Hi, this it quite a learning curve. Im renting my late dads property. Its not finished being tarted up yet but im looking at the end of may.
Ive had interest before advertising. One couple i know ( we arent friends). Ive agreed verbally to let them rent it at a lower than market average price. Hes assured me he will look after and maintain it and not be on the phone to me everyday with silly requests ( is this.even a thing? Do tenants really call up wanting a lightbulb changed)
Well now im getting a bit of a bad gut feeling. He wants it all in her name, shes on UC, shes got a 4 month old baby. He wants the paperwork for her UC so sheâll get housing costs. Yet hes got a bit shirty when this wasnt all being done between ourselves.
Im currently referencing her. Shes messaged me to say that OR dodnt like her UC figures so shes entered in her previous salary.
I suppose my question ( one of them) is how thorough is OR referencing. What do they actually require?
Will he need referencing too, even if its âherâ thats covering it? ( he wanted me to set the rent even lower for her to cover it then pay the rest to me in cash. I said no)
Are they playing me for a fool, or am i being over cautious?
This will be my only source of income, so its really important i get it right
Walk away
If people are behaving like this before the tenancy it only ever gets worse
If sheâs got to fiddle income to get through referencing she cannot afford it
Never rent below market rate always at rate or now a bit higher because of RRB
I say this with respect get a reputable agent involved or advertise on right move or a website that checks you as well as the tenant
Walk away from the scams that start before the tenancy
These people know you are green
They are going to take you to the cleaners
up to you ,if he is going to live there yes. Never commit verbally . You can also ask for a guarantor and reference them. First time ? You need training , Head not heart, or you will regret it. I was like you 40 years ago Back away from this and stand your ground .
When you advertise it when finished renovations you will have many applicants Ask questions Frankly you need to ask questions that may trip up a liar (and there will be plenty of them) ONE lie and I do not consider them
So if Iâm reading this correctlyâŚ.theyâre both going to actually live there but heâs pretending to live somewhere else so she can claim max benefits as single mum/occupier. So theyâd be committing benefit fraud and youâd be complicit! Thatâs the first alarm bellâŚ.
It also seems that sheâs failed affordability with just her UC. If she enters salary from last paye work OR will ask employer for reference. At that point sheâll come unstuck as employer will say âsheâs leftâ!
So far sheâs trying to tell OR a big lie and heâs trying to get her to commit benefit fraudâŚâŚand he says theyâll look after the place. Itâs no skin off his nose if itâs trashed because he wonât be living there âŚ.on paper!!
Simple answer is run a mile. There are thousands and thousands of honest tenants out there - go find one of them.
If you are not an experienced landlord you could get into a lot of trouble trying to self manage, (Openrent dont offer a fully managed service). Fines and Penalties are punitive. I would urge you to consider the benefits of a fully managed agency contract until you are able to learn the business.
Get an agency to handle this for you. You are stepping into a minefield. Donât put yourself in a postion where people you know will approach you directly. Let the agent handle everything and you should never need to have any direct contact with any prospective or existing tenant.
Im on UC and struggling to find a rentalâŚIâm going to tell you to walk away from this couple.It sounds like she will receive full benefits, but if you give them a contract at a lower rent, he will not pay and you wont have a leg to stand on. Plus if they get caught, she will have no money to pay you, he still wont pay and you will pay to get them out! It is this type of behaviour that makes renting difficult for the rest of us, that actually are good tenants. Just Run for the hills!
Oh Wow, Keri! Please please, i hope you read and take notice of all of the responses you have received. I do not have any further to add and would urge you to walk away and let this the correct way. If they are causing you so much headache when you havenât even signed anything yet wait until the tenancy gets going?! And all of this whiffs of illegality everywhere! Please protect yourself and your fatherâs property.
Iâm sure you got all the responses you need here, but I could not read and run. PLEASE DONâT DO IT. Sheâs trying to dodge UC by pretending to be a single mum, that is why she doesnât want the name there (obviously illegal). Plus, if they donât pay you will have a heck of a job evicting them because of the baby, they will be advised not to leave so as not to make themselves homeless etc. So many red flags, just run!!
This is messy.. Donât go there.. Always always always trust your gut feeling. This is a business transaction, not a favour. The fact that this applicant thinks they can get away with simply stating their salary from previous employment because the benefit amount that they currently receive isnât sufficient, as well as expect OR or any landlord or letting agent to accept this is delusion. They will sense your inexperience and will exploit it, and the ramifications will be dire. Walk away, and do not feel pressured or manipulated into explaining why.