To come down like a tonne of bricks

[thisisasurvivor]

Hello all

So I rent a house out

Semi reliable tenants

Xmas rent late by ten days
All they could pay was half
So I said fine
Pay half no probs

Now - rent late
So they can only pay half this month

I have been very fair
Rent is 200 less than market value as I don't want to put any pressure on them

Say nothing and hope it won't happen again?

They have been there 3 years so only some issues since dec 22

Plus everyone is struggling financially now :(

Have you ever tried this? Mortgage companies can and do allow payment breaks and will work with you in payment plans in certain circumstances.

😂😂😂

If the tenants were able to afford, or wanted to buy a house, they could go ahead and do it. The OP owning a property and renting it out isn't preventing anybody from buying their own house.

OP I would write them a letter and send it recorded/signed for delivery outlining the terms of their tenancy. Explain as a one off goodwill gesture you accepted reduced rent once but it isn't a regular arrangements and you need the rent on time.

What a strange comment.

What a load of shite.

You are not running a charity. It is not "being greedy" to expect that tenants keep their side of the bargain by paying their rent, on time, every month. It's the very LEAST you can expect to be honest.

I think you need to toughen up, pronto. And get legal advice.

You have to abide by your tenancy agreement with them.
Some state a charge for late payment.
Some state a charge for each letter saying they are late paying.
The December late/ underpayment can be a common one, I used to hear the excuse “ I spent too much on Christmas “.
Be firm, point out the potential outcome of non payment / underpayment but don’t be threatening.

I wouldn't apply late charges. I would tell them that they need to pay the rent in full in the next 7 working day or you'll be forced to start legal proceedings. Ultimately, they should be paying priority bill first. If they need financial advice then they need to talk to CAB or Step Change.

I was a landlord, had a tenant who was a hardworking single mum, think she had 3 kids. One month she asked if she could pay a week later when she got paid as it was little girls birthday and she needed the money. I said yes and we changed the date to pay so it was always just after she got paid. No more problems for a couple of years until her car died, I let her pay that months rent over a few months. I think the difference between my tenants and yours is she kept me up to date, explained the situation and we agreed a way forward.

Hope you get it sorted.

Why aren't you charging the full rental rate?

I haven't as I always prioritise paying my mortgage and haven't been in a position where I couldn't pay it, even if it's meant going without other things (and I am a single parent so am by no means flush). If I did have a mortgage break though I would still have to pay that amount back over time, and I wouldn't potentially be making it difficult for someone else to pay their mortgage as a result, which is what op' tenants are potentially doing. I think things like this should only really be as a one off too as if you are having to do it regularly then it's really not a long term solution to financial problems. This is the second time these tenants have done this in a 6 month period.

At this point I don't think you are saving any money by dealing with them directly instead of using a letting agent.

Join the Landlordzone forum. They won't be kind but they will be helpful. Whatever you do, don't call yourself an "accidental landlady". It's no accident, it was your choice. On here you will get a mixture of good and bad advice.
Take out some decent landlord's insurance so that next time you have proper cover for under-payments, non-payments and costs of legal action.

I would come from a place of concern. Tell them you are worried they may no longer be able to afford the property any longer. Emphasise that you know they’ve been great tenants for the last three years but you don’t want them to end up in a lot of debt, then I’d just make a judgement or whatever they come back with. If there is a specific reason such as unexpected bills this month, then I let it slide however, if they can’t afford it this month what’s gonna change next month? If the rent is only covering the mortgage, then you might end up struggling to if they can’t pay.

Very good point

Thanks

I am so bored of the phrase 'accidental landlord'.

Doesn't matter how you ended up as one, the fact is if you rent out a house you are a landlord with an obligation to understand the law.

Evict them, OP. You don't need the hassle. You aren't a charity.

I would now tell anyone who doesn't have a hide like a rhino, a massive tolerance for stress and very deep pockets not to be a landlord.
OP in your position I'd evict them and sell, you're not making a profit anyway and are just getting a pile of stress for your pains.

Oh do give over.

Tell them Christmas was a one off and they have X days to pay. Then decide to put rent up to market value or sell. Your mortgage company wouldn’t accept your saying fuck it im only giving half this month I want to spend it on X

Absolutely.
If there’s a shortage of rentals now it’s because the law allows tenants to destroy a house and walk away with no consequences. It takes 6 months minimum to legally evict a tenant. You can’t even sell their belongings when they owe you £10k in rent.
My advice now is if you have a difficult tenant offer them 2 months rent to leave, it’s cheaper in the long run.

Maybe I have missed it but what was the excuse for not having enough money for rent this month? Christmas they were short because they changed jobs...sound like an excuse to me (I bet the other half that was supposed to come your way got spent for Christmas). When we were renting there was no way we would have behaved this way.We would have sold anything to make rent . You are also making a mistake renting it under market value(you are not running a charity),automatically people think that you don't need the money so this makes you a target. I would send them an email (everything has to be in writing) asking when the other half will be paid and why this money problem keeps occurring.

You need to talk to your tenants. It won't be a comfortable conversation, but the conversation has to be had. As someone mentioned upthread, having got away with paying half-rent in December, in their minds paying their rent is no longer THE priority bill.

Spell it out to them. You said they pay 600 in rent whilst you are paying 580 on the mortgage. You need to impress upon them that you simply cannot afford for them to not pay the rent. The mortgage still needs to be paid, so them not paying their rent means you are subsidising them, making up the shortfall from your own pocket. And that you don't have that sort of money. Be very clear in your discussion with them - if they don't pay, you can't either; and rather than let the house be repossessed, you will have to sell up - and that will mean eviction for them.

You need to impress upon them that if they skip paying rent, they are risking homelessness.

Interesting responses

I just don't want to act harsh

I just want to do the right thing

I can't afford to pay the mortgage this month

And so e responses here are harsh def not selfish in any way
Maybe stupid yes def !!!

But I also don't know if I should threaten eviction just yet