Tenant on Housing Benefit

clutton_2

B&T - you flatter yourself !!! My agenda on here is, and always has been, to help tenants who are the victims of bad landlords to understand their rights, and to get satisfaction. I also help new landlords.

As the years go by on here, and the advice to newbie landlords (who mistakenly come here for impartial landlord advice) gets more and more extreme, one of my agendas is to make sure they know where else they can go for good, sound, knowledgeable advice - rather than the sometimes hysterical, and self promoting advice dished out here by one or two posters in particular.

The problem with being a newbie poster, on any forum for whatever topic, is that they dont know who is a good person to listen to, and who just shouts their mouth off at random.

With regards to the rest of the world... i have a very active and very full life, apart from my business affairs, and dont think that my job takes over my life at all.

I certainly dont think that MSE criticisms of landlords are directed solely at me, (i'm not paranoid !! ) altho - there is one poster.... (lol) .... you may speculate as you wish !! ..... but i do like to put the opposite pro-landlord case, to try to provide a more balanced view.

tbs624

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Sue, I think strife from Head Office or whatever you call in a franchise is a fond and understandable fantasy. Clutton's already given you her experience. I wouldn't waste much time or energy with that route, quite honestly. Not right now, in any case.

I'd agree with you B&T that it should come after skintsue getting repossession of her property and pursuing the T for damage/unpaid rent but as for a result being a fantasy it very much depends on *who* you aim at & how you do it when you raise the issues with the franchisor. Clutton's experience is but one and others have alternative experiences.

BitterAndTwisted

Ah yes, I agree with you but you may not have noticed that Clutton's experience with a named agent is eerily and spookily the same one, so the end-result is likely to be the same.

tbs624

clutton wrote: »

With tenants like these, this forum will sometimes acknowledge that the tenants have acted utterly irresponsibly, and yet will always seem to insist that the LL does Everything exactly according to a difficult law, even to his/her large financial detriment.

Believe me the law looks very different when its your bank balance on the line, when its your income at risk, and your family not getting food on the table.

so self righteous and pompous calls to landlords to "adhere to the utmost letter of the law" when these very rare tenants act like monsters, dont somehow have an equitable and fair ring to them.

No different from suggesting to decent Ts who have an errant LL that the T should continue to act in line with the law/the obligations placed on them by their tenancy agreement surely? It probably makes some T posters on here feel that things are not "fair and equitable" from their viewpoint.

I have to say that, whilst acknowledging the financial difficulties created by having a difficult T in situ, any LL who "cannot put food on their family's table" because of problems with a non -paying T has clearly sailed way too close to the wind with their financial planning.

Clutton perhaps assumes that onlyshe has the necessary knowledge and/or personal experience and frequently seems to take it as a personal slight when anyone else's post does not align with the views she has expressed in her own.

It's an open forum however and posters *will* have different views, none of which constitutes "advice" btw - MSE makes that quite clear - and ultimately it's up to the OP to forge their own path.

It's sad that Clutton constantly feels the need to label other people's comments as "self righteous" "pompous" "hysterical" and so on rather than simply accepting that others' views can be as valid as hers.

clutton wrote: »

This forum, yet again, is so quick to judge landlords who come here for help and support.

This refrain has become so tedious - yawn.

Go and have a drink with that fiver

tbs624

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Ah yes, I agree with you but you may not have noticed that Clutton's experience with a named agent is eerily and spookily the same one, so the end-result is likely to be the same.

I noticed the name of the LA. As I said, her experience of complaining to the franchisor is but one.:)

skintsue

There is a website I stumbled upon a while back www.allagents.co.uk which rates all Letting Agents by tenants and landlords and you can leave your comments and experiences, good and bad and give them a star rating.

My particular LA group, not my specific branch, are very much a hit or miss affair. One branch has had very favourable feedback and others slammed.

BitterAndTwisted

The very favourable feedback could have been left by one of the agent's own employees. Just take a peek at what people have to say about F*xton's and you'll get the idea. Most people if they are happy with a service are not generally motivated to search the internet to tell everyone about it. The opposite is true of people who feel they've been sh@t upon.

skintsue

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

The very favourable feedback could have been left by one of the agent's own employees. QUOTE]

Sorry, but I didn't think of that. I just assumed that they were not all cut from the same cloth.
I really should have been more streetwise by now regarding the tricks.

BitterAndTwisted

Honestly Sue, get a grip! This is marketing and letting-agents in the same breath. You are obviously far too nice and obviously not cynical enough to be in such a business dealing with such people.

However your place in heaven is assured.

skintsue

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Honestly Sue, get a grip! This is marketing and letting-agents in the same breath. You are obviously far too nice and obviously not cynical enough to be in such a business dealing with such people.

However your place in heaven is assured.

I know, I know - I'm an angel:A.
I believed I was doing a desperate mother a favour by helping her get her kids into a decent area within the catchment area of some very good schools. I thought they deserved a chance of a good start in life with the upheaval they had already been through.

SUCKER!!!!!

However, if she, and the LA, think that I am just going to roll over and take it beacause they are bigger than me, or think they are too clever, then they haven't figured me out.

I cannot stand people taking advantage of others decency and compassion and, lets admit it in some cases, desire to be liked.

Then my sense of injustice comes to the fore, and I can play tough.
Totally legal, but I can push back.