Checks needed for DSS / LHA tenant?

Checks needed for DSS / LHA tenant?

13:53 PM, 19th January 2015, About 10 years ago 121

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Hi everyone,

I have found a family that I want to rent my house to and they will be claiming the local LHA allowance for a 4 bedroom property in North London. Currently they are in temporary accommodation as they were made homeless due to previous landlord wishing to sell the property they were in. Checks needed for DSS LHA tenant

Now my question is; does anyone know the best procedure to safe guard myself when letting my property to them?

For example my understanding is that we will sign the AST but will not know for certain what rent the council will pay her untill they make a housing benefit claim and I am supposed to go with them when they do this. Is it right that any shortfall will be made up by the tenant as top up?

I understand they have a rough estimate of the claim but its not exact.

In my instance the 4 bed LHA rate is £1,667 per month which the family tell me they should get most of due to their circumstances. My worry was that if I get the AST signed and take their 1 month deposit (which I will safeguard), will I be up sh*t creek if there benefit claim backfires and they dont get it or get much less ???

I really like the family and I dont get any bad feeling from them but that can sometimes be a sign to take extra care!!

Any advice about safety checks or standard procedures when dealing in the DSS/LHA market would be greatly appreciated as I really could do without messing up!

Many thanks

Cheers

Joel Herne


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tony tony

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19:04 PM, 21st January 2015, About 10 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Nick De Jongh" at "21/01/2015 - 14:46":

this is definitly not the case , you oviously do not know how to go about getting direct payment from the council, all councils have to work to the same rule book

Alan Loughlin

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19:09 PM, 21st January 2015, About 10 years ago

just a word of warning with direct payments, any problems with overpayments, or fraud, misdeclarations etc will come back to bite you very firmly in the bum.

tony tony

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19:20 PM, 21st January 2015, About 10 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Alan Loughlin" at "21/01/2015 - 19:09":

this agian is not 100% true , if you are not aware or had no knowledge of the fraud taking place , i.e living with a boyfriend who is claiming elswhere it will be passed on to the tennant ,which in turn will be taken from future rents at aprox £10 per week max, so if they dont top up you serve secton 21 then once out the debt stays with tennat not the landlord

Alan Loughlin

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19:23 PM, 21st January 2015, About 10 years ago

a lot of hassle, and costs, better just say no to HB. since doing this we have reduced problems dramatically.

Nick De Jongh

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20:22 PM, 21st January 2015, About 10 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "tony salmon" at "21/01/2015 - 19:04":

With Due respect I have been receiving the same answer from Harrow, Brent and Barnet so it may be different elsewhere , but not in these Boroughs. I am not the only Landlord that has received this reply as it is Policy in Camden, Westminster and Hammersmith &Fullam . The Policy was changed in January 2009 and everyone I know has been effected.

tony tony

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20:34 PM, 21st January 2015, About 10 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Nick De Jongh" at "21/01/2015 - 20:22":

you can think what you want , but i know this is not true ,ive been renting for over 15 years to the l.h.a. market . tell me how you went about trying to get your rent direct ? everyone as to work to the same book, the only difference is the amount of rent the tenant is entitled to all other rules apply to everyone

Dr Rosalind Beck

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9:21 AM, 24th January 2015, About 10 years ago

I smelt a rat immediately with these tenants' presenting 'story.' It's not a matter of housing the unemployed or not - it's a case of judging each one on its own merits. I think the previous landlord probably did not sell the house. How many landlords decide to sell their house, if it entails ousting good tenants? I would just wait until the tenants themselves decided to leave if they were good ones. So I don't believe that story for one minute.
As for 'liking' them, I really took to one of our worst tenants from hell when I met her. She looked smart, she had great social skills and I had no doubts about her at all. First impressions are meaningless. There are some right con-artists out there and by their nature, they appear to be super-trustworthy.

Mark Reynolds

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10:07 AM, 24th January 2015, About 10 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Nick De Jongh" at "21/01/2015 - 20:22":

To remove any doubt why don't you use Tasker Payment Services - For a small fee of £4.00 the risk is removed.

I have properties in Harrow as well rented to LHA and they say the same - but I do appreciate all the councils have their own interpretation of the rule book!

tony tony

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11:42 AM, 24th January 2015, About 10 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Reynolds" at "24/01/2015 - 10:07":

councill have to work to the book wether it is HARROW or NOTTINGHAM , tell me what you did to get the councill to pay you direct? no good just asking them ,

tony tony

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11:52 AM, 24th January 2015, About 10 years ago

there are a lot of comments on here about l.h.a and councils do this do that, and at least 50% of it is wrong , usally made by peeps who have had a bad time with l.h.a, i personaly dont want private tenants, my portfolio is big enough to be able me not to have to work for a living and all bar 4 are l.h.a., so if l.h.a tenants are that bad i would be up the creek without a paddle, when council make claw back or stop the rent it is all about knowing what to do and fighting back ,most unexperienced l.h.a landlords just except what the council say and do nothigk about it excuse the grammar not my best subject

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