formula

Housing Benefit was replaced by LHA (Local Housing Allowance) for private lets, many years ago, but it is often still referred to as Housing Benefit and is still dealt with at Housing Benefit sections at the councils'. The rules for paying to landlords, are not the same for LHA as it was for HB. Now it is going to be called Universal Credit, or rather, be part of Universal Credit.

As I said, many people claim LHA and the landlords don't know it. Landlords are usually only aware of it if the tenant doesn't have a job when they take on the tenancy.

If landlords don't want a tenant using UC for their rent, then they had better be prepared to pay their own mortgage as many people are presently using the welfare state to help with their rent.

Those paying their own rent demand a well kept property with a landlord who is quick to carry out their repairs.

formula

It does, many government offices are in NI, Scotland and in the NE to give jobs to those areas. The BBC was relocated to the NW. The government also pay firms to relolocate to these areas too.

A company I once worked for was paid to relocate some departments to Sheffield. When the contract ran out, they just brought the jobs back to the London. Many companies are relocating back to the square mile from Docklands.

As many government departments are in prime London areas, they are taking about relocating to cheap areas and selling off/renting out those building to private companies.

Englishmaple

Oh if only ... that's not my experience (which is why this time around I decided to be a lodger with all the drawbacks that comes with) and recent articles in the Guardian don't seem to indicate many landlords behaviours have changed much ...

-here's another depressing link for those outside of the UK contemplating renting in the UK:

Generationrent.com - An Information Portal for Generation Rent : Generation-Rent

formula

Why stay if they are slow to fulfil their part of the contract? Just leave at the end of the 6 months and let them have a void and pay to advertise to find another tenant.

When you look at lets, ask the present tenant what the landlord is like.

Englishmaple

Formula I don't know where you are based in the UK but the pressure to secure a decent place at a reasonable rent is very difficult in the area I live in.

As well, most of the lettings, from what I can see, are dealt with through letting agencies - so you don't see the landlord - you deal with the letting agency. And I've read enough about them to be extremely wary - they make their money by "churning" so that they can get as many fees as possible. According to some of the articles I read, when some agents are asked by tenants to get something fixed, they use it as a way of not renewing the rental contract so the tenant then has to move on again and again and again. Also there are still a lot of landlords out there that don't give a damn about taking care of properties rented to tenants.

Also, in terms of why stay? Well calculate the costs of moving - it's considerable if each time you move you have to get a removal van in OR even doing it yourself involves a hell of a lot of time and effort. If you're working, that's even more stress trying to organise that while holding down a job.

My rental experiences some years ago include opening a window one sunday morning and watching the glass come away from the frame - it was that rotten. At that time, I was renting an apartment/bedsit and completing my Masters dissertation in Sheffield. I moved 3 times during that process and it was incredibly stressful. People don't up and move unless they absolutely have to - it's hard and it's costly.

Oh, and I've lost count of the number of rental deposits I've lost too ... that's a whole other story.

happyglow

Leaving without giving notice, even at the end of a six month tenancy, is not advisable. Something to do with the implied rollover to a month-to-month contract, and if the owners/agents are not pleasant then they may well decide to try and penalise the tenant for it.

windsong

Renting over there really has me concerned. It seems that even if you have the money to rent a half decent house, you still may be treated badly - repairs not being done, etc. I am surprised there is no protection - or little protection - for tenants. Is it better to rent from private individuals or from a property investor/real estate individual?

Englishmaple

Here's a link to CAB information on rentals in England:

Citizens Advice - Renting a home

I think it's really difficult to generalise in terms of who is better to rent from.

But it's true that, even if you do have the money to rent a half decent house you may still be treated badly - thats why so many people buy when they can afford to - because renters are generally (historically) treated as second class citizens in terms of rights. It's very different from other countries and this is something that more and more people in the UK are pressuring to change (basically because more and more people are renting now as they have been squeezed out of the house buying market by rising prices).

When I rented as a student (and I did try and find decent places to rent) I was warned by people of certain landlords to avoid - they were notorious. For example, I recall being told to avoid one landlord as he would regularly go into houses and rummage through females clothing/underclothing. However, he owned large chunks of rental property in the city that I lived in at the time and so it was difficult to avoid renting from him unless you chose to not live in the areas that he rented properties in.

That probably sounds extreme but I rented somewhere else and had a bad experience with that landlord too ... thinking back, I think I can count on the figures of one hand the few decent landlords I've come across (and I have moved multiple times over the years). I think that's why I grieve my apartment in Canada so much - it was such a lovely secure safe setup and so very very different from what exists in the UK - and that's hard to come back to after you've experienced another way of renting.

Also, buying in the UK is fraught too - very different from Canada where the practice of gazumping isn't allowed. I would love to buy long term if I was sure I would stay here but I'm not sure - equally I don't particularly want to rent here long term because the rents are so high - but I don't want to be pushed into buying either because of the poor rental market - especially if property prices crash and people end up with a lot of negative equity. So it's a conundrum for sure.

One thing you should know is that you can't make a UK rental place you're own - if you put up pictures or paint walls it can be classed as damage - it's very different from North America rentals.

Editha

In Alberta renting can be fraught too. I've met a lot of people here who have had bad experiences.

When we first arrived eight years ago we rented the ground floor of a bungalow. We weren't told until we moved in that we were responsible for collecting the share of the bills from the tenant of the basement suite, and we were responsible for paying if he didn't (he didn't -- much -- and we paid).

A colleague of my husband's rented a house which was in a poor state of decoration. So, he and his partner redecorated and made some improvements. So the landlord put the rent up.

I've also met elderly people who have had to move several times because of unexpected rent hikes.

The thing is that in Alberta there is a housing shortage and high rents, just like in the UK.

Englishmaple

It's not like that in Ontario - at least not in London anyway. Toronto rents were going up but I think there was a plentiful supply providing you could pay the rent. I think in Alberta the shortage is probably driven by the oilpatch boom which skews everything. In a similar way, the jobs are skewed in the South East in the UK. But my experience in Ontario was really good - I rented from a professional rental company and everything was managed well and there were staff on site and there was security of tenancy as well - I could go on but it's too depressing reflecting on what I've moved to!

MoshiMoshi

We recently moved rentals within the UK, and I was really impressed with the new tenancy deposit protection schemes. Your landlord MUST register your deposit with one of these, and if he wants to make deductions at the end of the tenancy, then you can contest them -- and if they're not supported by a professionally-prepared check-in and check-out inventory, signed by all parties, there's very little chance the landlord will win.

I know there are still some absolute scammers, but IMO the days of the regular landlord using your deposit as a personal ATM are over.

So that's a plus. But it's still difficult to rent and have any long-term security, and since more and more people are unable to buy, this has to be addressed. Still, I think this is a problem in the US too, isn't it? Or at least in California. I rented there and I think we could've been kicked out with a month's notice. I've also rented in Germany, where there's loads more protection for long-term tenants -- yet it was also one of the most frustrating countries to rent in.

Repair-wise, I don't think UK landlords, or UK property safety regulations, are especially better or worse than in Europe or the States. Almost every landlord I've dealt with, in four countries, has needed prodding to fix small issues ('it's just a dripping tap, I'll send someone round when I can') and has put off dealing with larger ones until it's reached a point of semi-crisis (usually involving knee-deep water).

Pistolpete2

Just got word that landlord has accepted us for a winter let in Dorset on the stipulation that in no way may we try to stay at the premises beyond the winter period - to mid-March. One month's deposit to secure and all six months rent up-front upon signing and moving in. Location looks ideal - we are familiar with the area - so we will probably do our best to find something from the same letting agent come the Spring to avoid another load of checking references charges etc. etc. So Dorset it is! It's been a struggle!

MoshiMoshi

I think your main choice is between using a letting agent (who will represent both property investors and small-scale landords, plus any other property owners who don't want to deal personally with tenants), or renting directly from the individual landlord.

Letting agents:
- expensive (tenants pay fees at start of tenancy, landlord pays % of rent)
- inflexible (especially with regards to income requirements)
- often more concerned with quantity of clients than quality of service

+ if you use a high street chain, they're at least ostensibly professional and accountable (as opposed to a random private landlord)
+ if they manage the property, you have a clear point of contact for repairs, and out-of-hours emergencies (as opposed to calling your landlord and finding he's on holiday)
+ everything will be properly documented: deposit protected, contracts drawn up, inventories prepared (as opposed to the dodgy private landlord who'd prefer to do it all on a handshake or doesn't keep up with current legislation)

If you don't have an employment contract, you may find letting agents unreceptive, depending on the area. A private landlord can be much more flexible, but you have to watch out for scams.

windsong

How does a novice over there know if they are working with a letting agent or a high street chain - or for that matter a private landlord? I assume it is easy to tell the private landlords simply because they own the rental themselves.

MoshiMoshi

Congratulations! It sounds like a winter let is a good option for returning expats: a home for six months, a foot-in-the-door with letting agents, and some breathing space to get re-established in the UK.