tenants and your rights as a landlord?

[gailjon]

It is a real hassle being a landlord if you have any emotional attachment to a property.
No matter what happens, tenants are not going to look after a property in the same way that you would.
I t was a massive relief when we sold our old family home after renting it out for 5 years.
The house was a real state, needed new carpets, new kitchen floor tiles/units and that was while using a management company who took our money but obviously didn't do any real management.

 

[Danm54]

As a landlord myself the only advice I can offer to either side is to get yourself a good letting agent.
They're ultimately the ones who decide and vet your tenants, and they're the one who have to deal with any issues.

As a landlord, you only need to receive regular inspection reports and a call if any problems are reported. Other than that, you need to be able to leave everything to the agents.

I did pay for an insurance policy that covered the rent and the cost of removing the tenants if they stopped paying, that expired recently though and weirdly, the company aren't currently renewing policies.

I do a fair bit of work for the agents who let and manage my property and I don't think I've ever been in a really scummy house, some tenants live cleaner than others but as a whole, the properties are in good condition.

Also, damp is largely a tenant issue as the property isn't ventilated properly when drying clothes inside, cooking, showering etc. It's not the landlords job to open your windows or trickle vents.

 

[peige]

I ended up being a landlord for around 5 years, same as an earlier poster in that I had a flat and moved in with my partner but wanted to keep if for a while so rented it out.

I never made a penny from it rent wise, basically it would always spend anything it had "earned" in repairs and costs along the way. Had one really good tenant for 2 years and one not so good who would break stuff repeatedly for the last 3. Standard problems, drying clothes indoors, not using a shower properly (shocker when you don't put the curtain in place and water leaks downstairs) front door buggered due to slamming, double glazed windows breaking due to god knows what. Agent would organise repairs if I didn't want to or didn't respond but at a cost and its a pain to get trades people in to sort (I always wanted to remain detached from the tenants) Tenants think that things should be repaired in hours when realistically it takes days sometimes (if you own the place you live in this is also the case!)
Looking back my Agent was ok really, they pushed me to inflict rent rises but I didn't do it, reasoning that i'd rather have a long term tenant that paid every month than push the rent up and risk loosing one and going a month or two without. When it came to getting the last tenant out I feared problems and we gave them 3 months notice so they had plenty of time, they did ask for an extension at the last minute which I refused but moved out without problems and I had it on the market and sold with 2 weeks of them going.

I'd never do it again, its worse now due to all the changes that have come in since and the increase in the "anti landlord" feelings. We're all scum

 

[Simon]

The tax rules have pretty much killed short term, monthly profits. On top the agents now shifted the tenant fees to the landlord.

I’ve been lucky compared to most and it’s still a pain in the arse. Plus everyone hates landlords.

 

[Semple]

that expired recently though and weirdly, the company aren't currently renewing policies.

Considering the current situation, i wouldn't say it's at all surprising that they aren't renewing policies.

The same principle has applied to those looking for unemployment cover. Insurance companies have seen the pandemic plus resulting recession as likely a massive increase in people either not paying the rent, or having lost their job. Which likely increases the likelihood of having to pay out for one of these policies by several magnitudes.

 

[M3G4UK]

The TV has an obsession with poverty porn (it's a term, look it up). You only have to look at the amount of TV programmes about poor people/benefits etc. Tenants are now the next target as we are "too poor to buy" (read: didn't get a leg up from mummy and daddy) but what the shows *always* fail to show is just how bad landlords can be on the other side of things.

I've not had great experiences with landlords. One tried to pocket a months rent from us whilst he moved someone else in when we handed in our notice (moved for work). The next one, we were in the property for all of 13 months before we were evicted. We paid an extended fees on the understanding he'd fix some bits during our tenancy which he then didn't do.

The reason the laws are so anti-landlord (or so you think) at the moment is because on the whole, tenants get screwed over a lot more than landlords - the difference is, we can shout about it like landlords can for fear of having the "references" for our next property fail should we want/need to move.

 

[peige]

The TV has an obsession with poverty porn (it's a term, look it up). You only have to look at the amount of TV programmes about poor people/benefits etc. Tenants are now the next target as we are "too poor to buy" (read: didn't get a leg up from mummy and daddy) but what the shows *always* fail to show is just how bad landlords can be on the other side of things.

I've not had great experiences with landlords. One tried to pocket a months rent from us whilst he moved someone else in when we handed in our notice (moved for work). The next one, we were in the property for all of 13 months before we were evicted. We paid an extended fees on the understanding he'd fix some bits during our tenancy which he then didn't do.

The reason the laws are so anti-landlord (or so you think) at the moment is because on the whole, tenants get screwed over a lot more than landlords - the difference is, we can shout about it like landlords can for fear of having the "references" for our next property fail should we want/need to move.

LOL, didn't get a leg up for mummy and daddy. I think that's the case for most home owners.

Good landlords and tenants, bad of both are also available.

 

[M3G4UK]

LOL, didn't get a leg up for mummy and daddy. I think that's the case for most home owners.

The way people are banging on about nationwide banning BOMAD deposits for 10% mortgages I'm inclined to believe that's not really the case.