One in Four low income tenants in arrears!

I'm surprised it's not higher. When LHA was sensible we used to happily rent to benefit claimants as we thought the extra few £ over market rent where the property was a little shabby would compensate for the aggravation. Frankly it never did. Arrears, anti-social behaviour, paedophiles, life on licence murderers, mental health problems, nasty people, criminal damage instigators - we've had them all over the years. No more. The government can sort them all out - after all they encourage a lot of them with the still too high benefit handouts to perpetual ne'er do wells. There's a reason unemployment is still around 1.5 and each year there is net immigration of circa 300,000 - it's not worth our lazy indigineous population getting up in the morning. Before any more politically correct landlords out there have a pop I can tell them that we have people like that in our own family...generation to generation underage pregnant and never worked. Of course there are some who use the welfare state as it should be for serious illness, disability, retirement, bad fortune or bridging the gap but many more who don't - we have to pay for all of them and what with S24 and all we've had enough. Next month another eviction will bring us down to only 2 UC claimants - we've maxed out their rent on LHA and told them just one late payment and they're out too. UC is delusional, introduced by government baffons who have no idea of the real world. Iain Duncan Smith and Lord Adonis who I believe came up with UC should be made to have a few of them as lodgers - see how they get on ! Rant over.

Yes UC is awful but the benefit system is now a real problem.

I have stopped renting to benefit claimants

Below market rents
Trashed properties
Arrears in the thousands
I had to go to court and then pay for the bailff on many occasions
No chance of any arrears paid off
They should make them pay the landlord via benefits after they have been evicted it is the only way to end the arrears and trashed properties at a proper amount at least 15 per week

I have one single chap go onto UC
3 months no money rec . They lost and lied regarding the paperwork sent. I had sent recorded del. You cannot deal via email and try phoning what a joke

It is stopped continuously , the tenant now is c 2500 in arrears.

It is a complete and utter failure and should be scrapped what a waste of millions of tax payers money. Remind me again how much did this system cost?

And the icing on the cake we are continuously slagged off by this government for taking benefit tenants in the papers. Made out to be greedy when we lose thousands .

It is about time this government realised that the PRS is a business and not a charity nor a cash cow to be raided by Section24

They are a complete disgrace. MANY people are struggling to survive..

Again, it's this dreadful government pitting tenants against landlords to avoid taking the blame for the utter mess they have made. UC is a disaster and Duncan Smith should be excoriated.
I have one very good tenant who was moved to UC and he's had no money for 3 months. I can afford not to put him out and I'm not going to. Week after week the UC robots promise him a letter, which never comes. Kathy is 100% right and the Tories are to blame with their war against the poor and unfortunate.

It's time people here stopped slagging off good tenants (I recognise there are awful ones - they are usually the ones who know how to work the system) and attacked this awful government on S24 and UC.

Hi Luk,
Has your tenant managed to sort out his issues with UC and receive a payment.
In my experiences in dealing with Universal Credit I have found that it is often an admistration issue on DWP and the tenants are left with no money and soring arrears and a very frustrated landlord.

Dear Kathy
Thank you for your comments.

The arrears that your tenant incurred is it a result of DWP error and have they agreed to clear the arrears?
Could it be possible that the tenant has been paid and the Housing Cost Element not being forwarded to you?

Let me know

Mr Barwell is Incorrect, ( AGAIN )
Full Tax relief IS available on shares, of Unlimited amount if you invest through an ISA.
Okay you can only Pay into the ISA £11 k a year, But profits on anything gained from that money is Not Taxablle

My experience is very similar with UC. Had a tenant who moved in October and didn't pay any rent until May when I went to court and got a possession order and evicted him.
In the meantime both myself and the letting agent contacted the DWP Universal Credit people informing them that the rent hadn't been paid for over two months and asking for payment direct but they wouldn't answer letter or e mails or discuss it over the phone. I raised a formal complaint but again no answer - to this day no contact has been made.
I am no longer taking universal credit tenants - how can this help tenants stay in accommodation.

Reply to the comment left by "Chris Daniel" at "24/02/2017 - 15:45":

going up to £20K from April?

Reply to the comment left by "Robert Grant" at "24/02/2017 - 19:25":

MP involved? Ombudsman?

Reply to the comment left by "terry sullivan" at "25/02/2017 - 10:25":

Yes good idea Terry but in the past I have raised issues and never seem to have got anywhere. I am not a political animal more a boringly methodical Chartered Building Surveyor. They raise issues of confidentiality (even though we had permission to talk to them from the tenant) Similarly with debt I have Issued Section 8s and got an award for debt arrears but eventually been awarded £5 per week. I have decided to deal with it at the beginning of the process and be more selective of tenants although some letting agents don't seem to follow instructions. It is a shame as I do have a social conscience and have had good benefit tenants for fifteen years and more and have also rented to charities in the past supporting people with mental health and drug addiction problems. Its seems simple to me - pay the landlord the rent and pay the tenant the remainder, and many tenants seem to agree - the new system wont help the tenant or the landlord.