Massive rent increase!

[yosemite78]

My mum’s rent has gone up from £700 pcm to £1450 pcm! She’s been paying £700 since 2012. She is retired and does get housing benefit. However, I’m assuming there is no way she will get extra help with this increase. Has anyone on housing benefit had such a massive rent increase and what help was there? There’s limited social housing in her area. This is why private rents need capping asap! I know social housing rents are.

No rent increase for ten years? Landlords have to at least cover costs, they're not a social housing enterprise.

I didn't clock she's already been to a tent tribunal (that's what I meant in my post - just got the name muddled up).

If she's got the brass neck it's very hard to get rid of a tenant, can take years. The landlord needs to issue a Section 21 and they also need to have done very specific things (given her an ECP, protected her deposit etc).

I'm torn because I've been an accidental landlord (death in the family and will being disputed) and I absolutely hated being one and I hated all the tenants that passed through. But I was astonished how little landlord are protected. They basically have no rights, but that's not what we are told and I had assumed.

It might be time for your Mum to move on. It sounds like she's in a large house and maybe at her age it would be better to be in a more manageable place, one she can make into a home as she has with the current place. I will hopefully have paid off my mortgage by 70 and then I'll have to downsize, it happens.

Was it originally rented as agricultural accommodation? Presumably not if it's been to rent tribunal already, but the law is quite different if it part of an agricultural housing for life. There was a thread about that a few months ago.

Let them evict her so she can go on to get a housing assoc or council property.

Make sure she takes everything she put in including kitchen and carpets. Kitchens sell well on ebay and gumtree, the buyers will often remove them too. Carpets espescially new can often be reused.

What she probably should have been doing is putting the difference in rent between her discounted price and the market rate into a slush fund ready to be used when the rent was normalised.

If she was underpaying by £300 pcm on average over the time period then over 10 years that would add up to £300x12x10 = £36,000.

The step change is I guess a massive shock, but it sounds like she was getting something far too cheaply.

If the rent rise was that outrageous then surely the tribunal would have stamped on it ?

What size property is it? Does it include land and or other buildings? (Is it a smallholding?)

That's obviously a huge increase but the rent tribunal has approved so she must have been massively underpaying up till this?

If she had done this her housing benefit would have stopped long ago seeing as it is a means tested benefit !

What size is property

Assume 2/3bedroom for that price

Yes it's a huge leap though if been paying the same amount for years and no rise she's been lucky

Can she move to a smaller place

Is there sheltered housing she could apply for near her if she is over 55

I'm wondering if her landlord is the Duchy of Lancaster

The maximum housing benefit she will get is the local housing allowance rate for a one bed property - you can find this on the council website. If she has more rooms than she needs they won't pay the difference, although she may be able to get a discretionary housing payment as a temporary measure.

Realistically though if she can't afford it she will have to move eventually. She won't have to leave until she is evicted by the court though and that's the advice - most councils won't help you with housing at all unless you're being evicted, if she gives notice and leaves she's made herself internationally homeless.

Ouch, that is awful.

Awful for an estate to have no care for their tenants - has there been a change at the head of the family/estate? Seems a rapid change of approach from static rents for 10 years to >100% increase in one year.

All your mum can do is try to find something else, but she must not leave unless she has something sorted and needs to speak to the local council for advice asap. Do not let her make herself 'voluntarily homeless' (bullshit term ).

This.

If a rent tribunal has set it, then that is the local market rate. Might this be a natural opportunity for your mum to look for somewhere more efficient? Has she talked to the estate about swapping her house for something else nearby?

How long has she been claiming housing benefit? If she has been continually claiming HB (with no break in claim) since pre 2004 (could be slightly out with date) then she will still be on the old scheme and won’t be under the LHA. This means that if it’s a section 13 rent increase then it can be applied to to her claim from the date of the the increase and a new rent office decision requested. Or if it’s not a section 13 increase then it will take affect from when she is next due a rent office decision (these last for 12 months).

The rent officer will look at her property and similar in the local area and make a decision on what is the maximum HB that can be paid. If she is in 3 bed property then they will only look at 1 bed properties (as she is over accommodated).

If there is a short fall between her HB and rent then she may apply for a discretionary housing payment (DHP) How long they will pay for and if they will pay will be up to the council. It’s a limited fund. The previous poster who said you can apply again in 3 months for a DHP, you can but would be very unlikely to get it.

In my area your mum would likely get a DHP to help her move to a more affordable property, but they wouldn’t award it to pay the short fall in rent as that is going to be an ongoing issues and DHP is only for short term help.

I think if there's already been a rent tribunal then there's very little that can be done. Its fair for the landlord to want the market rate.

Make sure she sells the kitchen etc

Can she afford a one bed somewhere?

Make sure she takes EVERYTHING she's put in carpets. Kitchen. Plants etc

CF landlords! Absolutely hate them, they fix one thing and think they can increase the rent just like that after having their tenant suffer for years.

We have a BTL property and have not increased the rent for since they took up occupancy 9 years ago. I realise that rent is below market rent (£625, 3 bed, Midlands) but they have been good tenants throughout and we try our best to help them out.

I mean if it’s been to tribunal there isn’t anything she can do. Our old house the rent only went up £90 in like 12 years so we were quite lucky. I have no idea how they expect people to find over £1k a month tbh.

Trashing it is never ever good advice.
Totally unacceptable.

Equally she must take everything she has put in and make that clear to the landlord what she intends to do.

The kitchen replacement will ge costly for the LL.

It does seem very unfair.

Because of your mom's age she get priority with social housing.

Try Housing associations as well as the council.

I would NEVER EVER rent off someone… always council for me

Lucky you to apparently have that option - many don't

If it’s been to a tribunal then £1450 must of been deemed appropriate

as for capping increases regulation works both ways I don’t she would of coasted along in same rent with no increases it there was regulation

Except she has already been to a rent tribunal as originally they wanted £1750 and the rent tribunal has adjudicated that £1450 is fair. It doesn't pay landlords to be nice and not increase rents each year and then do it when they need to because then the bigger rise is seen as evil!!