Anyone else think a "Landlord Sticky" would be a good idea?

Werdnal

We seem to get posts here on an almost daily basis from first time/newbie LL's; Usually the basic questions, and confusion over how to let, how to pay tax, how to insure, even those many uninformed who are blissfully unaware about consent to let from lenders, freeholders and insurance providers.

Poor G_M is constantly "linking" people to the very helpful post he/she (forgive me I am not sure !), has made about the basics of letting.

Do others think it would be helpful if we could have a sticky on the usual do's and don'ts, like the "Tenant guide" one we already have? As it is, we seem to be constantly repeating the same info several times a day. I know its impossible to answer every question, but I'm sure it would be helpful if we just had a sticky at the top we could refer newbies to?

Anyone else have any thoughts please?

tbs624

MSE is a consumer website and LLs are not "consumers" in the property letting game. They do of course have LLzone (from where several new posters have recently come) , and they have LL associations etc, with their own fora. They can of course simply google "property letting" and link up with the direct.gov. pages or contact HMRC direct on tax queries. I have to admit that I find it strange that folk will query other posters rather than contacting their local tax office and getting it from the horse's mouth.

Although I will answer queries from other LLs who post on this board, I have always felt that the clue is in the board Title : House Buying, Renting and Selling. If you are a T you "rent" a house but if you are a LL you "let" it.

Ts are the consumers in the LL & T relationship, hence the requests for guidance for them to be up at the top of the HBR&S board in the form of stickies. There is no all-encompassing "Tenant Union/Association" to whom Ts can turn, although Shelter's excellent website provides a sterling service.

Others may of course have different views

Werdnal

Thank you, sorry I didn't realise this issue. We'll all have to keep cutting and pasting then!

G_M

tbs624 wrote: »

MSE is a consumer website and LLs are not "consumers" in the property letting game. They do of course have LLzone (from where several new posters have recently come) , and they have LL associations etc, with their own fora. They can of course simply google "property letting" and link up with the direct.gov. pages or contact HMRC direct on tax queries. I have to admit that I find it strange that folk will query other posters rather than contacting their local tax office and getting it from the horse's mouth.

Although I will answer queries from other LLs who post on this board, I have always felt that the clue is in the board Title : House Buying, Renting and Selling. If you are a T you "rent" a house but if you are a LL you "let" it.

Ts are the consumers in the LL & T relationship, hence the requests for guidance for them to be up at the top of the HBR&S board in the form of stickies. There is no all-encompassing "Tenant Union/Association" to whom Ts can turn, although Shelter's excellent website provides a sterling service.

Others may of course have different views

Yes....... and no!

Many 'accidental' landlords are house-buyers in difficulty (moving location; mortgage arrears etc) so while, yes, landlords are not consumers in the LL/tenant relationship, they are often consumers in the mortgage relationship looking for a way out....

As for the distinction between 'renting' and 'letting', again, true. But given how many of these landlords have trouble even spelling 'tennent' I suspect it goes over many a head!

And finally, by educating aspiring landlords, if only by referring them to Landlordzone, RLA, etc. we are helping protect their consumers, by ensuring CTL is applied for, deposits are protected etc.

So in answer - yes I believe a sticky would be useful!

No idea how to get one though!

chris_m

G_M wrote: »

So in answer - yes I believe a sticky would be useful!
No idea how to get one though!

If this board is like most other sites/software, you [STRIKE]bribe[/STRIKE] ask a mod/admin :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

taxsaver

I too think a sticky would be useful.

casper_g

taxsaver wrote: »

I too think a sticky would be useful.

+1 (and some more characters to reach the minimum required!).

G_M

chris_m wrote: »

If this board is like most other sites/software, you [STRIKE]bribe[/STRIKE] ask a mod/admin :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I'm here to save money not to hand out bribes!

may_fair

In my brief experience of this forum, I don't recall any threads on here by obviously 'professional' landlords. As G_M says, there are a lot of (often clueless) 'accidental' landlords about, forced into letting, which is part and parcel of 'not-selling' problems - and incidentally, how is selling your house a consumer activity apart from the agent/solicitor aspect?

Personally, I don't see why these accidental landlords should be any less deserving of help and guidance, (particularly when, as G_M points out, it can only benefit the tenant in the equation). And not infrequently, the LL is being ripped off/played by what we call 'professional' tenants on the landlordzone forum; tenants who know the law back to front and who target clueless landlords (not all tenants are blameless, saintly consumers).

Whilst there *are* resources for landlords such as associations etc, apart from the landlordzone forum none of them are free. Tenants are equally at liberty to Google for answers but the fact is that in the great swamp of the internet it's specific answers to specific problems that people are seeking, hence the popularity of forums like this.

BTW, the landlordzone forum is not exclusively for landlords. I'd say around 40-50% of the threads in the Residential Letting Qs section are started by tenants looking for advice and they get exactly the same level of help as landlord posters do.

Mind_the_Gap

I agree entirely with the above post and I'm afraid to say I find #2 rather dismissive and unhelpful.

If it's OK for property vendors to be treated as 'consumers', and thus deserving of help here, it is totally illogical to treat private landlords as any less deserving.

Given the vast numbers of people in this country on lower incomes who rent rather than buy their homes and the increasing numbers of landlords who have stumbled into the business rather than actively chosen it, it is in everyone's interests that their landlords know exactly how to let professionally. It invariably saves Ts unnecessary upheaval, hassle and cost if their LLs know their job and are aware of the rights of both parties to the contract.

Some simple examples : if LLs do not know that they cannot legally hang on to their Ts' deposits but must protect them, then the 'consumer' - their T - usually loses out. If LLs do not realise they cannot just turn up a the Ts' home demanding to 'inspect' (or even, in some cases, demanding that the T moves out), their T suffers a breach of his rights. If the LL doesn't realise they cannot claim 'new for old' (betterment) if T damages an item, their T risks being fleeced.

tbs624

may_fair wrote: »

In my brief experience of this forum, I don't recall any threads on here by obviously 'professional' landlords. As G_M says, there are a lot of (often clueless) 'accidental' landlords about, forced into letting, which is part and parcel of 'not-selling' problems

"not selling problems" are usually caused by a vendor's insistence that their property is worth more than any buyer is prepared to buy it for. Whatever the reason behind someone becoming a LL, entering the property market as a LL means that you are effectively running a business, a trade, albeit that the taxman describes it as "unearned income".

may_fair wrote: »

- and incidentally, how is selling your house a consumer activity apart from the agent/solicitor aspect?

You've answered your own query.:)

may_fair wrote: »

Personally, I don't see why these accidental landlords should be any less deserving of help and guidance, (particularly when, as G_M points out, it can only benefit the tenant in the equation). And not infrequently, the LL is being ripped off/played by what we call 'professional' tenants on the landlordzone forum; tenants who know the law back to front and who target clueless landlords (not all tenants are blameless, saintly consumers).

Of course they aren't , any more than any other type of consumer is. We call them "professional Ts" on here too

However, the OP in this thread referred specifically to a guide for newbie LLs, rather than queries about troublesome Ts btw. The post by G_M to which he refers also credits my own responses to a newbie LL.

may_fair wrote: »

Whilst there *are* resources for landlords such as associations etc, apart from the landlordzone forum none of them are free.

The RLA and NLA sites have plenty of useful guidance on their sites that is free.

For example, see:

http://www.rla.org.uk/landlord/documents/landlord_document_centre.shtml

http://www.landlords.org.uk/library/subjects

then see:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/Privaterenting/RentingOutYourProperty/DG_189124

may_fair wrote: »

Tenants are equally at liberty to Google for answers but the fact is that in the great swamp of the internet it's specific answers to specific problems that people are seeking, hence the popularity of forums like this.

Look back at Werdnal's question. It refers specifically to queries about the very basics of property letting - the *fact* is that the info needed is neatly gathered together in several other places on the net.

may_fair wrote: »

BTW, the landlordzone forum is not exclusively for landlords.

I don't think anyone has said that it is, but the name alone would possibly put some Ts off, if they were having a hard time with their own LL.