Renting and not giving keys to landlord

[Scam]

You're probably right, but I can dream can't I? I would argue though that in London at least there is a massive market of Malaysian/Chinese/Arabs/Russian property investors that are just buying willy-nilly into new developments because they know that they will make a profit on them without even having to rent them out. Loads of the flats in Battersea have already been bought and re-sold on for a profit, and they're not even built yet! Once we get the 'market' sorted out, and people can't make such a quick buck, once they start to sell up hopefully there will be some sort of snowball effect in London where all these flats are for sale at the same time therefore their price will fall dramatically. Meh, I can dream eh.

*runs off to buy lottery ticket*

 

[squerble]

The law is the law,If its well within the law and the tenant is up to date with his payment i don't see what the issue is as long as the tenant puts back the old locks when his time is done there,Why should the landlord or letting agents have full access to enter your rented place at any time?

I've heard about this before,landlords just turning up and letting themselves in without even knocking.

In my rental contract, it's required that the landlord/letting agency has a set of keys for access to the house IF I'm away. If I'm there, they have to give at least 24 hours notice of their arrival, unless I'm the one who invited them. Seems fair to me, I'm "borrowing" the landlord's house by renting.

I really fail to see what crinkleshoes' problem is.

 

[dowie]

You're probably right, but I can dream can't I? I would argue though that in London at least there is a massive market of Malaysian/Chinese/Arabs/Russian property investors that are just buying willy-nilly into new developments because they know that they will make a profit on them without even having to rent them out. Loads of the flats in Battersea have already been bought and re-sold on for a profit, and they're not even built yet! Once we get the 'market' sorted out, and people can't make such a quick buck, once they start to sell up hopefully there will be some sort of snowball effect in London where all these flats are for sale at the same time therefore their price will fall dramatically. Meh, I can dream eh.

*runs off to buy lottery ticket*

it is unlikely to happen in London - you might get more dramatic swings at the very top end of the market - but does it make much difference to you if a few million vanishes from some posh apartment/town house that is still worth a few million

maybe a 320k 1 bedroom place will drop to 270k over a couple of years- would that help much if that sort of 'crash' happened?

property markets can drop by a fair bit - Las Vegas had a big dip downwards though is now recovering AFAIK... and there are places like Detroit for example. But in the UK it is very unlikely to happen in somewhere like London - maybe some town up north where more and more people are leaving - but then would you want to live there anyway.

 

[Scam]

Well yes, actually a £50k drop would take £10k off the 20% deposit you're looking to save so it would make a hell of a difference!

I think a combination of the above happening (overseas buyer market collapsing), together with making BTL a lot less lucrative (taking away the tax breaks for example) and you could see price falls.

As for people saying "it won't happen here" I'm sure that's what they all said in Ireland, and I'm sure that's what they said in the States.

 

[B1aderunner]

Here's a thought...

Unless you prevent reasonable access in emergencies or with the required notice then how are the landlord or their agents going to find out that you have changed the locks? The only way that would happen is if they broke the terms of the contract by attempting access without notice and not allowing you peaceful enjoyment of your home.

Just change the locks at the beginning and then replace them at the end of the tenancy, behave yourself while there, be reasonable about inspections etc. and there should be little cause to worry or expect issues.

If you are unfortunate enough to have some emergency situation arise where they need immediate access and you are not available the worse you can expect is the bill for a lock smith and a bit of an ear bashing. Any reasonable landlord would not cancel your tenancy in those circumstances as long as you have not forced them to incur extra costs.

 

[dowie]

Well yes, actually a £50k drop would take £10k off the 20% deposit you're looking to save so it would make a hell of a difference!

well if that sort of drop could make a difference then you could already afford a flat at current rates in a different area

I mean if 320k wasn't affordable but 270k was then, well you're already in the position where you can buy a flat - you're just not able to get one in certain areas

I suspect that most people moaning about not being able to afford a property would still be in that position after a drop in prices like that

As for people saying "it won't happen here" I'm sure that's what they all said in Ireland, and I'm sure that's what they said in the States.

no I'm saying it already has happened - back in 2007/2008

if you're way off affording a home and are expecting a massive crash then you might well be disappointed - a dip in prices is more likely to mean that you can get a slightly nicer flat than you could afford previously

 

[kitch9]

The contract cannot over-rule basic rights, even if both parties originally agree in principle.



Landlord can shove it... it's their home while they are paying his mortgage for him.

I despise this structure of housing... one person profiting of the hard work of another while doing practically nothing.



Way of the world? Cop out response... change it... such behaviour is a relatively recent phenomena

Lol, lemme guess the you're one of those the world owes me a living guys?

 

[kaptainmarc]

Don't judge what you don't know... I have not advocated doing nothing and agree that those who can pull their own weight should... only those with disabilities etc should get easy help - although I'm sure many can and are happy to do their own thing.

I have an issue with supporting those who choose to do nothing and especially the ones who then blame immigrants for taking their jobs lol... yeah... the jobs they didn't want in the first place.

I did a crummy job before making it to a better job and then a better job. Since I started working, I've paid my own way.

I just wish I had something to show for it... all that money... all that portion of my life I have exchanged for money has gone to fund SOMEONE ELSES "investment" that they have given me the "privilege" to live in and I see this happening so much that it sickens me.

When it should have gone towards the first 20% of my home... but no... unless you've got that up-front deposit for an already over-inflated house price... you're forced to fund the same thing for someone else and be left with nothing.

What i did was rent and save, and then bought a house. quite simple really. rent somewhere cheap and buy somewhere cheap. My house was a wreck and I have spent weeks working on it and that's what a lot of these landlords do.

 

[coolsurfer]

You do not see a problem with this?

It baffles me how so many people seem to be OK with being raped on a daily basis.

1 person can "invest" in 100 houses and happilly sit on their arse doing nothing, living of the lives, work and efforts of those 100 people/families.

While the families who have been forced to rent by a system they've been born into that has no desire to support them, are force into an over-priced rental system, paying someone else's mortgage for them instead of being able to put the same money into their own home.

I see 3 or 4 people in a chain where there should be only two.

House builder -> home habitant

The current chain is

House builder -> mortgage company -> landlord -> home habitant

Cut out the middle men... especially the mortgage company who will quite happily charge you 4x or more the actual cost of the house for the privilege of "helping" you get the roof over your head... when they are the ones who have actively artificially inflated the cost of houses in the first place.

It would be kindof OK if you could at least build your own shack on a random piece of land... but even if you do it on your own family-owned property... it'll be knocked down... severe bias anyone?

And... you are OK with this rape?



The system is broken... those who see the problem and acknowledge it are either self-defeating, egoic sickofants or cowards.

Those who haven't seen the idiocy in it all... simply haven't or refuse to open their eyes.

Said it before and I'll say it again, my limitedly educated father came to this country with £13 in his pocket. Now why do his two sons have property worth >£200k with less than 20% mortgage at age <30, it's because they studied vocational degrees with decent salaries and lived at home and didn't believe in wasting money by renting. Instead they saved deposits and worked their ass off.

Blame the system all you want...if you can't beat them join them hell I will be a landlord soon...completing in less than 10 days time on a flat.

Hate this type who blame everyone and the system. Instead of blaming and getting jealous (pathetic attitudes btw which won't get you far) why don't you live with your parents and put the hours in? I did >60 last week plus driving. You wanna get somewhere then bust your balls and make it happen. What do you think people do? They read the books, listen to the tapes, talk to the people....

We all have access to information at our finger tips. Some people use it, others cry about how tough life is.

Your English seems pretty good so clearly an educated bloke. Why don't you get off facebook and go to moneysavingexpert.com and maybe listen to a few financial podcasts. Give rich dad poor dad a read whilst your at it.

The behaviours/habits needed to get somewhere in life are very easy to do but is also very easy not to do....it all boils down to your philosophy. If you have a crap philosophy then you will get no where.
E.g set aside 20 mins to read 10 pages of a life changing book each day and that's 3650 pages or 10-12 decent books that will improve your life read each year. Is it easy to do...yes....is it easy not to do...yes. If you do it do you become a success right away....no...if you do it over a sustained period of time...yes. It's the idea of compounding knowledge that will impact every decision you make. So to summarise; stop being a bum and pull your finger out.

"Do the thing and you will have the power" Ralph Waldo Emmerson

 

[Alan B'Stard MP]

We're renting a flat and we changed the locks at one point and we'd rather not give a set of keys to the estate agent that manages the flat on behalf of the landlord.

By law landlords have to get their properties checked for gas safety every year. They also need to arrange regular safety inspections, (because many tenants do not bother to tell them when there is water leaking through the kitchen ceiling etc) and they need to do P.A.T. testing. The estate agent will also have to show around prospective tenants before you leave. Unless you want to always be in the flat during the day when these things are happening then not giving them a key could be very inconvenient for you. If there was a genuine emergency and you were on holiday then the situation could end up costing you a lot of money.

The Assured Shorthold Tenancy regulations give you the right to refuse entry to the landlord or his/her agent. They must also give you at least one day's written notice before visiting the flat, so there is plenty of opportunity to deny entry to them. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the locks to keep them out.