To think being a tenant is an absolute misery

@booksunderthebed, the LL doesn't have the security deposit anymore. It's lodged with tenants protection schemes. I've authorised the release of their full deposit back to the tenant on the day they moved out, whilst they were there with me. Only to have the tenant ask me 10 days later where it is. I've had to chase the deposit scheme to release it. It's not like in the past when the LL held the deposit and could just move it back across to the tenants bank account the same day.

This sounds awful OP, I'm sorry you're in this position. I think (hope) you have an unreasonable landlord - none of my friends who rent have ever had an inspection, except prior to moving out. An inspection every three months is really unreasonable. As is putting the rent up every 6 months. It is usual for it to go up every year (particularly if managed by an agent) but, again, 6 months seems unusual.

It has been a long time since i rented, but my last landlord came around once a month or so after I moved in (he said to ask if any post had been received, but clearly to check I hadn't trashed the place), then never again. He also never put the rent up in the four years I live there.

Also I don’t have inspections and rent has only gone up once in 7 years. (Thankfully!)

I’ve always rented and am happy with it tbh and will never be a homeowner, unless my personal circumstances change drastically. If boiler packs in I don’t have to panic to find the money-I just phone my landlord and they sort it.
i think getting a good landlord is key from speaking to friends. I’ve previously been in local authority housing and I jumped at the chance of going private renting as they were so shit. It did take me a few years to feel like this is my home because as my landlord has told me it is which was nice. I’m allowed to put things on wall, including my tv and I just asked permission for a cat and was told absolutely no problem. My landlord is great and I’m a good tenant so we run along smoothly.

OP I feel your pain !!!

I'm a decent landlord

My tenants went through some difficulties and I let them off with half rent for a while

We never put rent up and trust them so none of that inspection madness

It will get better I hope

Not all LL's are the same, just as not all tenants are the same. I had a new tenant move in on 22nd and she has asked if she can paint the freshly painted white walls a colour. I said yes provided when you leave they are white again. She asked if she could put up shelves and pictures. I replied yes. This morning she asked if she could get a kitten. I replied yes. I have got no intention of checking up on her every few months. It will be once a year for a cursory glance at the same date a gas certificate is carried out and I collect a copy of the certificate. My mortgage is 3 years fixed so she won't be asked for a rent increase for at least 3 years and then whatever inflation is capped at 5 percent. I think agencies are always more picky.

@LameBorzoi totally agree and one of the reasons i won't move even thought the house is too small for us now really.

The state confiscation of private assets has worked so well in the past. 😂

You clown.

But it's luck that you have a good landlord. A person's housing stability shouldn't depend on that kind of luck.

People don't realise how disruptive private renting is to children too. (If you can only get hold of yearly tenancies and have to constantly move/ change school etc). There should be a complete change in the system.

It's a hamster not a cat or dog..

It's not always the same. My landlord hasn't stepped foot in the house in the 11 years i have been renting it. They used to have a person who looked after it but even they only came a couple of times.
I also haven't had a rent increase in 8 years.
I think my situation is probably pretty rare to be honest though.

The problem though is that this overzealous approach happens all the time. And a lot of these things are either legal, poorly enforced, or difficult or stressful to get stopped.

It's the idea that you are at the mercy of agent / landlord that's the problem

@Icehockeyflowers @TheCadoganArms
The properties are there, just in the wrong hands.

I'm not directly (just) blaming landlords, they're operating within an unethical and unfair system which disadvantages anyone who can't afford to own a property.

The system needs to be completely overhauled and the government and the LAs need to be building/buying housing stock.

Not ideal but probably the best we can hope for.

My dream scenario would be:

I would like an absolute stop to owning a second home at all and renting out property for profit. This includes airbnb and other holiday lets.

No-one, not you, the king, Liz Hurley or anyone else needs more than one home. No-one.

Let's get back to homes being homes and not sitting empty, being let for overinflated prices and blocking ordinary people from being able to live safely and securely in their community without threat of unfair treatment and eviction.

All into state ownership. Property owners can either arrange this voluntarily or their property would be seized. I don't care about landlords, I care about people just trying to get by and I care about fairness and social responsibility.

I know people will bite at this and start frothing but I absolutely don't care.

Is is absolutely shit. Owning a home or a safe place to call home is such a basic human right.

I don't think the problems the OP has are related to renting per se. It sounds like she is dealing with a hands off landlord and one of the many opportunistic management companies who make their money by charging for frequent inspections, providing excessive supervision of tenants, writing unnecessary warning letters, administering rent increases at the maximum level etc. The landlord doesn't particularly benefit from their zeal, it is just the management company making work for which they can pay themselves.

One thing to say with regard to rent increases is that I insist we do fixed term renewals (providing it's somewhere I want to stay) as they cannot increase the rent in that time as far as I'm aware as it's contracted- whereas if you allow it to go onto rolling agreement with 2 months notice either side, they can just put the rent up at any point , as far as I'm aware (correct me if I'm wrong) A lot of people just forget when their fixed term comes to an end. In the current climate I've been doing 2 year fixed and landlords like us as we are late 50s/early 60s- no kids, no pets, long term rental history of nice places- so always keen on the fact we will do 2 years.We had to actually get out of one for various reasons (our choice) at 7 months in- and the agent didn't make a fuss just said we were contractually obliged to pay till they relet it and we were charged £450 for marketing to relet (worth it to us) - especially as the house we were moving to in a different (and nicer) area was £700 a month less and a better house.

It's a real mish mash of good and not so good agents and landlords- even when paying top dollar. The best we have had in terms of sorting stuff was Savills ( but yes that was high end) - couldn't fault them- not intrusive, sorted stuff within days, fantastic folder of info and appliance instructions and list of numbers to call in emergency's etc. I guess they are used to the corporate and ex pat market- who make a fuss when stuff isn't right.

Yep. I bought my first home at 21. Have moved regularly to maximise my house buying potential. I’m now in a large beautiful house and it’s nearly paid off. Looking back I have made hundreds of thousands of pounds profit from my homes. I’ve always worked it out that when I’ve sold the profit has meant that I not only lived there for no cost but actually still had a lump sum profit at the end. This doesn’t exist with rent. I rented my home out and I rented for a period in my twenties when I moved area. Hated renting. I had a decent enough experience in the LL didn’t do inspections. Things got fixed. But it was miserable. It’s a waste of money (for me), I got zero return on outgoing. And I felt like it wasn’t mine. All the renters on here saying “it’s their home”. It’s really not and could be removed from you pretty much at will after contracts. Not pleasant. And I appreciate not everyone can buy their own home but it would be a better position if renting was regulated better or home owning was made more accessible.

Trust me, my property was just a property. Not in the least precious. I dreaded any time I received an email or call about it.

I would rather that landlords run it as a business. It's the landlords that get attached to the property and get precious about things that are the issue

They were in England for many years before they left . They still didn’t feel degraded or made to feel like shit.

I’ve been renting the same place for years and it’s been fine. No inspections, a few rent increases though. I have a pretty good landlord though. I imagine it’s awful if you have a bad one. What’s worse though is if you aren’t dealing with a landlord direct but an agency, that’s when things become really dire.

I personally think the shared ownership idea for those looking to secure a better housing situation is the best idea. Its part bought (least is 25%) and rent the rest. I think the government should promote this more. Theres more stability there and no chance of being evicted, unless you dont keep up with payments

Of course it’s a business

If you mean it’s a transactional agreement, then yes. But a business implies they are running it for profit. I rented out a property for many years. The mortgage covered the rent. I never made a profit. I could not sell the property although I dearly wanted to. The initial tenants were lovely. By the end, the tenants were horrific. I sold at a big loss just to get rid of the property. It was bought by a foreign investor who tripled the rent. I was so negatively impacted by the awful tenant (who owned his own property elsewhere). It certainly was not a business. I was so burned by the experience that I regret trying to be a decent LL for all those years. If I had to do it all over again, I would ask for the ceiling rental amount in the area and all inspections so the tenants wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to take advantage. I expect many of us have had similar experiences.

Im in the same position as you op. Renting in between buying. I feel exactly the same. Having ND kids in a rental too is like trying to contain a bull in a china shop when it all kicks off. Im constantly reminding them “its not our house, please dont throw that/slam that”. My EA do a six monthly check and will say - are you in or shall i bring a spare set of keys! I dont want some random walking round my rented house alone!

also, in an emergency your hands are tied. When i moved in the pipe under the sink burst, kitchen flooded. It was a friday night after theyd closed 🙄

recently the drains blocked (not my fault im very careful what goes down) and they pointed me to the water company in the first instance. Were talking no flushing toilet, washing machine or showers for over a week! The water company never showed despite me chasing them so i sorted it myself with some rods someone lent me! Absolute Joke