Join me in my rights for tenants campaign

sooz

pyueck wrote: »

Let me give a few:

Allowing tenants to suspend rent payments immidiately in a property where the landlord is not fulfilling their obligations. Immediately? Really? Who would decide what constituted the non-fulfillment of obligations? There is a procedure for tenants to carry out their own repairs should the LL refuse to. http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_lets

Fine a landlord and agent twice the amount if it is found that they have attempted to withold a deposit amount illegally. The inventory & deposit protection scheme render this suggestion unecessary.

Ban landlords from renting properties where they have been found to be regularly in breach of their statutory obligations. Also close down letting agents that allow landlords not to fulfill their obligations.
Use a regulated ARLA agent http://www.arla.co.uk/

The compulsory ombundsman scheme would mean that tenants would have a right to compensation if they had not been dealt with fairly. This ombudsman scheme would be covered by the £10 per tenancy fee, right?

Prison sentences for illegal eviction cases. That would be covered by the Protection from Eviction Act of 1977 & the Housing Act of 1988

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/138298.pdf

The biggest punishment of all would be my referencing scheme that would quickly put bad landlords and tenants out of business.

You can & should ask LL's for a reference. What you are suggesting, 5 years of references, is totally unworkable. There are also LL's associations, of which good LL's are members of. The NLA has a membership card to show prospective tenants, & they can check this online to see that membership is active, & the code of conduct to which their members subscribe.

But really I think you'd be happiest in somewhere like Christiania.

Emmzi

c'mon .. you aren't seriously trying to implement this or you'd take on board feedback.

You're just having a rant, aren't you?

tbs624

pyueck wrote: »

Let me give a few:

Allowing tenants to suspend rent payments immidiately in a property where the landlord is not fulfilling their obligations.

We have to be balanced so alongside that should we have a new draconian right for LLs to kick a T out of a property immediately where the T is not meeting their own obligations?

pyueck wrote: »

Fine a landlord and agent twice the amount if it is found that they have attempted to withold a deposit amount illegally.

Fine a T twice the amount of the monthly rent if they have witheld it/failed to pay on the due date?

pyueck wrote: »

Ban landlords from renting properties where they have been found to be regularly in breach of their statutory obligations. Also close down letting agents that allow landlords not to fulfill their obligations.

Ban Ts from renting any other property if they have regularly breached contracts - standard issue argos/decathlon pop up tent only possibility?

pyueck wrote: »

The compulsory ombundsman scheme would mean that tenants would have a right to compensation if they had not been dealt with fairly.

I want me compo! Tenants currently have a right to compensation via the small claims court. LLs of course would need similar rights to compo when an errant T has been "unfair"....

pyueck wrote: »

Prison sentences for illegal eviction cases.

already available. Mags Court - 6 months in prison and a fine of up to £5k , Crown Court, max of 2 years prison and unlimited fine.

pyueck wrote: »

The biggest punishment of all would be my referencing scheme that would quickly put bad landlords and tenants out of business.

Cobblers. If I don't have points on my licence, it doesn't mean I don't speed. If any of us have a clear CRB check it's possibly because we ain't been caught yet, not that we're squeaky clean.

What about the LL who does everything by the book but nevertheless has former Ts who simply couldn't be arsed to fill a form in. "This LL has yet to be reviewed..be the first" , (in the style of Amazon, Tripadvisor?) Potential T checking LL out "What can this mean? No negatives but no positives either? That can't be good...must mean that s/he's mediocre or has put the frighteners on the other Ts"

Databases don't solve all our problems even if the Government would like us all to believe otherwise.:rotfl:

clutton_2

OP says ""From my opinion the less people who buy properties to let the better, it will only push property prices up and increase the amount of people who have to live at the will of the very variable quality of and completely unregulated mass of landlords and letting agents in the UK.""

"the less people"... here we have it... jealousy.........

you just REALLY dont want to hear the truth do you - THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 STATUTES AND REGULATIONS COVERING LL&T LEGISLATION



pleeeease stop calling this a ""completely unregulated" business..... you only weaken your already weak un-thought-through, illogical case.......



I have just spent TEN MONTHS getting a tenant from hell out of one of my properties......


tell me how THAT is just ??

The whole legal system is dreadfully skewed in favour of tenants......

Since Rachman - the law has become more and more skewed against landlords... and yet as a business we provide a huge % of the social housing that government refuses to provide

and we are universally pilloried for it...

Even Julie Rugg - Dr at York Uni - who did a researched report on the Private Rental Sector last year said that landlords have become scapegoats ....

local authorities abuse us on housing benefit claims

HA get their LHA direct - we dont.....

Shelter abuse us......

Environmental Health often abuse us

and yet ....

the number of deposit disputes which go to ARbitration is less than 6% - so generally landlords and tenants are able to negotiate for themsevles and get a satisfactory conclusion to tenancies.......

If more legislation is brought in.. landlords costs go up... and then the number of landlords offering property goes down...

Have you seen the increase in LHA debt figures and the reduction in properties for let whihc say "DSS welcome"""

in 2 years, in my view, the government will have additional HUGE housing costs as there will be such a tiny proportion of PRS houses available for LHA clients.. but councils will still legally have to house these vulnerable groups....

Landlords need financial incentives to help them upgrade their properties so that repairs issues are less likely.....

Other businesses get Government and European help.... why not landlords.......

i was truly horrified at the original post - but am very heartened indeed by the spontaneous outburst of common sense from the many regular posters....

thank you to those who recognise that the large majority of landlords provide a good service

lizzielondon

pyueck wrote: »

Let me give a few:

Allowing tenants to suspend rent payments immidiately in a property where the landlord is not fulfilling their obligations.

Fine a landlord and agent twice the amount if it is found that they have attempted to withold a deposit amount illegally.

Ban landlords from renting properties where they have been found to be regularly in breach of their statutory obligations. Also close down letting agents that allow landlords not to fulfill their obligations.

The compulsory ombundsman scheme would mean that tenants would have a right to compensation if they had not been dealt with fairly.

Prison sentences for illegal eviction cases.

The biggest punishment of all would be my referencing scheme that would quickly put bad landlords and tenants out of business.

although this would be great how could be prove their intention? a lot of lls are probably out pocket after a tenant moves out because the check in report was not comprehensive enough

lizzielondon

clutton wrote: »

OP says ""From my opinion the less people who buy properties to let the better, it will only push property prices up and increase the amount of people who have to live at the will of the very variable quality of and completely unregulated mass of landlords and letting agents in the UK.""

"the less people"... here we have it... jealousy.........

you just REALLY dont want to hear the truth do you - THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 STATUTES AND REGULATIONS COVERING LL&T LEGISLATION



pleeeease stop calling this a ""completely unregulated" business..... you only weaken your already weak un-thought-through, illogical case.......



I have just spent TEN MONTHS getting a tenant from hell out of one of my properties......


tell me how THAT is just ??

The whole legal system is dreadfully skewed in favour of tenants......

Since Rachman - the law has become more and more skewed against landlords... and yet as a business we provide a huge % of the social housing that government refuses to provide

and we are universally pilloried for it...

Even Julie Rugg - Dr at York Uni - who did a researched report on the Private Rental Sector last year said that landlords have become scapegoats ....

local authorities abuse us on housing benefit claims

HA get their LHA direct - we dont.....

Shelter abuse us......

Environmental Health often abuse us

and yet ....

the number of deposit disputes which go to ARbitration is less than 6% - so generally landlords and tenants are able to negotiate for themsevles and get a satisfactory conclusion to tenancies.......

If more legislation is brought in.. landlords costs go up... and then the number of landlords offering property goes down...

Have you seen the increase in LHA debt figures and the reduction in properties for let whihc say "DSS welcome"""

in 2 years, in my view, the government will have additional HUGE housing costs as there will be such a tiny proportion of PRS houses available for LHA clients.. but councils will still legally have to house these vulnerable groups....

Landlords need financial incentives to help them upgrade their properties so that repairs issues are less likely.....

Other businesses get Government and European help.... why not landlords.......

i was truly horrified at the original post - but am very heartened indeed by the spontaneous outburst of common sense from the many regular posters....

thank you to those who recognise that the large majority of landlords provide a good service

i agree

I'm a tenant and it's true that the law is skewed in favour of tenants

there are some bad landlords- but we can't punish the good ones

pyueck

clutton wrote: »

OP says ""From my opinion the less people who buy properties to let the better, it will only push property prices up and increase the amount of people who have to live at the will of the very variable quality of and completely unregulated mass of landlords and letting agents in the UK.""

"the less people"... here we have it... jealousy

Jealousy? What are you talking about, I am talking about tenants getting a fair deal!

you just REALLY dont want to hear the truth do you - THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 STATUTES AND REGULATIONS COVERING LL&T LEGISLATION

So what tenants are still getting a bad deal and need more protection

pleeeease stop calling this a ""completely unregulated" business..... you only weaken your already weak un-thought-through, illogical case

It is an unregulated business!!!!!! Get your facts straight!!!!!!!

I have just spent TEN MONTHS getting a tenant from hell out of one of my properties......


tell me how THAT is just

Bad tenant, fair enough, I am talking about dealing with bad landlords and agents though.

The whole legal system is dreadfully skewed in favour of tenants

Its not, landlords can use the knowledge of an agent to harass the tenant, the tenant gets no such support

Since Rachman - the law has become more and more skewed against landlords... and yet as a business we provide a huge % of the social housing that government refuses to provide

and we are universally pilloried for it

And you are paid handsomely for doing so. If you don't like it don't do it. I am talking about the rights of private tenants, landlords providing social housing is irrelevant.

Even Julie Rugg - Dr at York Uni - who did a researched report on the Private Rental Sector last year said that landlords have become scapegoats ....

local authorities abuse us on housing benefit claims

HA get their LHA direct - we dont.....

Shelter abuse us......

Environmental Health often abuse us

and yet ....

the number of deposit disputes which go to ARbitration is less than 6% - so generally landlords and tenants are able to negotiate for themsevles and get a satisfactory conclusion to tenancies

6% is a fair amount, and how many tenants don't dispute it out of ignorance and because they are scared of a bad reference?

If more legislation is brought in.. landlords costs go up... and then the number of landlords offering property goes down

Good, landlords take properties from real buyers

Landlords need financial incentives to help them upgrade their properties so that repairs issues are less likely.....

Other businesses get Government and European help.... why not landlords

Now your being silly, are you seriously suggesting government should subsidise the costs of keeping the property in a good standard? If you don't want to be a landlord don't.

i was truly horrified at the original post - but am very heartened indeed by the spontaneous outburst of common sense from the many regular posters....

thank you to those who recognise that the large majority of landlords provide a good service

Address the points raised, don't say your horrified tell me where you think tenants don't deserve what i am suggesting. Yes my points may not be popular with the many landlords with their noses in the trough on this board, but they are all valid points.

vaporate

OP, it sounds like alot of LL on here dont want the skewed rules chnaged from their favour lol.

I'm with you on this one.

pyueck

lizzielondon wrote: »

i agree

I'm a tenant and it's true that the law is skewed in favour of tenants

there are some bad landlords- but we can't punish the good ones

If your a tenant you should ask yourself why do you have to pay a deposit to protect the landlord, but the landlord does not have to pay a deposit to protect you? Have you moved property, thats when the true colours of landlords and letting agents comes out unfortunately. They are all smiles when you run to the cash machine when they tell you 'oh and yes the agency fee is £250'. If your a tenant stand up for yourself, you will meet a bad landlord sooner or later.

I do not want to punish any good landlord, I just want to protect tenants from the bad ones. None of my ideas should cause a problem for a good landlord. You can't protect people by just saying, well there are good people too you know, therefore we shouldnt do anything.

sooz

pyueck wrote: »

If your a tenant you should ask yourself why do you have to pay a deposit to protect the landlord, but the landlord does not have to pay a deposit to protect you?

The landlord grants you exclusive occupation, for the duration of your contract, to a property worth hundred/s of thousands of pounds. Is that not deposit enough for you?

Have you ever tried to rent a car? They too ask for a deposit, or credit card on file, from which to take an excess, before handing you the keys to a car worth 'only' thousands.