£100,000 for a bad property MOT!

£100,000 for a bad property MOT!

14:41 PM, 25th November 2019, About 4 years ago 30

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Jeremy Corbyn and John Healey, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary set out plans to put power in the hands of tenants with a new charter of renters’ rights.

Labour will announce a new national ‘property MOT’. This would introduce a legal requirement for landlords to complete an independent annual inspection to ensure homes are up to scratch, with tough fines of up to £100,000 and forced repayment of rent to tenants if landlords let out sub-standard properties or flout the rules.

New research by Labour claims that tenants collectively pay over £10bn a year in rent to landlords letting out sub-standard homes and one in four private rented homes are classed as ‘non-decent’, meaning they are damp, cold, in disrepair or unsafe.

Labour’s private renters’ charter will be based on three key rights:

  1. The right to an affordable rented home: with rents capped at inflation nationally, powers for further controls for areas facing run-away rents and local housing allowance increased to cover the cost of renting;
  2. The right to a secure rented home: with new open-ended tenancies, protecting tenants from unfair eviction;
  3. The right to a decent rented home: with new minimum standards, backed by a new annual property MOT and fresh local enforcement powers.

Jeremy Corbyn, said: “Labour will be on the side of tenants and take on ‘dodgy landlords’ who have been given free rein for too long.

“Real change means taking on those who exploit the housing crisis to charge eye-watering rents for substandard accommodation. Labour will put power in the hands of tenants with our new charter of renters’ rights, a cap on private rents and funding for renters unions to support tenants to organise and defend their right to safe and secure housing.”

 

John Healey, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, said: “The power imbalance in the private rental market is at the heart of our housing crisis, with rents eating up too much of people’s pay, tenants afraid of eviction if they report problems, and families with children forced to uproot their lives at short notice.

“Many landlords provide decent homes that tenants are happy with, but the Conservatives have gifted rogue landlords the freedom to flourish. Labour will put bad landlords out of business.

“Labour will legislate in year one for a new charter of renters’ rights, with open-ended tenancies, new minimum standards and rent controls to make renting more affordable. We will make private renting a better option for all.”


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Comments

Mike T

14:47 PM, 26th November 2019, About 4 years ago

The whole system in GB has turned to utter cr@p. All the reasons as given by above comments force me to take this view of things. When I saw the writing on the wall I stated selling one property a year. Just got two more to go then I'm out of it completely. I've had problems with the 'system' i.e court administration, Judges who have never heard of the wisdom of Solomon & don't live in the real world, Court Bailiffs following up on a non-paying CCJ debtor, with an attachment of earnings order in place, taking over 18 months to serve a notice as she changed jobs and need to provide a fresh declaration of earnings etc.. Crikey !, I could go on but it gets boring. I can accept that a lot of stuff 'goes with the territory' and I have the view that being a LL is not a 'money for nothing' situation. Most of what we do we are getting paid for, earning it in fact. At the end of the day to any of my Ex tenants who are now in smaller LHA accommodation who feel that they got one over on me I would say this ' Thank you, you have helped me over the years your rent has paid for my house in sunny climates, paid for my mortgages & topped up on the meagre uk state pension that I get'.
Moreover, I have been able to draw a line under all that cr@p, move on and enjoy life. Would I go back to living in GB ? Last resort, very much last resort ! For the time being I am a non - resident LL.

Mike

15:38 PM, 26th November 2019, About 4 years ago

Total madness, and it seems there is no ending to this psychopath politicians, they have turned up against landlords, how can they expect that all landlords provide a 5 star property for 2 star rents? Do they not think that if all landlords must meet such stringent requirements then rents would need to go up massively, to pay for repairs and to improve on conditions of existing properties, some of owner occupied properties are run down yet these owners don't complain, why are the tenants treated as a special breed of people that needs so much protection? You pay for what you get, if tenants expect high quality accomodation ten they have to pay more for it, those who can't afford 5 star prices or rents have to be content with 2 star properties and 2 star rents, they are blind they cannot see this, if we have to spend so much to upgrade our properties, we have to then put our rents up to reflect the condition of our property. Tenants when they rent they see a property, if they don't like it they can bugger off, if they like and can afford then that is what matters, if they took on a property as seen, and raised no objections as to its condition when they moved in they have no right to expect it to be made into a 5 star accommodation after they move in for the same rent. What stuff have these idiots been smoking ever since referendum, and of course you can see no one knows what they are doing and trying to win votes by coming up with ridiculous ideas. If you want to rent a Merc for the price of a Skoda, you will have to immigrate to cookoo land

Gromit

20:55 PM, 26th November 2019, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by David Price at 26/11/2019 - 11:34
I am waiting for the next Party trying to out do the others by introducing the death penalty for Landlords who have made a spelling mistake in their ASTs or other minor error.

Karl Rance

22:47 PM, 26th November 2019, About 4 years ago

I hear all tenants will be given the right to buy at 30% discount from all PRS landlords with new help to buy a Government-backed 95% mortgage. of course, they don't mind the 95% mortgage because they will have stollen 30% bellow market value

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

3:22 AM, 27th November 2019, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Karl Rance at 26/11/2019 - 22:47
Hi Karl

Something along those lines was suggested by the Labour Party but was subsequently dismissed (for now at least!)

Rennie

7:32 AM, 27th November 2019, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mike T at 26/11/2019 - 14:47
Where are you Mike? I'm coming!

Ingrid Bacsa

1:44 AM, 28th November 2019, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Kathy Evans at 25/11/2019 - 18:25
So true A large degree of tenants are looking for something for nothing They have no idea how hard it has been getting a place up together, spending every last penny to refurbish and upgrade and supply everything including the
lightbulbs in the hope of making a profitvafter tax and accountants bills.

We do not choose to be social landlords. This is the councils role.. we pay the council wages but where will they work when we are gone??

Laurie

9:14 AM, 30th November 2019, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mike at 26/11/2019 - 15:38
Ha ha, too true, unfortunately they do get it, they just dont care about LLs(all condemned as rich, greedy and evil), and they dont care about the consequences either. Marxist ideology trumps everything, drag everybody down so that misery is a way of life for the many not the few. The few will do great, and the few of course will be the comrades in government.

Martin Roberts

9:14 AM, 30th November 2019, About 4 years ago

Picture this - MoT inspector due Tuesday.

Tenant wrecks property Monday expecting to get rent back.

Do we think it would really happen?...

Laurie

9:28 AM, 30th November 2019, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Martin Roberts at 30/11/2019 - 09:14
You could write a book on that- How to live rent free with bonus compensation thrown in (up to £100K)

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