Estate Agents + BTL

[ChimpMaster]

Really? Have any info on how to find out about that?

Call the local council where your BTL is based and ask to be put through to Housing Benefit department. It might be called something else but they'll get the idea - tell them you're a landlord and have a property you'd like to let to the council.

Councils normally have 2 schemes:-
1) They introduce housing benefit tenants to you. You show them around your BTL property, interview and select them. Councils either pay you direct or pay the tenant who pays you - I always prefer direct of course! Councils may not cover the full rent, i.e. if you want £600 they might only pay £550 and tell the tenant to cover the £50.

2) They take the property off your hands on a 2/3/4 year contract. They pay you a rent every 3 months in advance. You have no involvement over the term of the contract, i.e. t hey put in who they want when they want ,and fix all problems with the house (of course everything needs to be OK before they take it off you). They return the property to you in the same condition they took it. Normally the rent is a bit less in this option, but then again you have no hassle for the term.

[unemployed]

Call the local council where your BTL is based and ask to be put through to Housing Benefit department. It might be called something else but they'll get the idea - tell them you're a landlord and have a property you'd like to let to the council.

Councils normally have 2 schemes:-
1) They introduce housing benefit tenants to you. You show them around your BTL property, interview and select them. Councils either pay you direct or pay the tenant who pays you - I always prefer direct of course! Councils may not cover the full rent, i.e. if you want £600 they might only pay £550 and tell the tenant to cover the £50.

2) They take the property off your hands on a 2/3/4 year contract. They pay you a rent every 3 months in advance. You have no involvement over the term of the contract, i.e. t hey put in who they want when they want ,and fix all problems with the house (of course everything needs to be OK before they take it off you). They return the property to you in the same condition they took it. Normally the rent is a bit less in this option, but then again you have no hassle for the term.

your place will be wrecked with council housing tenants , make sure they pay for any damage.

[tim123]

Surely the critical point (as with any contract) is it was signed therefore accepted, regardless of the terms.

!

The OFT's case is that this is a B2C contract and that the clause is void under UTCCA 1999, thus it is irrelevent when the term was agreed.

The OFT's problem is that they have already decided that landlords are a business when considering the interface to the tenant, so going to court to argue that they are consumers when considering the interface to the agent is going to get tricky.

tim