What Planet Are They On?

What Planet Are They On?

14:17 PM, 9th June 2020, About 4 years ago 39

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If it wasn’t enough that we are now expected to provide housing services for free for very lengthy periods – due to the eviction ban – where tenants decide not to pay the rent, the left are also trying to get rent arrears cancelled and even rent-free housing.

I don’t know what planet they are on.

Would any of them save up for years for a deposit on a house, get a mortgage arranged, work during their evenings and weekends to renovate, decorate, purchase and put together furniture, set up utilities, get gas safety certificates and EPCs done, set up and pay for adverts to let the property, do all the viewings, check tenants’ credit and tenancy history, whilst paying the mortgage, insurance, maintenance and so on, and then let people stay there indefinitely for nothing?

No, I thought not. And yet they expect us to.

Of course, in addition to the eviction ban and 2-month extension announced last week, the Government is also now plotting to bring in a lengthy delaying tactic – called a pre-action protocol – to set traps which judges and charities working for defaulting tenants can exploit to grant non-paying tenants more time in landlords’ properties. No doubt costly adjournments will be de rigueur.

With the current 5 month moratorium, the further minimum 5 months it usually takes to get a possession case through court, the additional months because of the huge court backlog built up since March, and then the rigmarole of the protocol, we are looking at more than a year becoming a likely length of time that non-paying tenants can stay. This is going to be devastating for landlords unlucky to cross paths with one or more of these rogue tenants. With subletting scams in particular, the damage to the properties will be that much worse, along with huge arrears.

Tenants’ lives will also be put at risk.

I have written about this on CapX today – a site read by Conservative Ministers and MPs – pointing out the farcical nature of what is going on. The latest rental ‘reprieve’ is another kick in the teeth for landlords – CapX


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Comments

David

11:34 AM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

thank you Rosalind for all you efforts on behalf of landlords.I voted for a Tory government but this is no better than what we would have got from Corbyn and the left and as has been said this government want to kill the PRS and collect the CGT.I have written to my Tory MP on many occasions about zero assistance for landlords during CV19 and the unfairness of extending eviction times but the only response I receive is that she is waiting for a response. from that department and that was over 2 months ago. I have now asked her has she raised this in Parliament or spoken to Johnson but no doubt she will side step that reply. Fortunately I have found my tenants to be decent people who pay on time but one rogue could cause havoc.In future I will only accept tenants with a guarantor .I would urge all landlords though to write to their MPs to express their disgust and I will never be voting for them again.

Coastal

11:48 AM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

Landlord campaigning bodies and us writing to local MP's appears to generally be ignored - borne out with ever more absurd anti PRS policies -like this latest 'how to live free of charge' nonsense. It really makes no sense whats going on, other than there has to be a hidden agenda!

Dennis Leverett

12:05 PM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

Excellent article Ros. Trouble is that the word is rapidly spreading amongst tenants from extreme lefties and such like about how to get a years free rent and many tenants will go for it. Its gonna get a lot worse. I'm convinced there has to be a hidden agenda, lots of elite government personnel desperate to invest their stashed away cash so lets break the PRS and scoop up all the assets at knock down prices then change the rules to suit.

justtalk

12:10 PM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

Well written piece, could not agree more. Landlord i know tenant refusing to paying rent and said you can't evict me and has not paid for last 3 months. Will not pay for at least another 3 months
playing the system. Has new range rover parked at flat, basically sticking the v sign at landlord. The landlord has 3 simular tenants
he is still paying the mortgages, ;Life does not seem fare. Not worth being a landlord the money is good but the hassle is not worth the money. The government don't care its just about collecting the most they can get away with.
Why are landlords being treated so badly?

chris oddy

12:13 PM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

Keep up the good work

I had to defer council tax recently due to not being able to invite people to view the empty house. It is now occupied since lockdown lifted but the council still want their tax from me even though I wasn’t intentionally keeping it empty, that’s no different

Clint

12:36 PM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

An excellent write up Rosalind. Another point is that several tenants are not only living free, but also getting in some instances a proper wage in that they are getting the rental benefit, and just keeping it as part of their income and there is little or nothing that can be done about it.
I have one tenant, where I was getting the rental payment directly until August last year, and then it suddenly stopped. On checking with UC with several phone calls, I was eventually told she moved out. On going to the property the tenant's things were still there and on contacting her, she said she was still living there. In telling her that UC stated that she moved out, she said no she did not but she had told UC she was staying with her mother who I know was also renting and on UC. I asked her on several occasions to inform UC that it was an error that they changed her address however, this never happened so I have had no rent since August last year. I told her to remove her things but she said the council said I had to give her a section 21 notice so that she was housed. She definitely has not been living there as the flat is in a disastrous state where no one could live.
She was eventually ordered to leave following a section 8 notice but never got the chance to get bailiff due to lockdown. This tenant owes me over £16,000 which I know, I will never get back.

This is the wonderful life of a landlord.

Dr Rosalind Beck

13:15 PM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Clint at 10/06/2020 - 12:36
Sorry to hear this, Clint. I hope it can be resolved soon. This is all disastrous for landlords.

Richard Adams

13:51 PM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by David at 10/06/2020 - 11:34
David please advise who you will be voting for in future?

david Brinsden

14:15 PM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

Hopefully about to sell my 3rd property, as tenant has decided to move out to be with her mother. I certainly won't be replacing it.

Chris @ Possession Friend

14:28 PM, 10th June 2020, About 4 years ago

Other Landlords must be buying up most of these properties being sold by existing landlords, as the numbers of existing rented properties according to English Housing Survey has remained fairly static in recent years ;-(

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