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LRU release template letter for struggling renters to send to their landlords

The London Renters Union (LRU) has released a template letter for renters to send to their landlords if they are struggling with rent during the coronavirus crisis.

The housing campaign group has released the letter following legislation announced by the government last week banning all evictions for a three-month period, under which landlords are required to be flexible if a tenant is unable to pay the rent. 

Danny Hayward of the LRU commented: “We have absolutely tons of members who are losing work right now, either because they’re sick or just because their contracts have been cancelled or workplaces shut down.”

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He added: “Things aren’t going to work out well for people who are renting if ultimately they need to rely on the goodwill of individual landlords. The government needs to take action to suspend all rents for the duration of this period, as right now we are in a completely unprecedented situation.

“The spread of this crisis worldwide means that it is possible to see what can be done by means of quick government action where the will exists, and that is what we’re pushing for.”

 

Here is the full text of the template letter:  

Dear X

We hope you're keeping well in these really strange and fast-changing circumstances! We're watching developments about COVID-19 very closely and are, as you might imagine, really concerned. We work in ________ and live paycheck to paycheck each month. We’re going to be earning much less over the coming months. We rarely have more than one month’s rent available at any one moment.

[add more details about your situation - make it as personal as you feel comfortable to]

For these reasons, we kindly request a suspension of payments until the situation improves.

Many renters across the country are in a similar situation. As you might have heard, the government has announced a three month mortgage holiday for all landlords whose tenants are experiencing financial difficulties due to coronavirus. The government and the National Residential Landlords Association are asking landlords to show compassion.

We hope, for ourselves and for everyone's sake, that life becomes more stable as soon as possible. Until then, it seems all we can do is be pragmatic, avoid panic, and support each other as best we can. We hope you can consider this. Do let us know if speaking on the phone would be helpful.

Looking forward to hearing your response.

Best wishes from us all

Get in touch and get involved with collective action by filling out this form: https://londonrentersunion.org/c19rentcrisis/

 

 

 

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

Poll: If your tenant is struggling to pay the rent, are you prepared to work together to establish how rent can be repaid over the next few months, based on the tenants’ circumstances?

PLACE YOUR VOTE BELOW

  • jeremy clarke

    What must be factored in are our fees, they are my income my staff income and cover the overheads. If less or no rent is coming in then we as agents are in trouble.

  • jeremy clarke

    What must be factored in are our fees, they are my income my staff income and cover the overheads. If less or no rent is coming in then we as agents are in trouble.

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    My flats are in large blocks. The maintenance/free hold fees for those doesn't stop either. Neither have the council rates.I haven't had any problems in the current situation but you never know. At least if an tenant is kept in place the rate liability stays with them.

    There can be problems with utilities if a tenant vanishes. My experience is that they go after me for unpaid bills and it is a devil of a job to convince them otherwise.

    Letting a tenant off paying rent can be the start of a series of problems. These depend on how the property is "owned" and financed.

     
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    • 23 March 2020 09:50 AM

    is this crap serious? one group of humans must drop their pants and just support bunch of people who might be having a tough time because the government made lunatic decisions re peoples freedom and work places. This is the intimidation of PRS (only) landlords by pressure groups who help themselves to charity money whilst pretending to be for the so called aggrieved group.

    Daniela Provvedi

    Yes Jamie, this crap is serious. Us Landlords are asked to be compassionate during this difficult time.
    My tenants aren't a "bunch of moaning spongers" as you put it, because I've paid to vet them properly before renting them my property. I made sure they could afford it, and that they are good, hardworking human beings.
    If you didn't do your proper due diligence before letting tenants rent your property, and now you're sitting with "moaning spongers" then you've only got yourself to blame.

    I'd just like to mention, and it's not only directed at you, Jamie....
    I'm just getting a bit fed up with Landlords bitching and moaning about their tenants. Yes, there are bad people in this world, part of which are tenants. But there are processes and checks in place that must be carried out on these tenants, to filter the bad from the good.
    I'm asking whether Landlords do do this?

     
    Daniela Provvedi

    After I wrote my message to you, I noticed you edited your text "bunch of moaning spongers" and wrote "bunch of people" instead.
    Thanks for doing that.

     
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    • S S
    • 23 March 2020 10:17 AM

    We have a tricky few months ahead.

    Agents only get paid on receipt of rent so no rent no income but the staff are still required to manage the properties - can't simply shut up shop so therefore can not "furlough" staff. And the difficulty is that with the "mortgage holiday" being reported, tenants believe that Landlords are getting a free period rather than understanding that the payments are simply being defered, and with the media always seems to highlight the bad Landlords never the good ones.

    There are still people earning full salaries and hopefully they wont jump on the band wagon and try and claim 3 months free rent.

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    Could someone please supply a similar letter for me to send to my local supermarket.

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    Pity we haven't got three months deposit to fall back on, then we could offer a three month rent freeze with the deposit built back up again over the next few months. TDS etc. need to give us access to the deposits they're earning interest on while we're expected to see our income stop completely. Boris hasn't said anything to support landlords, just banning evictions for three months.

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    Yes Robert exactly. This needs to be referred to as a ‘rent deferment holiday’ Tenants called in asking for the free period and once we made it clear that they will still owe the money they then said they were actually able to pay as they were still receiving their salaries.
    That gov announcement gave the wrong message

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    • 23 March 2020 11:29 AM

    Thank god you came along Daniela. I never thought of referencing and credit referencing my tenants before. Wow what a good idea. Thx. I just thought they’d picked up a sense of entitlement en mass due to the continual bombardment against PRS landlords. Silly me eh!

    Daniela Provvedi

    I'm not going to take the bait, Jamie. Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, as you know.
    I've also got no interest in wasting my time with the likes of you
    **you're deleted** mate....

     
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    • 23 March 2020 14:57 PM

    Boo hoo

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    Jamie. Remember to wash your hands if you use a tissue to wipe your tears.

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    Jamie you are selfish, unsympathetic and uncooperative. These are unprecedented times and require everyone to join together and help one another.

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    How about the tenants join together to save the landlords, who provide their housing year-round, during these unprecedented times. Wait until all of this is over and there’s community-spirited ‘support your local butcher/baker/cafe’…landlords will be ignored as part-of-the-furniture. Furniture to be abused.

     
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    no thanx--i run a business

     
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    • 24 March 2020 10:48 AM

    How well you know me already sam, very perceptive of you.
    I'm curious as to whom I am selfish towards, unsympathetic to and uncooperative with. Might you be a dear and be specific instead of a very poor attempt at being insulting. I don't care or have an ego so that doesn't work cup cake!
    These by the way aren't unprecedented times at all. They might upset your cozy lifestyle, but we were once at war with thugs in Germany, and Eastern Europe, similar to those that we find in some of the countries trying to disrupt western civilisation now. The very same people who Corbyn idolises. I hope you're not a fan of his. With all the faux talk of equality and diversity some of you have come to regard landlords as 3rd class citizens in the UK and reserve special hatred for them with your double standards thrown in. We either treat everyone equally and not single out those you hate for some obtuse reason, or you will soon be in the company of the thugs aforementioned. Don't forget to answer my questions above cup cake. Love Jamie

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    • 24 March 2020 10:53 AM

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    At the moment I only have one BTL asking for help
    This is because two of four tenants are stuck in Poland on holiday (nice for some) I have not had a holiday for 30 years!
    So they wanted a 50% rent reduction.I just can't afford this,but wait there is more,
    THEY DON'T WANT TO EVER PAY ME THE ARREARS ! needless to say I can't do that.
    So I made an offer to reduce the rent for 3 months and USE up their deposit towards the rent each month.But no they still want their deposit.They now offer to pay 70% but never pay me the arrears

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    I ran out of space and did not finish!
    after the offer of 70% I declined that and went back to using the deposit spread over 3 months
    what upsets me even more is they expect some repairs to a shower control which I will have to replace
    at probably £400 as it involves chopping tile etc
    Even though they have 3 toilets,3 hand basins a bath this is not a HMO I made it clear where does the money come from ? I do have several trees in my garden BUT NOT ONE IS A MONEY TREE !
    I have just spent hundreds on painting ,roof repair,tap repair fence repairs etc
    I am sick of paying for tenants to live in my properties now and will get the hell out asap.
    YES LET THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE EVERYONE I HAVE HAD ENOUGH

    Daniela Provvedi

    That's a terrible situation, Paul.
    I would accept the 70% because you don't really want them to leave at the moment, and have an empty house for 3 months. But at the end of all this, I would give them notice and I would also keep 30% from their deposit for the arrears owed to you. Please don't forget to slap a CCJ on these tenants if you do happen to be in arrears at the end.
    With regards to your broken shower control, this is a repair for your house, not for them. When they leave, your bathroom will have a new shower control which goes towards your investment. Unless they've broken it? In which case, you take it off the deposit too.
    All the best, Paul.

     
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    Is there a similar template letter for Landlords to send to tenants? Something like …...' if you can't/won't pay the rent then I can't/won't provide any maintenance ….. enjoy your cold showers in the morning'

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    It's all about tenants. Landlords get zero help yet are expected to be compassionate? Well, no. I have mouths to feed and bills to pay too. Go rent in scuzzville if you cannot afford the agreed rent. I have had it with all the crap about poor tenants.

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    Dear Danny, I have had several letters from my tenants already in this regard so they hardly need a template letter from you , they have minds of their own and well capable of standing up from themselves, not least writing a letter, so we can all do without bad influences from people that don't house anybody.

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