Subject to status and referencing

NLA fall into line:

"The National Landlords Association (NLA) today attended a roundtable at 10 Downing Street, led by Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Heather Wheeler MP, to address the blanket ban on letting to tenants in receipt of benefits.

At the roundtable, the NLA emphasised to Heather Wheeler and the Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, Will Quince MP, that we believe the underlying issue with access to the private rented sector for tenants in receipt of benefits is the failure of the Government to increase the level of Local Housing Allowance rate in line with market rents. This is further impacted by the size of Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMAs) which further underestimate local rent levels in certain areas.

The NLA advises our members to consider each tenant on a case-by-case basis, rather than stating ‘No DSS’ on the advert. However, landlords have a legitimate right to refuse a tenancy based on affordability."

Reply to the comment left by Neil Patterson at 12/06/2019 - 11:45
I would have hoped for something more robust from a landlord association.

Reply to the comment left by David Price at 12/06/2019 - 10:12
I am sure that you are correct that those totally reliant on benefits are much higher risk than working tenants receiving benefits to top up their earnings. As my mother used to say, the devil finds work for idle hands.

I only once took on an unemployed single mother benefits tenant around 20 years ago and it was a disaster. She smoked continually in the property even though there was a no smoking clause in the contract and it was advertised as such. Whole place needed completely redecorating throughout and had to fit new carpets (kids room stunk of urine) and curtains in every room. Toilet was blocked with a CD round the U bend, and not cleaned for months, wallpaper torn by her young kids. Dog chewed the doors. Grass never cut in 18 months. Shed full to the brim with black bags containing 18 months worth of soiled nappies. Never paid any of the £15 p.w. shortfall between the rent due and amount of Housing Benefit she was receiving.
Of course this may have been a one off and I could just have been unlucky. However since this time I’ve had hardly any problems (certainly not on same scale) with working tenants.......... obviously just a coincidence !!

And therein lies a big problem. Lots of tenants falsify their benefits claims, or are moonlighting, or doing something else that would result in them being ineligible for their rent to be paid. But as a landlord you don't have the rights to check any of what they are doing. All that you can do is possibly inspect your property having given 24 hours notice. So unless you insist that the rent is paid to you by the tenant directly you are running a huge risk if the council or whoever it is that is paying their rent decides to come and get it off you, the capitalist, rather than try and get it off the "vulnerable" tenant.
Unless I've missed something. What rights do you have as a landlord to check on a tenant's personal circumstance?

Reply to the comment left by JJ at 12/06/2019 - 14:08None at all as they are entitled to “quiet enjoyment” of the property. Any delving into their ongoing personal circumstances would be harassment.

Reply to the comment left by Dylan Morris at 12/06/2019 - 16:43
So if the benefits paid to you can be claimed back from you if it transpires that the tenant wasn't entitled to them, but you have no rights at all to check on what the tenants are up to, then in business terms whoever is paying the benefit is transferring an outstanding liability to you *unless* you only accept payment direct from the tenant.

On the DSS subject, for years I had on my vehicles on side & rear DSS Considered. And as time has passed, I had to change to DWP considered, as the old school din't know what DWP was, but more common now, law of averages, it was becoming more people didn't know what DSS was.
And on the subject again, there is a saying amongst us DWP Landlords, 90% of your problems are caused by 10% of your tenants. Mine are a lot more respecting now, now that they can't just wreck the house & move down the road, as no other Landlords are taking mine or any HB DWP UC tenants any more, so I'm stuck with mine for life. And I do have a load of good tenants at the moment, AAAhhh why did I say that on a public wall, BUT probably 40% of them are and will admit they are useless with money, so when it comes to starting work & wages etc., they get in a mess with paying top ups & even worse if nowadays I want the top up same time as HB UC pay, to reduce time/admin costs.