Rental accommodation scheme (RAS): How does it work from Landlord & tenant POV?

McGann

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What advantages and disadvantages are there from the landlords point of view and likewise from the tenants point of view.

any feedback would be appreciated.
thankyou
Mcgann
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

you dont get to choose who is living in your property.

You get all the hassles of being the landlord, while getting less rent than the property is worth.

The property would have to be vacant a total of 6 months over the 5 year term for you to get less rent than RAS will give you.

I certainly wouldnt do it.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

I have done enough research into it to realise there are very few advantages for a LL,not having much input into who will rent the house was frankly when I stopped reading up on it,probably suit laissez faire LLs who will no doubt have barrells of cash in reserve when anti social tenants trash the gaff,do not expect much compo from the council either.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

Do a search and you will find pros and cons. mostly cons from those that havent done it. Ill give a few pros from a long time "RA accepted" LL.

I have garunteed rent being paid for next two years.
straight into ban acct, no calling round or hassling for rent.
tenant is improving house as feels its her own. (plans to stay 10 years)
CC have increased my rent, and reviews every 2 years.
getting more than originally advertised.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

There's no doubt that you may be lucky and get a model tenant who stays for 10 years. However as the council have full control over who can be housed in your house you are relying on the council looking after your interest.....which they won't as they are not liable for any repairs to damage even if it is criminal damage by the tenants.

Where do you think the council puts tenants who have been evicted by housing associations or unstable people in crisis situations?

The contract lets the council off the hook and until the councils accept responsibility for unruly tenants and the damage they may cause you would want to be mad or desparate to sign up to it.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

The contract lets the council off the hook and until the councils accept responsibility for unruly tenants and the damage they may cause you would want to be mad or desparate to sign up to it.


Are you for real? What would the LL's do then? Just collect the councils money - your money, my money...and the LL sits back and claims every year for damages??

In the real world the LL has to accept some responsibility for looking after their investment, their property. RA is a huge bonus/less hassle when managed correctly. I for one have had more hassle from so called "professionals" then I have had from RA. Im sorry my experience goes against your beliefs ... but im not makin it up.

BTW the council (in my county) does not do 10 year rentals. The tenant has told me shes wants to stay 10 years...but council will only do 2 years with rent review and option to renew. After two years i can put it back on the market if i want. I had the tenant in for 2 years (my own choosing not the councils) before we came to this arrangement so i was already pleased with such a great tenant. When they asked me to sign up to 2 years guaranteed rent with her...i said yes please.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

I think you are confusing Rent allowance with the RAS scheme?I stand corrected if wrong.the RAS as far as I know runs for 5 years before renewal.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS) replies

Thanks for replies, did search on RAS, still making my mind up about it.
Cheers
McGann
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

I think you are confusing Rent allowance with the RAS scheme?I stand corrected if wrong.the RAS as far as I know runs for 5 years before renewal.

It may vary from county to county, but in the two counties where I use it...the old rent allowance is being replaced by the RAS scheme. And i believe the renewal is either 2 years max...or possibly up for negotiation. In my case it was 2 years.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

Are you for real?


Well yes... I am for real.


The council can put any sort of tenant it likes into your house, even ones who have been evicted elsewhere for various reasons(including damaging council property) and you the landlord will have to take up the tab if your property is thrashed.

The difference when you rent yourself or use an agent is that you can use your judgement and decide if you are happy with a particular tenant.

You're giving away control of your property.

If there is criminal damage to the property then it should be the council who is responsible for recouping the repair money from the "councils tenant". If the council's tenant won't pay then yes the coucil should have to pay the costs.

By the way. I have experience of social welfare tenants and to be honest they would be down my list of preferred tenants.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

If there is criminal damage to the property then it should be the council who is responsible for recouping the repair money from the "councils tenant". If the council's tenant won't pay then yes the coucil should have to pay the costs.
end quote
Agree with Don King.

Until the RAS scheme is properly and fairly re-evaluated and modified by Govt,no LL who has any common sense will touch this leper of a scheme with anything other than a search engine for its(few) pros and (mainly) cons.
There is a need for something akin to RAS but not in its Pontius Pilate,no responsibility form that it currently has.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

The council can put any sort of tenant it likes into your house, even ones who have been evicted elsewhere for various reasons(including damaging council property) and you the landlord will have to take up the tab if your property is thrashed.

The difference when you rent yourself or use an agent is that you can use your judgement and decide if you are happy with a particular tenant.

I h8 to tell you lads, but not every RAS tenant is a criminal. Not every renter is either, and the bad ones don't carry signs around their necks.

Do a search on my previous posts and you will find that I have given the same advice you have. VET every tenant yourself. Giving the control of vetting youer tenants to an agent is exactly the same as giving it to the CC. is an agent gonna pay for cirminal damage?

Im sure you two have your biased reasoning that may even be coloured by some experience. I have always accepted RAS and so far have only chosen professionals once...and they are causing me more hassle tbh.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

Let me eliminate another myth created by RAS haters. I have vettted all m,y tenants myself first day. I advertise my own houses, do my own interviews. If I decide I trust/like a tenant I will go through the process of RAS. It's at this stage that I can consider signing to a long term contract with the the tenant or not. AFTER I have done my own vetting.

Now, if it's the case that I have a contract in place and my tenant decides to up sticks and leave (not really a RAS tenant thing to do, they dont globetrot) then yes, I may have to take a tenant from the council.

But I have never had this situation happen yet! And I would like to hear from someone with real experience who can verify that this has happened during one of their tenancies. I suspect in that situation I could have an ad up and a tenant in before the CC would be fast enough to realize the house was empty.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

Yankinlk,I hope you will continue in the future to be lucky with your tenants,good tenants are worth their weight in gold,and I will always go well past the last mile to keep them,I really wish the RAS scheme would be made more attractive to LLs,I think principle its an excellent idea for both tenants and LLs,but tbh the Govt are just been a bit too smart,failing to accecpt responsibilty for criminal damage caused by their client,and the inability of the LL to choose past the first tenant,makes this a non runner with a lot of LLs.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

Let me eliminate another myth created by RAS haters. I have vettted all m,y tenants myself first day. I advertise my own houses, do my own interviews. If I decide I trust/like a tenant I will go through the process of RAS. It's at this stage that I can consider signing to a long term contract with the the tenant or not. AFTER I have done my own vetting.

Now, if it's the case that I have a contract in place and my tenant decides to up sticks and leave (not really a RAS tenant thing to do, they dont globetrot) then yes, I may have to take a tenant from the council.

But I have never had this situation happen yet! And I would like to hear from someone with real experience who can verify that this has happened during one of their tenancies. I suspect in that situation I could have an ad up and a tenant in before the CC would be fast enough to realize the house was empty.
I think that's the way to do it-get someone in on RS and when they're there a few months and all is well and they say they want to stay, get them onto the RAS.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

I h8 to tell you lads, but not every RAS tenant is a criminal. Not every renter is either, and the bad ones don't carry signs around their necks.

Who said RAS tenants or renters were criminal?


Giving the control of vetting youer tenants to an agent is exactly the same as giving it to the CC. is an agent gonna pay for cirminal damage?.

No it's not the same. First of all an agent can select prospective tenants based on the landlords preferences and the landlord can still have the final say. This is what I do. Secondly a good agent will be looking for repeat business and should do their best to acquire decent tenants for their clients. I'm not sure if penpushers in the CC could actual give a sh**e about the LL's property.


Im sure you two have your biased reasoning that may even be coloured by some experience. I have always accepted RAS and so far have only chosen professionals once...and they are causing me more hassle tbh.

Any type of tenant can turn out to be a bad tenant. My opinions are based on cold facts.....the contract is not a fair balanced contract and should be avoided unless of course you have property in the middle of nowhere and RAS is the only way you can get tenants.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

This would be a breach of contract.

You are one of those chaps that has an answer for everything. Look Don King - lets agree to disagree. My problem with you is that you don't speak about your RAS experience, I do. You continually make statements like the above that are based purely on your opinion.

I said before I would love someone with real world experience to join the discussion on what exactly happens when the RAS tenant ups sticks halfway through the tenancy. I have admitted that this has never happened to me (long may it continue). And I would presume that rather than have a property where the CC is paying me rent lay empty they would gladly work with a LL that actively looks for another RAS tenant...they might even allow him some leniency in vetting a few before he has to settle for a new one. I certainly have the experience of negotiating a RAS tenancy and I can tell you it was a back and forth discussion on terms/price/etc...We both left the table happy. And i actually got more rent than I had been getting the 2 years previous.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

You are one of those chaps that has an answer for everything.

No I don't, it's just that you have weak arguments.


My problem with you is that you don't speak about your RAS experience, I do. You continually make statements like the above that are based purely on your opinion.

I'm sorry to hear you have a problem with me.

Yes it is true that my statements are based on my opinion. Dublin Co Co contacted me a couple of years ago a asked if I would switch a tenant over to RAS. After discussions with them and a detailed examination of the propsoed contract, I decided to steer well clear of it for the reasons I have stated already.

I said before I would love someone with real world experience to join the discussion
Are you saying I live in some virtual world or something?

to join the discussion on what exactly happens when the RAS tenant ups sticks halfway through the tenancy.

Have you not read your contract? I'm sure all the county councils RAS schemes are based on a similiar contract. The one I've seen (Dublin Co CO) is certainly very clear as to what happens in the scenerias you have mentioned.

If its not clear to you, I would suggest (in all seriousness) that you get your solicitor to advise you of your position.

I hope it continues to work out for you.
 
Re: Rental accommodation scheme (RAS)

Yes it is true that my statements are based on my opinion.
Nuff said. My statements are factual, yours are not.

Dublin Co Co contacted me a couple of years ago a asked if I would switch a tenant over to RAS. After discussions with them and a detailed examination of the propsoed contract, I decided to steer well clear of it for the reasons I have stated already.

The reasons you stated already are:

However as the council have full control over who can be housed in your house you are relying on the council looking after your interest
I have shown how it is possible to use the RAS scheme to your advantage - and vet your own tenants like I did. I also propose that unlike your theory that the CC have a waiting list of unruly, criminal tenants waiting to jump into any house on the RAS scheme that in reality I could atually proactively organize a replacement tenant myself. If it ever happens to me that a tenant does leave I will surely try this and report back same.

Where do you think the council puts tenants who have been evicted by housing associations or unstable people in crisis situations?
I don't know, where? You seem to know it all...do tell us. They keep them locked in the filing cabinet with my RAS contract dont they?

The contract lets the council off the hook and until the councils accept responsibility for unruly tenants and the damage they may cause you would want to be mad or desparate to sign up to it.

You are looking at the RAS contract all wrong. THe RAS scheme is a way for you to get a tenant/guaranteed rent provided by the CC. I ask you again are you saying that everyone that uses the services of the CC is some form of sub-human not worthy of respect and a warm safe home?
When you sign a contract with RAS it is similar to an agency getting you a tenant. You have no idea what sort of tenant the agency will get you - they are just looking for their fee really. If the agency got you a tenant that caused criminal damage to your property, could you sue them? Of course not. The rental contract is between you and the tenant, not you and the agency.

Paint me mad and desperate then. I advertised my house and got a half dozen replies. Vetted and chose the best candidate that just happened to be RAS. Four years later shes still there. The CC has agreed to pay the rent for the next two years after which they will review at that point. If my tenant wants to stay (she is looking for 10 years) at that point they may pay me more in rent if I can negotiate same.

Look, just leave them to other LLs. I will never prove to you that its a good deal anyways.
 
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