Tricks tenants get up to

delain

poppysarah wrote: »

There are some tenants who would say that a good landlord is also hard to find.

I have a lovely landlord

I have his mobile number and if something happens like a radiator leak or something i just ring him and he pops over to sort it out. It works both ways, i have had the odd text message asking if i can cut the grass because it looks a bit long but on the whole it's all fine, in a vast contrast to when i rented through a letting agency and was left with big holes in the wall for months (all the way through the wall to outside!) and i know exactly how lucky i am to live here.

His philosophy that everything works well when you've got a good relationship with tenants and general approachability means that he's always kept informed of any changes/issues and the house is kept in good order.

not all we tenants are awful

clutton_2

thanks delain - this is only the second time in 10 years that i have been "shafted" by a tenant - so i am very lucky. It actually was the tenants boyfriend who was the mastermind behind all this trouble. His mother told me a couple of weeks ago that they had had a major row about it all ......

i never did get round to suing - but - never say never......

IveSeenTheLight

Ladybird20 wrote: »

take no deposit, add £37.50 per month onto the rent, on your AST in the section "extra condtions" add the phrase or similar "upon completion of tenancy provided property is left in a clean & tidy condtion with no outstanding debts, £450 will be refunded upon vacant possesion" hope this helps.......
Thats a bloomin good idea has anybody done that????

It is a good idea for landlords, however, if the tenant stays longer than the fixed term, they end up paying more.

As a LL, I would also wonder how it would affect my keeping the property filled. I market my properties under the market rate which means I have a very low void period. currently standing at 3.2 days per year.

Increasing the rent in this way will mean that I am not marketting the properties as financially enticing to potential tenants and I could potentially risk an increase to void periods.

Emma1973

take no deposit, add £37.50 per month onto the rent, on your AST in the section "extra condtions" add the phrase or similar "upon completion of tenancy provided property is left in a clean & tidy condtion with no outstanding debts, £450 will be refunded upon vacant possesion

I think if you got a tenant friendly judge you'd be hard pushed to explain that that doesnt constitute a deposit, albeit being received monthly!

tbs624

In fairness to Ladybird20 she was quoting from another poster, (albeit that she agreed with him!) However , agree with Emma, see post 21:

tbs624 wrote: »

You may well come unstuck - if you dress this up as "rent" & then write into a contract that you may be paying back an amount at the end of the tenancy, your arrangement may be viewed an a deliberate attempt to circumvent the tenancy deposit law. That S21 which you thought would ensure that a troublesome tenant left may well prove to be invalid if your arrangement was held to still be a form of deposit.

Have a read of the RLA guidance on alternatives to tenancy deposits:

On the link page look under "other". LLs can't place themselves above the law - registering deposits is straightforward. and they should just get it done.

GracieP

The thing is that being a landlord is a business and, like any business, it comes with risk. People who open shops have horrible nasty customers, they have shoplifters, they have suppliers who bring the wrong items or rip them off. Film production companies have investors who pull out, actors who go off the rails and are sent to rehab, directors who walk off set, locations which don't work out, tax laws that change and cause the whole movie to come to nothing after millions have been spent.

If you decide to run a business you have to accept that there will be times when it all goes to hell. Some businesses work out, some don't. Sometimes hard work brings rewards and sometimes bad luck negates everything you have done. There is no guarantee of anything in life and certainly not in business.

clutton_2

i agree with you utterly Gracie - and i have written off some bad debt (altho not a huge amount) in the last 10 years.

i never blamed the tenant for leaving my property with a few days notice - she had 2 babies and was offered a 3 bedroomed house - i would have done the same. it was her her slimey boyfriend decided to shaft me for the deposit.

but the slanted and illogical - not to mention illegal - adjudication of DPS is what makes me more mad than anything.

the other deposit protection companies actually publish the names and experience and qualifications of their Arbitration staff - so at least you have an idea that you are getting someone vaguely sensible to make the judgement

DPS however wont.

I expect Kevin Firth (DPS CEO) is too busy using his DPS database to try to sell his own property based products to landlords ........



I have more arrears this year than i have ever had - due to LHA tenants not paying me.

i have one tenant at the moment who was using her LHA to rent a field and pay for her horses feed ........ i kid you not - with two young children ....... i have now got the council to pay me direct - but not before nearly £3k debt built up.

franklee

clutton wrote: »

i agree with you utterly Gracie - and i have written off some bad debt (altho not a huge amount) in the last 10 years.

i never blamed the tenant for leaving my property with a few days notice - she had 2 babies and was offered a 3 bedroomed house - i would have done the same. it was her her slimey boyfriend decided to shaft me for the deposit.

but the slanted and illogical - not to mention illegal - adjudication of DPS is what makes me more mad than anything.

the other deposit protection companies actually publish the names and experience and qualifications of their Arbitration staff - so at least you have an idea that you are getting someone vaguely sensible to make the judgement

DPS however wont.

I expect Kevin Firth (DPS CEO) is too busy using his DPS database to try to sell his own property based products to landlords ........



I have more arrears this year than i have ever had - due to LHA tenants not paying me.

i have one tenant at the moment who was using her LHA to rent a field and pay for her horses feed ........ i kid you not - with two young children ....... i have now got the council to pay me direct - but not before nearly £3k debt built up.

That's the problem, you simply don't know who is making the ruling and if they are qualified to do so. One of the schemes seems to be headed up by in the majority a bunch of ex estate/letting agents :eek:

lizzie9876543

Hi I know this was posted a long time ago but I found whilst browing google about DSS lettings as I am trying to move but finding it hard to find a Land Lord who will accept DSS, I think its awful what has been done to you, and that it really does put land lords off from letting to dss tenants I think that you were kind hearted and that you really did get taken advantage of.