RENTING? Check your LL has permission to let that property.

murrayfan_2

Thrugelmir wrote: »

It's not. Why would it be?

Is it any of yours?

erm, because he was in serious danger of being repossessed, leaving us homeless - and I forgot to mention before that we'd paid 6 months rent UPFRONT too! :eek:

murrayfan_2

It wouldn't be too hard for the letting agents to see proof that a mortgaged landlord has permission and insurance in place to sub-let the property. I am absolutely amazed that they don't check this.

murrayfan_2

franklee wrote: »

As a landlord you should know that landlords have to provide the tenant with an address in England and wales for the serving of notices. This is an address at which letters can be sent to reach the landlord. Therefore they can also use that address for their post. I see no reason to go on using the tenant's home for any longer than it takes to gets addresses changed.

It's also risky for the landlord to leave his correspondence going to the rental address. For example there are tenants who use identify theft to run up debts in their landlord name. I would not regularly forward mail as how would I prove any debts run up using my home weren't done by me. In worst case a criminally minded tenant can steal the house (yes really have a read of the land registry information pages).

A landlord would be bonkers to leave his property and correspondence unattended for a year or two while abroad. At least he needs an address here and someone to manage the property locally. If he hasn't got friends or family to do it he can pay an agent.

I agree with all of the above. My brother is always moving around, his last two homes have been Libya and now Liberia, and he literally cannot get post where he is now. So other family members help him out, and if he didn't have us he'd use an agent, as suggested.

Why should a paying tenant have to keep forwarding the landlords post to him?. It's not a free service either, by rights it should be properly re-addressed and more postage added. I was paying almost £700 a month to live in the house I mentioned in my previous post which had multiple problems - e.g 3 windows that wouldn't lock, 1 window that wouldn't completely close, mould and mildew, an unusable and unsafe airing cupboard, 2 broken panes of glass on the inside of a glass porch.

The landlord didn't want to deal with any of those problems, yet was happy to take 6 months rent upfront from us, and was STILL months in arrears with his mortgage! :mad:. On top of which he clearly didn't have permission from the lenders to rent the property out, and he expected me to forward his post regularly :think:.

Thrugelmir

murrayfan wrote: »

erm, because he was in serious danger of being repossessed, leaving us homeless - and I forgot to mention before that we'd paid 6 months rent UPFRONT too! :eek:

Your deposit should be protected.

Likewise leaving the property would never be an immediate event.

Thrugelmir

murrayfan wrote: »

It wouldn't be too hard for the letting agents to see proof that a mortgaged landlord has permission and insurance in place to sub-let the property. I am absolutely amazed that they don't check this.

Who regulates the Letting Agents. Anybody can be one.

Regulation would result in increased cost for tenants.

murrayfan_2

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Your deposit should be protected.

Likewise leaving the property would never be an immediate event.

What would becoming homeless have to do with our deposit being protected? (it was, but I had to fight to get that back from him aswell, using the mediation service).

It might not be an immediate event, but at the time we were hoping to rent that house for at least a year, I had a local job, my son was at school there. It would've been horrible . I think I would've have a fight to get any leftover rent back too, plus the deposit, so finding a new place and moving costs would've been harder than usual too.

murrayfan_2

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Who regulates the Letting Agents. Anybody can be one.

Regulation would result in increased cost for tenants.

Well yes, and this is wrong in my opinion, too (that letting agents are unregulated, if that truly is the case). And how much could it possibly cost for a landlord to get a copy of a letter from his lender and insurance company?. I can't remember exactly what we paid the agency but it was hundreds which I think could've covered that cost aswell.

Listerbelle

franklee wrote: »

As a landlord you should know that landlords have to provide the tenant with an address in England and wales for the serving of notices. This is an address at which letters can be sent to reach the landlord. Therefore they can also use that address for their post. I see no reason to go on using the tenant's home for any longer than it takes to gets addresses changed.

It's also risky for the landlord to leave his correspondence going to the rental address. For example there are tenants who use identify theft to run up debts in their landlord name. I would not regularly forward mail as how would I prove any debts run up using my home weren't done by me. In worst case a criminally minded tenant can steal the house (yes really have a read of the land registry information pages).

A landlord would be bonkers to leave his property and correspondence unattended for a year or two while abroad. At least he needs an address here and someone to manage the property locally. If he hasn't got friends or family to do it he can pay an agent.

Indeed. Agree.

Thrugelmir

murrayfan wrote: »

Well yes, and this is wrong in my opinion, too (that letting agents are unregulated, if that truly is the case). And how much could it possibly cost for a landlord to get a copy of a letter from his lender and insurance company?. I can't remember exactly what we paid the agency but it was hundreds which I think could've covered that cost aswell.

I don't disagree with your points. However at the moment there's no mechanism in place or apparent willingness to change the situation. In respect of LL's or Letting Agencies.

With increasing numbers likely to rent. Something needs to be done. Longer term one would hope with the provision of more affordable rental housing. Run by "professional" organisations. Which would give tenants more security and long term reassurance.
Along with better value for money.

tbs624

Listerbelle wrote: »

Writing as a landlord, some organisations refuse to recognise postal addresses abroad. Royal Mail permits a forwarding address for two years, but after that you cannot renew.

This is a particularly troublesome scenario for individuals who are abroad temporarily mid-long term, such as PhD students and post-docs, or people caring for sick relatives located in another country.

It's also a right PITA for people who are forced to regularly relocate due to their employment, such as junior doctors. (All doctors who are not consultants are "junior doctors", some training programs are 9-10 years long.)

As Franklee says, there is a specific legal requirement placed on LLs regarding the provision of an Eng/Wales service address.

The LL can , as Franklee says, formally employ an Agent or use a friend/relative to act as one.

There are also plenty of uk-to-abroad mail forwarding services available - obviously they charge fees for their services.