Tenants should turn the tables on dodgy landlords

Snooze

IveSeenTheLight wrote: »

Heres a couple of pics of my "excellent accomodation" 2 bed flat from which I achieve a monthly rental of £850.
Since these pictures I've improved with a 40" flat screen and DVD unit. I didn't need to do this, but it helps set my property apart from the rest and helps keeps voids to a minimum

Looks decent enough but £850/month??!?! :eek: !!!!!!?

Where is it? Aren't you up in Aberdeen or some far-flung place off the beaten track?

Rob

IveSeenTheLight

carolt wrote: »

Interesting idea though I find it hard to believe as I am the perfect example of someone who would never have qualified for or been a council tenant a decade ago, but would have been able to afford to buy easily.

And I think I'm fairly typical.

but carolt, you have previously explained why you were not in a position to buy

carolt wrote: »

So do you have any actual figures to back your theory up, ie some figures on how social housing supply has gone down over the last decade relative to private housing supply increases?

Not exactly figures, but have a look at this graph and you will see that the percentage of private rented is only slightly on the increase while social renting has by a larger percentage decreased




http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456991/html/default.stm

IveSeenTheLight

Snooze wrote: »

Looks decent enough but £850/month??!?! :eek: !!!!!!?

Where is it? Aren't you up in Aberdeen or some far-flung place off the beaten track?

Rob

It is in Aberdeen.
I'll let you into a little secret though, I have split the garage rental from the flat so the rental income is for the flat and garage.
By seperating it allows me to lower the flat monthly rental to be very competative while there is ample parking as well as the garage.

Check out www.aspc.co.uk for available properties and you will see this is a marketable rate.

P.S. I read somewhere that income is 1/3 extra than the UK average for Aberdeen which may attribute to the higher rates.

IveSeenTheLight

carolt wrote: »

I have however noticed a huge lack of choice in affordable properties to buy in recent years, curiously coinciding with the rise in BTL.

Can you suggest why that might be? :rolleyes:

In line with the above post showing the graph, can you now agree that the rise in BTL (private renting) does so-incide with the reduction of social housing.

If you agree on this, how then can you attribute BTL to pricing out FTBers.
It would appear to me that there was a market for BTL allowing a mediocre of equilibrium regarding to available rental properties

Snooze

IveSeenTheLight wrote: »

It is in Aberdeen.
I'll let you into a little secret though, I have split the garage rental from the flat so the rental income is for the flat and garage.
By seperating it allows me to lower the flat monthly rental to be very competative while there is ample parking as well as the garage.

Check out www.aspc.co.uk for available properties and you will see this is a marketable rate.

P.S. I read somewhere that income is 1/3 extra than the UK average for Aberdeen which may attribute to the higher rates.

So how much is the flat on its own and what's included in the rent? Considering that Scotland has a significantly lower cost of living than the bulk of England, I still think that £850/month is very expensive for that, unless you are charging £400 per month for a garage :eek: or the flat has all bills included.

Rob

Cleaver

Snooze wrote: »

So how much is the flat on its own and what's included in the rent? Considering that Scotland has a significantly lower cost of living than the bulk of England, I still think that £850/month is very expensive for that, unless you are charging £400 per month for a garage :eek: or the flat has all bills included.

Rob

The market will decide whether the flat is 'expensive'. If it is overpriced then it won't rent, if it's about right it will rent.

silvercar

carolt wrote: »

I do agree that more social housing should have been built and should be built urgently now to house these people - but people on such low incomes should not be renting from the private sector anyway, they should be renting from the public sector, with low rents and secured tenancies.

The fact is that there is a shortage of social housing, so people on low incomes are renting from the private sector. There is no alternative, short of leaving them in B&B or homeless.

carolt wrote:

I also cannot believe you could argue that the rise in privately rented properties has led to a fall in rents! - there is no evidence this has happened - and certainly not for thoe poor souls who shod have been in council accomodation all along but were unable to due to the ridiculous right-to-buy policy.

Of course an increase in supply will be a downward pressure on rents.

carolt wrote:

Re greater choice - I've been renting since the early 90's and have never, ever experienced any lack of choice. Don't know anyone who has.

I have however noticed a huge lack of choice in affordable properties to buy in recent years, curiously coinciding with the rise in BTL.

More likely caused by lenders giving high mortgages to people.

chucky

IveSeenTheLight wrote: »

but carolt, you have previously explained why you were not in a position to buy



Not exactly figures, but have a look at this graph and you will see that the percentage of private rented is only slightly on the increase while social renting has by a larger percentage decreased




http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456991/html/default.stm

thanks for that - makes very good reading

IveSeenTheLight

Snooze wrote: »

So how much is the flat on its own and what's included in the rent? Considering that Scotland has a significantly lower cost of living than the bulk of England, I still think that £850/month is very expensive for that, unless you are charging £400 per month for a garage :eek: or the flat has all bills included.

Rob

The flat on its own is £750 which you will see for the area is slightly under the market rate and it does not include any utility bills

As Cleaver says

Cleaver wrote: »

The market will decide whether the flat is 'expensive'. If it is overpriced then it won't rent, if it's about right it will rent.

I've had 2 weeks void in 25 months

Check out www.aspc.co.uk and you will see the market.

stephen163

IveSeenTheLight wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456991/html/default.stm

Interpreting that graph as 'BTL has replaced social housing' is innacurate in my opinion. It is more accurate to say that the decrease in social rented has actually been replaced by rising home ownership rates. Remember the 'right to buy' scheme - that came as a result of the housing act of 1980, explaining neatly the change in that graph from 1981 onwards.

The proportion of people in private rented accommodation remained steady at 10% from 1981 until around 2001. Notice it creeping upwards - at 2005 it is at 12% and on an upward trend. What is is now? 15%? I think this is a movement away from a critical balance and caused by the massive increase in BTL.