HMO bills included – Energy cost doubling and doubling again what are landlords allowed to do?

HMO bills included – Energy cost doubling and doubling again what are landlords allowed to do?

10:44 AM, 6th June 2022, About 2 years ago 14

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HMO properties are under rules from the councils such that HMO owners must include bills. With gas and electric bills doubling and doubling again, this makes most HMOs lossmaking.

You’re only allowed to increase rents for inflation once in a year …. but the bills component is not part of the rent, or is it?

What is the legal position?

Would it not be a great idea if HMO licence fees and council tax payable for HMO properties were waived/not charged – if not, councils face the situation that tenants could just be given notice to leave.

HMOs will go empty and be sold causing even less housing for the bottom of the ladder, young tenants and students which the economy needs.

Any thoughts or guidance?

 


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Comments

Christopher Lee

12:10 PM, 11th June 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Yvonne Francis at 11/06/2022 - 11:46
"accommodationforstudents.com, the online leading student accommodation site.."
Don't make me laugh. They've got the worst, most outdated website I can possibly think of. It's totally awful.
Any independent landlord with half a brain would just use openrent to list on rightmove and zoopla.

As for shared tenancies, it's just because the market demands it. Virtually all students want inclusive and when you're the odd one out not doing inclusive you're shutting yourself off from a big chunk of the market.

It's no big deal anyway, just have a bills cap in the tenancy. Students want inclusive just so they don't have any admin.

Yvonne Francis

17:16 PM, 11th June 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Christopher Lee at 11/06/2022 - 12:10
Well all I can say to your rather offensive posting is that I have 20-30 enquires from this 'outdated website' ever since accommodationforatudents started and the year before last I had so many I had to take the advert off earlier that usall as I could not cope with any more. Once my houses have been seen they have never been turned down, so potentially many options.

I do find and please don't say they have 'half a brain' as my houses are situated in the top university town, but often students don't know Rightmove or Zoopla whereas a site directly aimed at them wins out.

Students may or may not want inclusive but in my case and that of most student houses in my town, they don't get it. I can't think what part of the market I'm shutting myself off from when there is such a demand for my houses. I have good tenants and the things I read on this site about bad tenants make me wonder why some landlords bother. I've been a landlord for forty years so quite frankly I can help saying 'don't tell grandma how to suck eggs'.

Ian Narbeth

9:36 AM, 13th June 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Yvonne Francis at 11/06/2022 - 11:46
"I have never comprehended why in shared tenancies in a HMO why the landlord opts for paying utility bills because at the end of the day the tenant will have to pay anyway."
Yvonne, the answer is simple. Unless all the tenants are on a joint tenancy, it is almost impossible to manage otherwise. With some tenants leaving after 6 months (or less) and others staying for longer, how do you administer it? There will be endless arguments about apportionment. If the landlord remains the bill payer and recovers from the tenants he will end up out of pocket.

Also the landlord needs to be wary of the Tenant Fees Act and not charge a penny too much. It is simpler for tenants and a selling point that they know exactly what their monthly property costs will be.

Jay

17:44 PM, 15th October 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mike at 07/06/2022 - 01:06I agree, I feel the same. I would rather sell or find some other method of working things out, than pay the tenants energy bill, and freeze at home myself, if they are not making the effort. There is something fundamentally wrong with this. You have to stand up for your fundamental beliefs and values, despite what others may say or tell
you what you have to do, as well as attempting to do good by others. There is fair and unfair, I will always fight for fair, understanding that life is unfair.

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