Letting fees to be banned from June - MSE News

Mr_Tenant

Thanks comms 96.......just to reply to your very insightful answers.
1.I dont have to move from my current rental until 25th June so i politely declined their generous offer. - why are you moving on the 25th June? .........not that you have any reason to ask this but it is because my landlord has given 2 months notice/ and the final date for leaving is 25th June. not relevant and i dont know why i even mention it

2.I am so glad that greedy estate agents / landlords will now not be in a strong position to exploit people going forward. - no-one is exploited. It's a free market ...............Charging tenants between £400 to £800 to rent a property is exploitation if i want a specific property with only one agent.

3.The online estate agency open rent which is run by the landlords dont charge any fees for renting a property so why were we all paying for overpriced fees.............because they can get away with it .......but not any more. - no, because you wanted something someone else had.........????????
4.I am going to submit a £500 invoice to my next landlord after my checks to see if they are honest and trust worthy............is that fair enough ? - You can do if you want to. But it wont be enforceable.............really ! well i didnt realize that. just a sarcastic comment
5.This debate isnt about rogue tenants or landlords or credit checks etc it is about fair charges for a fair service like most of the rest of society. - Nothing 'fair' about it ...........very well said my friend nothing fair about it so the government have scrapped them.......thats 'fair' now.
6.If i want to rent a car for 12 months i will normally pay for the rent for the car and to fill in the paperwork is usually free or a small admin const if that so why when i rent a car would i want to pay between £400 to £600 before i get my hands on the keys. - you are renting a car specifically from 'the owner', with much fewer legal protections than renting a property... no my friend i would be renting a car from a 'company'
7.Can anyone.........either estate agent. landlord or general member of the public explain or justify this....... - yes, it's basic supply and demand.................how can ' basic supply and demand' justify £400 to £800 fees for renting a property they shouldnt be allowed to get away with it..........oh yes if forgot you landlords / agents wont from the 1st june 2019.....first useful thing the tory government have done.
8.Given that it's unlikely you actually have to move by June 25th, I suggest you concentrate your efforts on that..............yes thank you for the fantastic advice i will concentrate all my time and effort now. as obviously a landlord yourself i am sorry you wont be able to claim these fees anymore but you have to understand we cant all afford to buy our own properties but rising house costs is another debate of which i am sure you will have an opinion. look forward to reading your knowledgable and insightful feedback.

Comms69

Mr_Tenant wrote: »

Thanks comms 96.......just to reply to your very insightful answers. 69*
1.I dont have to move from my current rental until 25th June so i politely declined their generous offer. - why are you moving on the 25th June? .........not that you have any reason to ask this but it is because my landlord has given 2 months notice/ and the final date for leaving is 25th June. not relevant and i dont know why i even mention it - I ask because you don't 'have' to leave. the landlords notice is not a notice to leave. it's a notice of intention to go to court. You can stay there longer if you wish

2.I am so glad that greedy estate agents / landlords will now not be in a strong position to exploit people going forward. - no-one is exploited. It's a free market ...............Charging tenants between £400 to £800 to rent a property is exploitation if i want a specific property with only one agent. - It's not exploitation. You want something they have. I'd quite like a Ferrari, is it exploitation to pay £120k?

3.The online estate agency open rent which is run by the landlords dont charge any fees for renting a property so why were we all paying for overpriced fees.............because they can get away with it .......but not any more. - no, because you wanted something someone else had.........???????? - I'm saying you aren't entitled to rent any property you like. This is a voluntary agreement between two parties

4.I am going to submit a £500 invoice to my next landlord after my checks to see if they are honest and trust worthy............is that fair enough ? - You can do if you want to. But it wont be enforceable.............really ! well i didnt realize that. just a sarcastic comment - I was being sincere.

5.This debate isnt about rogue tenants or landlords or credit checks etc it is about fair charges for a fair service like most of the rest of society. - Nothing 'fair' about it ...........very well said my friend nothing fair about it so the government have scrapped them.......thats 'fair' now. - not it's lawful now. Nothing 'fair' about regulating private business using the state

6.If i want to rent a car for 12 months i will normally pay for the rent for the car and to fill in the paperwork is usually free or a small admin const if that so why when i rent a car would i want to pay between £400 to £600 before i get my hands on the keys. - you are renting a car specifically from 'the owner', with much fewer legal protections than renting a property... no my friend i would be renting a car from a 'company' - Yes the owner is the company. Not an agent.

7.Can anyone.........either estate agent. landlord or general member of the public explain or justify this....... - yes, it's basic supply and demand.................how can ' basic supply and demand' justify £400 to £800 fees for renting a property they shouldnt be allowed to get away with it..........oh yes if forgot you landlords / agents wont from the 1st june 2019.....first useful thing the tory government have done. - yes they should charge £x if that's what they want. The state should not be interfering with private business. You aren't entitled to something just because you want it.



8.Given that it's unlikely you actually have to move by June 25th, I suggest you concentrate your efforts on that..............yes thank you for the fantastic advice i will concentrate all my time and effort now. as obviously a landlord yourself i am sorry you wont be able to claim these fees anymore - not a landlord. Landlords don't typically charge these fees. but you have to understand we cant all afford to buy our own properties but rising house costs is another debate of which i am sure you will have an opinion. - most likely it will be the same opinion, supply and demand look forward to reading your knowledgable and insightful feedback.

If you stopped assuming things you might realise I was suggesting you look into your rights as a tenant to remain in the property longer

Mr_Tenant

1. I ask because you don't 'have' to leave. the landlords notice is not a notice to leave. it's a notice of intention to go to court. You can stay there longer if you wish ..............how practical would it be for me to say to the landlord iam not going until you serve a section 21 and the trouble that would cause. also it could effect my credit or any reference from my landlord where i have spent the last 7 years so thats easier said than done. even if i make things difficult which there wouldnt be any point i will be forced out sooner or later. yes i understand legally i cant be forced out but i now have to leave either way.

2.Charging tenants between £400 to £800 to rent a property is exploitation if i want a specific property with only one agent. - It's not exploitation. You want something they have. I'd quite like a Ferrari, is it exploitation to pay £120k?................not for a premium product no but if i had to pay the company another £10.000 before they gave me the keys....."well why dont you go to another garage ?" ok i will and they charge £5000 or maybe nothing. point being they can do this but it isnt fair but a law comes in to stop this and you say this isnt fair ??? well maybe so but life isnt fair as we have established.

3..???????? - I'm saying you aren't entitled to rent any property you like. This is a voluntary agreement between two parties...........well i can now from the 1st June.

4.You can do if you want to. But it wont be enforceable.............really ! well i didnt realize that. just a sarcastic comment - I was being sincere. .............pedantic.

5..very well said my friend nothing fair about it so the government have scrapped them.......thats 'fair' now. - not it's lawful now. Nothing 'fair' about regulating private business using the state...........................i think its fair / lawful that i dont have to pay £400 / £800 to rent a property or £30 to £60 to renew a contract after 6 / 12 months

6. you are renting a car specifically from 'the owner', with much fewer legal protections than renting a property... no my friend i would be renting a car from a 'company' - Yes the owner is the company. Not an agent. .........i am not a trained solicitor just a lay person feeling a bit happier that i am not being ripped off by greedy estate agents / landlords.

7.oh yes if forgot you landlords / agents wont from the 1st june 2019.....first useful thing the tory government have done. - yes they should charge £x if that's what they want. The state should not be interfering with private business. You aren't entitled to something just because you want it. ..............state can and have interfered and not fair dosent come into it . it is law from the 1st June.

System

Whilst I agree with the sentiments around the reasoning for the changes in legislation it will make it harder for people to rent going forward.


Landlords will start to only take tenants that are squeaky clean credit wise, forget it if you have pets.


As with most things in life it is the minority that cause problems for the majority, there are many agents out there that didn't charge rip off fees, the main culprits were the large corporate firms that have shareholders to answer for.


The constant meddling by the government and god for bid if labour get in to power with their proposed changes is driving many landlords from the market, this void will be taken up by commercial landlords, this will drive up rents and it will be the least well of that suffer.

Comms69

Mr_Tenant wrote: »

1. I ask because you don't 'have' to leave. the landlords notice is not a notice to leave. it's a notice of intention to go to court. You can stay there longer if you wish ..............how practical would it be for me to say to the landlord iam not going until you serve a section 21 and the trouble that would cause. - legally no trouble at all. also it could effect my credit - not unless you don't pay any court costs within the designated time or any reference from my landlord where i have spent the last 7 years so thats easier said than done. even if i make things difficult which there wouldnt be any point i will be forced out sooner or later. yes i understand legally i cant be forced out but i now have to leave either way. - Well you'll have to leave eventually. I just meant that is June 25th wasn't enough time, you probably have 6-9 months of a valid tenancy left

2.Charging tenants between £400 to £800 to rent a property is exploitation if i want a specific property with only one agent. - It's not exploitation. You want something they have. I'd quite like a Ferrari, is it exploitation to pay £120k?................not for a premium product no but if i had to pay the company another £10.000 before they gave me the keys....."well why dont you go to another garage ?" ok i will and they charge £5000 or maybe nothing. point being they can do this but it isnt fair but a law comes in to stop this and you say this isnt fair ??? well maybe so but life isnt fair as we have established. - indeed. Not sure what your point is on that.

3..???????? - I'm saying you aren't entitled to rent any property you like. This is a voluntary agreement between two parties...........well i can now from the 1st June. - no. You still aren't entitled to rent any property you like. It's still a voluntary arrangement between two parties.

4.You can do if you want to. But it wont be enforceable.............really ! well i didnt realize that. just a sarcastic comment - I was being sincere. .............pedantic. - No sincere. Some people may have taken your idea seriously

5..very well said my friend nothing fair about it so the government have scrapped them.......thats 'fair' now. - not it's lawful now. Nothing 'fair' about regulating private business using the state...........................i think its fair / lawful that i dont have to pay £400 / £800 to rent a property or £30 to £60 to renew a contract after 6 / 12 months - That's your opinion. But state intervention in the private commercial sector is very rarely a good idea.

6. you are renting a car specifically from 'the owner', with much fewer legal protections than renting a property... no my friend i would be renting a car from a 'company' - Yes the owner is the company. Not an agent. .........i am not a trained solicitor just a lay person feeling a bit happier that i am not being ripped off by greedy estate agents / landlords. - That's fine. I'm glad that people will be better off in the short term by this ban

7.oh yes if forgot you landlords / agents wont from the 1st june 2019.....first useful thing the tory government have done. - yes they should charge £x if that's what they want. The state should not be interfering with private business. You aren't entitled to something just because you want it. ..............state can and have interfered and not fair dosent come into it . it is law from the 1st June.

Whether the state has interfered or not wasn't my point. They shouldn't.


But then I'm a fan of small government. At the minute it's a bulging mass, seeping public funds left, right and centre.


Is this law a good thing? I'm not sure. On paper it sounds fine. In reality will it force small landlords to simply give up and shrink the PRS market, focusing on large commercial entities who have little to no time for individuals - more than likely.


At the minute you have a number of landlords who are happy to keep the same tenant, usually only have 1 property and are generally more understanding of tenants problems.


Large commercial entities aren't going to be interested in the sob story. Aren't going to be patient with rent arrears when a relationship breaks down and benefits like UC take 6-8 weeks to payout. That's another single mum and her kids in the housing office looking for emergency accommodation.

Crashy_Time

Simonr66 wrote: »

Whilst I agree with the sentiments around the reasoning for the changes in legislation it will make it harder for people to rent going forward.


Landlords will start to only take tenants that are squeaky clean credit wise, forget it if you have pets.


As with most things in life it is the minority that cause problems for the majority, there are many agents out there that didn't charge rip off fees, the main culprits were the large corporate firms that have shareholders to answer for.


The constant meddling by the government and god for bid if labour get in to power with their proposed changes is driving many landlords from the market, this void will be taken up by commercial landlords, this will drive up rents and it will be the least well of that suffer.

That could lead to lots of voids though?

need_an_answer

I've been waiting for a comparison to come up in my local area to reinforce some of my views on the no letting fees issue.

Today a property in the same block as I currently own a property came up for rent.It has been listed at £50 pcm more than the property was advertised for when it last rented 7 months ago.

I'm under no illusion that rental prices have truly gone up that much in a short space of time.Its therefore my interpretation that whilst the next tenant isn't going to pay fees for the tenancy they are clearly paying an "inflated" price during their whole tenancy period.


It was always obvious to me that rent would go up as a result of the new charging process,what was always debatable was by how much.

need_an_answer

Crashy_Time wrote: »

That could lead to lots of voids though?

Why?

I've always been quite selective when it comes to tenants and never had an excessive void yet

Crashy_Time

need_an_answer wrote: »

Why?

I've always been quite selective when it comes to tenants and never had an excessive void yet

It is still a stretch to believe though that if all or most landlords want "squeaky clean" credit that there will be enough tenants to go round, especially with the realisation that we are going to end up doing a WTO Brexit creeping into most mainstream media?

need_an_answer

Crashy_Time wrote: »

It is still a stretch to believe though that if all or most landlords want "squeaky clean" credit that there will be enough tenants to go round, especially with the realisation that we are going to end up doing a WTO Brexit creeping into most mainstream media?

If you offer a quality product then you can attract a quality tenant...nothing to do with Brexit or any of the other sources you tend to frequently quote.