Obscene rent increase

I'm in S wales in area MN considers rough as fuck and best avoided. Two bed flats in parts of city near areas I'd be wary of start at 850 and go up.

The OP says she is not up north - so that leaves midlands, south and wales - and area I grew in midlands there no two bed flats for that price - where DH grew used to be but IL say no more - they are astounded at rent prices now.

So if you can get a two bed flat for £495 - that very cheap part of the country.

OP can move to the better flats in her area for same rent or she can dispute the rent increase and see where that gets her - but while she hasn't said her area it sounds likely she been paying under market rent for years and not getting needed upgrades - so something was always likely to change. I can see why she is annoyed but her options remain the same.

She isn’t in Redcar, Saltburn, Darlington or anywhere in the north!

Have you ever thought that someone may know small towns because they are where uni friends live or is it because you don’t know any small towns because you’re not as educated as you’d like to think you are!

Nice high horse you’ve got there @Boreded - it’s a shame it still doesn’t make you the author. You can ride it all you like, but you’ll still never know this story half as well as the person who wrote it.

If landlords are under "unbearable pressure", they can always sell up and live off the interest on the proceeds of sale.

Your taxes are also being used to fund people’s lifestyles who can’t be bothered to work, your taxes are being used to give these unemployed people subsidised council/HA housing, your taxes are being used to prop up salaries because feckless ex husbands/partners refuse to pay for the children they’ve created. I could go on.
Personally, I find feckless fathers revolting. How could you do that to your own child?

Op try and see if you can negotiate with your ll. Perhaps offer to meet them half way. Or move - but bear in mind you’ll need 5 weeks’ deposit and perhaps a home owning guarantor and will need to meet the rent affordability criteria. Since the RRA lls are being stricter on who they rent to.

Similar issue here. Had same letter of our landlord. Been here 21yrs. Over the years the rent has risen but it was every time we asked for any work doing. When we moved in there was no working bathroom for over a month. When the kitchen needed doing we had to pay for it. Same with the new windows and doors. Plus we had a wet room fitted due to health and disability’s.
we have yet again now had another letter saying the rents going up.
it’s is now higher than the local housing allowance that’s awarded with uc. Our full uc now only covers the rent and we’re only just surviving on my pip for household bills. We’re stuck in a really bad situation - we can’t afford the rent increases each year, we can’t afford to move, we can’t afford another private rent if we could even find one. We need to stay in the area we are in due to other family needs. Council can’t help. If ours keeps going up like it is. I’ve no idea on what we are going to do. My husbands health is deteriorating yet can’t get any help for him. Mines not as it was either we’re in reciept of everything we can. The landlord doesn’t care about our situation and after all these years still no consideration for us at all.
im terrified that we’re going to end up homeless.

And the property only has one door. No fire doors, only 1 double glazed window that has blown, and does not meet fire escape route standards If there was a fire downstairs I have no other means of exit?

I would be far more concerned about this than any rent increase. Your LL has a legal obligation to make sure your property complies with fire safety regulations. He needs to do a fire audit and I wouldn't be paying a single penny unless this is carried out and you feel safe and it meets all H&S requirements.

They are and that's why the number of properties available is going down and rents are going up. People without good affordability and credit ratings are finding it extremely difficult to find anywhere to rent.

Our (one) house became available recently. The agent briefly advertised it (I'd guess a few days, max a week) Did one afternoon of viewings and we then had a list of 5 tenants to select who we wanted to accept for the full checks/offer the property to. This is Cornwall but all applicants were currently local (although some were in temporary accommodation).

I find it very sad. There is a huge shortage of affordable homes.

No shortage of airbnbs in Cornwall though.

Going around in circle.

Most businesses don't double their prices overnight unless they want to lose their customer base.

As far as I am concerned a landlord who does not even have a mortgage on a rental property but thinks it is OK to hit a long term tenant with a 40% or more rent increase is absolute scum.

You are welcome to disagree but nothing will change my mind on this.

Yes correct. I think people have turned to air b n b as the higher returns make it more worthwhile. Also I think if they are set up as a business they can deduct their finance costs unlike an individual landlord.

And the property only has one door. No fire doors, only 1 double glazed window that has blown, and does not meet fire escape route standards If there was a fire downstairs I have no other means of exit?

I would be far more concerned about this than any rent increase. Your LL has a legal obligation to make sure your property complies with fire safety regulations. He needs to do a fire audit and I wouldn't be paying a single penny unless this is carried out and you feel safe and it meets all H&S requirements.