Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Investments

Discuss investments with other users on our Investment forum. For more advice read our tips for saving for your child's future.

Original poster

Would you let to a tenant who is on benefits?

19 replies

chewiecat · 16/10/2017 09:41

We have a 1 bed rental in London, which is coming up for rent in November.
The prospective tenant is a single 50 year old male with good links to the community. He is on benefits due to a disability but has a guarantor with income in excess of 80k pa. He can move in straight away..

What are your pros/cons of letting to someone on benefits?

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 16/10/2017 15:25

If it's a long term disability and his benefits are likely to continue long term then maybe I would consider it. I would salso consider when your area switched to Universal credit as that is when many claimants are starting to have problems with the housing benefit element.

LostMyMojoSomewhere · 16/10/2017 15:27

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

DaisyRaine90 · 16/10/2017 15:27

Yes, of course. But get landlord insurance 😊

sweetheart · 16/10/2017 15:30

I wouldn't. One of the companies I do work for had a tenant on benefits and her situation changed which meant her benefits no longer covered the rental of the property. They have had a devils job to get her out the property and it has cost lots of time and money. The process to legally evict someone is very lengthy so before you do you should consider if you can afford to loose 6months + rent if you need to go down this path.

Orangebird69 · 16/10/2017 15:32

If the guarantor checks out then I can't see why not.

PotteringAlong · 16/10/2017 15:36

Not on universal credit I wouldn't.

confusedlittleone · 16/10/2017 15:42

If you have a mortgage you need to check the terms- you may not be able to

Laura2018 · 16/10/2017 15:47

We've had the same tenant on benefits for 3 years. They are a lovely family, keep the house looking great and always pay on time. You can get bad tenants regardless of if they are on benefits or not!

NerrSnerr · 16/10/2017 15:48

When I rented out a flat it was in the terms and conditions of my BTL mortgage that I couldn't rent to someone on benefits.

Original poster
chewiecat · 16/10/2017 17:42

Pottering why not on universal credit?

OP posts:
soapboxqueen · 16/10/2017 17:51

You need to check the fine print of mortgage, insurances etc as some won't cover it. I've let to tenants on benefits mostly not a problem. One who was always late with the rent but paid up in the end.

soapboxqueen · 16/10/2017 17:51

You need to check the fine print of mortgage, insurances etc as some won't cover it. I've let to tenants on benefits mostly not a problem. One who was always late with the rent but paid up in the end.

specialsubject · 18/10/2017 18:42

If the mortgage allows it.
If the insurances ( buildings, rent guarantee, legal expenses) allow it.
If you are sure that the council won't come after you for wrongly paid benefits.
If the guarantor agreement is real and ongoing.

Original poster
chewiecat · 18/10/2017 21:16

The curious thing though is that the flat is on the 2nd floor and is only accessible via 3 flights of very narrow stairs.
If he does have a disability, would he even manage that?
Although i suppose there are many types of disabilities...

OP posts:
specialsubject · 19/10/2017 09:23

You need to get the answer to that question to be sure the person that is moving in is who you think it is.

There's a drug dealer scam - a respectable looking person signs up, gets a cash bribe and vanishes. Then you have a trashed drug den and they can sit there for months without paying until you get the bailiffs.

Check out anything that doesn't add up. An honest tenant will give you honest answers.

LaLaLamp · 18/02/2018 09:00

I was on benefits and was lucky enough to have a private landlord accept me. I can't tell you how grateful I was. The local council were involved and I had the rent paid direct from them to the landlord. I had to have a guarantor for the rent and also for the deposit.

A council official came to inspect the property prior to me vacating, armed with video camera to record any damage. She didn't even switch it on, as she could see the place was spotless. This was all done through an estate agent with a tenancy agreement.

Sunflowersandsnow · 18/02/2018 09:04

The rates of working families/people claiming housing benefit is soaring.

Landlords are gonna have a hard time renting their properties if they refuse anyone who claims.

alpineibex · 18/02/2018 09:07

If you are sure that the council won't come after you for wrongly paid benefits.

Not sure about this. If Housing Benefit is paid directly to the landlord, and the council overpay the landlord's account, of course the landlord should pay back the money... I'm not sure why that would be so much hassle considering you should notice that too much money has been paid to you?

MrsMoastyToasty · 18/02/2018 09:10

A claimant can be on DLA or PIP and work as well. They are not means tested.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.