc.

ChickenMe · 17/01/2015 13:37

Sorry to hear that you've had a hard time. I think (some) bloody letting agents/landlords are deserving of scum label. There's a lack of regulation in the industry - I suppose rightly or wrongly it's about making money. But it's housing, a primary need, not selling chocolate bars or something so I think the industry should be better regulated.
What about council housing, how old is your LO?
Does housing benefit pay the rent? Is that their concern that you can't afford it or just prejudice?

whyhasmyheadgonenumb · 17/01/2015 13:37

I rent out my house to a lady on HB, the letting agent sorted it all out for me. Can you ring round the letting agencies and ask if they deal with applicants receiving HB?

eurochick · 17/01/2015 13:42

It is unfair but perhaps the landlords have been burned by the system. My parents (who both grew up in council houses) have a flat they rent out. One of their first tenants was a lovely nurse, on housing benefit. They had no problem at all with that. She lived there for a while and was no trouble. All good. Then it turned out that she actually hadn't been entitled to claim housing benefit. In these circumstances, the housing benefit is reclaimed from the landlord, who is then left to chase the tenant for it. She did a midnight flit, leaving my parents with the bill. After that, they were rather less keen on HB applicants. The system was very unfair - the landlord had no means of assessing the tenant's right to claim but are left to pay if the authorities get it wrong or the tenant puts in a fraudulent claim.

museumum · 17/01/2015 13:46

Unfortunately my friend rented her flat out for a year while she was abroad for work to a HB tenant. It was always upfront that it was a year. But when she came back he tenant wouldn't move out. They said they had been told to stay and force eviction or else they'd be "voluntary homeless" and not entitled to council help.
So my friend had to go through the courts for a full eviction, meanwhile she was homeless (on a friends couch).
The whole system is screwed I'm afraid.

Studyingmummy · 17/01/2015 13:46

Our tenant is on HB (works but single parent in low paid job) and it has never been an issue. Rent always on time keeps house to a reasonable standard etc.

It's really unfair to disregard HB claimants completely, surely you can provide a reference from your current LL to prove reliablility? Hope you find something OP & good luck with Uni, I am graduating this summer in my early 40s.

rallytog1 · 17/01/2015 13:47

Another issue is that a lot of landlords' insurance policies won't cover tenants on hb. The policies that do are insanely expensive. I'm a ll and would happily let to tenants on hb but my insurance won't allow it (and before anyone calls me greedy, I make an annual loss on my property as it is - I just can't afford to pay more for my insurance).

The whole system sucks.

WooWooOwl · 17/01/2015 13:47

It's not because you're a lone parent on benefits, it's because you're not in employment.

You're right that not everyone should be judged the same, but it makes sense for people running a business to take the lowest risks. They aren't judging you personally, they can't because they don't know you.

fishinabarrell · 17/01/2015 14:03

YANBU but it's all about risk and unfortunately a lot of LL and Estate Agents who the LL go through consider it high risk. Also worth noting that sometimes while a LL might be okay to go through HB, the EA will not be. And vice versa. So if an EA managing for LL, they have t both agree.

My cousin's on HB and one of the reasons the EA said they wouldn't accept HB was because of late/delayed payment (paid to tenant and then to EA on behalf of LL rather then direct to EA/LL) and because with private renting the EA/LL has more security in the deposit which is held in trust by the DPS as a neutral body. It's still not gamble free but less risky. As a result the LL home insurance is cheaper then with HB tenants.

It sucks, my cousin hunted hard to find one EA that took HB but only with a guarantor. It's risk management though and people will always want to minimise it. If you have a guarantor, that may help a bit OP? It did my cousin.

Gawjushun · 17/01/2015 14:10

I don't understand why HB is seen as a risk. If you're in full time employment, you can easily lose your job, get sick, or have other things that stop you paying the rent. At least HB is paid to tenants on a regular basis. It's just shitty stereotyping of people on benefits, and it's amazing that it's legal to discriminate in this way.

You could try going through private landlords on sites like Hatched? They might be more receptive if you explain your situation. Letting agents are scum anyway.

expatinscotland · 17/01/2015 14:19

What eurochick said. That is a very big risk. And what Woo said. We used to claim partial HB on private let as we were living in a very expensive coty, but were both in employment and once we proved that, we had little bother. Someone unemployed will be there more and produce more wear on the property from the LL's perspective.

LHA caps are quite low, with the tenant needing to fund the rest of the shortfall, so it is unsurpirsing that LL's with properties in more desirable areas are less willing to let to a tenant with no employment as there is the risk they won't get their full rent.

fishinabarrell · 17/01/2015 14:22

There's a chance you could lose your job, yes but the EA still has the deposit and can take rent from that if not given so less risk then no deposit. It's seen as risky y insurance companies too though not sure on the reasoning there.

fishinabarrell · 17/01/2015 14:24

And to make it clear as I said before, it suck and I don't agree with it but it is all about minimising risk-which has to be done. IF HB is seen as higher risk, it's minimised. Same as often no pets are allowed or children in places because they're seen as 'risky' in terms of damage.

expatinscotland · 17/01/2015 14:26

Also, with short-assured tenancy, if the tenant in employment loses job, it's only a matter of a couple of months before he or she can be served notice to move on and the LL find a new tenant in employment.

Since more and more people are having to rent, LL's in desirable areas usually have their pick of tenants in full-time work.

SnowWhiteAteTheApple · 17/01/2015 14:26

It's not because you are a lone parent but due to you having no employment.

Previous history/stats that the insurance companies use show that this type of tennant is high risk hence why many insurance companies and BTL mortgages exclude them. No different to any other insurance that has exclusions.

There's likely to be more wear and tear as home all day, many ignore notices to leave in order to get a council house etc so aim your anger at previous tennants who have done this to the stats rather than a landlord who is simply protecting his/her asset.

fedupbutfine · 17/01/2015 14:26

do you have anyone to act as a guarantor for you? this might make a difference to some landlords and get you something better. Your university may also be able to help you find somewhere suitable - ask the students services department - and some universities do have family and/or couple's accommodation (not much of it, but some) so it's worth asking.

YesIDidMeanToBeSoRudeActually · 17/01/2015 14:28

What area are you in, OP?

PM me if you prefer?

YesIDidMeanToBeSoRudeActually · 17/01/2015 14:28

Sorry pressed send too soon. If you are in the North

expatinscotland · 17/01/2015 14:29

Guarantor will definitely help!

Elllimam · 17/01/2015 14:29

Try gumtree? We are letting out our flat and accept housing benefit. We did have issues with a previous flat though, the lady didn't pay the last months rent :/ and left the flat in a heck of a state. It hasn't put us off hb tenants though. Some mortgage lenders won't accept the owner letting the home to a hb tenant as well.

FightOrFlight · 17/01/2015 14:42

museumum

That could have happened even if they were working so it's not necessarily because they were claiming HB.

eurochick

Excellent point, I never thought of that and it does put a different perspective on some LL's reluctance to rent to people on HB.

Flossyfloof · 17/01/2015 14:43

Whereabouts are you? It may be that someone on here can help.

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