What should the politicians do?

deFoix

Pixie5740 wrote: »

What law do you want changed and to provide better consequences from whom? The OP asked what politicians can do to make renting better. I gave my tuppence worth so what do you think politicians should do to help tenants?

1. End the 'Right to Buy' discount
2. Massive government national scheme to build thousands of good quality affordable homes. These would be owned by local authorities for the sole purpose of emergency means-tested housing. Selling off would be outlawed.
3. Allow landlords to evict tenants immediately after 2-months of arrears.
4. Mandatory and automatic 3x compensation for failure of landlords to protect deposits in a certified scheme.
5. Mandatory fines, prison sentences and disqualification (minimum 2 months rent) for landlords renting slum/unsafe properties.
6. Tighter caps on housing benefit. If required people should be moved to cheaper areas - private renters have to do this so why shouldn't people claiming housing benefits.
7. Tighter checks and mandatory jail sentences to prevent illegal subletting of council accommodation.

NineDeuce

Tax breaks and housing benefit should go to funding first time buyer mortgages. This way, the end beneficiary is the first time buyer.

As it is, tax breaks and benefits have one end beneficiary - the wealthy buy to letter.

mrginge

gycraig wrote: »

if it became easier to evict tenants is it Not possible the price of rents would drop

Unlikely to make any difference whatsoever. LLs will not drop prices they will just take more profit.
Marginal impacts on overall supply and demand which are the only things that will affect prices.

Personal opinion is if a landlord can prove a tenant hasn't paid rent for 2 months then they should be able to evict them at that point, have an independent arbitrator look over the facts and then be allowed to get baillifs in.

That is exactly the scenario we have at the moment.

Comms69

gycraig wrote: »

if it became easier to evict tenants is it Not possible the price of rents would drop, ATM every landlord iv spoken to has to account for a percentage of his tenants screwing him over and milking him for ages, meaning everyone else has to pay more.

Personal opinion is if a landlord can prove a tenant hasn't paid rent for 2 months then they should be able to evict them at that point, have an independent arbitrator look over the facts and then be allowed to get baillifs in.

Like a judge?.......

Comms69

Boler1985 wrote: »

1. End the 'Right to Buy' discount
2. Massive government national scheme to build thousands of good quality affordable homes. These would be owned by local authorities for the sole purpose of emergency means-tested housing. Selling off would be outlawed.
3. Allow landlords to evict tenants immediately after 2-months of arrears.
4. Mandatory and automatic 3x compensation for failure of landlords to protect deposits in a certified scheme.
5. Mandatory fines, prison sentences and disqualification (minimum 2 months rent) for landlords renting slum/unsafe properties.
6. Tighter caps on housing benefit. If required people should be moved to cheaper areas - private renters have to do this so why shouldn't people claiming housing benefits.
7. Tighter checks and mandatory jail sentences to prevent illegal subletting of council accommodation.

You realise that the cost of keeping someone in prison is more than £40,000 per prisoner? Are you planning on paying for this?

Pixie5740

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Whilst I agree that LLs should do this, what difference does it make to the tenant?

It makes a big difference to those tenants whose landlords are in arrears and don't have consent to let the property.

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

As for the other things you mentioned, there should be a hefty fine if LLs don't comply with them, plus an obligation to comply or be banned from being a LL. However, it would have to be clarified what are NECESSARY repairs and what is an acceptable timescale to carry them out.

A landlord's repairing obligations are already set out in law. Being a landlord yourself I'm surprised that you don't know that.

seven-day-weekend

Pixie5740 wrote: »

It makes a big difference to those tenants whose landlords are in arrears and don't have consent to let the property.

Wouldn't they be given notice in the normal way?


A landlord's repairing obligations are already set out in law. Being a landlord yourself I'm surprised that you don't know that.

Yes I do know that but so many obviously don't take any notice of the law, do they? I was talking about tightening up on this and enforcing the law.

I personally would always want to keep my property in good repair, it's my investment as well as the tenant's home. However, it is not always the fault of landlords if repairs are not done - some tenants I know caused a massive damp problem in their landlord's house because they did not report a leak, and would not allow him in the house for inspections. It cost the landlord £1000s, when he eventually got in, to have it repaired.

Pixie5740

Boler1985 wrote: »

1. End the 'Right to Buy' discount
2. Massive government national scheme to build thousands of good quality affordable homes. These would be owned by local authorities for the sole purpose of emergency means-tested housing. Selling off would be outlawed.
3. Allow landlords to evict tenants immediately after 2-months of arrears.
4. Mandatory and automatic 3x compensation for failure of landlords to protect deposits in a certified scheme.
5. Mandatory fines, prison sentences and disqualification (minimum 2 months rent) for landlords renting slum/unsafe properties.
6. Tighter caps on housing benefit. If required people should be moved to cheaper areas - private renters have to do this so why shouldn't people claiming housing benefits.
7. Tighter checks and mandatory jail sentences to prevent illegal subletting of council accommodation.

3 would be a very dangerous change to the law. Too many landlords would abuse it besides even when a tenant is in arrears the landlord is no longer in possession of the property because (s)he has given it to the tenant hence the current need for a court to grant the landlord a possession order.


As for throwing rogue landlords in prison I'm not sure that's the answer. It's expensive and the prisons are full. I would rather hit the greedy, rogue b'stards where it really hurts....their pocket. Hefty fines that hurt and/or seizing of assets. Prison for landlords guilty of corporate manslaughter though, I would be in favour of that.

westernpromise

If the rogue landlord's in prison, who's going to organise and pay for any repairs his other properties need?

Rogue tenants in prison - yes.

Comms69

westernpromise wrote: »

If the rogue landlord's in prison, who's going to organise and pay for any repairs his other properties need?

Rogue tenants in prison - yes.

Do you have an example of the kind of crime and effective punishment you'd like to see?