bigdaddy Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 hi guys we put a tenant in a property with a bond in place and a homeowner guarantor she was on benefits we took i month in advance of rent ------these payments were made by her guarantor------ the benefit system is 14weeks behind in our area so we havent had any payments from the council as yet ------------- it was agreed that payment should come direct to ourselves ------------------guarantor rang today to say she has vanished and they have informed the police and social services---------------- they suggested the dog may still be in the house-----------ive entered the house no dog but furniture still in place -----------she doesnt respond to her phone -----------benefits are too busy to answer phone straight to a voice mail ------------guarantor and her have fell out it seems ----------sounds like a can of worms brewing any thoughts BD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 I dont see it being too much of a problem at this stage. Just request payment from the guarantor thats what they are there for. i will be easier to get payment from him than the council if there is a question mark over the tenant vacating or not. I would also start the abandened property route and serve a s21 & s8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 The problem with the 'looks like she's vanished' situations is that often the landlord doesn't consider the possibilities of ........holidays, illness, hospital admitance, police custody, visiting relatives, new boyfriend etc etc. Don't be to hasty with your assumptions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julles Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 You actually did not have any rights to enter property at this stage...maybe you were concerned for the welfare of the dog..that would probably be my reason for entering..I hope you had a witness with you .... def start abandonment procedure if there is no sign of your tenant but you need to give some time to see if she returns , could be just the Guarantor being spiteful Just going forward..if an HB tenant is taken I would have made it clear that even though rent was due to come directly to you, then I would still have been expecting the tenant to pay monthly while waiting for the claim to be processed. If the rent is being paid directly to you even before the first payment , did this not ring alarm bells as to the risk you were taking with this tenant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdaddy Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 hi with the benefit system locally being so far behind and many phone calls chasing it we hoped it would come through soon . we have a guarantor in place on hind site we should have requested the guarantor made the payments and got the money from her when the benefits got sorted.. As it goes we are due to recieve some monies from the benefits direct into our account friday. The tenant has now turned up and as Richlist suggested may have been on her jollies for a couple of days. she never answered her phone but has now txed to say her electric meter door has blown off ------------it may be that the guarantor is hoping we give her notice as it frees him from his liability ----------joys of renting BD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 ......... she never answered her phone but has now txed to say her electric meter door has blown off ------------it may be that the guarantor is hoping we give her notice as it frees him from his liability I have some experience with electric meter doors which I will share with you. My experience is with external electric meter doors (plastic) which are about 50cm X 70cm and house the meters and main fuse. If these doors are not closed securely a strong wind can blow them open and damage the hinges or latch or door itself. In my area the electricity companies WILL NOT repair or replace. They cost £70 to replace and I have informed all of my tenants that THEY are responsible for any damage that occours to them. Often they are located outside, on a different floor but nevertheless the tenant who is renting the property IS responsible for it. Do let us know how you get on getting the repair costs from your HB tenant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerbut Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Looks like another reason not to rent to HB tenants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 ......... she never answered her phone but has now txed to say her electric meter door has blown off ------------it may be that the guarantor is hoping we give her notice as it frees him from his liability I have some experience with electric meter doors which I will share with you. My experience is with external electric meter doors (plastic) which are about 50cm X 70cm and house the meters and main fuse. If these doors are not closed securely a strong wind can blow them open and damage the hinges or latch or door itself. In my area the electricity companies WILL NOT repair or replace. They cost £70 to replace and I have informed all of my tenants that THEY are responsible for any damage that occours to them. Often they are located outside, on a different floor but nevertheless the tenant who is renting the property IS responsible for it. Do let us know how you get on getting the repair costs from your HB tenant. Richlist you do have a clause in your contracts to cover damage to meters doors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Richlist you do have a clause in your contracts to cover damage to meters doors? No I don't.......athough adding a suitably worded clause would be easy. I don't really see that having one would be of any advantage. When a tenant rents a property the wording of a standard AST specifically states what the tenant is renting and what they are responsible for. The electricity meters/ fuses/ cabling etc forms part of the property and the AST states that they are responsible for it. I simply remind them of that responsibility when they move in / when the tenancy commences. I usually do it when I show them where the electricity meter is located and when I hand over the key to the meter access door. I see no more need to include an extra contract clause for the meter box than i would for any other part of the fabric of the building or fixture/ fitting. Its going to be an interesting few weeks now as there are a number of doors missing (not on any of my properties) and I'm going to see if I can get them sorted/ replaced by reporting to environmental health on safety grounds. Often no door means kids can poke fingers in where they shouldn't and they are exposed to the elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdaddy Posted February 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 No I don't.......athough adding a suitably worded clause would be easy. I don't really see that having one would be of any advantage. When a tenant rents a property the wording of a standard AST specifically states what the tenant is renting and what they are responsible for. The electricity meters/ fuses/ cabling etc forms part of the property and the AST states that they are responsible for it. I simply remind them of that responsibility when they move in / when the tenancy commences. I usually do it when I show them where the electricity meter is located and when I hand over the key to the meter access door. I see no more need to include an extra contract clause for the meter box than i would for any other part of the fabric of the building or fixture/ fitting. Its going to be an interesting few weeks now as there are a number of doors missing (not on any of my properties) and I'm going to see if I can get them sorted/ replaced by reporting to environmental health on safety grounds. Often no door means kids can poke fingers in where they shouldn't and they are exposed to the elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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