6 months rent up front

[ctatnell]

hi, i am going to rent a property and i am on housing benefit. My mum is prepared to pay 6 months rent up front as she has just sold her house so can no longer be a guarantor. The agent will only do a shorthold tenancy 6 months at a time and each time the tenancy is renewed wants 6 months rent up front again. Is this right, i have asked after a year could we not go on the the regular regular kind of tenancy where rent comes out your bank monthly and you give 1 month notice if you want to leave, they say because of insurance they cant have housing benefit????? is this true! Also i am on the council waiting list so if a property became available for me in the 6 months my mum could lose all that money on rent or is there a way to get it back off the landlord if you leave early ??? PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN THANKS.

[PaulF]

hi, i am going to rent a property and i am on housing benefit. My mum is prepared to pay 6 months rent up front as she has just sold her house so can no longer be a guarantor. The agent will only do a shorthold tenancy 6 months at a time and each time the tenancy is renewed wants 6 months rent up front again. Is this right, Yes, it's to protect the landlord I have asked after a year could we not go on the the regular regular kind of tenancy where rent comes out your bank monthly and you give 1 month notice if you want to leave, they say because of insurance they cant have housing benefit????? is this true! Yes, quite probably - some lenders prohibit the landlord letting to HB or LHA claimants (like mine!) Also i am on the council waiting list so if a property became available for me in the 6 months my mum could lose all that money on rent or is there a way to get it back off the landlord if you leave early ??? PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN THANKS.

The landlord is entitled to look after himself so the agent is only doing what is considered good practice under the circumstances. If you prove to be a model tenant then you might be able to renegotiate payment intervals after say, 12 months

[roryl]

hi, i am going to rent a property and i am on housing benefit. My mum is prepared to pay 6 months rent up front as she has just sold her house so can no longer be a guarantor. The agent will only do a shorthold tenancy 6 months at a time and each time the tenancy is renewed wants 6 months rent up front again. Is this right, i have asked after a year could we not go on the the regular regular kind of tenancy where rent comes out your bank monthly and you give 1 month notice if you want to leave, they say because of insurance they cant have housing benefit????? is this true! Also i am on the council waiting list so if a property became available for me in the 6 months my mum could lose all that money on rent or is there a way to get it back off the landlord if you leave early ??? PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN THANKS.

You wouldn't be able to leave early unless the Landlord agrees, so this will not be an issue.

I seem to remember reading the following on here. If the rental period in the contract is monthly (even if you paid 6 months in advance) then the money held by the Landlord only becomes rent when it is due. If the rental period is 6 months, the money paid is automatically allocated as rent.

As I said above, being refunded money will not be an issue as you would be contracted for the entire 6 months.

[ctatnell]

thanks to all for your help .

[Snorkerz]

hi, i am going to rent a property and i am on housing benefit. My mum is prepared to pay 6 months rent up front as she has just sold her house so can no longer be a guarantor. The agent will only do a shorthold tenancy 6 months at a time and each time the tenancy is renewed wants 6 months rent up front again. Is this right, i have asked after a year could we not go on the the regular regular kind of tenancy where rent comes out your bank monthly and you give 1 month notice if you want to leave, they say because of insurance they cant have housing benefit????? is this true! Also i am on the council waiting list so if a property became available for me in the 6 months my mum could lose all that money on rent or is there a way to get it back off the landlord if you leave early ??? PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN THANKS.

If you sign a 6 month tenancy agreement, at the end of that period there are 2 options.

You can either sign a new contract at whatever terms the landlord requires, or you can automatically (by law) move onto a periodic tenancy.

The landlord can not make you sign a new contract, but if you remain on a periodic tenancy, he can evict you by giving 2 months notice. Beware, this notice may be given at the start of (or during) the preceeding tenancy agreement and in which case they could commence possession proceedings as soon as you decline a new contract.

Once you are a tenant, you can make contact directly with the landlord (say after 4 months) and discuss the options with him. The agent may be following his instructions on the 6 month payments, or there may be a financial advantage for them. It is certainly possible to get insurance for LHA tenants.

An option that may work for both landlord and agent is if you offered a DEPOSIT of 4 months rent (mums money), and paid your rent monthly (housing benefit). That way, the landlord is protected and you get the deposit back at the end of the tenancy.