Landlords

aangel

Why do alot of landlords not accept rent allowance?. Is this not a bit racist as we are being judged and not given a chance.:mad:

Zaph

I don't really know where to start with this, so I'm just moving it from the Site Development forum.

A&P mods, do whatever you feel is appropriate with this.

duckysauce

could be because the person will be in the house way more than someone whos working and the wear tear will be a hell of a lot more

the_syco

Simple reason, actually: some people who get rent allowance have gotten burnt by people not handing over the rent. Added to that, sometimes the landlord doesn't get their full rent. Fail to see how it's racist.

It's racist to think that only people of colour need rent allowance.

Graces7

We asked the Community Welfare Officer that when we applied;.

He said there are two reasons; that their affairs might not be in order and that it is to screen out undesirables.

Says it all.

One agency told us that there is a move to prevent tax evasion on this; but other agencies advertise " no rent allowance" quite openly.

Max Power1

Graces7 wrote: »

We asked the Community Welfare Officer that when we applied;.

He said there are two reasons; that their affairs might not be in order and that it is to screen out undesirables.

Says it all.

One agency told us that there is a move to prevent tax evasion on this; but other agencies advertise " no rent allowance" quite openly.

Just because a LL/agency advertises no rent allowance doesnt automatically mean that they are tax dodgers! Perhaps they dont want someone unemployed renting their property?

fasty

My landlord accepts it, but I think it's fair for landlords and tenants to choose who lives on the property.

I wouldn't be okay with having someone stuck on the couch all day watching TV and using electricity and gas in excess. It has happened to me before!

athtrasna

goat2 wrote: »

simple answer
they do not want to pay tax on earnings, with rent allowance they have to write a letter leaving the socail welfare know how much you the tenant are paying them, so that you can get help, but they are ripping off the country by not showing up they are renting out a property
simple as
as i do rent a house
i always write the letter
but i know of others who would not do it, there is the reason

Talk about stereotypes :mad:A landlord owns the house, they can rent it out to whoever they want. If they choose not to accept rent allowance it doesn't automatically mean they aren't tax compliant!!

Graces7

Max Power1 wrote: »

Just because a LL/agency advertises no rent allowance doesnt automatically mean that they are tax dodgers! Perhaps they dont want someone unemployed renting their property?

I did not say that actually; simply passed on what I have been told.

Whatever the reason, it is discriminatory in itself; making assumptions that if you need to apply for rent allowance you are somehow a bad tenant etc automatically.

Many of us who need to apply are good and careful tenants. Anyone can fall on hard times through no fault of theirs; or become old as all of us do if we are lucky enough to live that long.

One day you too will be old.

As for using gas etc? We pay our own fuel bills.

shoegirl

Graces7 wrote: »

One agency told us that there is a move to prevent tax evasion on this; but other agencies advertise " no rent allowance" quite openly.

All the evictions I've seen without a single exception were rent allowance tenants (all were on the dole long term without any intention of looking for work).

Thats not to say that working people are better tenants, they can be just as bad.

There are a variety of possible reasons:

1. Risk of getting somebody who doesn't give a hoot about themselves or others and will fail to maintain the place or be antisocial
2. Landlord not paying tax (still unfortunately common)
3. Landlord doesn't want to be restricted by limits that are increasingly being set by welfare reducing limits for RA thus forcing them to have to reduce their rents or insist on cash top ups
4. Chances that the tenant contribution may not be paid (welfare still is a relatively low payment compared to the earnings of the median wage earner which is around 29k), also harder to extract bill payments (know a landlord who was left with 1700 in unpaid gas bills after his RA tenant absconded)
5. They might not want somebody to stay longer term as many RA tenants do - easier to try to raise rent between tenancies than it is to hike rent and risk losing a tenant
6. Tenant will spend 40-50 hours a week longer on the property so higher wear and tear

A small few landlords do like RA tenants, but sadly they tend to be ones who rent substandard properties that RA tenants are less likely to moan about since they are not paying out of their own pocket to the extent that working tenants do.

TwoShedsJackson

How is it racist exactly? Prejudiced is more like it.

Graces7

shoegirl wrote: »

All the evictions I've seen without a single exception were rent allowance tenants (all were on the dole long term without any intention of looking for work).

Thats not to say that working people are better tenants, they can be just as bad.

There are a variety of possible reasons:

1. Risk of getting somebody who doesn't give a hoot about themselves or others and will fail to maintain the place or be antisocial
2. Landlord not paying tax (still unfortunately common)
3. Landlord doesn't want to be restricted by limits that are increasingly being set by welfare reducing limits for RA thus forcing them to have to reduce their rents or insist on cash top ups
4. Chances that the tenant contribution may not be paid (welfare still is a relatively low payment compared to the earnings of the median wage earner which is around 29k), also harder to extract bill payments (know a landlord who was left with 1700 in unpaid gas bills after his RA tenant absconded)
5. They might not want somebody to stay longer term as many RA tenants do - easier to try to raise rent between tenancies than it is to hike rent and risk losing a tenant
6. Tenant will spend 40-50 hours a week longer on the property so higher wear and tear

A small few landlords do like RA tenants, but sadly they tend to be ones who rent substandard properties that RA tenants are less likely to moan about since they are not paying out of their own pocket to the extent that working tenants do.

The last sentence is all too true sadly.

But the reason we accept substandard is because we need a roof over our heads like everyone else and are given so little choice now.

The rest speaks worlds re the landlords also sadly. Heaven help those who fall on hard times to be so stereotyped; and of course they tend to think less of themselves.

goat2

the other reason
if the landlord has any doubts, they will not do a deal, even the smallest doubt, it is easier to find tenants than to get them out,
it can make things difficult for all
so i always say
its better an empty house
than a bad lodger

convert

I lived in a house I shared with 3 other people. 3 of us were students and one was unemployed and receiving full job seekers and rent allowance. Strangely it was the person who was having their rent paid for them by the state who never paid their rent (they were 4 months behind) or their bills.

Just because somebody is on social welfare or rent allowance doesn't meant they're a bad tenant and/or won't look after the property, but landlords do have the option to choose who lives in their propertly.

Graces7

convert wrote: »

I lived in a house I shared with 3 other people. 3 of us were students and one was unemployed and receiving full job seekers and rent allowance. Strangely it was the person who was having their rent paid for them by the state who never paid their rent (they were 4 months behind) or their bills.

Just because somebody is on social welfare or rent allowance doesn't meant they're a bad tenant and/or won't look after the property, but landlords do have the option to choose who lives in their propertly.

Of course landlords have a choice; but they tend to apply that blanket ban.

We have never been in rent arrears nor left bills unpaid; and in any case, bills should be in the tenant's name so that will not affect the landlord? We had one house where the landlord tried to insist we paid him for the ESB; he was working some kind of a fiddle and we had the a/c changed to our name then.

Cookie_Monster

Graces7 wrote: »

Whatever the reason, it is discriminatory in itself;

of course it discriminatory, but they're allowed discriminate about who they want in their property and there's nothing wrong with that.

the usual Irish attitude; I'm entitled [to live where I want] seems to be surfacing here

convert

Graces7 wrote: »

Of course landlords have a choice; but they tend to apply that blanket ban.

We have never been in rent arrears nor left bills unpaid; and in any case, bills should be in the tenant's name so that will not affect the landlord? We had one house where the landlord tried to insist we paid him for the ESB; he was working some kind of a fiddle and we had the a/c changed to our name then.

Unfortunately it is people like the individual I shared with who gives all people receiving rent allowance a bad name. Ater the housemate was asked to move out, our landlord refused to take anyone on rent allowance again, simply because this individual stopped paying rent and bills.

And landlords refuse to take students as frequently as they refuse to take people on rent allowance. There are always so many ads which stipulate 'strictly no students' or 'professionals only'. Does the fact that an individual has an income meant that the landlord is guaranteed to receive the rent? No. Is there a higher change they won't be left with outstanding rent/bills with a tenant with an income? Maybe, but it still doesn't guarantee it. But it's the landlord's choice at the end of the day. If they don't want a student or person with rent allowance renting their premises, it's their business. There are plenty of other places out there which will take both, especially at the moment.

hohojojo

i have had tenents that got rent allowance and others that didn't now from my experience i am very particular who i rent to now the guys that got the rent allowance from the start were terrible tenents but the guys i have now have all lost their jobs in the last few months and the times when they go through the council and get rent allowence i alway end up waiting for the rent you can blame the council they are slow and restrictive that is why i don't like rent allowance tenent and also i prefer to rent to 30 something professionals as they don't have kids in the house aswell.

and aswell as that you can call it discrimination or whatever, i paid for that house so as far as i am concerned it is my own choice i didn't pay a couple of hundred thousand to be told you have to rent to me or your discriminant.