Advice please!!!
I recently advertised one of my properties for rent and had an application from a Ukrainian refugee who wanted to rent the property for herself and her teen son. I was advised that the council cover the rent and was given a contact at the council. Although there were lots of applicants I decided to allow her to have the property as her current host had sold their home and as she applied as a tenant, it seemed pretty straightforward.
I contacted the council regarding the scheme which I was of the understanding was going to be a normal tenancy and I was directed to register my interest as a landlord to begin the process of letting the applicant the property. I’ve since been pushed down a route that actually makes me a sponsor and I’ve now found that the “rent” payments are actually considered as “thank you” payments and can be subject to change. A recent publication says that the payments are to be reduced to £350 which does not even nearly cover the rent!
I am expecting the family to move in at the end of the week and am getting very little information on what’s happening and more importantly I’m not getting a guarantee for the payments or the deposit I was told would be paid. The property is fully furnished and I’ve bought white goods at the request of the applicant which were not going to be provided and at significant cost on the understanding that a deposit would be paid.
The property also has a mortgage so a reduction on the monthly payments is absolutely out of the question!
If there are any other landlords that have dealt with this, I would appreciate any advice. We are 2 days away from the key handover and I feel like I need to cancel but really don’t want to let the family down whilst I also can’t risk not receiving the payments and not being able to pay the mortgage!
Thank you!
As I always say You cannot trust the Local Council. Have you signed anything? Get out now Head not heart. You cannot be soft running a business or you will go under
Nothings been signed so I can revoke it at this point and that is certainly what my gut is telling me! I’m not getting any reassurances from the Council and the whole process has already delayed the letting of the apartment for a few weeks. They had to do a DBS check on me even though I don’t even live there! Thanks for your response, it’s really appreciated.
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If you have been misinformed by the applicant telling you that the council covered the rent, when they are not, its a shame. I don’t know how much you advertised the property for, but if this was greater than £350, then clearly that is not going to cover the rent.
You need to speak to the council / applicant & explain that you advertised the property at ÂŁ, and that is what you thought the council would be supporting the applicant to afford. If they are not, then sadly, the applicant cannot afford the rent.
The Homes for Ukraine scheme was well advertised when it was launched, and was very much a charitable scheme, where the sponsor was given an amount as a contribution to their costs, whether the Ukraine person moved into their own home, or a separate annex/rental property etc.
You need to decide if you want to be a Landlord receiving full rent, or a charitable sponsor. Either of course is fine, but be clear of your obligations if you are becoming the latter.
As Ukrainian refugees are able to work and receive benefits you can simply rent to her as normal if she passes all the typical checks. No need to get council involved in this case and, if she doesn’t meet the criteria in these circumstances then move on to other applicants.
The original sponsor is still her sponsor and should bear the responsibility of making her effectively homeless. Ukrainian refugees aren’t just for Christmas…