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13:56 PM, 15th July 2013, About 11 years ago 17
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BBC1 Thursday 18th July, 10:30pm: Meet The Landlords.
This is a documentary about property in hard times with tenants in difficulty, some landlords enjoying the boom, some in trouble, and Landlord Action helping out.
We haven’t seen a preview but it sounds like it won’t be easy viewing, even for Landlord Action. This will be compulsory television for everybody in property!
Official Press release below:
Property Expert, Paul Shamplina, helps mop up the mess of ‘generation rent’
On 18th July, founder of tenant eviction specialists Landlord Action and leading property expert, Paul Shamplina, will be featuring in a one hour documentary, ‘Meet the Landlords’ on BBC 1, looking at the possibilities and pitfalls of being a ‘generation rent’ landlord.
Landlord Action, an organisation which has acted on more than 20,000 problem tenant cases, says the buy-to-let boom, which has lead to over 8.5 million people in the UK now living in a rented property, is the result of a cocktail of factors. These include; a lack of house building, less affordable housing, restricted funding in the mortgage market forcing more people to rent, tougher austerity measures leading to cuts on housing benefits, stagnant wages, increased cost of living and rising unemployment.
The documentary will meet the new army of private landlords who are riding the rental boom, both making and losing money as they struggle to get rid of non-paying tenants, as well as follow the tenants who are getting behind with their rent and risk losing their homes.
Few people have been involved in this business for as long as Paul Shamplina, who has been helping landlords with problem tenants for over 25 years and whose campaign was instrumental in passing the recently imposed bill to criminalise squatting. Two of the landlords featuring in the show have instructed the help of Landlord Action and Paul Shamplina can be seen helping them to reclaim possession.
Paul says “Over the years, our experience of professional bad tenants has been plentiful, often evicting the same tenant from more than one property. Whilst they are the minority, this type of tenant has the intention of preying on vulnerable landlords in order to live for free. They will seek out someone new to the market who is self-managing a property and who, out of financial desperation to avoid a void period, will accept a tenant with minimum referencing. However, more and more, we are also seeing situations where tenants have fallen on tough times and remain in properties out of desperation. The show seeks to underline this plethora of scenarios that ‘generation rent’ is creating by following landlords, both professional and amateur, in very different situations.”
Paul wants to help highlight possible problems to landlords, enable them to recognise the tell-tale signs of a problem tenant, or just one that has run into financial difficulty, and offer advice on the best approach to take in order to resolve the issue as painlessly and cost effectively as possible.
Mr Shamplina will also be featuring on BBCs ‘Rip Off Britain’ in September, in a feature which highlights the growing problems surrounding illegal sub-letting.
If you need the Assistance of Landlord Action evicting a tenant please CLICK HERE
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Neil Patterson
14:10 PM, 15th July 2013, About 11 years ago
Brilliant can't wait !
Good to see the BBC do their research and get a proper expert.
16:51 PM, 15th July 2013, About 11 years ago
The ONLY reason that rent arrears and consequent eviction is a problem for LL is that immediate removal from a property by police if necessary after missing 2 rent payments is NOT allowed.
Instead a LL is forced to go through a lengthy and costly eviction process during which time tenants cause mayhem to a LL finances.
It would be easy to change the law that as soon as you miss 2 rent payments you become a squatter and therefore have to vacate a property if the LL requires it or be removed by police.
Tenants know how to manipulate the law to live for FREE and until the eviction laws are changed NOTHING will change.
Govt will NEVER change the eviction laws and it would be faced with about 150000 evicted tenants a year!!!
It therefore leaves the private LL to subsidise these tenants and ultimately it is the tax payer that suffers as LL may offset all their losses against tax.
It is a lot easier for govt to hide tax losses caused by Generation Rent than deal with 150000 evicted tenants on the streets
Ben Reeve-Lewis
17:32 PM, 15th July 2013, About 11 years ago
I was filmed for the first couple of weeks of this documentary. The brief seems to have changed tack completely from when I was asked on board. Needless to say I will end up on the cutting room floor
Neil Patterson
18:06 PM, 15th July 2013, About 11 years ago
I don't believe it Ben how could they cut you. I will keep an eye out for your appearance.
Ben Reeve-Lewis
18:16 PM, 15th July 2013, About 11 years ago
Ha Ha Thanks Neil but dont hold your breath.
This was the 5th bit of filming I have done in the past year or so, all ends up up on the floor. The film crews get scotched by tenants not wanting to go public with their stories. Sometimes it's because they fear their landlords will evict them if they complain on TV, sometimes it is because I am taking legal action and the case is Sub-Judice so it cant be broadcast and sometimes it is because the tenant hasnt exactly done anything to help their case haha.
The brief I got was they wanted to tell a story about the reality of relationships between landlords and tenants in 2013. In the absence of any human interest stories from me I think they have gone for the easier option, landlords not being tied by Sub-Judice rules and more willing to recant stories of the tenant from hell. The other 50% of the story wont get told I fear. And I say that with all respect to landlords as you know. I dont have a biased axe. C'est la vie, maybe the 6th bit of filming I do might tell a different story.
18:52 PM, 15th July 2013, About 11 years ago
Reply to the comment left by "Ben Reeve-Lewis" at "15/07/2013 - 17:32":
Is there anyway you might be able to get your cuttings on a youtube video; I'm sure your contribution would be the most informative and sensible, which is why you'll probably be left on the floor!!
Ben Reeve-Lewis
19:19 PM, 15th July 2013, About 11 years ago
Reply to the comment left by "Paul Barrett" at "15/07/2013 - 18:52":
Thanks for your faith Paul but you would have to ask Holly (the producer) or Phil (the cameraman) that one.
One thing my experiences in the past 12 months have taught me is that there is a difference between telling the real story and the needs of the production company to produce a programme.
They approached me seeking horror stories, despite saying they wanted to produce a balanced programme, when they didnt get it they took a different angle.
there are some god-awful criminal landlords out there, real crooks, who use violence and intimidation to get what they want and also some tenants who use the same tactics back. THAT is the real story, not the emotional porn of doe-eyed innocent tenants pursued by Rachmanites that Shelter so love.
The TV crew struggled to get simplistic stories out of my clients, maybe because I dont have a simplistic view myself.
Lets reconvene on Friday morning and compare notes
5:57 AM, 16th July 2013, About 11 years ago
Yep I'm afraid that you more than most have seen how the media can only cope with sensationalist issues; whether that is the true story.
I thought the BBC has a duty to educate aswell.
It doesn't have to worry about whether the programmes attract loads of viewers; there are NO ads to watch.
But it does appear that TV dumbs down to the lowest level as though us sheeple cannot understand the intricacies of issues unless explained in some flighty fashion by some 24 year old media student just out of Uni!!
Why would they take any notice of your experienced take on the situations!!?
BBC definitely still has a left-wing bias;which is why I know the LL will be portrayed as proverbial Rachmans!!
I seem to remember there were 1 % complaints against PRS LL and yet there were about 150000 evictions last year; mostly for rent arrears.
I wonder if that figure will be mentioned.and how many LL were bankrupted because of the actions of ONE wrongun tenant!!?
Paul Shamplina
19:30 PM, 16th July 2013, About 11 years ago
Hi Paul
I can confirm that I make very clear stats on arrears and landlords struggling to pay the mortgage on this programme, highlighting the plight for landlords.
I must say its a real life documentary and refreshing to be involved in this programme, showing everyday problems landlords face. People will see It's not all gravy for landlords, you will see from the 2 stories I am involved with.
Hope you enjoy it.
Ben Reeve-Lewis
19:35 PM, 16th July 2013, About 11 years ago
Sounds good Paul but landlords are only 50% of the picture. My bit was from the tenant's side but given they broke off filming after 2 weeks I wonder where it will go.
I suppose we will all have to watch on Thursday night to see.