mikeyb10supra Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Basically looking for some advice on the following. I currently own a 2 bed flat in a block of six privately owned flats and the guy below me moved out last year and rented the flat out. The guy that then subsequently moved in and who I assumed was renting it was trouble and caused a lot of problems, ie loud music, anti social, rude, violence etc. It has now come to my attention after speaking to the owner that the guy in question is from the council (DSS) and it having it paid for him by the council as he is on benifits. My question is, would the landlord be within his right to allow people from the dss in there? I would have thought the council has specially designated places for this and wouldn't allow it in a privte block. My concern is that im just going to have a string of nightmare neighbors in there and its going to make my life hell if he is renting it out to dss people Cheers Mikey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooquicktostop Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Happened to me, the owner of the 2 houses I used to live next to gave one to his son and one to his daughter, they both let the houses out, using the council, they went on to use the two 3 bed houses to home asylum seekers during their application to stay, it was a nightmare as they had no respect for the property or anyone else finally and I kid you not, they actually burnt the houses down cooking in a bedroom ! they did not understand how to raise the alarm by calling 999 ! There was nothing I could do even though I spoke to the father several times (he was on the council himself!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_aero Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Exact same situation I was in!! My flat is in a block of 6 too. And again the person at the bottom were just right pr*cks. I called every letting agent in Stratford and made out I knew they were managing it. Obviously I called the wrong agents for the first few attempts but eventually I hit the jackpot of the agent who was managing it and complained every 3 days until they were evicted. Eventually the letting agent will too get pissed off as it makes them look bad and makes it highly probable the tenant will cause them trouble in the long run with late rent/damage to building etc.etc. I'd do the same or complain to the landlord if you know who they are by mail every few days. Say its a liability to his/her property. That who knows whats going on in there. Make it sound as bad as possible, and unless that landlord is a billionaire he'll come down I assure you Don't just do phone calls as they can be brushed off and ignored. Plus you have no proof incase what happened to Dean that you tried to warn them for your insurance to cover you entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewOW Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 If the landlord allows DSS residents, then they can be placed there at will, but only with the landlord's approval. The council pays, so it's guaranteed every month. A very easy option, but flawed. When we rented my mum's house out, we lived to regret it. £13k of work after we got rid of them and it looked very habitable indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbleapple Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 I presume the guy is allowed to rent the property out. Mortgage companies and insurance might say no if you were to enquire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abz Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Exact same situation I was in!! My flat is in a block of 6 too. And again the person at the bottom were just right pr*cks. I called every letting agent in Stratford and made out I knew they were managing it. Obviously I called the wrong agents for the first few attempts but eventually I hit the jackpot of the agent who was managing it and complained every 3 days until they were evicted. Eventually the letting agent will too get pissed off as it makes them look bad and makes it highly probable the tenant will cause them trouble in the long run with late rent/damage to building etc.etc. I'd do the same or complain to the landlord if you know who they are by mail every few days. Say its a liability to his/her property. That who knows whats going on in there. Make it sound as bad as possible, and unless that landlord is a billionaire he'll come down I assure you Don't just do phone calls as they can be brushed off and ignored. Plus you have no proof incase what happened to Dean that you tried to warn them for your insurance to cover you entirely. Some good advice here, worth a go. If the landlord allows DSS residents, then they can be placed there at will, but only with the landlord's approval. The council pays, so it's guaranteed every month. A very easy option, but flawed. When we rented my mum's house out, we lived to regret it. £13k of work after we got rid of them and it looked very habitable indeed. I think I am going to learn this costly mistake, I've asked the tenant to leave & it looks like they caused loads of damage, with only £900 as damage deposit I feel I am going to be left with a 5-10k bill. No point in taking them to court, she will just declare that she is a single mother, even though she recently got engaged to a 17 year old (She is 35 with 4 kids) & she can only afford to pay back £5 a month. Good luck, might be worth teaming up with the other neighbours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewOW Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 I presume the guy is allowed to rent the property out. Mortgage companies and insurance might say no if you were to enquire. Very true. This could be your answer if he hasn't informed his mortgage company, as you officially require a 'buy to let' mortgage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooquicktostop Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Very true. This could be your answer if he hasn't informed his mortgage company, as you officially require a 'buy to let' mortgage. I agree, this is very possible actually With my case it turned out they had not got the right insurance so the house remained a burnt out shell for almost a year until they raised the cash to repair themselves ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_aero Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Very true. This could be your answer if he hasn't informed his mortgage company, as you officially require a 'buy to let' mortgage. My mortgage provider lets me rent out without switching to buy to let. Unusual but most won't - guess you have to check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitesupraboy2 Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Very true. This could be your answer if he hasn't informed his mortgage company, as you officially require a 'buy to let' mortgage. My property the council fill with people on benefits. Luckily its a young lady with a child and she's very quiet and nice. I know this as my dad lives next door. I dont rent out direct through the council, I have a letting company who source residents and ask will you take on Council tennants. As for the above this is no longer the case. My house is on a normal mortgage with permission to let not a buy to let mortgage. With the credit crunch alot of mortgage companies have allowed people to let out their houses on their normal mortgages. (im with C&G) I had to get a copy of the permission to let letter for the mortgage for my new property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewOW Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Very interesting about the changes to their terms. Desperation indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Plethora Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Both houses next door to me are rented by the council, one side previous I had a "rough diamond", a little rough and ready, didnt know what a job was but was pleasant enough and mowed my lawn a couple of times. Their replacements are very nice people who are emigrating soon and it will be a shame to see them go. The otherside however... first they had a woman who nobody ever saw or heard from (perfect), she did a runner one day and left the entire place smelling of cat piss. Second lot had the police round on 2 occasions after the boyfriend had an argument and kicked the front door in, they also did a runner. The current lot I also understand are going to do a runner and the police have been round on 2 occasions I know of and he hits his girlfriend. I cant blame the owners as its guaranteed rent and I am sure there are perfectly fine council housers but my experience is 50% ok and 50% scum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_aero Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 As for the above this is no longer the case. My house is on a normal mortgage with permission to let not a buy to let mortgage. With the credit crunch alot of mortgage companies have allowed people to let out their houses on their normal mortgages. (im with C&G) I had to get a copy of the permission to let letter for the mortgage for my new property. Same peeps I am with. My my I am happy I went with them - saved me a hefty £25k deposit - CHA CHING!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitesupraboy2 Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Same peeps I am with. My my I am happy I went with them - saved me a hefty £25k deposit - CHA CHING!!! Same here and its allowed me to actually get myself a home I want to live in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_aero Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Same here and its allowed me to actually get myself a home I want to live in. Best thing is it was a 100% mortgage just before they stopped doing it. So now my 3 year fixed term ends, I rent it out at 2.5% interest only having paid no deposit and I have all that money to spend on something else Love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 What does the covenant say on the flats ? I imagine anti social behaviour nosie etc is a breach of that. Maybe have a word with the landlord and point this out to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyb10supra Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 I spoke to the landlord last night and he has assured me he has leart his lesson and wont let it out to council tenants again as there is significant damage to his property and he is apparently missing 6 months rent and the guy is supposed to have moved out at the start of January but is still there. He has told me that the police are now involved and there is an eviction process in place. Im hoping he has learn his lesson with all of this and wont do it again, although he did mention that he has the option of just handing it over the the council and they deal with it for 5 years and ensure it is rented the whole time I have said to him that he should rent it privately to a professional couple/tenant as there is far less chance of them missing payments and messing him about. Fingers crossed that this is the route he is going to take Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_aero Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Fingers crossed that this is the route he is going to take He will, if he doesnt just keep calling him giving him horror stories. He'll learn . Guess he is no millionaire yet. Saying that its uncanny how many landlords who are absolutely minted I've come across. Result Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.