Slightly shellshocked..........

Morglin

We currently live in a HA flat (really nice) that wasn't let through the council but directly when they built some "expensive lets" and advertised tham a few years back.

Because we need to move back to Bromley/Chislehurst area to be nearer the family, for the first time ever, I thought private lets would be the way to go - in that there is huge demand on social housing (although our ages and disabilities would probably mean they would house us eventually), and that renting privately would give us greater flexibility in choices over locale and type of property.

Wow - have I been left surprised by the quality of what is considered "fit to let".:eek: :eek:

This is a nice area we were looking at and we were realistic over rents - we have a good income and could supply excellent references of every type, so we set out to look for a nice property, well maintained and clean - simple, I thought.......:rolleyes:.......... Ye Gods - we have viewed numerous places ranging from simply grim to total hovels - not one had been cleaned, none appeared to have seen a lick of paint for donkey's years, and the white goods (which I didn't need anyway), were generally a good place to get Salmonella.:mad:

The last one yesterday even had dirty clothes left by the previous tenant all over the floor and the kitchen floor was so dirty our shoes were sticking to it lol:eek:

I've lived in council places over the years, and not once have I ever been offered anything as bad as this bunch - I don't mind decorating, but without a secure tenancy, I have no intention of pouring vast sums into a private let just for the landlord to throw us out when he sees that his property is much improved and he can pull in more rent.

What made me finally laugh out loud was the persistent chat from the last LA over the need for monies up front, excellent refs and that his client certainly wouldn't take DSS (which we're not anyway, so I assume he was trying to tell me that despite the hovel I was gazing at, his client was very picky.........:rolleyes: ), when, in my view, only the truly desperate or homeless would consider renting them anyway.:rolleyes:

So, I'll stay where we are and join the ever increasing council lists lol

Lin

PropertyPro

I always advise clients who wish to buy-to-let not to spend thousands turning the property into a show home in case the tenants don't look after the place thus decreasing the value.

However, I also mention that it would be a good idea to clean up and freshen the place with a lick of paint. You know the kind of stuff - make the property pleasant for the occupier without having to install the latest wonderful things found at the Ideal Home Exhibition. Sometimes a happy medium means a happy landlord and tenant.

It's always sad to hear when landlords or tenants don't show the other any respect by allowing the property to fall into disrepair. It really doesn't take much to provide or maintain a pleasant living enviroment.

Good luck with the Council. I hope they find something for you soon.

tbs624

Lin - maybe you could consider going via the local LL association to find LLs who self-manage their properties?

You can find the contact numbers via the yellow pages, the local chamber of commerce or checking with the RLA, NLA/NFRL for their affiliated groups within your area.

There * are* decent properties out there, and tenants who refuse to rent the dross properties do the whole lettings industry a favour.If these LLs get no takers they have two choices - upgrade their properties or take up some other "business interest" instead.

If you view a particularly bad one you could always pass the address on to the private sector rentals team, highlighting the poor conditions, and send a copy of your letter to your local councillor.

mooma_2

I know what you mean about private lets. I rent privately and have viewed some disgusting places!! Dirty undies on the floor, smelly kitchens, mouldy ceilings.....I could go on.

I don't understand how the LL's don't make the tenants either clean the place themselves when they leave or pay for it to be cleaned.

Wherever I have lived i have always hired a carpet cleaner, and made sure the place was spotless for the next tenants before I left.

Good luck anyway xx

skylight

Morglin - we are staying put and waiting for the council too now!

We need a 4-5 bed place, thought about privately renting a few months back and the ones we were looking at were horrifically priced - £1400pm+ - and disgusting. One had an extension that leaked - the LL made no attempt at denying it "it'll be sorted". When??? Now, I know my own entrance hall currently looks horrendous - my darling kids spilt milk on the carpet and I had to remove the carpet, its being replaced, but there was one place I looked at that when the front door was opened, I refused to go into the house - the stench hurt my eyes.

And its not peanuts these people are asking for - its a lot of money. I'll stay where I am too!

hethmar

Amazing, youd think for their own self respect they would want the place to be fresh and clean, wouldnt you.

sjaypink

Morglin wrote: »

So, I'll stay where we are and join the ever increasing council lists lol

Lin

mutual exchange? www.homeswapper.co.uk

*just looked on my local housing associations site to find that link, their home page now consists of a huge picture of a large block of 'luxury apartments' that sprung up around the harbour last year. i remember they were on at £250k to start with, wonder how much the ha has just paid for them all :rolleyes::rotfl:. stick with the ha's lin, live in 'luxury'. *

Morglin

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions - I'm starting to get over the shock lol

I must be a novice - I thought the whole idea was that you offered a nice place, and in return, took up refs etc., to ensure that you got a tenant that wouldn't abuse the property!

Sjay - if you're talking about the block by the river in Thamesmead by the river, that fetched £250k last year, Gallions Reach HA has just ought up all the repo's/not sold cheap, and to stop all the squatting, they are handing them out to those in priority need on the council lists - nice flats, shame about the area now - pity those that paid so much to live in Thamesmead.

Lin

sjaypink

Morglin wrote: »

Sjay - if you're talking about the block by the river in Thamesmead by the river, that fetched £250k last year, Gallions Reach HA has just ought up all the repo's/not sold cheap, and to stop all the squatting, they are handing them out to those in priority need on the council lists - nice flats, shame about the area now - pity those that paid so much to live in Thamesmead.

Lin

no, dorset coast. and on further investigation, they are now also offerring shared equity in these blocks:


nice!

or alternatively, you could just buy one.... http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-13757386.rsp?pa_n=2&tr_t=buy&mam_disp=true :rotfl:

.....ok, thats the penthouse, but the 1 beds are still £200k, and they cannot shift them.

how long before those penthouse dwellers have hundreds of single mums etc as neighbours eh? funny how things turn out innit?

could you give the exchange a try lin, i did one a few years back, bit of effort trying to find someone, but an easy process once we had?

jmt

Wow - have I been left surprised by the quality of what is considered "fit to let".:eek: :eek:

The last one yesterday even had dirty clothes left by the previous tenant all over the floor and the kitchen floor was so dirty our shoes were sticking to it lol:eek:

Hello OP,

Have you been looking at properties that are empty or that are on the market prior to the current tenant moving out.

I have had a few tenants over the years and most have been lovely, left the property clean and the ones who had two cats were the cleanest ever.

I was recently shocked however - I let a property for 6 months and when I asked to visit just before she left to assess if any decorating needed doing I was astounded - it was filthy - 6 months and filthy!

I don't think she owned a vacuum cleaner and the bath was in such a state I would not have even bathed my own dog in it, and the new cooker - well I think she must have suffered from an upset stomach regularly. I thought it was so bad that I asked my LA to take it off the market until she had moved out as I thought that prospective tenants would not want it if they viewd it in this state.

I never judge a book by its cover and I have even offered my properties to a HA tenants at a slightly reduced rent in the past. Unfortunately neither took up my offer as they both felt if they came out of the social housing and there was a problem, they would never get back on it.

So please, don't judge all landlords the same

FROSTYFRECKLE

One of my many jobs is an Inventory Clerk - compiling inventories in private lets and I have been in some middens. One flat is ingrained in my memory - kitchen cupboard doors having off, with one door completely off and conveniently jammed between the cooker and a cupboard. The owners and would-be landlords (not previous tenants) liked chip pans and did not like cleaning, so the end result was everything in the kitchen was coated in a film of grease and the grease was black due to the build-up of dust and dirt. The smell of this was in my clothes, my hair:eek: Trust me there are lots of lovely private lets but unfortunately there are plenty of hovels.