Concerneed About RentT Relief / Lease

kyra

Hi

my boyfriend and I went to view an apartment this evening.
The landlord said he kept the rent price low as he'd prefer if the tenants would not claim rent relief on it.

Does that mean he does not intend to get a lease signed?
Would he be a registered landlord ? Would he pay taxes on the money he earns from renting ?Its his first time letting so he might be unsure of what to do himself

another thing that surprised us is that he asked for a higher deposit that the actual rent.
I have been renting for years now and I have never come across anything like that before...

any advice would be appreciated
Cheers..

sadie9

It means he's not a registered landlord and doesn't want you claiming rent relief tax relief credits. So he's not paying taxes on the rental income and doesn't want the tax office to know.
However you can still claim the tax relief even if he's trying to dodge it. You are supposed to provide the landlord's PPS number to the tax office, but you can still get the tax credit without this. Not sure about being asked for more deposit than a month's rent - I'd argue strongly with that. If he decides not to give back your deposit then you've given over more than you need to. Sounds like a very amateur landlord wanting to have his cake and eat it. Unless you are getting a very good deal I'd look elsewhere he could turn out to be right pain and keep your deposit because you chipped one of the really cheap cups he bought in Heatons...He's automatically assuming you are the worst sort of tenant by asking you for a more than average deposit, yet wants you to assist him in breaking the law by not declaring his rental income to the tax office...