Complicated - need advice as a Landlord

AdrianC

Pixie5740 wrote: »

The original post:

I rented my house in February on a 12 month AST to a person who is working for a local company but is from Iceland, he said that his girlfriend and her 3 children were coming to visit and was I OK if they brought the dog with them to which I said yes. In March I paid a visit and the girlfriend and kids were there but no dog. The rent and deposit is paid from the company he works for and he pays them as he had no UK bank account at the time. As the gas certificate was due in July for renewal I emailed him with no response to say that I needed access to the property the following week (I have a set of keys) as he often returns to Iceland I was not to worried and arrived at the property to meet the gas man only to find the place in a right mess and marks all over the walls, a bike in the dining room and a small dog at the property, The garden (their responsibility) unwatered and pictures/posters put up. I also found a homemade 'gate' which did not open put up down the side of the property and a Sky system with dish on the side of the house. A number of gardening and painting items missing and a large stain on the ceiling below the bathroom. I contacted the tenant again both by email ad phone to no avail so resorted to contacting the company he worked for. It turns out that he has gone back to Iceland and they had him call me and he said he has split up from the girlfriend and will come back when she has gone. I agreed to give him until September to sort this out but have subsequently found out that she has been working for the same company, the children are in school here and she has put some of the bills in her name. She is going to have her work contract terminated this month and the company would like to rent the house for other employees to live in and I have no problem with this. I also find out that the tenant has been charged and dealt with by the court for assault and criminal damage. The tenant has breached several conditions of the tenancy so what I need to know is :- 1) do I have the right to get the girlfriend out and what rights if any, does she have. 2) Can I terminate his tenancy and do I need to use a Section 8 and what notice do I need to give? His company are being very helpful but they cannot do anything regarding his tenancy. I should point out that the property has had £20k spent on it in the past year and the garden landscaped and we are planning to put new flooring in next month and a new kitchen in next spring. None of which ill happen whilst the girlfriend is there.

Ignoring all the tantrums and huffs, it's very simple.

They're on a fixed period AST until next February. If you want them out, then issue the s21 in time so that you can start to enforce possession then.

In the meantime, remember that they are paying you for exclusive use of the property, and the only time that you have any direct interest in the condition and tidiness is when the tenancy ends. At that point, if it's in a state, you can hit the deposit to put it right. If the deposit's not sufficient, then you can issue a claim against the tenant directly. If the tenant is the company, then great. The company won't wamder off back to Iceland without caring about their UK credit record.

If you're emotionally invested in the property, then you will go grey very prematurely.

BTW, are you sure renting 1 x £400k property out is the best return for £400k? Would 2 x £200k properties, or even 4 x £100k properties, be a better and more predictable return, as well as breaking that emotional tie?

G_M

AdrianC wrote: »

.....property, then you will go grey very prematurely.

BTW, are you sure renting 1 x £400k property out is the best return for £400k? Would 2 x £200k properties, or even 4 x £100k properties, be a better and more predictable return, as well as breaking that emotional tie?

Given the OP is having difficulty managing one property, do you think suggesting he manage 4 properies, and 4 tenants, is wise..........?

:eek:


£400K invested in a cautious, diversified, portfolio of funds might be a better option.

AdrianC

G_M wrote: »

Given the OP is having difficulty managing one property, do you think suggesting he manage 4 properies, and 4 tenants, is wise..........?

Weeeeellll....

Seriously, I think the root cause of the problem is that he's probably an "accidental landlord" who's moved himself and rented the old place out - and simply doesn't view his legal responsibilities and the tenant's legal rights seriously, because of that emotional involvement with his old home. The £20k-landscaping-new-floors-new-kitchen-children's-inheritance just proves that.

Breaking that link would actually bring it home to him just what the reality SHOULD be.

Marvel1

septemberblues wrote: »

Ouch......I can see why people are scared to ask questions on this board........try being nice peeps!!

Sometimes being not so nice and being blunt is the best way to get the message across

Guest101

marksoton wrote: »

Then forget about the employer. Your contract is with him and him alone regardless of where funds come from.

S8 served under grounds of anti social behaviour. Job done.

That will fail. For the courts to evict under this term (discretionary) they will want evidence in the form of an ASBO or similar.