Renting. Went to see 2 houses today. Both disgustingly filthy. Are they all?

julie03

Pssst wrote: »

They are probably social tenant type BTLs. I mean,if they had been inhabited by your average working couple,they would be of a different standard. I guess theres plentyo f BTL landlords out there trying to relet slums.

One thing to remember,never sign a contract on the back of a promise to do something i.e we'll fix this or that,we'llredecorate etc. If they had a will to present a decent property,theyd have done it before hnading it off to the agent.

They are just hoping to rent out a dump and get money in for minimal outlay

when i moved into my property i was a "social tenant" hubby now working
you make out we're all filthy, i can assure you i am very very clean and treat the house i rent with great respect. please don't put people into catagories, you don't know all of us

Fly_Baby

We live in an ex-council flat now - it is really close to everything we need (work, town centre, school) - but have been looking to move to a bigger place. And I too couldn't believe what's on offer in our price range! Unless you are happy to pay 1200+ for a two-bed flat/house (and it is NOT London, in fact it's 40 min by train to London) you have to put up with poor decor and really small square footage. That's despite properties being advertised as 'bright and airy', with 'good size bedrooms' etc. I have never once seen a living room in private-rented properties as big as mine in my ex-council flat. The same applies to the size of bedrooms.
I really don't get it - you pay much much more for private renting, so why council accommodation is better and cheaper at that?

Hatster

I found that letting agents will tend to deal with a particular type of housing, and that you have to find the right letting agent. So there will be a letting agent who specialises in cheap houses for students, and all they'll be able to show you is a house that would be acceptable to a 19 year old, but isn't acceptable to 2 professional women in their late twenties. You need to find out who the letting agent is that does 'nice' houses that meet your budget, and then go and see everything they've got.

marcowil

Pssst wrote: »

They are probably social tenant type BTLs. I mean,if they had been inhabited by your average working couple,they would be of a different standard. I guess theres plentyo f BTL landlords out there trying to relet slums.

One thing to remember,never sign a contract on the back of a promise to do something i.e we'll fix this or that,we'llredecorate etc. If they had a will to present a decent property,theyd have done it before hnading it off to the agent.

They are just hoping to rent out a dump and get money in for minimal outlay

That is extremely insulting to most "social tenants" and totally without foundation.
From your remarks i could make the assumption that ALL non-social tenants must be snobs who look down their noses at anyone they consider beneath them.

However, I know that is not the case

mlz1413

Donna have a look at some houses via private ad's I'm not saying they will be better but if the LL is the one renting it then a LL with pride and interest in the property will make sure its clean and fresh when it's rented.

I'm assuming that as agents are doing the viewings they have not bothered to check the property between tenants leaving and viewing, which IMO is the sign of a bad LA, but the LA may also have no control over how the flat is left, but it still sounds like a bad situation for the future (ie getting repairs done).


I know when I was leaving my rented house years ago that over the last 2 weeks I didn't clean as I was running around between houses moving stuff and I knew I would be throughly cleaning everything on my last day, to get my deposit back. The agents rang me one day and ask if someone could view the house at 5.30pm (I'm not always home that early) I refused because the place was mess but the agents said it didn't matter - I still refused out of sheer pride I didn't want people thinking I lived that way.

mlz1413

Pssst wrote: »

They are probably social tenant type BTLs. I mean,if they had been inhabited by your average working couple,they would be of a different standard. I guess theres plentyo f BTL landlords out there trying to relet slums.

One thing to remember,never sign a contract on the back of a promise to do something i.e we'll fix this or that,we'llredecorate etc. If they had a will to present a decent property,theyd have done it before hnading it off to the agent.

They are just hoping to rent out a dump and get money in for minimal outlay

Rubbish! working couples can be filthy dirty pigs and I've cleaned up after 2 lots. If you have standards you stick to them if you don't have standards then you don't and it has nothing to do with your working ability. And sadly it has nothing to do with how you look - having met people who look and smell clean and then seeing how they live.

tbs624

Hatster - interesting to hear of your experience but the student lettings market is a highly competitive one these days: many of the properties provided are of a high standard and will be equally acceptable to young professionals..Obviously the good ones get let out pretty quickly, usually by word of mouth, so it's the grot that's left sitting in the LAs lists

Donna - contact your local LL association, either by going online to the NLA/NFRL or the RLA and asking if there is an affiliated local group, or by checking yellow pages or the local chamber of commerce for a contact number. As mlz1413 says, you may have more luck with a LL who self-manages his/her properties & usually if they've taken the time to join a LL association they're the more professional ones.

k4ssie

Not making any excuses for the LLs, but in my experience what you're seeing is also representative of the proportion of people who like to live in filth and are oblivious to it.
I have one house, that i used to live in and might one day return to, that i rent out. The day i let it, it was fresh paint throughout, new flooring in most of the rooms, bathroom and kitchen spotless etc. Both times, the tenants seemed to be normal individuals, and were "professional" types. They all cooed over the how wonderful the house was (3 bed victorian terrace with open fireplaces etc).
Every time, i'd inspect after a few months and wouldn't believe my eyes. Not just general dirt, but, for example, the stair carpet looked as though EVERY TIME they went upstairs they took a full glass of Coke and spilled it all the way up. Every surface, every floor, every window, totally disgusting.

Now as i say, I DO redecorate etc because i'd assume that only the most grotty of tenants would take on a property in that condition...but if i have many more experiences like this i might change my mind frankly, and decide that it's not worth bothering 'cos a pack of tramps living there couldn't make things much dirtier....

hotpot1000

I have just spent a whole week cleaning my house before I re-let it, it is cleaner than my home, so I cannot understand why tenants don't find clean houses, I assumed everyone (LL's) would clean to attract new business.

http://www.postyourproperty.co.uk/rental_details.php?refID=561

tbs624

hotpot1000 wrote: »

.... I cannot understand why tenants don't find clean houses, I assumed everyone (LL's) would clean to attract new business.

http://xxxxxxx

- Don't post links for personal gain. Except in the referrers section and always declare any interest.