Housing staff

This has been an ongoing issue for me for some time because the farms I rent come with no staff housing.

I've bought two x three bed houses and split one of them in two so I have nice one, two and three bed accomodations but none are on the main farm.

How do others include housing in contracts? Service agreement? Short hold tenancies?

Do you charge any rent? How do you value houses as part of a package in an area where house prices are very high?
 

Bipper

Member
charging rent is dodgy, if you are effectively telling them to live there, as it helps you.

Also if they leave you cant get them out and causes a headache.

Sorry, that's not particularly helpful!
 

frederick

Member
Location
south west
This has been an ongoing issue for me for some time because the farms I rent come with no staff housing.

I've bought two x three bed houses and split one of them in two so I have nice one, two and three bed accomodations but none are on the main farm.

How do others include housing in contracts? Service agreement? Short hold tenancies?

Do you charge any rent? How do you value houses as part of a package in an area where house prices are very high?

Short hold tenancy with agricultural occupancy waiver signed first.
Don't think you can really reflect in the package they live in an expensive area. When you cash in your house will just be worth more.
The plus is that hopefully your job is more attractive when everything else is similar.
 

DairyGrazing

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North West
Will it be classed as benifit in kind? Won't someone have to pay the income tax and NI on it?

I rented a house for a couple that had been to see us 4 or 5 times. On a longer tenancy that I wanted to because they didn't want the stress of moving when they were getting married later in the year.

Thought they were genuine matched my ethos and offered them a partnership in the future.

Had a text a couole of hours after signing the paperwork to say they weren't coming 🤡🤡.
 
Last edited:
Short hold tenancy with agricultural occupancy waiver signed first.
Don't think you can really reflect in the package they live in an expensive area. When you cash in your house will just be worth more.
The plus is that hopefully your job is more attractive when everything else is similar.

I do agree that you can't really reflect the house price but it's yet another thing that makes milking 150 cows with just a bit of relief help look quite appealing.

Where did you get hold of the paperwork for the agricultural occupancy waiver?
 

TomB

Member
Location
Wiltshire
Lucky to have houses included with farm tenancies, 2 of 3 are with Lkl which seems to deal with the tenancy issue, the third is directly employed and we have an ast. They pay £25/month as I think there is a minimum rent for an ast to be proper. I add the 25 back on to their salary. Also a have a couple of caravans which are ok but not ideal.

Trying to work towards planning for some flats/cottages to replace the caravans on some land we own away from the dairy. Council predictably not being helpful. They say we should be using affordable housing in the village. They then say there is a shortage of affordable housing, and that as we aren’t on a bus route it’s also not an appropriate place to build... argh..
 
Lucky to have houses included with farm tenancies, 2 of 3 are with Lkl which seems to deal with the tenancy issue, the third is directly employed and we have an ast. They pay £25/month as I think there is a minimum rent for an ast to be proper. I add the 25 back on to their salary. Also a have a couple of caravans which are ok but not ideal.

Trying to work towards planning for some flats/cottages to replace the caravans on some land we own away from the dairy. Council predictably not being helpful. They say we should be using affordable housing in the village. They then say there is a shortage of affordable housing, and that as we aren’t on a bus route it’s also not an appropriate place to build... argh..

It's just the same here. I own 12acres next to the farm and one of the houses I own is on this bit. I've been trying to get planning for another house but it's been turned down. The council would have no issue with me building a house on the site of the dairy complex but they aren't remotely interested that I don't own the dairy site so can't build there.
 

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
It's just the same here. I own 12acres next to the farm and one of the houses I own is on this bit. I've been trying to get planning for another house but it's been turned down. The council would have no issue with me building a house on the site of the dairy complex but they aren't remotely interested that I don't own the dairy site so can't build there.
Because they will tie it to the business.

Need a cramped old shippon for a instant class q conversion 🙈
 

onesiedale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
When I was a herdsman the boss included the house as part of the package. However, I 'rented' the house from him on an assured shorthold tenancy. No ag.waiver. I paid all bills, but he paid council tax.
The rent was just a peppercorn amount .
The shorthold assured tenancy meant that after 6 months the boss was able to give me a months notice. Meaning, if I chose to leave the job, he could get the house back.
 

___\0/___

Member
Location
SW Scotland
You are needing to move to Scotland, new rules starting in April this year mean any ag build constructed before November 2019 can be converted into accommodation. Also seamingly ag tied accommodation is basically no longer a thing, but you have to apply to get it removed of you already have it.
 

pappuller

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
M6 Hard shoulder
When I was a herdsman the boss included the house as part of the package. However, I 'rented' the house from him on an assured shorthold tenancy. No ag.waiver. I paid all bills, but he paid council tax.
The rent was just a peppercorn amount .
The shorthold assured tenancy meant that after 6 months the boss was able to give me a months notice. Meaning, if I chose to leave the job, he could get the house back.
Unfortunately or not an ast isn't worth Jack if the tenant digs their heels in, the law is weighted heavily in their favour nowadays
 

Milkcow365

Member
Location
Sw Scotland
You are needing to move to Scotland, new rules starting in April this year mean any ag build constructed before November 2019 can be converted into accommodation. Also seamingly ag tied accommodation is basically no longer a thing, but you have to apply to get it removed of you already have it.
And a lot easier to build sheds now I think?
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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