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Original poster

Mortgage holders getting 3 months amnesty, what about RENTERS?

248 replies

ssd · 17/03/2020 17:35

Renters to get feck all.

Typical tories.

OP posts:
mumwon · 17/03/2020 20:01

& as for critical cover I don't think that is available for Landlords in that way & when you do have critical cover for normal mortgage it isn't paid for the first three months (we had one once) & the money you get is deducted off as earned income (we once tried to claim on one -it really wasn't worth it)

Bluntness100 · 17/03/2020 20:01

It's just been said on Sky News that the Secretary for Housing will be making a statement re renters in the next few days

I think people are so wrapped up in their indignation they may have missed this...

Inkpaperstars · 17/03/2020 20:05

What is a mortgage if not a form of rent?

Renters should also be offered help. I am awaiting news of what measures they have been working on.

todayisnottuesday · 17/03/2020 20:05

I think people are so wrapped up in their indignation they may have missed this...

Or pissed off that, as non home owners, they are treated as an after-thought, and have to shout loudly before they are considered in the same way?

How would home owners have felt if a plan to help renters had been announced, but nothing for those with a mortgage?

Inkpaperstars · 17/03/2020 20:06

Ps what I mean by that is that many home owners are not, actually, home owners. Of course the mortgage allows them to become so unlike rent which leaves you with nothing.

janeskettle · 17/03/2020 20:07

Renters will just be homeless

This is the most callous thing I've ever read since this board was set up, and I've read some pretty callous things.

If you are a ll who can't manage not having a tenant for 2 or 3 months, maybe after all this is over you can give up being a ll. Because you're not a responsible one.

LL who, in normal times, could cope with not having a tenant for a couple of months, and who either have no mortgage, or are receiving mortgage relief, have a moral duty to - at the very least - offer a rent reduction to good tenants who are struggling directly as a result of coronavirus.

If you can actually live with the idea of evicting a family or a person in this environment, leaving them homeless, you have some soul searching to do.

Fettfrett · 17/03/2020 20:10

Why is everyone ignoring the fact that there is already help available for renters (whether you currently receive it or not, it's there)
Home owners are not being offered a mortgage 'amnesty', they're being offered a break. They will still owe their mortgage company that money, they will have to pay it all back.

todayisnottuesday · 17/03/2020 20:12

Why is everyone ignoring the fact that there is already help available for renters (whether you currently receive it or not, it's there)

Because it is not true for everyone who rents perhaps? Workers who have to take a cut in earnings and claim SSP will often not be able to claim anything.

Greysparkles · 17/03/2020 20:13

Why is everyone ignoring the fact that there is already help available for renters

Why are you ignoring the fact that it is shockingly inadequate.
There is help for people with mortgages. They have an asset they can borrow against!

todayisnottuesday · 17/03/2020 20:15

Oh, and IF they are, the wait for any claim decision is likely to take weeks, by this time many will be served notice and unlikely to get a new tenancy due to being a bad payer.

Original poster
ssd · 17/03/2020 20:15

This has just been mentioned on the one show, why rent isn't being addressed so far.

OP posts:
sluj · 17/03/2020 20:16

You can claim help with housing costs if you rent and your income is low. If your income is not low enough to be able to claim, you are deemed not to need help. There is nothing like that for mortgage payers.

sluj · 17/03/2020 20:17

And no judge we I'll give possession with an outstanding benefit claim.

Happygirl79 · 17/03/2020 20:19

A 3 month mortgage holiday has always been available to people in temporary financial distress
The government are just highlighting the option to borrowers in light of this Coronovirus tragedy

janeskettle · 17/03/2020 20:20

And don't anyone dare come back at me with a lecture about 'hard choices' and 'losing assets'.

I know all about hard choices and losing assets, given I'm just now heading out the door to TEACH (AU) despite having medical advice I should be isolating, because my husband was just diagnosed with end stage kidney disease, cannot leave the house, hence cannot work, cannot work from home anyway, the business he works for can't afford to pay him, and our income just dropped 60%.

And yeah, we rent, and it's a ridiculous amount of our combined income (over 50% - that is not by choice but by virtue of the city where work is available) and I have savings so our ll will be getting their full rent for 3 months.

But I guess after 3 months, we're just out on the street, 'cos who cares about bloody renters? Rent assistance is a pittance, and cannot make up for loss of income/savings.

probably easier for all concerned if we die sooner rather than later, and then the ll can rent out the property to someone else.

Cruel and idiotic discourse.

todayisnottuesday · 17/03/2020 20:22

And no judge we I'll give possession with an outstanding benefit claim.

Bullshit. With a section 21, landlords do not need to give a reason to serve notice.

definitelygc · 17/03/2020 20:23

The point is that there is no duty for landlords to take a mortgage holiday to help tenants who can't pay. You guys have that option, we don't. My landlords are well paid doctors so they're not losing their jobs anytime soon. If we can't pay our rent the estate agents would happily kick us out and find new tenants. There's no way the government are going to pay our £1,400 a month private rent. We'd rely on the good nature of our landlords which isn't right.

And as someone else said - if you'd rather evict your tenants than defer your mortgage payments for 3 months then you shouldn't be a landlord. This is what's wrong with the system.

Greenandpleasanter · 17/03/2020 20:26

I've already contacted my tenant to see how he is. He is alright and still earning but he knows he can come to us if that changes. If he needs to pause rent we'll apply for the mortgage holiday so we can afford to do that. If not we can just keep on as usual. What I won't be doing is taking a mortgage holiday AND charging him rent. That would be morally reprehensible

This. Hopefully many landlords will be fair like this. It's certainly worth speaking to the landlord and asking if they will reduce/park the rent.

Fettfrett · 17/03/2020 20:26

Why are you ignoring the fact that it is shockingly inadequate.
There is help for people with mortgages. They have an asset they can borrow against!

Maybe because it's better than nothing? Which is what home owners get. You do realise that the help for mortgage isn't free money, it's deferring payments until a later date. Renters have access to several benefits that they will not have today back.

Oh and you have to an income to apply for a loan, regardless of if you're a homeowner. Plus you're once again ignoring that that is a loan which has to be paid back, not benefits which don't.

todayisnottuesday · 17/03/2020 20:26

If your income is not low enough to be able to claim, you are deemed not to need help

As is this. Have you heard of local housing allowance? It does not cover anywhere near most full private rents, even if any help is given there is likely to be a huge deficit between the 'help' given and the actual rent. Which SSP, for example, would not cover.

todayisnottuesday · 17/03/2020 20:29

Who is saying renters would not be happy to pay any rent break back over a period of time? No one. Just ignorant people assuming others are after 'free money'. Boring.

Greendayz · 17/03/2020 20:29

As a landlord were my tenant to ask me now to accept less rent because they'd lost a job or could only afford what benefits would pay I can't imagine I could refuse. It would just seem totally inhumane. (And also, who would want to be trying to evict non paying tenants right now, or find new tenants??)

The government has announced that "they" have done this for homeowners, but they've actually negotiated it with the fairly small number of mortgage lenders out there, some of whom had already beaten to it and announced payment holidays. They can't do likewise with private landlords because there are far too many of them. But as a tenant if you need reduction, I think it would be well worth asking your landlord.

janeskettle · 17/03/2020 20:29

if you'd rather evict your tenants than defer your mortgage payments for 3 months then you shouldn't be a landlord

Hear, hear.

Thank you to the ethical and responsible ll's out there. The rest are giving you a bad name. I'm am sure that if ethical ll's and good tenants work together, the asset and the rental relationship will come through.

Bookoffacts · 17/03/2020 20:32

Back onto thread. How do you apply for this mortgage amnesty.
I rang my bank this morning to ask for mortgage holiday and they said they didn't do them.
Will they say different tomm?

LBOCS2 · 17/03/2020 20:33

We've already messaged our tenants. I know a relatively significant proportion of their income comes from UC so there's less uncertainty for them but he's also self employed and we don't want them to go short if he can't work. We're just opening up the lines of communication, so that they know they can talk to us.