To think that Landlords have a bad name.

Hi @Tandora

There are those who are happy to rent.

I've had to relocate temporarily for work, and rent a property. Several times, I honestly don't know why I've done without the ability to rent, I couldn't possibly have bought her house and lived somewhere for nine months, and then moved on. It would've been crazy, in terms of legal costs. I needed to be able to rent.

Now add in the value of your asset (house) in the long term, not a bad return right? Few other investments would outperform imo.

I couldn't sell my flat years ago as couldn't afford to cover the negative equity when I needed to move so had to let it for 5 years until the prices caught up again. In that time it was wrecked by the single parent I took a chance on. This thread seems very innocent in understanding the reasons people may be landlords or renters. There are also many people who are not working for whatever reason so could never afford a mortgage or house upkeep.

@Arewe29
There are shit landlords and shit tenants

Just a fact of life,

However of course good 🙄 Landlords get tarred with same as Slum ones
it's envitable...

What makes you think most people are happy to rent?! Surely most people would prefer to own a house and pay a mortgage rather than rent. I know that’s not the case for everyone, but a hella lot of people are trapped renting because they can’t afford a mortgage. Their wages are paying off the mortgage of their landlord. It’s like the monopoly board- some getting poorer while others get richer and richer.

maybe they are moving around the country for jobs

@DuesToTheDirt Yes, I don’t think DH and I would’ve had a hope of ever owning a home if we couldn’t have moved around to take jobs in other areas.

I'm also interested to know what the "landlords, shouldn't exist" posters answer is to where there people would live if rental properties didn't exist.

To your list, I'd also add, what about recent graduates starting in their first job in a location they've never lived in before? They're not going to have a deposit saved up, and I doubt they'd feel ready to buy before knowing whether they like the area.

Not to mention people who are only in the country or a particular area temporarily, people who have a bad credit rating, and people who simply don’t want the responsibility of a mortgage.

DH rented a house with his ex in the early 70s, a property the landlord inherited, therefore no mortgage. The landlord charged peppercorn rent in exchange for it being lived in and cared for until his kids were old enough for it. The rent was a third less than the council house he later had.
For years, he thought private rents were cheaper than council housing.

We’re treated like shit, and as a tax cash cow.

Ive sold all of mine. If you need somewhere to rent then GFY, im not a social service.

Its over. The haters can own it.

I wonder what the landlords are bad peole would say about people renting out a room in their house?

Some people do need (or want) to rent. Maybe they aren't eligible for a mortgage, or maybe they're just starting a relationship and aren't ready to buy, or maybe they are moving around the country for jobs. We need a supply of rental properties.

A lot of posters don't seem to acknowledge that and think that the mere existence of landlords is immoral. Yes, some are good and some are bad, but attacking people merely for owning a rental property is weird.

@@Applescruffle @Beezknees I appreciate the points that you’ve made, but if all landlords were abolished, what would you suggest people do when they genuinely don’t want buy a property?

Both I and my DH rented (separately and then together) for over a decade in our 20’s and early 30’s while we pursued various work opportunities. Some leases were for a year, others for two to four years, in shared houses and flats. Neither of us wanted to buy anywhere until we were ready to settle down.

Where we have lived if rental properties didn’t exist? Wouldn’t a lack of rental properties limit people’s ability to find work opportunities outside their home towns, for example?

I've literally answered this already on this thread

I think the issue mostly is not necessarily that landlords are renting out houses, it’s that they are hoarding houses, ex council houses or cheap starter homes on the cheap, renting them out for a fortune, the tenancies are insecure, most you can’t decorate or have pets and you need to be earning x amount to live there, they won’t allow benefits etc a lot of the time, so the people really struggling are stuffed.

They have the monopoly, so there’s people out there that can’t afford it and the ones that can are usually struggling month to month to keep a roof over their heads, with no hope of ever affording to own as they’re stuck in a rental trap. Landlords act as if they’re being charitable, but it’s their actions that have got us into the situation, and that is the crux of the issue

Absolutely, almost everything we buy someone will make profit on. I can’t understand why people are being so over the top about LL!

I made a point earlier about how no LL are buying in this area any more and yet prices are still going up and everyone wanted to ignore it because it doesn’t fit their narrative!

Food, water, clothing etc? All necessary and all produced/provided by others making a profit.

Yes there might be market conditions which make life less profitable for landlords but it’s still an unpleasant and unethical business in my opinion to price people out of homes. And businesses are supposed to be about taking risks too. IR35 pointed this out. As far as I’m concerned the government should hammer landlords and landlords should be prepared to take on business risks without the constant dirge of complaints that it’s just not fair on them. I’m a homeowner and think it’s just not ethical in the current circumstances.

I literally have on other posts on other threads

Well not car manufacturers but certainly supermarkets

Theres a massive difference between thinking capitalism at the point it is right now is not really working fundamentally for the majority, and wanting to live in a totalitarian dictatorship

No because having more then one TV or car won't prejudice the life opportunities of others.

I do agree with this. Why do you care OP?

We rent out properties, we make money, they’re an investment. We provide nice homes for tenants who want/need to rent them. I don’t really care what people think. I know I’m not ‘scum’, my loved ones know that, so if someone wants to judge me based on one thing I do, that’s their issue.

This, extortionate rents instead of affordable buy or rent. ( affordable for those on NLW, not over double that!)

Not everything is a necessity

I know a couple of people who plan to give their children flats when they are grown up. They let them out now but the plan is to pass them on. It’s the expectation in the culture they are from that parents will do this.