Bad Tenants Register for irresponsible lifestyles?

Bad Tenants Register for irresponsible lifestyles?

8:56 AM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago 22

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Having been in the rental business for nearly 20 years, I have had my fair share of bad tenants, leaving unpaid rent debt and generally trashing the property. Fortunately, this has not happened very often. but when it does it is a real eye opener.

Just recently a tenant left me with £2k unpaid rent debt, but actually I was more irritated that they left half their belongings, a fridge full of rotting food and a filthy house.

What has incensed me even more is that these tenants were immediately re-housed by the council, continued to receive their housing benefits, with no reference to me as their Landlord for a reference. So now, some other poor landlord will undoubtedly receive the same treatment.

I am dealing with this at a local level, by sending the check out report to the housing office etc, but considering there is so much talk about getting a Landlords register, why on earth can’t we set up a “Bad Tenants register” ? Is this another response we can make to s24, to raise the profile of good landlords and flush out those tenants who continually expect others to pay for their irresponsible lifestyles?

I am keen to see what we can set up for this, understanding that holding data on individuals is probably a difficult thing to overcome – any legal advice?

Anyone else interested to see how we can do this?
Cheers,
Jill


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Comments

Neil Patterson

9:04 AM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

Hi jill,

It is a shame there is no official government plan to register bad or criminal tenants like the plans for Landlords.

However a long established company that does something similar to what you suggest is LandlordReferencing LRS.

You may want to check them out >> http://www.landlordreferencing.co.uk/

Monty Bodkin

9:57 AM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

Hello Jill,

Is your tenants £2K rent debt on the CCJ register?

https://www.trustonline.org.uk/

If not, that is why bad tenants get away with repeating their behaviour.

Gary Dully

9:57 AM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

Last week, in Crewe, one of my tenants gave me one weeks notice and I rejected it.

Why?

Because,
1. The tenant was still in their "fixed term"
2. They had been persistently in arrears since they became a tenant.
3. I was asked for a reference by their next landlord and so I gave them one they didn't like. It told the truth.
4. I insist on a minimum 4 weeks notice, regardless of either an unexpired fixed term or a periodic tenancy being in place.

Since becoming a tenant, they had taken in a pet that was not house trained, they were smoking weed, asked me to supply more equipment, which I bought, but they decided not to collect from the store, as previously arranged.

The store then refunded my money after me trying for weeks to get the tenants off their backsides to collect.

When I refused to terminate, I was then threatened with a report to environmental health, told, in writing that I didn't give a shit about my tenants and was told that I had a wasps nest in the house.

I then issued an emergency visit letter and dragged myself across 90 miles of lovely Cheshire countryside, to be confronted by an long emptied wasp nest that was no bigger than my big toe in the garage, despite holding a cigarette lighter to it, not a single wasp appeared.

The tenant was suffering from a severe hangover, who needed a fag to get his head together and I was then asked not to end his tenancy, because his new place had fallen through.

The reason it fell through was because, his prospective new landlord asked me for a reference and had received a bcc, email of all our communications, since his one weeks notice and a full history of his rent account.

There were no CCJ's on his credit file, but I don't drop other landlords in the crapper.

My tenancy agreement says that, upon its signing, that the tenants agree to give me permission to disclose how the tenants have conducted their tenancy.

I don't pick favorites, I just tell it how it is.

In Licensing areas, you are now supposed to obtain referencing as part of your licensing agreement, I think their is some merit to this.

In summary
1. Get a clause in your agreement for permission to disclose tenants conduct, in regards to referencing, upon its signing.
2. Use it.

# Vote UKIP

Scott Davison

13:16 PM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

What's the point of taking these scumbags to court? We will never get a penny back, it's just a waste of time and money!
A register is a great idea, although I'm guessing it will probably be a breach of their human rights!!!!

Luke P

13:26 PM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Gary Dully" at "04/05/2017 - 09:57":

Gary, did you know that a tenant does not have to give notice if they intend to leave on the last day of their fixed term tenancy. Sounds beyond belief, but true. The, say, six month fixed term is for a set period and if they shift their belongings and drop you the keys on the last day, that really is the end!

Michael Bond

15:04 PM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

I don't think the requirement about references for tenants given by Selective Licensing rules is much use. Firstly the requirement is to "ask for " a reference, so not necessarily to receive it. Secondly, a landlord has to send a copy of a reference received to the Local Authority if demanded. Local authorities all leak (in the bureaucratic sense) so your reference will soon be widely distributed, and if your ex-tenant doesn't like it you may find yourself in Court charged with defamation slander or something.
I understand that the Data Protection Act is the reason that we cannot set up a bad tenants register. Does anyone know the law in this better than I do?.

TheMaluka

16:56 PM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Scott Davison" at "04/05/2017 - 13:16":

" . . . . breach of their human rights!!!!"

Not a chance, these scumbags have no normal human values.

TheMaluka

17:00 PM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Michael Bond" at "04/05/2017 - 15:04":

Paul Routledge of Tenant Referencing know the law relating to Data Protection better than any of us. His site conforms fully with data Protection.

http://www.landlordreferencing.co.uk/

Brian Jackson

19:00 PM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Scott Davison" at "04/05/2017 - 13:16":

Simple.
Don't take self employed, or LHA, interview them personally.
If they leave owing rent. Attatchment of earnings Order works every time. i have been a landlord for 20years. Used it three times in all that time..
Good luck and choose carefully.

Rod

19:24 PM, 4th May 2017, About 7 years ago

It's all down to image and always will be, 'landlords are scoundrels and tenants are poorly done too'. My last tenant disappeared owing rent, left six bin bags full of dog doo, a yard full of it, chewed carpet, filth everywhere and has not been seen since yet we are the bad boys! They're clever by disappearing just before court because we don't want the hassle either!!! The days when I would give them a palace and they would give back a ruin are long gone, now I don't bother!

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