should landlords be licenced?

TripleH

Sorry for your loss.

Op, to clarify, you signed and paid for a 12-month contract in advance?

Is there a break clause in it?

If there is no break clause he would struggle to evict you even if he looses the house. Sad to say but he chose to let under the terms agreed in the contract, that he made a poor business decision is not your fault.

You can of course agree an early termination of your contract but you should argue an incentive for you to leave early (especially if no break clause)

[Deleted User]

caprikid1 said:

[Deleted User] said:

caprikid1 said:

[Deleted User] said:

Just ban private landlords.

I think the problem with this is you will end up with a lack of competition and a very vanilla housing stock. Large landlords won't buy quirky country cottages, high spec'd detached houses because the returns are not there.

Kicking private landlords is not the solution , quality social housing at volume so people have a real choice.

Me and my partner let out a few properties we have previously owned and I have to say further legislation will encourage small landlords out of the market but I understand the frustration. The reason the OP is being evicted is not due to a lack of regulation and tax on landlords its the exact opposite. Me and my partner could be mortgage free but chose to run a lettings business and genuinely try and provide nice accommodation without rent increases and have never evicted anyone in 20 years.

If we increase the burden on private landlords we need to make sure social housing is ready to take up the slack , at this point in time it is far from it.

That's what we already have.

And your plan to fix this is ? All you have suggested will make things worse ? Or is this a problem for the already hammered tax payers to fix ? The horrid sprawling run down council estates of the 70's not a pleasant or safe place to be.

Here's my plan.

Introduce a landlord tax. The tax will be based on local housing availability and affordability. The worse it is, the more tax they pay. The money get used to build new houses, for sale and for social housing. Built by the LA to a high standard, good size rooms, no obsolete equipment like gas boilers or radiators. Passivehaus standard. Sold at cost to FTBs.

Also introduce an empty home tax. It would be designed not to hurt people who just inherit property and then sell it on, only people who invest in property and then keep it empty long term.

I'd also bring in a scrappage scheme, where homes with low energy efficiency ratings can be sold, demolished and replaced with ones like I mentioned above. The owner would have to buy one of the new housing stock at a bit of a premium (the at-cost price would only be for FTBs).

A windfall tax would insulate other homes and pay for efficiency upgrades.

All this would create jobs and stimulate the economy, which it badly needs at this point. I'd also re-join the single market, or at least make it much easier and cheaper to import building materials.

Schwarzwald

Banning private landlords is not v smart idea i think. Is there even one country that has done that? I cant think of one, maybe an indication of how good the idea is.

i have some sympathy for a mandatory training or even call it license for any sort of landlord though to ensure they are aware of regulation at least when they start off.

generally i think the UK needs to overhaul its tenancy laws and regs as well as related tax system and simultaneously implement incentive systems that more houses are built / supply is increased, market becomes more liquid (lower transaction costs).

diystarter7

Schwarzwald said:

Banning private landlords is not v smart idea i think. Is there even one country that has done that? I cant think of one, maybe an indication of how good the idea is.

i have some sympathy for a mandatory training or even call it license for any sort of landlord though to ensure they are aware of regulation at least when they start off.

generally i think the UK needs to overhaul its tenancy laws and regs as well as related tax system and simultaneously implement incentive systems that more houses are built / supply is increased, market becomes more liquid (lower transaction costs).

LL's have a legal duty re many things EG electrical certs, gas certs, and other H&S measures rightly so.
I know of a few people who have worked very, very hard to buy and own their own property then set up something for their pension via a BTL. One LL lost his BTL and his home when he met awful T's and could not get them out for over a year and they were not paying rent but pocketing money by sub letting and all of the time the LL has his legal obligations and constant faults created with heating etc which cost him more money and his health, his marriage and then lost everything.

You do get decent T's just like decent LL's but on some forums, it's just bashing the LL's 24/7. I'd love to be a LL and have a decent pension but  like the people I know I'd be a good LL and reward T's that looked after the place and paid their rent on time or told the LL re their genuine propblems and caught up with the rent later.

By all means, bash the LL's  but don't forget that the majority just like T's are decent people and not big corporations but people that are working hard, worked hard and did not throw their money away on smoking, hoildays and the latest mobile phones.

caprikid1

[Deleted User] said:

caprikid1 said:

[Deleted User] said:

caprikid1 said:

[Deleted User] said:

Just ban private landlords.

I think the problem with this is you will end up with a lack of competition and a very vanilla housing stock. Large landlords won't buy quirky country cottages, high spec'd detached houses because the returns are not there.

Kicking private landlords is not the solution , quality social housing at volume so people have a real choice.

Me and my partner let out a few properties we have previously owned and I have to say further legislation will encourage small landlords out of the market but I understand the frustration. The reason the OP is being evicted is not due to a lack of regulation and tax on landlords its the exact opposite. Me and my partner could be mortgage free but chose to run a lettings business and genuinely try and provide nice accommodation without rent increases and have never evicted anyone in 20 years.

If we increase the burden on private landlords we need to make sure social housing is ready to take up the slack , at this point in time it is far from it.

That's what we already have.

And your plan to fix this is ? All you have suggested will make things worse ? Or is this a problem for the already hammered tax payers to fix ? The horrid sprawling run down council estates of the 70's not a pleasant or safe place to be.

Here's my plan.

Introduce a landlord tax. The tax will be based on local housing availability and affordability. The worse it is, the more tax they pay. The money get used to build new houses, for sale and for social housing. Built by the LA to a high standard, good size rooms, no obsolete equipment like gas boilers or radiators. Passivehaus standard. Sold at cost to FTBs.

Also introduce an empty home tax. It would be designed not to hurt people who just inherit property and then sell it on, only people who invest in property and then keep it empty long term.

I'd also bring in a scrappage scheme, where homes with low energy efficiency ratings can be sold, demolished and replaced with ones like I mentioned above. The owner would have to buy one of the new housing stock at a bit of a premium (the at-cost price would only be for FTBs).

A windfall tax would insulate other homes and pay for efficiency upgrades.

All this would create jobs and stimulate the economy, which it badly needs at this point. I'd also re-join the single market, or at least make it much easier and cheaper to import building materials.

I pay over 40% tax on my rental income ? How much income tax do you pay ? Or would I stop paying income tax and now pay a lesser local tax ? 

caprikid1

Where is the incentive for the government to do the above, 

Rent of £1200 collect 40% tax from the landlord.

Mortgage of £1200 collect no tax......

diystarter7

caprikid1 said:

Where is the incentive for the government to do the above, 

Rent of £1200 collect 40% tax from the landlord.

Mortgage of £1200 collect no tax......

The "incentive" is winning votes at any cost. It's a short term thing as many will just see the discount and forget about or dont know how much boiler costs to repair, leaking window, roof, gutter, faulty locks, faulty electrics, w/c not working and so on plus buildings insurance and maintenance etc.

3card

[Deleted User] said:

caprikid1 said:

[Deleted User] said:

caprikid1 said:

[Deleted User] said:

Just ban private landlords.

I think the problem with this is you will end up with a lack of competition and a very vanilla housing stock. Large landlords won't buy quirky country cottages, high spec'd detached houses because the returns are not there.

Kicking private landlords is not the solution , quality social housing at volume so people have a real choice.

Me and my partner let out a few properties we have previously owned and I have to say further legislation will encourage small landlords out of the market but I understand the frustration. The reason the OP is being evicted is not due to a lack of regulation and tax on landlords its the exact opposite. Me and my partner could be mortgage free but chose to run a lettings business and genuinely try and provide nice accommodation without rent increases and have never evicted anyone in 20 years.

If we increase the burden on private landlords we need to make sure social housing is ready to take up the slack , at this point in time it is far from it.

That's what we already have.

And your plan to fix this is ? All you have suggested will make things worse ? Or is this a problem for the already hammered tax payers to fix ? The horrid sprawling run down council estates of the 70's not a pleasant or safe place to be.

Here's my plan.

Introduce a landlord tax. The tax will be based on local housing availability and affordability. The worse it is, the more tax they pay. The money get used to build new houses, for sale and for social housing. Built by the LA to a high standard, good size rooms, no obsolete equipment like gas boilers or radiators. Passivehaus standard. Sold at cost to FTBs.

Also introduce an empty home tax. It would be designed not to hurt people who just inherit property and then sell it on, only people who invest in property and then keep it empty long term.

I'd also bring in a scrappage scheme, where homes with low energy efficiency ratings can be sold, demolished and replaced with ones like I mentioned above. The owner would have to buy one of the new housing stock at a bit of a premium (the at-cost price would only be for FTBs).

A windfall tax would insulate other homes and pay for efficiency upgrades.

All this would create jobs and stimulate the economy, which it badly needs at this point. I'd also re-join the single market, or at least make it much easier and cheaper to import building materials.

Surely this 'scheme' would drive most LL to sell their properties which would then leave a massive shortage of rental properties which obviously then causes big problem for the local councils

Please tell me where i have misunderstood

3card

squizz11 said:

3card said:

As a landlord i really feel for you 

I am just in the process of evicting a tenant via a S8 and she currently owes us over £5k so i feel maybe that problem tenants should be licenced in some way so landlords can check up on tenants to see if they are listed as good or bad

it wouldn't bother me if I was licenced  I pay rent on time,  I keep the property clean and tidy and I don't bother my landlord and am a great neighbour.    it should work both ways though

As a LL being licenced wouldnt bother me either.
But the advantage would be good LL wouldnt moan and being licenced and good tenants wouldnt moan either. But thats the idea, bad LL and bad tenants wouldnt be happy 

Surely thats win-win situation 

diystarter7

Not sure re LL's selling up unless they had other reasons but the people we know are thinking about it 5 times before buying due to the extra stamp, councils making up rules as they go along and the possibility with law changes meaning a LL may get stuck for life with an awful T that knows how to play the system.