We need to wake up and smell the coffee!

We need to wake up and smell the coffee!

9:04 AM, 20th November 2018, About 5 years ago 88

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It is easy in life to think that you as one person can make little difference – wrong.

Shopping in B&Q for example!

You spend a few or a few hundred pounds on materials for your rented house – possibly one which has been wrecked by rogue tenants. You get to the counter and see B&Q have their little collection boxes just past the till for Shelter, an organisation which constantly hammers landlords and seems to think we are the rogues. This is something we might have unthinkingly ignored.

Well the Landlords Alliance has now begun a campaign to shake us out of this apathy.

We should not  give our money to organisations which support those whose mission seems to be to destroy our businesses and livelihoods; whose latest campaign is to get us to house tenants on benefits whether we like it or not, whether they can afford it or not, whether they make riskier tenants or not – whilst housing no-one themselves.

No. We need to wake up and smell the coffee.

So I for one, have withdrawn my custom from B&Q as of today.

I ask them to instead donate to a positive charity which they can be proud of supporting.

There are an estimated 2 million landlords in the UK who with their families and also the people who work for them and shop at B&Q have tremendous consumer power.

I urge other landlords to make the pledge today: ‘I will not shop at B&Q until they confirm they have stopped giving money to Shelter’.

 

The New Landlords Alliance is launched: Click Here


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Comments

TheMaluka

16:52 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Annie Landlord at 24/11/2018 - 16:03
Tell me Annie how do you manage to be so negative about a group of people who are trying to improve the situation for both landlords and tenants? Being nice, as RLA & NLA, has not worked. If you do not like what is being done please do not criticise, propose a solution which works.

Mr Barua

18:06 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Annie Landlord at 24/11/2018 - 16:03
Hi Annie, I agree that "the cards we had via NLA/RLA, which saved us quite a lot of money on some items, are now worthless." What I do not understand is how promoting such organisations (like TradePoint Cards) to landlords by those who are expected to represent landlords (like RLA, don't know about NLA) in exchange for membership fees is fair?

I asked that question to the Chairman (alan.ward@rla.org.uk) and editor (sally.walmsley@rla.org.uk) - I am still waiting for a response. Maybe it is only me who is writing to RLA hence they are not fussed.

TheMaluka

19:27 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Annie Landlord at 24/11/2018 - 19:09
Both the Government and Shelter decline to engage in any debate about section 24. How would you attract their attention?

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

19:39 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Annie Landlord at 24/11/2018 - 19:09
From little acorns mighty oak tress May grow

Laurie

19:52 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Annie Landlord at 24/11/2018 - 19:09
Since the alliance is still new and small, how about giving it a chance. The other “professional” landlord associations seem to have done very little to date so a new approach is very welcome. The alliance has grabbed a fair bit of attention already, yes there may be negative feedback - but maybe that means it’s working!

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

20:11 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Annie Landlord at 24/11/2018 - 19:45
Well given that it’s just a few weeks old but has already managed to get so much media publicity and ruffle feathers at executive level at B&Q, M&S and Shelter I personally think that s bloody marvelous and far more than any of us anticipated at this early stage.

Grumpy Doug

0:07 AM, 25th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Annie Landlord at 24/11/2018 - 16:03
Annie - I'm not sure that Dave is suggesting that they support private landlords. My local Fat Face store supports a local homelessness charity that does superb work - highly laudable unlike Shelter's activities. Maybe that's what M&S should consider. I'll fire off a note to them tomorrow

Dave Stanger

0:57 AM, 25th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Annie Landlord at 24/11/2018 - 16:03
I never said they should support private landlords. however I did point out to them that they have lost the custom of a landlord who has shopped with them for over 40 years. I also pointed out to them that I would encourage all private landlords who shop at M&S to think again via personal contacts and forums. I also pointed out to them that there are estimated to be 2 million landlords.

Annie Landlord

17:18 PM, 25th November 2018, About 5 years ago

One last comment from me on this thread then I'll leave it as we're going round in circles. We are all landlords, we all have brains, principles and values and we are all individuals. We should be mature enough to agree to disagree. I've never believed that any publicity is good publicity and tbh I'm horrified at the adverse publicity the alliance is causing for us all. I'm concerned that the daily attacks on Shelter are becoming an obsession and are doing us damage. The latest ones:
"The Landlords Alliance
‏@landlords_ltd Nov 22 #Shelter . Why is #vice.com advocating violence. Why does #charity have a link from this abhorrent website. Its bad enough Shelter failed to give money to #Grenfell. 7 other great #Charities did, but the link between http://vice.com and Shelter is disgusting."
A pretty vile but ultimately remarkably juvenile piece on a website criticised the alliance for attacking Shelter and for good measure added a donation link for Shelter - a poke-in-the-eye/sarcastic nod to the alliance. The alliance is now saying Shelter has a link to the random journo who wrote the piece, as though there is some major conspiracy between the two. Its just ridiculous.
Someone mentioned earlier that the alliance should maybe employ someone to handle the media activity. Seems a sensible idea.

Neil Patterson

17:57 PM, 25th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Thank you for your comments Annie and I am sure no one thinks the tone is perfect yet. There are many that support Larry's approach and consensus for all is difficult as I well know. What we aim to do is remain constructive and not divide ourselves by going round in circles on the same thread. Have a great night 🙂

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