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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Landlords I'm curious..

77 replies

AvadaKedavra1 · 04/01/2019 00:14

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.

OP posts:

Lazypuppy · 04/01/2019 16:42

@AvadaKedavra1 i don't think they will until UC issues are sorted. Unfortunately all this press about how unreliable the payments are would make me very concerned about renting to someone on UC if they were reliant on the payments to pay the rent. I have to pay my mortgage each month and don't want any doubt rent will be in full on time every month.

I don't understand what you mean that people will now be classed as DSS tenants? Regardless of classic benefits or UC, i can't rent to anyone receiving ANY benefits

Iwantedthatname19 · 04/01/2019 16:49

"i can't rent to anyone receiving ANY benefits"

Does that include child benefit? That would rule out a lot of families with children wouldn't it?

lavalampoon · 04/01/2019 17:01

I don't have a no DSS policy. I'm only interested in tenants' references and whether I think there's a high risk they're going to cause a lot of damage or seem dodgy. The most trouble I've ever had was with a reckless young couple who were both working in decent jobs and caused an unbelievable amount of damage, far more than their deposit covered and I also had a lot of trouble getting them to pay their last rent payment. I know someone who rented a flat to a wealthy foreign student who's dad paid the years rent up front. The lad smashed the place up and caused a huge amount of trouble. It's really unfair to exclude people who are in receipt of any kind of benefits and I won't follow that kind of thinking

Shameful2019 · 04/01/2019 17:04

I have a question. We have been renting the same property for 3 years and due to change of circumstances have had to claim universal credit. Do we have to tell the landlord/letting agent?

Badbadbunny · 04/01/2019 17:08

I have a question. We have been renting the same property for 3 years and due to change of circumstances have had to claim universal credit. Do we have to tell the landlord/letting agent?

What does your lease/agreement say about it?

Shameful2019 · 04/01/2019 17:09

I didn't think to check. I don't think it is mentioned at all. We were never asked. We have only had it for 3 months and been renting nearly 4 years So never been an issue. We can't move any how. Can't afford a new deposit before we were given this one back

Shameful2019 · 04/01/2019 17:11

Answered my own question...

From money saving expert....

You donotneedto mentionyou arecould claim housing benefit oruniversal creditonceyou're inaproperty toa landlord.You do needto proveyou canpaytherent without that income and ifyou can getHB or UC then that'sabonus.TheLLwillnotknow atenant is claiming either of those benefits.

Shameful2019 · 04/01/2019 17:12

I don't know what happened there... if you are already renting you don't need to tell the landlord.

Lazypuppy · 04/01/2019 17:17

@Iwantedthatname19 yep, but i rent q 1 bed flat that is tiny so no worries. I let it as no pets as they're not allow3d in the building and no children due to size of property

Original poster

AvadaKedavra1 · 04/01/2019 17:46

@Lazypuppy I'm on UC, my payments are reliable. You will only here the minority of the bad stories. But my wages cover the rent twice. So it's paid out of my wages.

So you can't rent to someone claiming child tax credits or working tax credits to help pay for childcare? They're benefits.

@lavalampoon that's good to hear you don't think all benefit claimants are scum.

@Iwantedthatname19 exactly what I was going to say.

@Shameful2019 No, only if you move.

OP posts:

Lazypuppy · 04/01/2019 18:18

@AvadaKedavra1 yes no benefits that's what my mortgage company stipulate. I don't get a say in it.

As i said previously, it is a 1 bed flat so i wouldn't rent it to anyone with kids anyway as there is no space.

MustShowDH · 04/01/2019 18:51

"i can't rent to anyone receiving ANY benefits"

Does that include child benefit? That would rule out a lot of families with children wouldn't it?

Our current tenants have a toddler and once they move on we'll probably not rent to anyone with children again.

I like to think we're good landlords that fix / redecorate things as soon as its needed. We certainly notice more 'wear and tear' issues when kids are involved.

SmilingButClueless · 04/01/2019 19:08

Out of curiosity, would PIP be classed as a benefit for rental purposes? (I’m not currently renting but it’s a possibility in the future.) Salary is more than enough to cover any property I’d want to rent, and I’m not on any other benefits, but wondering whether there’s an issue I hadn’t thought about.

Wauden · 04/01/2019 19:19

Still confused here

MakeAHouseAHome · 04/01/2019 19:24

Sorry wtf can someone explain this to me... my boyfriend earns £29,500. Can he claim benefits!?

KondoThis · 04/01/2019 19:44

@MakeAHouseAHome, does he have childcare costs? Rent? Claim child benefit?

MakeAHouseAHome · 04/01/2019 19:45

No. No children. No childcare costs. We own a home.

My point was that the OP said people earning over £30k could still claim benefits?

NitrousOxide · 04/01/2019 20:20

I'm gutted that at £30k a year I'm considered a 'dss' tenant. It's embarrassing.

I hope you didn’t mean that to be as snobby as it sounds, OP. You’ve always been a benefit claimant. TC claimants aren’t better than other benefit claimants just because their benefit comes from HMRC and not the DWP. I hope that’s not what you were implying and you just worded it badly.

To answer your question, it shouldn’t make a difference to you since the housing element is added and then deducted again so you’re not receiving benefit to help with rent and your salary more than covers it. It probably will though, because the whole system is a giant clusterfuck .

Theresomethingaboutdairy · 04/01/2019 20:21

Yes. If they have children,childcare costs and rent a home!

Wauden · 04/01/2019 21:05

Which we pay for.

Original poster

AvadaKedavra1 · 04/01/2019 21:41

@NitrousOxide sorry it was worded badly. I just mean I earn enough to pay the rent and 30x rent annual salary figure is less than my salary but I struggled to find somewhere because my £30k is topped up to help me pay childcare. I've not always been a benefit claimant. I started claiming benefits this year. Never have before, not tax credits, nor HB.

@Wauden Rude. Someone could end up in a shitty situation causing them to claim benefits and use food banks through no fault of their own. God forbid you're ever down on your luck.

@MakeAHouseAHome Yes, if you rtft you'd see I said about renting and childcare costs. My salary covers a ludicrous childcare bill of £1100 and my £850 rent but not much after that. If childcare was more affordable then I wouldn't be stuck in this position, well and if my little girl's father acknowledged her existence.

OP posts:

Original poster

AvadaKedavra1 · 04/01/2019 21:43

@Wauden FYI, I am a tax payer and so are lot if others who need assitance with childcare costs etc.

OP posts:

NitrousOxide · 04/01/2019 21:48

Thanks for clarifying, OP.

Claim as many benefits as you need btw, and ignore nasty posters who conveniently forget that the taxpayers also pay for their and their kids’ health and education etc. I benefited from help when I was younger, and I’m glad to pay tax to help others out now.

Santaclarita · 04/01/2019 21:53

You earn about 9 grand more than me and you get benefits?

I rent but don't have a child. Struggle each month still and I'm entitled to nothing. No wonder people get annoyed with those on benefits. I even checked now and even with a child, I'm entitled to nothing, apart from the obvious child benefit but not tax credits. How are you getting them?

Princessmushroom · 04/01/2019 21:57

My 7+ year tenant is DSS or whatever it comes under now. Absolutely no issue renting to someone on any form of benefit.

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