Private rent

Melin

Hi l just need some advice l have been renting the same property for 11 years and have always been a good tenant and paid my rent on time. My husband had a accident couple a years ago and we are getting universal credit and pip because of long term disability my question is my landlord has decided to put the rent up and l am already paying £100 from my benefits l am getting the housing allowance but still does not cover the rent l don’t know what to do l can’t move as no one is excepting benefit tenants and my husband is having a surgery end of next month my tenancy ends in august do l have to agree with the rent increase knowing that l can’t afford it l really don’t know what to do 

Alex_Alumni

Hi @Melin I'm sorry to hear about the stress this is causing, well done for reaching out. 

I know that Shelter have lots of advice and guidance on housing issues, such as rent increases, and what to do if you can't afford this increase. Remember you don't have to agree to the increase, and you can negotiate this with your landlord:

How much can your rent increase by?

Your rent can go up if you agree to it or sign a new agreement.

There's no limit on agreed rent increases for assured shorthold tenants.

You do not have to agree to an increase. But your landlord could take steps to end your tenancy if you do not agree. For example, by giving you a section 21 notice.

Be aware that once you pay the higher amount it legally becomes your new rent - even if you tell your landlord you are unhappy with the increase.

Regulated or protected tenants have fair rents set by a rent officer.

You can take steps to challenge the increase, and Shelter also explains how to deal with an increase if you are already on benefits, which I hope is useful for you.

You might like to get in touch with Shelter for more tailored support, but if we can do anything more to help, please ask  

bg844

It might also be worth looking in to a Discretionary Housing Payment from your local authority if you haven't already.

Melin

Thankyou for your replies the problem is the local housing allowance is not going up and l am receiving benefits and already struggling to get the end of the month with the high cost of living l don’t know if the council will help me if l don’t agree with the rent increase because l can’t afford it

poppy123456

I think it's a catch 22 situation here because if you don't agree to the increase you could be made homeless. If you make yourself intentionally homeless your local Authority won't help you.

LHA rates haven't increase for quite a few years, it's ridiculous and a lot of landlords have increased the rent by a crazy amount.

I would go down the DHP route as advised by bg844. It's not guaranteed and if awarded it's only for a short period of time. You should also get some help to fill out the forms because they are quite complex and i'm speaking from experience. You need to apply through your local Authority. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/claiming-discretionary-housing-payments/claiming-discretionary-housing-payments

Melin

Thankyou poppy l am on universal credit so do l still apply through my local council

poppy123456

Yes through your local council. Please have a read of the link i posted because it tells you how to apply on there.