Young single Mum as tenant?

[FrankGrimes]

Hi,

My unit is Wollongong has recently come vacant and the first application I have received is from an 18 year old single mother.

She has no previous rental history but the agents says she seems well presented and nice enough. The rent will be paid directly from CentreLink so there will be no issues with payment.

I have landlord insurance so any damage can be fixed. However, I'm still in two minds about whether to accept or not. My previous tenants have been fabulous and place has been left immaculate but am sceptical about this one, however I would love to give this young girl a chance.

Thoughts?

 

[Monaro]

Things you may need to consider is, how young is the child, and are they well behaved or not. Will they draw all the walls and carpets etc etc...

 

[willair]

however I would love to give this young girl a chance.

Frank,I have a middle aged single dad as a tenant he has been with us for 8 years
the same set up the rent comes from his C/L payments but it is a low rental area
and he looks after the property as if it is his own.
The only problem that may happen for you is if the father of the child may
want to move in then sometimes the problems start, but on the upside
the payments are covered.......good luck willair..........

 

[JoannaK]

i love single parent tenants!

all they want is stability. You'll probably find that she'll stay for a long time (unless she gets a boyfriend)

 

[MarkB]

Many of my tenants have been single women (some with kids, most without). It always comes down to the individual, of course, but in my experience they've been excellent tenants.

M

 

[chrispy]

I have many single parents in my properties with rent being paid direct from Centrelink without problems.

However, I took a 16 yo with 2 children, she was living in a caravan and the Agent and I decided to give her a chance. BIG mistake, she turned out to be the worst tenant I ever had. She was too young and had no idea of how to behave. She was a teenager and you have to keep that in mind. The flat was full of young people all the time.

She moved on and left her brother (who was hiding from the police) in the flat!!!!!

Single parents YES - new teenage mothers NO.

Regards

Chris

 

[Simon]

I don't think you can (or should) label a person like this and expect the same result every time.

She might be a ratbag and give you all sorts of grief. But so might Mr and Mrs Smith with solid jobs.

Then again, as is often the experience, the girl might be a courageous type who wants the best for her baby and will meet her obligations and more.

I think renting to a teen is a risk. But whether she has a baby or not wouldn't make it any riskier in my eyes - I can certainly see how it could even be a plus.

Hard call mate. I think you should meet her and go with your gut. I certainly wont get onto my soapbox and think badly of you if you don't take her. But I rent to 4 teens at the moment and they are the best kids - whole different ballgame than a single mum though.

I hope someone gives her a chance but it doesn't have to be you.

 

[thefirstbruce]

not all single mums are equal.
Below are things I have experienced over 25 years of involvement in property management in lower class areas. None of it is made up...
And I'd put the odds of things working out ok with young single mums at <30%...

- if they haven't rented before, they can be naive and self centred when it comes to considering other tenants. loud music that is always on is the usual problem. that can annoy other tenants who are home all day like pensioners.

- poorly maintained cars of self and friends = oil leaks+++ on drives and garage and off street parking. car can end in pieces for weeks when mates work on it.

- naivity and ignorance -> deeper problems
= tampons down the toilet -> blocks pipes = expensive plumbers bill.
= overloading provided washing machines = break down
= can't manage budget cos don't know how to cook etc and resort to prostitution on the premises = constant stream of guys coming around late at night
= emotionally vulnerable and attract the wrong sort of 'boyfriends'. I had one girl leave in hysterics, after flirting with another tenant, then being raped by him and his mate after they loaded her with alcohol.
= emotionally labile -> parties, loud music, screaming at kids etc
= kids can be loud and feral, annoy other tenants etc

- if they are renting a 2 bdr, and centrelink is paying for it, down and out friends end up moving in cos it is free rent for them.

- socialize with undesirables who spend time at the property
= hoons cars coming and going doing donuts on street out the front
= parking on grass and tearing it up
= late night noise
= feuds between guys over girls
= antisocial attitude towards other tenants
= place gets a bad reputation and puts off decent prospective tenants in other apts.

Questions I would ask are
- what support has she got from family? i.e. if she gets sick or lonely or needs a baby sitter. 24/7 locked into lone parent child care is repressive
- why is she moving out on her own?
- is she from the area?
- will she be trying to work? working keeps their self esteem up and is a source of friendship formation.

 

[Mark C]

Single mums are off my list, the no 1 problem I have encountered with them is the "Boyfriend/s". Low self esteem can lead to single mums attracting/accepting lowlifes as boyfriends.

I have also found less maintenance work is done, technically speaking I know this is my responsibility but I do expect some basics to be done. The classic husband/wife will be more inclined to change light bulbs where in the past I have paid to replace bulbs for single mums. Trees don't get trimmed, lawns are overgrown more often, squeaky gates/doors stay that way etc.

 

[FrankGrimes]

Questions I would ask are
- what support has she got from family? i.e. if she gets sick or lonely or needs a baby sitter. 24/7 locked into lone parent child care is repressive
- why is she moving out on her own?
- is she from the area?
- will she be trying to work? working keeps their self esteem up and is a source of friendship formation.

1. Reasonable support from her mother I believe, she came along to the inspections as well.
2. Independance
3. Dapto, which is a surburb of Wollongong. My unit is in the CBD.
4. Not at this stage, just on the dole at the moment.

I think most of you have hit the nail on the head saying that the girl herself probably won't be a problem. But its the deros she could associate with.

I think I'm going to give her a chance. I've told the PM to do more regular inspections to start with and we'll go from there. I have landland insurance so if worst comes to worst I will make the necessary claims.

 

[Justkate]

I'd give her a chance Frank...my sister is a young single mum with a now 3.5 y.o son and it took her months to find someone who would rent to her because she was not only a single mum but also not working.

The couple who ended up renting to her did so on the priviso it would be for 6months only and then if things were going well they'd re-new it for another 6 months and they could do drop in every 3 months themselves to check on the place...she was so motivated that someone gave her a chance, she ended up getting a job and has recently bought her & her son their own house (ok bank owns it, but we're proud of her). The landlords were sad to see her go after 2 years of renting the place.

I know there are some horror stories out there about single mums renting, but sometimes I do think they just need someone to have just a tad of faith in them...and if the $$ is coming direct from centre link you'll never be out of rent and if she ends up making a mess of the place you can always not renew her lease or give her a 6 month one and say if things are on track you're quite happy to re-new it for another 6 months.

Kate

 

[sailor]

Hi Frank, I have had 2 single mums renting 2-bed units from me in the past.

One stayed 4 years before moving...never missed a payment, always kept the place clean and tidy.

Other single mum moved in 2 years ago. Same story...always clean and tidy...never missed a payment...and doesn't drink any alcohol...can't abide it. She's great.

 

[thefirstbruce]

Hi Frank, I have had 2 single mums renting 2-bed units from me in the past.

How old were they Sharon?

 

[geoffw]

How old were they Sharon?

The Mums or the 2BR units?

 

[sailor]

How old were they Sharon?

Early 20's.

 

[flatout]

We had a young single mum tenant until very recently when we opted not to renew the lease so we could reno the property. We were a bit sad to ask her to leave as she had been a good tenant, quiet, no problems, rent always paid and place left immaculate apart from lawns which were not particularly well maintained and obviously not regularly watered despite the bore. Neighbours all liked her and her son and by all accounts were quite protective of her. She had good support form her parents.

One thing already touched on was that she wasn't inclined to do minor maintenance (change light bulbs, replace tap washer etc) where I suspect more mature tenants might have been. However, since the IP was close by and we have chosen to do our own maintenance, this gave us the opportunity to occassionally check the place out ourselves. I think the earlier suggestion to conduct regular inspections yourself during the early stages of the lease is a good one and I would definitely meet this young girl and her parents before signing her up.

Flatout

 

[AlmostBob]

A short fixed term lease with the option to renew, or convert to monthly solely at the landlord's discretion, and make them understand that.

 

[DavidMc]

I've had a single mum on Centrelink benefits once.

Moved from Frankston North (The Pines) to Carrum Down. Rent was all over the place. Partial payments here and there. Got behind and stayed behind.

Fled the place with 4 weeks rent owning and didn't clean the place. A little bit of damage (tried to take a smoke alarm as a souvenir, only to find it was a wired one. Such a pain – potential gain of battery operated smoke alarm - $10 to her, cost of fixing mains powered smoke alarm to me - $200).

I’m sure there are some good ones out there but my one was a pain in the neck.

Tenant insurance covered most of it.

She ended up renting another place. Whoever took her on obviously did not do their due diligence.

 

[SupaRex]

Unless you are desperate for a tenant, why take the risk? Just wait a bit longer for someone better to come along...

 

[manny]

I've currently got two single mum tenants & both are excellent... have had a few (from what I recall) in the past & have also been good (some did receive Centerlink rental assistance in addition to their employment)... I'd have no hesitation renting an IP to a single mum, as long as they have good references & show an ability to afford the rent...

Cheers,

Manny.