Rental Property Standards Seem Low

sheramber

If he can rent it out in that condition why would he spend and time upgrading it?

RHemmings

TroubledTarts said:

Maybe some of the reasons

40-50 applicants per rental property in high demand areas.

Lots of BTL Landlords selling up and leaving the market increasing demand further

Rents at an all time high and so far only going one way but then so are BTL rates so less profit so they don't bother with upkeep

None of these are excuses and I agree with comments above that a grotty property in poor repair should be avoided as it should sound alarm bells.

It's just the rental stock is decreasing and demand is increasing so some landlords will make the most out of this.

And this is precisely why the rental market can't be left to run itself. As, if supply and demand puts landlords in the driving seat, some landlords will rent out substandard (if not totally unfit for habitation) properties. 

dinosaur66

i have not been a tennant since 1980s but all rentals in east london were like this then and if they are not in the new build flats but the typical housing stock nothing has changed 40 years on.

 i was in a mates rental  in westcliffe (southend ) this week /period 1920s property and it was truly shocking /wooden front  door had to have latch bolt on it to keep it shut / kitchen was ancient i mean 1960s if not earlier / power points looked original / wooden windows totally shot everything like a b & w picture from the unfit for human habitation propertys of the 60s slums i grew up in

mate lost his job few years ago and council subsadise his rent for this place /next door is in process of being demolished.

another mate in a 60s council flat in south ockendon  / every single window pane up all 3 flights of stairs in the communal area windows were all badly blown/ in his flat same story every single window blown council say might be 2 years to fix.

i think it is the area both westcliffe part he lives and south ockendon are poor despite house prices being high as another mate in the next town which is upminster which is a very affluent town and everything is complete opposite and well kept and well maintained in his council block

TroubledTarts

RHemmings said:

TroubledTarts said:

Maybe some of the reasons

40-50 applicants per rental property in high demand areas.

Lots of BTL Landlords selling up and leaving the market increasing demand further

Rents at an all time high and so far only going one way but then so are BTL rates so less profit so they don't bother with upkeep

None of these are excuses and I agree with comments above that a grotty property in poor repair should be avoided as it should sound alarm bells.

It's just the rental stock is decreasing and demand is increasing so some landlords will make the most out of this.

And this is precisely why the rental market can't be left to run itself. As, if supply and demand puts landlords in the driving seat, some landlords will rent out substandard (if not totally unfit for habitation) properties. 

And yet professionally run "council" properties are generally even worse and repairs even longer. 

What's your plan

FlorayG

I'm a landlord and I would NEVER let a property that wasn't in tip-top condition to begin with. You offer poor quality accommodation, you get poor quality tenants. I agree there are many lazy landlords; one of my friends recently took on a flat locally, it was absolutely filthy she stayed with me two days while she cleaned it fit to live in. She's only been there 3 months I dread to think how she will fare if she encounters a problem her LL should fix because they clearly don't care. She took endless photographs of the dirt so that when she eventually moves out they can't charge her for cleaning ( I suspect the LL did that to the previous tenant and then just kept the money, who knows?)
Anyway, what this comes down to is; don't accept a property in poor condition because it's going to stay that way and your LL won't be any help

RHemmings

TroubledTarts said:

RHemmings said:

TroubledTarts said:

Maybe some of the reasons

40-50 applicants per rental property in high demand areas.

Lots of BTL Landlords selling up and leaving the market increasing demand further

Rents at an all time high and so far only going one way but then so are BTL rates so less profit so they don't bother with upkeep

None of these are excuses and I agree with comments above that a grotty property in poor repair should be avoided as it should sound alarm bells.

It's just the rental stock is decreasing and demand is increasing so some landlords will make the most out of this.

And this is precisely why the rental market can't be left to run itself. As, if supply and demand puts landlords in the driving seat, some landlords will rent out substandard (if not totally unfit for habitation) properties. 

And yet professionally run "council" properties are generally even worse and repairs even longer. 

What's your plan

There is no need for a new plan, just hhe enforcement of the laws we have. My point is that those laws are needed. 

TroubledTarts

RHemmings said:

TroubledTarts said:

RHemmings said:

TroubledTarts said:

Maybe some of the reasons

40-50 applicants per rental property in high demand areas.

Lots of BTL Landlords selling up and leaving the market increasing demand further

Rents at an all time high and so far only going one way but then so are BTL rates so less profit so they don't bother with upkeep

None of these are excuses and I agree with comments above that a grotty property in poor repair should be avoided as it should sound alarm bells.

It's just the rental stock is decreasing and demand is increasing so some landlords will make the most out of this.

And this is precisely why the rental market can't be left to run itself. As, if supply and demand puts landlords in the driving seat, some landlords will rent out substandard (if not totally unfit for habitation) properties. 

And yet professionally run "council" properties are generally even worse and repairs even longer. 

What's your plan

There is no need for a new plan, just hhe enforcement of the laws we have. My point is that those laws are needed. 

Is this just tenants not knowing their rights and feeling trapped as if they annoy their landlord there aren't the properties on the market to move into?

Much bigger issues at play here and it will be interesting how this all goes.

I am not condoning any of this by the way but what are the laws regarding a landlord having an old kitchen or decor in a rental? An electrical test certificate, gas safe cert and service each year and up to date EPC yes but what are the "laws" regarding decor and shabbyness?

gazfocus

TroubledTarts said:

RHemmings said:

TroubledTarts said:

RHemmings said:

TroubledTarts said:

Maybe some of the reasons

40-50 applicants per rental property in high demand areas.

Lots of BTL Landlords selling up and leaving the market increasing demand further

Rents at an all time high and so far only going one way but then so are BTL rates so less profit so they don't bother with upkeep

None of these are excuses and I agree with comments above that a grotty property in poor repair should be avoided as it should sound alarm bells.

It's just the rental stock is decreasing and demand is increasing so some landlords will make the most out of this.

And this is precisely why the rental market can't be left to run itself. As, if supply and demand puts landlords in the driving seat, some landlords will rent out substandard (if not totally unfit for habitation) properties. 

And yet professionally run "council" properties are generally even worse and repairs even longer. 

What's your plan

There is no need for a new plan, just hhe enforcement of the laws we have. My point is that those laws are needed. 

Is this just tenants not knowing their rights and feeling trapped as if they annoy their landlord there aren't the properties on the market to move into?

Much bigger issues at play here and it will be interesting how this all goes.

I am not condoning any of this by the way but what are the laws regarding a landlord having an old kitchen or decor in a rental? An electrical test certificate, gas safe cert and service each year and up to date EPC yes but what are the "laws" regarding decor and shabbyness?

Exactly, there are no laws (at least that I’m aware of) that prevent a landlord from renting out a property that’s got dirty wallpaper, broken cupboards, tat furniture left in there, etc. I think the sad fact is that as long as landlords get away with such properties, they’ll keep doing it. The one house we looked at has been on the market for 5 months at this point. It briefly went under application but looks like the tenants changed their minds. You’d think the letting agent would have said to the landlord ‘look, you really need to do xyz and then it’ll rent much easier’ rather than the landlord being 5 months rent down, but even then, the work that has been done (badly painted etc) looks like it’s been done by a 5 year old with their eyes closed as the paint is all over the light switches etc. 

i_like_cats

TroubledTarts said:

RHemmings said:

TroubledTarts said:

RHemmings said:

TroubledTarts said:

Maybe some of the reasons

40-50 applicants per rental property in high demand areas.

Lots of BTL Landlords selling up and leaving the market increasing demand further

Rents at an all time high and so far only going one way but then so are BTL rates so less profit so they don't bother with upkeep

None of these are excuses and I agree with comments above that a grotty property in poor repair should be avoided as it should sound alarm bells.

It's just the rental stock is decreasing and demand is increasing so some landlords will make the most out of this.

And this is precisely why the rental market can't be left to run itself. As, if supply and demand puts landlords in the driving seat, some landlords will rent out substandard (if not totally unfit for habitation) properties. 

And yet professionally run "council" properties are generally even worse and repairs even longer. 

What's your plan

There is no need for a new plan, just hhe enforcement of the laws we have. My point is that those laws are needed. 

Is this just tenants not knowing their rights and feeling trapped as if they annoy their landlord there aren't the properties on the market to move into?

Much bigger issues at play here and it will be interesting how this all goes.

I am not condoning any of this by the way but what are the laws regarding a landlord having an old kitchen or decor in a rental? An electrical test certificate, gas safe cert and service each year and up to date EPC yes but what are the "laws" regarding decor and shabbyness?

There’s no law against a rental having a 30 year old kitchen.  But no kitchen can last 30 years without maintenance.

Over time, the thin strip of kitchen counter between the sink and the wall often rots from years of water exposure.  (Yes I’ve experienced that in a rental).   Sealant around the kitchen counter goes, too.   Walls get filthy if the cooker hood isn’t serviced / replaced.   Tiles crack.

Kitchen cabinet doors come loose or fall off, and the laminate front chips away.  Sometimes the sides of the base units can collapse, too.

Cookers and hobs generally last 5-10 years but still require cleaning.   Some landlords ask for tenants to supply their own fridgefreezers as they can’t be bothered cleaning salad trays between tenants!

horsewithnoname

You only have to watch HUTH and the like to see the LLs with the “it’ll do for a rental” attitude. 

Then you get the lovely ones like the chap who said if he wouldn’t be prepared to have himself and his family live in a house, he wouldn’t expect anyone else to.