Landlords I'm curious..

[AvadaKedavra1]

Wasn't sure where to post, plus this page gets lost of traffic.

So landlords/lady's.. Now it's all rolled into one benefit, ie tax credits etc I'm not sure how it will work as housing costs will be on someone's award even if before they were just on tax credits. That would mean most working families, even earning fairly good salaries will technically be DSS tenants!

I just don't get it because now technically if you were only tax credits before you weren't a 'housing benefit' tenant and now you are.

If landlords keep thinking like this, they'll never rent their properties! My UC doesn't cancel out until I'm on £45k a year. If I was earning that kind of money, I'd be buying somewhere. So basically no family will be able to rent until they are earning a fair whack, the sort money where most people have their own homes and don't rent.

Thankfully I had a guarantor, but this not a viable option for everyone. I'm gutted that at £30k a year I'm considered a 'dss' tenant. It's embarrassing.

@Twofurrycats oh wow that's shocking. If course there will be a mix of the 2.

Some serious adjusting needs doing to accommodate the new system....

Could you just not claim if it is embarrassing for you or do you live in an expensive part of the country? Is the £775 hand out per year or month? If per year you possibly wouldn't notice on a 30k salary.

People seem to get an incredible amount of money in TC/UC. Earning £45 k and getting over £200 a month in UC? When the rest of the county are pleading poverty because of UC! Earning £30k I presume the £775 is monthly? How? Everyone is doing sad face in the papers about how poor they are due to UC!

Yes, mixing up benefits with tax credits has really messed with it all. Previously tax credits were HMRC not DWP so an entirely different thing. I think it’s intentional as they think family on low one wage with a sahm of baby and toddler or middle class single mum teacher with a baby in childcare won’t want to be a benefit claimant.

I hadn’t thought about the rental situation but you’re right, it’s bound to cause problems. But let’s face it UC is littered with unintended/undesirable consequences. I kept thinking with Brexit hey might postpone it long enough for them to be ousted from government.

Yes, mixing up benefits with tax credits has really messed with it all. Previously tax credits were HMRC not DWP so an entirely different thing.

Tax credits are still a benefit. Yes the agency is different, but let's not pretend they are not benefits.

It’s not a ‘hand out’ anymore than someone working and claiming childcare vouchers or tax free childcare is getting a hand out. It’s a valid entailment to recognise the fact that we are one of the very few developed countries that doesn’t consider dependents in its basic taxation system.

Will be interesting to see how this pans out. Or will BTL mortgage companies suddenly decide they don’t mind “DSS” after all

Everyone I know with small children claims so kind of tax credit. Families with two working adults claim housing benefit. Or did you think we manage to live on Tesco wages

Another organization that hasnt caught up is the NHS UC was launched in 2013 but is not featured on the backs of prescriptions yet. NHS said they were going to use up old scripts first. Seems to be taking an incredibly long time though

Thanks is for the break down OP, it's really interesting.

Personal Element - £317.82
Housing - £703.86
Child element - £231.67
Childcare costs - £646

Total award - £1899.35
Take home wages on £45k - £2832
Work allowance (money earnt before deductions) - £198
Wages taken into account - £2634
Deducted from UC at 63p for each £1 - £1659.42 deducted from UC.
£1899.35 - £1659.42 = £239.93 UC each month.

I'd read that and I'd say you just get £240ish towards childcare.
They detail housing costs but you don't ctually get any thing toward housing costs as it's in the deduction. How an estate agent or landlord would read it is anyone's guess. I'd just not tell them. Just say it's for childcare.

Makes you wonder why they calculate
it all though, It's needlessly complicated and such a waste of time and resources. No wonder it's been a nightmare and I don't blame anyone in UC for not wanting to risk finding work. Stupid system.

@starzig - I wish, but I pays for my childcare. I'm a single parent so once child care and rent is paid, poof - my salary is gone. I don't live an extra expensive part if the country by my 2 bed flat is £850. So it's not cheap. I wouldn't be claiming had I had no childcare costs. I have a reasonably well paid corporate job, I refuse to live on poverty because of the cost of childcare. £1100 for a nursery place is ludicrous If you couldn't get help with it. Once she turns 3, it won't be a problem. She gets 30 hrs free. But until then it's a necessity. The only reason I preferred TC, there was less of a stigma. Even if essentially it's the same thing.

@potatoscone - you will always see the bad stories but that isn't the most part. You'll find that people were getting too much on TC as not reporting changes of income during the year, or overtime and fluctuating wages can cause overpayments.

I was just using an example but at £45k I will probably use tax free childcare, but what's the difference?

@HelenaDove yep, when I was on maternity leave, so an income of about £630 a month I was supposedly entitled to a free eye tests as I was getting less than £935. Specsavers turned around and told me to pay as their forms hadn't caught up.

@KlutzyDraconequus it is. Part of me thought, I earn enough to pass referencing checks but because of the UC - nope! I know someone who was refused a property, she also works full time.

I do not earn £45K and I can't see how I'm entitled to any form of benefit at all.

Am I doing something wrong?!

@EnglishRose13 do you rent? Do you have childcare costs?

It's all down to an individual's circumstances.

@AvadaKedavra1

I own and £127 a month (he only goes once a week!)

@EnglishRose13 that would be why, I couldn't claim either with those circumstances. It's a bit unfair as tax credits didn't take renters/owners as different. UC for some strange reason does. Do you have more than 2 children?

@AvadaKedavra1

Ahh. I didn't know that. I don't need to claim, but I was wondering why I can't when I'm not exactly a high earner!

I have one child. I work F/T. My husband is self employed and looks after our son so only brings home a P/T wage.

chances are they wouldn't find out if you never fell into issues with paying rent, but if you did then their insurance could be void. Nobody would take that chance. They could have the mortgage foreclosed, lose the house etc. It isn't just about insurances.

You are asking the wrong people. If you want to make a difference ask mortgage lenders and the government what procedures they put in pace to accommodate UC.

Why is it embarrassing op?

So what's the problem? Landlords will either adapt to the market or sell up.

DP landlord insurance when accepts a DSS client goes up 50.00 per month just cause of DSS

@LetBartletBeBartlet struggling to rent a property when I have full time reasonably paid job, that to me is embarrassing.

@BarbarianMum That's what I was hoping. I'm just asking opinions.

@CuriousaboutSamphire I'm only asking what landlords think about it. My little voice won't change anything.

@Housingcraze I know that, but woth the new system they need to adapt.

'm only asking what landlords think about it. My little voice won't change anything. Hopefully mine will... along with all the other LLs, Ts, agents, clerks and other interested parties who asked questions when the changes to benefits AND the changes to rental regulations were first mooted.

The real answer to your question is that many LLs won't have a clue as the raft of legislation changes due to take effect in a few weeks still have not been finalised. Most LLs will be keeping a weather eye on the industry press to see what changes will be confirmed to the nuts and bolts of the letting industry.

Starting last year the list of changes is quite daunting: fees, charges, deposit caps, vetting procedure, right to rent, how to rent, tax implications, ICO/GDPR and on and on. UC and its ramifications aren't going to be top of the list as many of those listed will have more immediate impact.

If landlords keep thinking like this, they'll never rent their properties!

Its not up to us, my mortgage company won't let me rent to anyone on benefits.

@CuriousaboutSamphire good to know. I just think the 'no benefits' policy is going to have a major impact on the market as people who were not considered DSS tenants before will be.

@Lazypuppy sorry I phrased that wrong.. I wasn't meaning to put the landlords at blame. Do you think the mortgage companies are going to have to adapt? Anyone who was claiming tax credits will be on this.