Rent increase - is it legal?

diesel9181

have you not had one single rent increase in the 4 years you have been there? i would probably expect an increase each year in line with inflation regardless of any improvements (as would i expect a payrise at work)

sm9ai

rubbish, rental prices have stayed level or lowered due to supply and demand, e.g. there is far too much supply and not enough demand.

As for rising interest rates, did you get rent reduction in August 2005 when they lowered rates? Interest rates are his problem and absolutly nothing to do with you.

But on a side note, its worth having a quick look on rightmove for some alternative properties.

mightymouse

Hi

My memory says you do not have to be claiming housing benefit to have the property rent assessed by fair rents:-

and to provide valuations for landlords and tenants for fair rent registrations.

However the assessment can be I think binding on both landlord and tenant which means it could go higher.

http://www.therentservice.gov.uk/about-us/index.asp

saraharrow

Thanks for your comments Mighty Mouse and sm9ai, I thought it would be illegal to raise the rent to cover interest rises for the same reason, when they go down they arent reduced are they? I have had 2 rises since I have been here, but the house is getting shabby, the windows need repainting on the exterior, all the interior woodwork needs repainting, the internals walls have been repainted by me as I could live with them no longer and the LL said would I return them to the original colors when I leave as pale green and pale blue and magnolia isnt what he had. I replied so you want me to paint the rooms bright yellow, bright green and the the magnolia room should be half peach, half blue with paper falling of the walls again? and he didnt answer. I dont think he would get a tenant as easy going as what I am with this place being as shabby as it is, by the same token he wouldnt be able to get the best price for the property if he sold it. Thanks again.

Gorgeous_George

I don't expect to redecorate while a tenant is in the house.



GG

saraharrow

but surely you would maintain it to a reasonable standard? I did when I rented a property out. Sarah Beeny advises LL to redecorate every two years to maintain market value for the property, lol, in her shows and in her books.

Gorgeous_George

No. I let the property in a certain condition and expect it back in a similar condition (less fair wear and tear).

I've never met a LL that redecorates around his/her tenants.



GG

saraharrow

But surely its sensible to keep things in good condition? like the window frames? Im not saying he should come in, have a cuppa and talk color schemes etc, but how can he justify not touching the place and letting it fall to pieces? its still his property regardless of who lives in it! This house is 16 years old, it has the original carpets - virtually threadbare, the original kitchen, bathroom, none of it in good condition. So at what point does reasonable wear and tear become replace the entire lot out of the tenants deposit????

franklee

Well it's time to negotiate or move, the landlord can put up the rent provided you have been given the proper written notice. Clearly any rent should be set relative to what else is available to rent locally taking into account the loss of income when the property is empty between tenants and the value to the landlord of a proven, reliable long term tenant. But there was an interesting thread yesterday, it seems agents have a minimum income required for the tenant to be allowed to rent, calculated like this:

rosysparkle wrote: »

The rent should be less than 40% of your gross annual income to pass on affordability. Or to put it another way, your income needs to be more than 30 times the monthly rent. If the rent is £600pcm, your income needs to be greater than £18k.

Now it seems clear this should limit rent increases as otherwise there won't be enough tenants eligible to rent the property. Salaries aren't going up that fast. I've added a new post there with the numbers in this thread. Maybe it will provide some ammunition in the negotiations!

The thread is here:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=5723686#post5723686

rosysparkle

It's not lettings agents that have a minimum income, it's the referencing agencies which require that to get a pass on affordability. People with a lower income can (and do) still rent through an agent.

Franklee, you are misinterpreting the post which you keep quoting, and I think that doing so may mislead people. I did not say, and have never suggested, that a tenant needs 30x monthly rent to be "eligible" to rent. I supplied the calculation that reference agencies use to assess affordability. Affordability is only one small part of referencing and a refer on one criterion does not necessarily mean a fail reference.