Lovely tenant with scumbag boyfriend

[essexlandlord]

Hi all

I have a tenant who is lovely and pays her rent on time. Whenever I have needed to visit the property is spotless and looks much better than it ever did when I lived there.

However she is the only person on the tenancy agreement and receives local housing allowance and income support. Her boyfriend is living in the property and is making the neighbours (my good friends) life a missery with his behaviour. He is a huge man and is always swearing and banging around and having arguments with the repeated visitors to the property. The neighbours are terrified of him.

She is on a rolling tenancy so I could give her notice but with two young children in the property I want to avoid this.

Any advice on how to aproach this situation would be gratefully received (Local council fraud department have been notified).

[Poppy]

You cannot prevent your tenant inviting guests.

You options are: start the eviction process, report the additional adult to the appropriate council department, let the neighbours contact the council about the nuisance, do nothing, a combination.

[NoMoreFaith]

As above, whilst you can't stop your tenant having guests, they are responsible for the behaviour of those guests, for instance if a property has a no smoking clause, the tenant is responsible for ensuring visitors don't smoke.

As for nuisance and noise, which will be in most contracts, the tenant is responsible for ensuring visitors don't cause a nuisance and undue noise.

A polite letter to the tenant stating that you have reports of nuisance from her visitors, which she is ultimately responsible for contractually, MIGHT be enough to send the message that her tenancy may be at risk due to her boyfriends behaviour.

Its an option, but whether it solves the problem depends on the attitude of your actual tenant.

[Mrs Jones]

You could also point out that if the neighbours realise she is receiving HA and Income Support, they may notify the authorities that she is no longer living in the property alone - and this may well affect her benefits..... (this would have a detrimental affect on you since if they stop her money, she won't pay the rent).

[Bel]

I agree with the two above

[jeffrey]

I have a tenant who is lovely and pays her rent on time.
Is the property a house or a flat? In the latter case, read your long-lease's wording carefully.

[chappers2341]

As Mrs Jones says her boyfriend living there might have an effect on her ability to pay rent.
You say the local council fraud dept have been informed , is this with regard to her cohabitation.
Now is not the time for sentiment you are running a business, give her , her notice before this gets messy and her HB gets stopped.