Rental property damaged

terrence45

Comms69 wrote: »

Fancy a harassment and stalking charge?

For walking past his relative's house? You're talking utter silliness. I can't imagine for a single moment these people would even notice this person walking down the road, let alone report them and be done for 'harrassment'. Still, you know better PC Armchair.

Peter_Williams

terrence45 wrote: »

For walking past his relative's house? You're talking utter silliness. I can't imagine for a single moment these people would even notice this person walking down the road, let alone report them and be done for 'harrassment'. Still, you know better PC Armchair.

If they spotted me, it's more likley they'd just ask me again about the electricity problem.

sevenhills

PasturesNew wrote: »

That way you at least save the building... but your friend will be in all sorts of trouble, but not as much trouble as might happen if you try to go down the "simple, legal, preferred, sure it'll all work out in the end" route.

There will be very little evidence against the relative abroad, the OPs cousin is maybe another one that has just got out in time, if the OP takes cash from the tenants he may find himself to be the one that carries the can.

Peter_Williams

PasturesNew wrote: »

One quick way to end all this .... allbeit extreme ... would be to speak to environmental health at the Council and say ... trashed, illegal subletting, all sorts going on, uninhabitable... serve a closure notice and let's get this hellhole shut down.

That way you at least save the building... but your friend will be in all sorts of trouble, but not as much trouble as might happen if you try to go down the "simple, legal, preferred, sure it'll all work out in the end" route.

A closure order is what the Council slap on a building if it's uninhabitable/unsafe for tenants - they will come, assess the damage, issue a notice to fix it ... return, if it's not done, evict the tenants.

Not a nice way of doing it, but it does round things off pretty damned quickly without the whole place being torched/worse.

In this happened, would the council take ownership of the house?
I'm guessing they'd then auction it and keep the money?

PasturesNew

... you have no idea just what a HUGE pile of trouble your mate's in already.....

I think him hoping it'll blow over and offering cheaper rent will never solve the problem until he gets back, it's just letting them take 10 miles when they've already had 1 mile and he only gave an inch.

I've seen a programme on the telly before looking at overcrowding - a family were sitting in darkness, not speaking English - and they said they had no electricity because they thought that was something that was provided when they paid rent. Other countries do things differently to the way we do things here and, I guess, where they came from you paid your rent and "everything was included".

Burning doors is NOT .... normal. And is the fireplace even open/safe? They could die, or burn the house down...

All bets are off really as to what could happen in the next 3-4 months.

Peter_Williams

sevenhills wrote: »

There will be very little evidence against the relative abroad, the OPs cousin is maybe another one that has just got out in time, if the OP takes cash from the tenants he may find himself to be the one that carries the can.

Yes, that's the kind of thing I want to avoid. Don't want to be seen as acting as some kind of ''agent''.

Maybe I will just avoid any more involvement.
Even by speaking to the electricity company, I will start to create records of my involvement.

PasturesNew

Peter_Williams wrote: »

In this happened, would the council take ownership of the house?
I'm guessing they'd then auction it and keep the money?

No. They just lock it up and refuse to allow it to be rented to anybody else until the work's been done/inspected.

They expect the landlord to come crawling out of the woodwork and begrudgingly either give up being a landlord, or fixing the problems to legal specs.

theartfullodger

Your duty as a citizen is to report wrong-doing (not declaring tax, unlicensed HMO etc etc etc...) to the relevant authorities - HMRC, Council, DWP etc...



Relative or no relative.


Do the decent thing Sir! Then "help" relo no more.

PasturesNew

Councils prefer to work "with" landlords... and all they really want is safe houses.

Peter_Williams

PasturesNew wrote: »

... you have no idea just what a HUGE pile of trouble your mate's in already.....

I think him hoping it'll blow over and offering cheaper rent will never solve the problem until he gets back, it's just letting them take 10 miles when they've already had 1 mile and he only gave an inch.

I've seen a programme on the telly before looking at overcrowding - a family were sitting in darkness, not speaking English - and they said they had no electricity because they thought that was something that was provided when they paid rent. Other countries do things differently to the way we do things here and, I guess, where they came from you paid your rent and "everything was included".

Burning doors is NOT .... normal. And is the fireplace even open/safe? They could die, or burn the house down...

All bets are off really as to what could happen in the next 3-4 months.

Well they've obviously stopped burning things now, as it's been warm weather.
But yes, once it gets cold again no doubt they'll start again.

The house is originally had an open fire place (traditional terraced Victorian house).
That was bricked up, but obviously chimney stack was left in place. I don't know about the cowl etc. I'm guessing there was an updraft of sorts or they wouldn't have burnt so much.

Luckily they haven't knocked through to make fireplaces in the bedrooms.