Housing benefit gap leaves one million renters struggling

So basically those that are not economically active want to continue lying on the sofa and expect us (ME) to five them a free ride. Sure if you genuinly can't work because of disability then you should be entitled to subsidised housing. Being overweight and lazy and tatooed to the hilt with a pig ring through your nose and basically making yourself unemployable deserve exactly what they (are not) getting.

I can't agree that the banks are the villains here. They are in business to make money as are you and I. I had a massive interest only loan of £1.8 million but it was obvious that at some time that would have to be paid off. Probably most landlords who have these loans expect it to be paid off by selling the property at some time (could be a bit uncertain now with S21 going). As a business decision I sold some propery to pay off the others. You can't blame landlords with no mortgage. Renting is not something you tuck away for your pension, it has to be planned, and planning for interst rises is part of that planning. I had a problem shifting one of my tenants to sell just as the loan expired. The bank were more than helpful as I showed them the S21 and explained the situation, thet got have got awkward but instead kept me on my low interest rate and gave me another 3 months to sell. I agree that most of the issues today are caused by the government, and in particular by local councils. All you can do going forward is cherry pick the tenants and leave the dross to fend for themselves. The only problem with this is the local council will put them in B+Bs at an extortionate cost to the council tax, so you lose that way. The government will never build enough social housing, they simply don't have the money to do it. Private enterprise won't build it either as they don't want the dross.

I reduced my exposure to the LHA/ UC market by 75% of my portfolio to 10% over the last 15 years by natural wastage . When i met with my councils housing chief exec and their committee about 15 years ago to explain why I was reducing my exposure and inform them where they were going wrong they just looked blank . It was as if they just simply didn't get what private enterprise was all about . I explained there are 3 people in this relationship that you need to keep happy. Yourselves , the LHA tenants and me . We should all talk to each other and be transparent . I said at the moment you don't talk or listen to me . You also actively tell the tenant to work against me rather than work with me. When you learn this should be an equal 3 way conversation then and only then can we progress . I will house your tenants if you pay the taxpayers funded LHA rent to me direct rather than to a vulnerable alcoholic tenant who will spend it on booze and end up having their stomach pumped ( true story ) He said ok fair enough he would work on that. He didn't and I never heard from him again.

The housing benefit system is NOT broken, it might not please tenants or landlords as to the low level of the LHA but its not the tenants or landlords job to decide what the country can afford. Even though I am a loandlord I don't want the LHA rasing to make other landlords comfortable as it will be ME that pays in the end. Its up to the government to buy / build / convert properties for those that can't afford them

Reply to the comment left by GlanACC at 10/03/2024 - 12:22
HB is broken in the PRS in the sense that as LL`s leave the LHA system in droves and incoming new LL`s reject HB tenants in favour of private due to the unacceptable Dinasour style set DWP has - then that leads to a net loss in the PRS sector as the structure has become unsustainable. Its up to the government to yes buy / build/ convert if it cannot work in unison with the PRS and so take them back as council tenants. The Council used to buy mine off me but i had to evict the tenants first. So i was forced to make an HB tenant family homeless and they then housed them in a TA B&B out of town disrupting their whole lives in the process. But immediately they would replace them with another homeless family from the same TA B&B. Just swopped one for another . Crazy

Reply to the comment left by GlanACC at 10/03/2024 - 12:22The housing benefit system is NOT broken, it might not please tenants or landlords as to the low level of the LHA but its not the tenants or landlords job to decide what the country can afford.

What a load of old b@ll@cks.

Being a landlord is optional and they can decide accordingly..

Reply to the comment left by Monty Bodkin at 10/03/2024 - 18:47
Yup, being a landlord is optional. So moaning about the low LHA would probably only affect those that wish to take LHA tenants. So if you don't like the low price and risks associated with LHA then invest in alternative property, you buys the property and its your choice - just don't expect the government to fund 100% of the rent.

Reply to the comment left by GlanACC at 10/03/2024 - 18:59"- just don't expect the government to fund 100% of the rent."

Landlords don't expect anything at all from government, being a landlord is optional and they are leaving the sector in droves with a 2 finger salute.

Feck off and sort out the problems you have created is the clear message.

Yup, I have left - sold 12, 6 left which I won't sell until tenants leave. My tenants decorate the properties, and one guy and his family have been in 20+ years. I have offered them money to leave with no takers. I wont get rid of them unless they don't pay the rent. Problem I have is a couple of them are coming up to retirement age

Reply to the comment left by GlanACC at 10/03/2024 - 19:26
I think we might be on the same song sheet GlanACC.

Apologies for any misdirected frustrations.