r/uklandlords

Hi all, looking for some advice from landlords who have experience providing accommodation to councils/local authorities.

I’m currently looking at an 11-bedroom HMO and have been speaking with the local authority about potentially using the property for people they need to house.

They’ve said they can help fill the HMO, provide ongoing support to the tenants and give me a main point of contact if any problems arise. They also have their own support services and have said they can intervene with tenants where necessary to help maintain sustainable tenancies.

However, they wouldn’t manage the actual building, so I would remain responsible for the property itself, maintenance, compliance, etc.

They’ve quoted the local housing allowance at around £690 per room per month.
I’m considering going back with an offer of £650 per room per month in exchange for a six-year guaranteed contract, ideally with the rent guaranteed regardless of occupancy/voids.

For 11 rooms that would be:
£7,150 per month
£85,800 per year
£514,800 over six years

Obviously I need to establish exactly what they mean by tenant “support”, who deals with arrears/damage/ASB, whether payments can actually be guaranteed regardless of occupancy, and what termination/break clauses would apply.

Has anyone here had a similar arrangement with a council?

Would you take £660 per room with six years guaranteed, or would you stick with private HMO tenants and potentially achieve higher rents?
Also interested in any hidden problems with council placements that I should be aware of before agreeing to anything.
Cheers.

I have a two bed flat. Tenant A wants to leave (because Tenant B is crazy). If Tenant A gives notice to leave, this voids the joint tenancy.

I understand I don’t have to issue a new tenancy, nor give permission to allow Tensnt B to find a new replacement Tenant for Tenant A.

In this situation does Tenant B become liable for the whole apartments rent? If Tensnt B refuses to leave what are my rights?

I'm terrible with money, so when I first moved to a place of my own, I got a second bank account. All my bills (including rent) go out of my first account, and I get paid into it as well. I know how much my bills come to, so what I do is leave that amount in the account and transfer the rest. It's all automated, so I don't look at it until next payday.

A couple of months ago, payment for something ended, so I adjusted how much I left there. I received an email from the letting agent the other day saying I was two months behind with my rent. I was confused, so I looked into it. Apparently the company whose payments should have stopped, were still going out. As my rent is the last thing to go out, it meant there wasn't enough to pay the rent.

I hadn't looked at the transaction history, as I assumed everything was fine. I've emailed the letting agent back and said that I will pay them a little extra each month until it's paid off. I can't afford to pay large chunks off in one go. I don't want to get kicked out, but I can't think of any other way to pay them back.

So would you find it acceptable?

Previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/uklandlords/s/OGmj4iRLvZ

How would you personally go about fighting this claim without spending a ton on a solicitor? I'm assuming they think we'll settle just to shut them up, but no chance. I'm not handing over a penny unless it's court ordered.

Now that they're being asked questions, the story is changing. Just to note: the oven and hob were cleaned by two different people using different products.

My own mum cleaned the hob using every day household products. Tenants are now claiming they used the hob for two weeks and suffered unexplained migraines, nausea, couldn't eat and couldn't DRINK. Three days is pretty much how long a human can live without drinking but OK...

Then after 2 weeks they finally used the oven which had been cleaned by a professional company using non toxic products. They say it started smoking so they turned it off, opened the windows and doors, and it carried on smoking for 2 HOURS afterwards... without a heat source...?

Now they've added in that they went to the GP and it was the GP who advised them to go to the hospital (before they just said they went to the hospital). They're still claiming both the oven and the hob made them sick and that the hospital specifically told them that that was the cause, after spending a few hours there.

They've provided no proof of a GP visit or medical notes, no proof of a hospital visit or medical notes, no photo or video evidence of this smoking oven, and no proof that it was the hob and oven that made them sick (if they even were). They have their own air fryer - how would they know it wasn't that making them ill?

Am I crazy? Their story just doesn't add up to me at all especially with these new elements that seem to defy both biology and the laws of thermodynamics 😂

How would you fight this as a landlord?

As a comparison, I had a negligent dentist a few years ago, who almost killed me. He left an abscess untreated for months while I kept going back insisting something was wrong. It took over a year for me to win my claim against his insurance even with all the records from his practice that showed evidence of the abscess, my hospital records, records of emergency surgery, photos and video of me sobbing and describing the agony I was in before I took myself to the hospital, and a visible scar and swelling (that lasted months) from the surgery. I had to practice opening my mouth again because it reached a point where I could only open my jaw a quarter of an inch.

These guys seem to think they're going to get a quick buck out of us by just saying stuff.

Hello, seeking some thoughts and advice here on a difficult situation. I'm a NRL renting out a house to a family.

Issued a Section 21 in January for a very difficult tenant - long list of issues, but was constantly exaggerating problems, withheld partial rent (never paid it back) in protest of what they said was bad treatment though agent has always responded to requests to fix things, never pays rent on time (usually about 10 days after the date), was frequently rude and manipulative over email to me and agents, etc etc.

Finally decided in S21 to just bite the bullet given RRA and all. I let the agent and tenant figure things out in the initial months as I didn't want to expend too much mental energy on things. When I found out that the S21 would expire end of July I sent multiple messages via WhatsApp and email to the agent flagging this was a concern for me and whether we should take action - no reply on that specifically ever. Agent only ever gave assurances that they felt the tenant would willingly leave and not mess around anymore.

I let the end-July S21 deadline lapse, so it's partly on me I guess. Tenant had said they would move out end of August. Last week I get an email from the agent saying the tenant is asking to stay until November while they process a mortgage application. I asked her to get proof showing this is the case, got some screenshots back from the tenant just showing they were engaged in some kind of process with Mortgage Advice Bureau with no details.

Agent suggested bringing the lawyer in to seek advice on removing the tenant, lawyer obivously says theres no way through the courts now and would suggest offering them cash to leave as the cleanest way.

In the meantime, agent hasn't responded to emails or calls for days, in fact it's constantly been like this since I engaged them, I'm lucky to ever get a reply from them. I did state that I'm angry as I flagged the S21 deadline to them multiple times and could they step up their game please, no reply.

I guess i'm seeking advice or experience on whether

1. if you ever ditched you agents to get a new one and what the breaking point was

2. in this case would you let the tenant drag things out? They do pay rent. the opportunity cost to me is mental health, prospect of getting more reliable tenant and being able to up the rent to market rate (i haven't raised the rent in more than 2 years partly on the agent's advice as a peace offering to the tenant given there were some major issues with leaking etc when they moved in)

3. any successful experiences of cash for keys?

Thank you all.

Making this post because I'm just grasping for straws and totally fed up with the UK rental system. I'm 26F and I came to the UK to do my Masters last Septemeber from Ireland. I've been living in student accom but I have to move out in September, me and 4 friends have planned to rent out a house together. 3 of my friends have UK gaurantors, I'm the only exception. My parents earn very comfortably and are financially very sound, live in Ireland and I'm sure they can provide all kind of documentation needed for gaurantor checks but using them just isn't valid here.

Personally I'm financially sound, I've been self-funding my own masters but the london/greater london area is expensive, I'm basically burning money right now. Being careful with what I have left is a huge priority for me, I'm actively job-hunting aswell.

I thought of paying for a gaurantor service only to find out they won't even offer me a contract because I'm no longer a student and I'm also not a working professional yet (I contacted Housing Hand). I have no idea what to do, I would honestly prefer to pay 3 or 6 months rent upfront but apparently that too is now illegal due to the new rental laws. Any advice for someone like me please? I'm not sure if there are even any options left for me right now.

Hey I'm not going to dive into the racial aspect of this but something crossed my mind which would be good to understand.

Why is it that right to rent blocks landlords from housing the tenants that serco are allowed to house in rentals?

Are serco and similar being given special favours that are not open to landlords?

I got a kitten 3 months ago and I want to move out of my flat because it's too small. I am completing a tenancy application and I'm worried if I say I have a cat (vaccinated, insured, etc.) that the landlord will just go with someone else who doesn't have a pet.

While the new Renters Rights mean that the landlord couldn't unreasonably say no to a pet if we make the request during the tenancy, there is nothing stopping a landlord from declining an application if you already have a pet.

I'm not sure if I should be honest and risk not getting the flat, or if I should wait until the tenancy starts and request my cat on the first day.

I could potentially not move her in until they approve so that it's technically not a breach of contract. They don't have fair grounds for refusal, I even looked the building up on the gov website and it says the headlease has no restrictive covenants. But I'm afraid that this will immediately harm my relationship with the landlord.

Help, please!!

Hi all,

Landlord states need to give 2 months notice due to RRA

My tenancy agreement states 1 month notice period.

Landlord disagrees & we are letting MyDeposits make a decision on this as they have withheld the deposit to pay for it.

Anyone had any similar experiences regarding this?

I've recently bought 2 out of 3 apartments in a 3 flat share of Freehold block. Both 2 bed

The third flat is ground floor one bed with its own private patio area and parking space. The current owner is a director of the freehold company and as I BTL, the only owner on site. Hence he's very active in flagging maintenance issues and hands on (including flagging issues with my subtenants)

I asked him for first refusal if he ever comes to sell.

Obviously it would have less rental yield, but I would then own the freehold entirely and have complete control over the building, service/maintenance etc . Whilst I currently have two shares/votes to his one, he's already stopped my tenants from putting their laundry on the communal patio area as it's banned in The lease

He also used the lease to make me 100% liable for damage caused by my subtenants to the communal landing. I originally disputed this and offered 60-70% but eventually reimbursed him in full

Just curious whether any offer I make should account for the strategic value of having total ownership and control.

The flip side is that if he chooses to list to market, any buyer would be coming in as a minority owner.

Hey Reddit, me and my partner (both 30yo) are looking at potentially taking a work sabbatical either to the States or mainland Europe for a year (at the least maybe, longer). My company has offices worldwide which does allow for mobility without changing jobs for myself. We do not yet have kids and so we feel this sort of experience will only get harder the older we get.

Our main point of confusion is what to do with our new-build house which we bought 5 years ago. 3 bedroom house in Cockfosters, North London (Zone 5).

As I see it we have the following options..

1. Sell the house (we potentially make some gains on the purchase price, not much given the lacklustre market) but then we would face the sting of another stamp duty charge when we return i.e. ~35k on a 900k 3 bedroom house.
2. Formally rent the house out (ideally to a trusted friend but this is unlikely so would have to go through a professional management agent). If anyone has experience on this in recent years that'd be super insightful. Quick check seems to suggest we would be able to get a Consent to Let no problem. May make ~2.6k a month on the property based on quick checks. Would require all the documentation that goes with preparing a house for the rental market, but shouldn't require much by way of upgrades since its a new house.
3. Try and strike up a house swapping agreement with someone in, say, New York (if that's where we decide to go). Is this kind of thing likely or even feasible for a longer term agreement?
4. Try and rent out for short term lets (<3 months) periodically on Airbnb. This would require a lot of work but seems it may swerve a lot of the costs otherwise incurred by renting, but with its own drawbacks of higher upkeep and irregular funds coming in. While our local area and quick transport into London makes Cockfosters/Barnet very liveable for us, a quick scan on airbnb shows there isn't much in the local area and I wonder if this is for good reason.
5. Leave the house empty. Headache free of course but then we bare the brunt of our full mortgage cost of around ~2.1k per month.

Any thoughts or advice would really help give us some clarity

Thanks!

And if they did, did you have an inkling they would or did they seem really normal when initially meeting them? Or were the tenants found by an agency and you didn’t meet them? Im curious how these scenarios come about and therefore how to avoid them!

I have a 1 bed flat I bought in 2018 for 125k and lived in myself until about 2 years ago.
When I moved out to move in with my partner I let the flat out at 900pcm.
The tenant is still there and paying rent on time. I’ve had a few noise complaint issues but nothing major so far.
The service charge was £63pcm when I moved in and now is £140pcm. It’s risen quickly but apparently that is not an unreasonable service charge nowadays..
Mortgage repayments are 600pcm at 4.08% fixed until 2030
With some repairs looming and a feeling it’s not really worthwhile i have been considering selling however Rightmove is completely saturated with similar flats and it seems I’d be lucky to get what I paid 8 years ago. Do you think holding for a year or two makes sense or try to sell anyway?

Hi guys, so I was an accidental landlord (I know some people hate that term but hey ho). My tenants have been renting my property for the past 5 years. Always paid on time. The rent covered the mortgage etc and just broke even after taxes and mortgage. This year, my fixed term ended which meant I was no longer on my 1.75% fixed term. It’s now at 4.5% (consent to let). So now I’m having to fork out roughly £200 a month from my own pocket for the tax as I just found this out this week when I was calculating my 25/26 tax return.

So my property:
£176k mortgage.
£1400 rent.
£960 a month on mortgage.
Estate agents value the property at £320-£350k.
Bought the property for £285k.
EPC rating is D.

So I’m a bit conflicted, I’m aware that the energy rating is D and in 2030, all properties must be a C or above to rent. I have a feeling that I’ll reach the £10k cap in attempt to make it a C.
I also will have to pay CGT on the profit if sold.

On one hand, it’s profit by appreciation. On the other, it’s a risk :/ thankfully the tenants has been paying on time since I got them but when they move out, who’s to say I’ll find a good tenant that’ll pay on time?

I’d like your views/opinions from other landlords in a similar position, did you swallow the pill and continue or did you think it’s no longer worth the risk?

Also for those who have rent guarantee insurance, how was your experience in triggering/executing it? Did the insurance actually help or did they not pay due to some small terms/conditions not being met?

Going to be a landlord for the first time because we're moving away for a bit. What are your tips for success based on the fact that we're hoping to move away for just over a year and then return. Worried that we'll make avoidable errors. In NI if that matters.

We had a tenant on benefits evicted from our property. She has no financial issue as she offered to buy the property before we rejected and she stopped paying.

We have 18000 pending on overdue rent Arrears. Is there any services out there, that get this back commission based for non commercial cases?

Looking at setting up a company and buying properties with a director loan.

Has anyone been doing something similar? What are the catches I could be unaware of? How much interest do you charge the company? Thanks

I'm a tenant, renting via an agent and recently the overseas landlord popped in to visit the house. Everything was done correctly and we had a good chat.

I mentioned that I thought the agents were pretty poor communicators and talked about some problems we had. Something twigged in his mind and just started ranting about how much the agents weren't doing what he asked for at the property either...

Made me wonder if this is universal or if we've just had bad luck. For landlords who use an agent - do you actually rate them, or is it just one of those things you put up with?