To think being a tenant is an absolute misery

It resulted in massive rent increases and more LL sold in Scotland than any other area of UK. Now Scotland face even more competition for private rentals. You must know there will always be people who can't save up a deposit or earn enough to get a mortgage based upon strict borrowing criteria of earning multipliers.

Sold up to... people who wanted to live in them?

So on a systematic level - people owning multiple houses, and residential property being considered a major avenue for revenue generation - you don't think that contributes to ballooning house prices at all?

Rents tend to go up when mortgage rates do. If you were buying you'd have to suck up the mortgage rates increases.

No but I probably know a lot more than you.

Did you see what rent controls did to Scotland. More LL sold up so even less rental properties to go round those who need them.

LL don't stop people buying their own home. It's the tenant either not having a deposit, having a bad credit history or not earning enough salary multipliers to pass the banks stress test. But don't let the truth stop you having a moan at LL's.

Wow what an insight

Wow, that is really quite stark.

And that's a sizeable chunk of the population, who are in that situation.

What's even more depressing is that the stress is caused by deliberate policy decisions. I mean, the UK was very much a rentier economy, prior to the 1960s. But, until then renting didn't mean insecurity. So although people didn't own their homes, it didn't matter. They didn't need to.

From the Industrial Revolution onwards, all of those lovely London, Manchester, Leeds town houses, all those writers and bankers and professors and so on living in them, they didn't own, but they didn't care, because they didn't need to own in order to have security. They paid rent, that was enough.

Even when more people began to buy, it was enough to rent right through to 1988 when the thatcher government made residential tenancies six months long. From a lifetime, to six months, in one fell swoop. And every single government that's come after, none of them have changed that. Even though it was completely normal to rent a home on a forever basis, even to pass it on to one's children, before 1988.

don't think it's a "first world problem " though. Housing is a basic need, and the stress of housing instability is vastly underestimated.

This. It's no coincidence there's a growing number of people in poor health, at the same time as a larger proportion of the population are private renting.

I was sure I'd seen something about the effect of private renting on health so I decided to google to check. It doesn't just affect mental health. It also damages physical health. Concerningly it's more damaging than smoking or being unemployed. I should imagine the constant insecurity of private renting is a major factor (I noticed the study found social renting was no different to ownership, in terms of being less harmful to health).

https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/renting-rather-than-owning-a-private-sector-home-linked-to-faster-biological-ageing/

I think there is some recognition of that stress now though - so many more people are renting privately compared to thirty/forty years ago, that there's an understanding it has to be addressed at policy level - it's not good for the economy to have a third of the population living in insecure overpriced housing. Hence some of the moves towards regulation.

We need to do more though. Obviously it would be great if there were more social homes available but in the absence of that at minimum we need to re-introduce rent controls and also return to only limited grounds for eviction - sale, occupancy, occupancy by family member, bankruptcy, death. All of this so called accidental landlording isn't doing anything useful - apart from for landlords themselves lol.

It's not "someone else's property ", it's the tennant's home.

I've had it happen. A 19 year old with no experience of parenting scolding me over children's toys being out.

If someone is going to have that much power over me, I would like them to have a little training and experience!

And if there were fewer landlords, property would be more affordable, and people could buy their own house.

I don't think it's a "first world problem " though. Housing is a basic need, and the stress of housing instability is vastly underestimated.

"Just buy a house"; Ha! Let them eat cake!

No. Just because you choose to make an investment should not give you such complete power over another person.

Of course a tennant should be held accountable for "trashing" a house. That's not the issue. The issue is the lack of stability and real estate agents going through underwear drawers.

FWIW, I own my own house, and I'm very glad of it. Outside of that, I would never choose to invest in domestic real estate.

@XenoBitch yes theoretically the inspections are to ensure that any problems are addressed in a timely manner.

However letting is a largely unregulated activity, and one that involves sometimes eye watering amounts of money. It therefore creates the opportunity for some twat in a shiny suit to completely overstep their remit safe in the knowledge that there is no comeback.

But it shouldn't have to depend on the landlord. Housing is a basic need.

I haven't read the full thread but as a landlord, my mortgage insists on quarterly inspections to ensure there are no issues.

I would also like to add that these inspections do not always work in favour of landlords. Whilst I ensure for everything reported to be dealt with or replaced immediately (I hate inconveniencing my tenants who are paying good money to stay in the property) for example we recently redecorated the property, installed new radiators throughout only for the 3 month inspection to come back and say interiors we're 'fine'. When I queried that with the person inspecting, they said I shouldn't worry it was their opinion at the time 🤷🏼‍♀️

Absolutely - if more social housing was built, then rents would have to come down. There should also be a register of private landlords so you can check before you sign a lease. The register should be linked to homes fit for occupation and a type of 'MOT' should be issued.
There should be a limit on the number of houses a landlord can have so more first time buyers can get a chance to buy. No overseas registered landlords either.

Right to Buy was a criminal policy.

Surely it depends on the landlord?

I used to live alone happily on NMW, with money left over for a life afterwards. I was in a rented property for 2 years... low rent that was dropped when I viewed the place. It was never increased and I never had an inspection. Lucky..... but I had a leaky bathroom roof, a boiler with constant low pressure, a damp problem that wrecked a lot of my belongings, and no heating in the main living area as there was an actual rusty hole in the radiator. I reported all of the above. Someone even came out to measure up the radiator, and said I needed a new one. It never happened.
Also, the landlord's son and a surveyor let themselves into my flat when I was home... no notice whatsoever.

I am shocked at the several PP saying the agents looked through cupboards, and even underwear drawers during inspections. I thought the point of inspections was to check there were no issues that had not been reported... not how you are living.

Or can’t afford required repairs

Know every landlord in the country do you?

Or they want to massively raise the rent.

LL's rarely ask a good tenant to move out unless they need to sell up.

OP, I agree with you that renting is rubbish. I rented for twenty years before I was thankfully able to buy a place. I would have bought much sooner, but my ability to save was reduced by the massive amount I was paying out in London rents. I had a mixture of landlords over that time, but even the ‘good’ landlords were still funding their pensions using money that I earned working, just because they were in a position to own more than one home. I would ever, ever become a landlord after my experience, even if I could afford to.

There needs to be massive rental reforms in this country including long term tenancies, rent control and, of course, wider provision of social housing. Living with a clock ticking that you could be evicted after a year, have to change your kids school, struggle to find another place within budget - it’s so stressful.