would you now rent to a housing benefit applicant?

[WhyMeWhyNot]

So all you Mumsnetter landlords --- in all honesty will you still or would you in future rent your property to a housing benefit claimant? Either one who works and has their rent topped up or a family on 100% benefit?

That are not ,opps rather than are full of damp and mould

MrsGhoul - as a tenant on one of those types of schemes that's not my experience.

An agreement was signed between the RAS department, myself and the LL.

And the RAS woman tried to give me a hard time about a piece of cardboard that had been dropped on the kitchen floor, damp, and then stuck.

I had been ill and so sweeping the kitche floor was about as much as I could manage.

I assured her it would be gone by the next inspection, and she specifically looked for it when she came round the next time

If I don't pay the LL can get direct payments from the HB straight away.

And as the deposit was by for me by the RAS in the form of a loan, which won't be paid back for 2yrs (monthly payments) and it gets paid back to them (and anything owing to me then passed on) it provides even more incentive (if I needed any) to make sure I look after the property.

My stepdad is my gurantor he signed if I default he is responsorable for my rent and or damage if comes to more than the money I paid up front £3k worth

and truth the worry of him being held yo account far more powerful than losing the money I have paid up front

Dreaming - Of course in certain areas of the country being a landlord is a lucrative business! Why else would people buy properties to rent out??????

I can't comment on where you live, but my experience in two areas of the country has been one month in advance plus 6 weeks deposit (plus £100+ admin if through an agency). Many places say no children etc. so some of the places that do allow children are dishearteningly dreadful!

My point really was that tenants have very little protection from bad landlords, because they are unable to take up references on landlords. I think that this was due to change with the government suggesting a register for landlords, this has since been abandoned by the conmen Tories.

Well Mamatomany it's your call obviously but to blame the fact they left you up to your neck in it on the fact they were benefit claimants might be missing the point somewhat. I'd blame it on the fact they were feckless irresponsible b*stards, personally...and not all of us are.

'unwittingly' leads me to suspect they blagged their way into your property under false pretences as well...hardly a good start.

The fact that is harder and probably more expensive to get insurance illustrates that HB claimants are greater risk with regards to damage to the property. Insurance companys pay fortunes to actuarers to work this sort of thing out so it isn't just anti-benefit claimant sentiment.

If you were a landlord and you had the luxury of choosing between a HB claimant and non HB tenant then you would go with the non-HB claimant as they represent a lower commercial risk.

jenski - its a longterm investment for us. when we retire we plan to sell it and hope that the property prices have risen.

ref the deposit, thats maybe 1.5k? if a tenant doesn't pay rent, wrecks the carpets, kitchen and you have to redecorate and then take them to court and don't get any rent for 6 months whilst this is going on - the deposit would only cover a fraction of that.

i think on both sides they have relatively little protection. references on tenants are not very reliable anyway - so even if tenants could get landlord references i can't imagine they would be any different. at least you can see the condition of a building - the appearance of tenants gives very little away about how they look after a property. several of our tenants haven't left forwarding addresses as they've left outstanding bills and one tried to get us to reduce the rent - so i can't imagine we could get references of either of them

ack them actuaries are probably all Toryites who think that "Housing Benefit=Not working"

Actuaries use statistical tests and methods to calculate the probability of risk involved to insurance companys. Its very scientific and it not based on simplistic assumptions.

last tenant here didn't leave a forward address, mind I now know why after letters from Bailiff's addressed to the "occupier" of the house ask if I knew where the f*ck Mr AB is now living. (this was after I sent lettesr addressed to him "back to sender")

He ran a business here (LL was fine with it) but didn't pay his bills, or do his Tax returns I'd guess by the number of HMRC letters are coming through - oops!!!

Would you as LL feel better if your tennants had a gurantor who if the tennant defaulted there then resposable for costs oh and gurantor in work and proofs address

Do know this is not always feasonable though for tennants

MaMoTTaT I have a friend who is an actuary and it is frighteningly complicated, it more than anti-benefit rhetoric.

it's mathematical and statistical risk management.

Dreaming - all business has its risks. Landlords choose to rent properties. The risks are inevitable, like many money-making opportunities. Not all tenants would necessarily choose to rent, but people have to live somewhere! Tenants are invariably treated as second class citizens, lets make it harder for them , then the landowner can over-rule those peasants and rub their bulging bellies

Landlords overrule tenants because they own the property Jenski

Oh capitalism at it's best.
It doesn't mean they are decent though - they require no qualifications for the job. It doesn't mean that the tenant has no rights because they haven't got the means to buy a property.

I'm more concerned that you didn't notice the change of word from tenant to peasant though or chose to ignore it even!

I did notice the word change but I don't want to call anyone a peasant

Oh good, because I was being facetious!

We chose a single mother on HB with three DDs. DH met her and liked her.

The letting agent was initially not keen (before he met her) & now agrees she's a model tenant.

As a LL it's great bc she's settled and long term. We wanted a long term let and she (so far at least) wants to stay there with her kids who are in local schools.

I'd much rather have someone stable and on HB than 'young professionals' who move out every 12-18 months ...

if people are going to lose housing benifit

will stupid boy cameron stop claiming £21,000
per year towards his mortgage I dont think so

After being bitten ourselves we now only let to local teachers who stay for ages, and are responsible citizens. We let below market rate (about 80%) because we never have to advertise or pay fees to agencies - they always recommned us to to otehrs when they move on and I have emails from previous tenants telling me I am the best landlord they have ever had, because I am fair to them, don't withhold the deposit (recognise fair wear and tear, do not nitpick) and orgnasie the proper checks/repairs and do not ever visit to check up on tenants - and so it is win-win.

Frrrrightattendant I blame the letting agency in that they accepted a reference from her mother and knew she was on housing benefit/tax credits but forgot to mention the fact to me.
Not sure what we would have done if i'd known in advance but as I say the one time it was somebody in receipt she shafted us, not exactly making it easier for herself or others needing LL's to trust housing benefit applicants.
Oh and she was receiving the benefits whilst not paying the rent, I called the council and they confirmed that there wasn't a problem, she was being paid by them.

Given a choice, most private landlords would like a non-smoking, non-pet owning tenant without children whose rent is paid directly by their employer. Also, they should love mowing the lawn, not play any musical instruments or like throwing parties and maybe come from a country where you don't wear shoes in the house.

This is why private landlords are not a good alternative to affordable (properly maintained) housing.