Benefit tenants – This is why Landlords aren’t taking You!

If in Lockdown 27 there is another loo roll shortage, you can use the ICE reply....

Reply to the comment left by RL at 15/01/2021 - 10:46
Yes, as it's no good for anything else.

Just how Independent is the ICE when their email is ICE@DWP.gov.uk ?

DWP Gov policy, local authorities, Shelter et al are certainly making all tenants rent greater, and indeed finding a place at all for DWP claimants.
For instance I had a property with a council Bond to home a person who couldn’t fund a deposit. The previous one cost £3000 to make habitable yet the council took over 12 months to pay it and many, many letters. Now the latest is just starting.....
Dear xxxxxx
I have today had the council tax bill whilst the Flat 3 xxxxxxxxx was being cleared of the rubbish left by the last tenant, cleaning, re glazing, recarpeting, repainting and advertised.
The last tenant stopped paying rent in February 2020.
I have had to pay for the EPC,
for insurance,
standing charges for Gas,
and for electricity,
for the Electrical EICR,
for an asbestos survey,
for the gas boiler test certification
Routine maintenance,
now today the council tax of £252 whilst empty.
I rang the Council waste department requesting collection of a large reclining armchair and a defunct tumbledryer left. I was advised it would be £25, then when they asked if it was left by a tenant they said we won’t take it you’ll need to pay (far more) privately to dispose of it.
So not only do I NOT qualify for the 25% single occupancy discount, but I don’t even get basic services whilst it is unavoidably empty. Paying for nothing. These are all costs that force rent to be so high.
I requested payment of the Bond on 28/10/20, over two months ago. I have not received this to date.
At this time I have £7,600 of debt on this flat.
The incoming tenant, a special needs teacher, could only sign a 6 month Tenancy, so it will not cover the debts incurred, followed unfortunately by another void more Council Tax and more expenses.
Therefore will you please expedite the payment of the Bond before payment of the £252 rates (which it only just covers), falls due.
Yours......

Reply to the comment left by Chris Byways at 16/01/2021 - 10:36
Yes,

We've said same, with email ending in DWP.

There is no independency we're establishing as time goes on.

And regarding your Council dealings, these Council Depts & Govt Depts & Shelter won't have any joined up thinking at all, & most definitely no joined up thinking with us, arguably the most important person in the chain, that is doing the housing.

Ah yes Shelter, the fairy godmother to tenants and landlord alike!

So earlier I says to my MP:-

Dear Bill Wiggin,

I have a tenant who stopped paying rent in February 2020. Let’s call him Mr ........., employed with ............. Transport as a bus driver. He will not respond to phone calls or texts. He is one of the thousands who are now living rent-free and will continue to do so for many more months.

Do I evict him? How, the only address I have is the one he seems to have left? He has given no notice to leave.

Do I seek a CCJ, again how? His employer is not going to divulge his details - ‘data protection’.

It will take many, many months to get an eviction, and I will be responsible for 100% council tax, not the 25% rebated council tax he now gets.

It will take probably 3 skips to remove his rubbish. £500 + vat + labour.
[image1.jpeg]
Taken this week on an pre-advised routine inspection. Bed and TV taken only.

He told a neighbour he has moved to ........... and is ‘going to move again’.

I will either sell or require a substantive person as a rent guarantor for any future tenant and not take anyone on Housing Benefit / UC. Mr F..... and any such tenant would never be able to - or want - to get a mortgage for this or almost any property.

Please do read the very pertinent article by Dr Rosalind Beck https://www.conservativehome.com/localgovernment/2020/06/rosalind-beck-extending-the-evictions-ban-would-not-help-the-vulnerable.html#idc-coverhttps://www.conservativehome.com/localgovernment/2020/06/rosalind-beck-extending-the-evictions-ban-would-not-help-the-vulnerable.html#idc-cover

What do I do?

Best Regards

And says he to me (some 5 weeks later):-

Dear Mr ...........
Thank you for your email and I apologise for the delay in response.

I read with concern the situation with your tenant and rental property.

At the moment, landlords cannot seek a court date for eviction until at least the 24th August. However, you may wish to begin to start the Section 21 process.

As a landlord, you would need to give a 3 month notice to your tenant before you apply to a court.

More can be read about the current situation here: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/coronavirus

Bill Wiggin

Ah yes I should go to Shelter for advice? Yea.......

Reply to the comment left by Chris Byways at 16/01/2021 - 16:19
Ha ha yes,

They all reply like that don't they.
I had email from top man in UC, Director Neil Couling telling me about the Covid possession rules. I went Nuts. Cause the issue to discuss was very simple to be solved & would have avoided all possession.

Reply to the comment left by Chris Byways at 16/01/2021 - 16:19
Glad it's not just my MP who thinks I'm stupid enough not to have read the legislation, and understood its implications. And offers absolutely no help whatsoever.
My glorified, overpaid messenger boy, ooops sorry I meant my MP, wrote on my behalf to the Housing Minister who sent a reply after 12 weeks, which was a cut & paste from the legislation which my MP forwarded to me with a covering note. I doubt he even looked at it.
I'm in the process of writing back to ask him what service he serves to justify his £80k salary.

Thanks Mick, and others for the comments. So what is the solution - other than restarting normal eviction procedures? Would it be:
1) Change DWP rules so that at the beginning of the tenancy the tenant can *irrevocably* request that the housing element of UC be paid directly to the landlord for so long as the tenant is legally liable for the rent and entitled to UC.
2) Have some combination of government, charities (Shelter) and private individuals put up a substantial deposit on behalf of those on benefits. And/or accept liability up to some set amount if damage is done to the property.
3) Have a better mechanism for tracking individuals and claiming repayment of what they owe, whether they are working or on benefits (knowing this is the case is likely to make them more careful whilst in residence).
4) Allowing quarterly inspections even if the tenant does not give permission
5) Instituting speeded up possession procedures for tenants who are damaging the property or engaging in anti-social behaviour.

I welcome your feedback. It would be good to have a clear, reasonable, list of requests around which landlords can campaign.

Thanks.

Reply to the comment left by TinaShoebb at 16/01/2021 - 22:15
I ain't that old & can remember when LHA came in 2008 as clear as yesterday. All the Bad HB processors were loving it that were anti-Landlord. Them same processors in 2012 said See what u mean Mick, We can't house the homeless now cause of this. 2012 they made it easy to revert payment to Landlord.
So yes, change it so tenant has choice. Saying that, last Friday, I had my first easy one where UC rang me & said tenant asked to pay u, can I have your bank details? I was shocked, I said & this ain't from me emailing Job Centre etc.? She said No, they've asked & said they in arrears, I will do it. Ooh baby she was first common sense UC person I've spoke to in 4 years.

So your No.1 suggestion would solve I'm gonna' say a LOT of homeless.
2. I won't talk about 'ote I don't know about, but that would help though, but same tenants causing damage house after house wun't qualify again-Saying that, at moment they can't move to house after house as no one is taking them.
3. That would work, Govt or Councils would never do it though.
4. We should be doing that anyway, although I don't, too many houses to do it. And too long term tenants we agreed it's their home.
5. I do believe in this & will say it again:
On every time they make it harder to repossess & evict bad tenants.
They only making it worse for tenants. Tenants jump for joy, more landlords pack up. Leaving less choice more expensive houses. Make it easy to evict. More landlords will say What I can evict in a month? Yeah I'll take her, I'll give her a chance. More choice, cheaper rents better standards. It's not rocket science. My tenants can't leave me any more even if they wanted to. Some been with me 23 years. I want them to have the choice to leave and they can't.
And then with more choice, tenant would say I'm not having your crapper house, his is cheaper & better up the road.

Or similar words below:

For example, u have a Newsreader on 150k salary. He has 100k in the bank doing 1% interest & he's miffed. You tell him he can put this 100k in a house, leave it with a letting agent, as long as he does what the agent asks in terms of making sure he pays for the boiler certificate, electrical certificate etc., make the house legal, safe, not dangerous. That agent will then get 6% return for that house on your money, maybe 4% after all your repairs, fees etc.
You han't got to go on any silly accreditation courses to prove u can add 2+2, u han't got fill Licensing forms in for hours upon end, the Letting Agent is already checked out as being responsible, u won't go to prison if tenant takes batteries out smoke alarm, as we don't pass all the buck onto the Landlord now where the tenant has clearly been irresponsible etc. etc.
The Newsreader & all those with some cash in the bank & also those with deposits for a mortgage will think Well, much better return for me money PLUS I alleviate the homeless problem if I have a conscience too, it's a win win.

And that is how u bring rents down. Us Landlords that's still here, know tenants in most areas are queuing for houses, they can't get anywhere, Rogue Landlords can leave house dangerous, cause tenant has no choice.
Give tenant a choice, next Landlord has to improve his house or it will be empty & he will also have to be competitive.