1 in 10 landlords failing tenants on basic legal requirements

Graham_Devon

wotsthat wrote: »

Who'd want a landlord that ignored safety standards and would likely throw them out for having the audacity to ask for a gas safety certificate?

Time to find somewhere else to live anyway by the sounds of it. Move out and report the former landlord - it really is that simple.

It really isn't that simple.

I feel I'm forever stating the same sort of things to you.

What if you have kids at a school close by? Would you want to be chucked out of your home....maybe having to move outside of the catchment area?

What about if everything else is fine, you love the house, you love the area, you have friends close by?

Could you move within 2 months notice? Would you explain that as "simple". I doubt it. But so long as it doesnt effect you.....

You need to remove the rose tints and think out of the box a little. Think about how families live and their requirements. Think about the upheavel....the school place etc.

wotsthat

Graham_Devon wrote: »

It really isn't that simple.

I feel I'm forever stating the same sort of things to you.

What if you have kids at a school close by? Would you want to be chucked out of your home....maybe having to move outside of the catchment area?

What about if everything else is fine, you love the house, you love the area, you have friends close by?

Could you move within 2 months notice? Would you explain that as "simple". I doubt it. But so long as it doesnt effect you.....

You need to remove the rose tints and think out of the box a little. Think about how families live and their requirements. Think about the upheavel....the school place etc.

Seriously, you've got a landlord that has a disregard for safety, little regard for treating you decently but the house is wonderful and in a great school catchment - what are the chances of that?

Finding new rented accomodation seems way simpler than organising my kids funerals.

Mr._Pricklepants

Sampong wrote: »

Pricklepants will be along shortly to call me racist for mentioning migration again but before you do you may want to consider that what I have pointed out there is lack of any action by the authority to tackle exploitation of migrant workers.

Jeez, give it a rest Pong.

The thread is about rental regulation, not Lithuanians or other migrants. I'm surprised your so-called 'friend' didn't mention they all poo on the carpet and slurp vodka all day. :rotfl:

Rental regulation and control should apply in all cases, no matter what nationality the landlord or the tenant is.

Carl31

wotsthat wrote: »

Who'd want a landlord that ignored safety standards and would likely throw them out for having the audacity to ask for a gas safety certificate?

Time to find somewhere else to live anyway by the sounds of it. Move out and report the former landlord - it really is that simple.

its not like changing a gas supplier, you cant just upheave your whole family's life, just because the 'service' you are being supplied isn't up to scratch
This is where the whole 'have a go' landlord thing is dangerous, people seeing their BTL as an investment, not a service. Conforming to regulation obviously impacts their returns, why would anyone want to purposely make themselves out of pocket?

wotsthat

In this case not 'being up to scratch' = potential death trap - better to move than to take the risk?

Generali

No valid gas cert should be a criminal offence IMO punishable by a fine and/or a prison sentence.

Death from CO poisoning should be treated as manslaughter if there are no mitigating circumstances. No gas cert and a death should have an expectation of 20+ years in gaol. It's the same thing as the Bangladeshi factory deaths.

Graham_Devon

wotsthat wrote: »

Seriously, you've got a landlord that has a disregard for safety, little regard for treating you decently but the house is wonderful and in a great school catchment - what are the chances of that?

Finding new rented accomodation seems way simpler than organising my kids funerals.

The chances are quite high.

You suggested that they should complain. i gave you possible reasons why they would be hesitant.

Of course, moving is an option open to all, but it doesnt exactly come cheap or without barriers.

It is NOT and neither should it be the responsibility of the tenant to make sure their landlord does their job right. That's not to say that the tenant does not have a part to play, they DO. However, just suggesting they complain or move misses the point entirely, and neither does it recognise any of the problems associated with this.

They need someone to complain to, who isn't their landlord or rental agent. I.e. someone who won't take an action of eviction against the tenant for complaining. Indeed, regulation needs to make sure this cannot happen.

At the moent however, the tenant can be removed outside of the 6 months at the drop of a hat. hardly an incentive for many to complain to the very person who can evict them with ease.

Graham_Devon

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote: »

Looking at it another way, at least the average tenant is probably safer than a homeowner - do you think 9/10 homeowners have their gas boilers serviced and checked every single year?

Very valid point. However a homeowner isn't paying for a service.

It's a bit like getting in a taxi. They have to cover far more than a car owner does.

chucknorris

Generali wrote: »

No valid gas cert should be a criminal offence IMO punishable by a fine and/or a prison sentence.

Death from CO poisoning should be treated as manslaughter if there are no mitigating circumstances. No gas cert and a death should have an expectation of 20+ years in gaol. It's the same thing as the Bangladeshi factory deaths.

I agree with you but I do think some leeway should/could be given in certain circumstances. For example a couple of years ago my tenant who had previously agreed to be in for the gas safety check, called me the day before to say he couldn't be there. I ended up paying someone £100 just to go there and let the British Gas guy in, it wasn't the £100 that concerned me it was that I might not have found anyone at short notice.

I think that it should count for something if the landlord has a long standing maintenance agreement with a reputable company like British Gas. If the tenant bails out at the 11th hour and the result is that a gas safety check is a few days late, I think that this should be acceptable.

ILW

Licensing landlords would solve many of these problems. If proof of complaince had to be submitted annually and failure meant a real possibility of a fine and revocation, it may just focus the minds of some of the amateurs.

If linked to HMRC and DSS it could also save a fortune in tax evasion and benefit fraud.