So we're being evicted AGAIN!

[OnandOnItGoes]

3rd rented property in 7 years. Been here for 4 years. Had to leave the last two properties as landlord selling, now we're in the same situation again.

Rent always paid on time and properties always very well looked after so it's not that we're bad tenants, just the never ending game we're stuck in.

We left within the notice period of last 2 properties but can't with this one as rents are £500+ for similar properties and much smaller worse properties with no parking/horrible areas are £200-300 a month more and we simply can't afford it or find one which we are successful for as they seem to only want 'professionals' in high paying jobs.

Council have been no help and have said as both DH and I work, we need to find another rented property. I can only work part time in a low paying admin job due to caring responsibilities as need to be on hand for disabled DC for school drop/pick up and after school as no after school care (teens). We have no family support.

Also worried about being put in temp accommodation as around here it seems to be adapted office blocks with lots of anti social issues. Also as we work I understand we'll have to pay a lot for it!

Section 21 expires on 15th May and I'm aware Landlord will start court process for possession as he's very keen to get us out and get it sold. I assume he'll use the accelerated procedure as he's a professional landlord with lots of properties and is selling most of them I believe.

Does anyone know how long we may have before bailiffs? We're in the South East. I've already looked into storage facilities so we can empty the house but we have no family to stay with so not sure where we'll go from there.

Of course we will continue looking for a property and continue paying rent but any advice on timeline will be helpful if anyone has been through the process recently?

The stress is unbearable and much worse this time due to the current rental market!

The council will have to house you when eviction proceedings start as you have a child who is disabled. They are just hoping you find somewhere before then so it doesn't land in their workpile.

Well, I can only speak of my very local experience.

I keep an eye fairly constantly on the market locally, so if our Agent (on behalf of our wealthy Middle Eastern LL) tries to hike our rent then I know where we sit. They tried to make us extend our contract to another 6 months at the end of 12, we played vague-ball and managed to get them to allow it to be rolling as it stated this in the AST, this suits us as we don’t want to commit long term etc.

Anyway, lots of empty properties in my building, some have been fairly empty for 18 months. The agent doubled the service charge (due to inflation, ha), so I imagine lots of LLs weren’t happy. They tried to pass this on to the tenants with some success (see previous post), also claiming their mortgages were increasing etc.

Demand is clearly faltering and supply increasing (after lots of properties changing hands due to Landlords selling up, I imagine less cash buyers from China, perhaps less from the Middle East, so FTBs are probably actually able to buy(shocking!) without competing with the former, plus they are building a 106 flat building across our road, and a 400-500 flat building 90 seconds away, not to mention the hoard of other buildings due for completion Q4 2023, Q1 2024 in the centre of Manc., plus lots of airbnbers aren’t making the easy money anymore and are turning to longer term letting., people probably flocking back to London etc etc).

I even have seen flats for rent in a building that prides itself on being “owner occupier only! no investors here” (They even have it on a billboard outside).

All in all, clearly the market has changed. Maybe Manc was a one off and not the canary. Time will tell.

Do you get a CCJ for eviction?
A possession order doesn't count as a county court judgment (CCJ). Your credit rating won't automatically be affected by eviction. If you have rent arrears, your landlord might ask for a money judgement or money order when they apply to evict you or after you've left. A money order is a CCJ.

Oh how awful! Regulation of income profiteering from paupers! Someone should start a gofundme for these poor hard-done-by landlords…

What a silly, petty reply. That poster wasn't looking for sympathy but making comment on the state of affairs. Why should she let out her flat and not make a profit?

You might not like LLs but what is the alternative? Loads are selling up, house prices aren't coming down. Less rentals means more competition for those on the market and rents go up. Yes in an ideal world there would be enough council houses, but there aren't.

Ultimately BTL was seen as an investment and for a while investors have been getting better returns in S&S, especially on the first £20k p/a in an ISA. They'll do what is best for them but the new regs haven't improved the situation for renters.

I am a "landlord". Just the one flat. I' haven't put the rent up for the last 3 years and have never evicted anyone or even served notice but in 2 years time the current mortgage rate will end and if inflation continues as it is now it is unlikely the current rent will even cover the mortgage.
If I have to sell I will give the first refusal to tenants but doubt they will be in a position to buy.
It's a dire situation for many a landlord that have mortgaged properties. I really feel for you I don't know how rich your landlord is but if my tenant refused to leave I would be in serious financial loss and we aren't by any means rich.
I hope you find something soon. It is a terrible situation to be in.

They’re not bleating, they’re giving the landlord’s side which is very useful to see.

If you see it as ‘bleating’ then you’re putting your head in the sand and ignoring the reasons behind the OP’s problem - which is a lot less helpful than landlords giving their 2p…

Quite agree
Policies need to be analysed past their obvious popularity.
Things will definitely get worse for renters if Labours suggestions get passed.

I feel so sorry for your situation but angry too. I was a private landlord and I’ve been saying for years that with the government making life more difficult for landlords it would just end up with private lets being sold and where are all the people supposed to go who cannot afford to buy? There is nowhere near enough social housing available, demand far outstrips demand. My daughter has a house she rents out , it is costing her around £18,000 to refurbish it after a nightmare tenant. She can no longer offset her mortgage (which has tripled) against her very low profit and is having to pay council tax on a property that isn’t currently habitable. Currently landlords I believe are having to have their properties insulated to a certain standard. Many landlords are just going to
throw in the towel and sell up! I do hope you find somewhere soon but agree with others that moving might be your only option.

Same here.
We had 6 weeks to move after being there 8 years. I had a near breakdown as a result and my mental health has not recovered.
the future looks so bleak doesnt it. Where does it end with rent rises?

Airbnb? Ive booked several trips recently with Airbnb from Edinburgh to Cornwall and not paid less than £485 for three nights!

You can hang it out through the courts which will give you more time to figure out what you can do.

This is what renters face in the UK today. The comments are very revealing too. Don't feel sorry for the whining landlords.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/may/03/my-landlord-has-left-me-in-a-flat-with-a-leaking-roof-for-a-year?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Of course there are awful landlords. But there are also decent landlords. The UK is never going to have enough social housing to house everyone who can't afford to or doesn't want to buy. There needs to be a supply of private rentals available that suits both renters and landlords.
People on MN hate landlords but the county would be screwed if every landlord pulled their properties.

OP you do have my sympathy it's an utterly shite position to be left in. The blame for which I place squarely on (successive) governments, particularly Thatchers.

@LuluBlakey1 Southern Housing are a housing association. Housing associations are not the landlords who are selling their properties. The landlords that are selling are those that own one or two houses who can no longer break even never mind make a profit. They are just explaining their position on here, not complaining.

Read the comments at the end and the experiences of tenants.

You can vilify landlords as much as you like however when landlords sell up they don’t get bought by renters as most rent as they can’t afford to buy. Where do those people live then ? My tenants don’t want to buy or can’t buy when I sell which will be soon where will they live ? These stupid government policies are vilifying landlords not looking at the reality which is there is not enough affordable housing. When the small landlords leave do you honestly think John Lewis or northern rock will be a better option I don’t think so

This is the problem with this entire model isn’t it

to landlords it’s business to renters it’s home, for most, that isn’t compatible

Very good point.
Love the username btw.

And Council housing is still being sold off

@LuluBlakey1 I have read the comments. Not all landlords are bad, you cannot possibly know that the ones on here that are explaining why they are selling are bad. In fact, if you think about it they may very well be selling because they know that they can no longer maintain their properties properly due to the increased costs. That is the responsible thing to do. It is a fact that the selling of properties is causing a shortage. So the Government introducing more regulations and increasing the tax burden because in response to the all landlords are evil rhetoric has caused the OP and many others to lose their homes.

Also what people might not be aware of housing benefit will
only pay the bottom 30% of rents in that area including social housing so rents never get covered in full. I used to give a house to house Domestic violence victims through the council I can’t do it now their rents don’t cover my costs

people in govt have wealth tied up in property, they wont make any policies which diminish their wealth, all they do is make policies which make a thin pretense at solving the problem but in actuality make it worse...and themselves wealthier.
I cant see how the problem will ever be addressed, we'll end up with most of the population living in tiny 'coffin apartments' and a few at the top living in vast palatial mansions😐

Landlord here (small one - single house we were just about able to retain when we bought).

Genuinely feel for you - but it’s becoming untenable being a small landlord due to the extremely punitive changes being made to the way rental income is taxed.

We let our place out about £200 below the market rate as we have good tenants, but we’re seriously thinking about selling up too.

Clearly, slum landlords and people with 20/30+ properties aren’t going to get much sympathy, but the market just isn’t tenable for well-intentioned amateur landlords and I’m afraid that your situation is the result.

I genuinely wish you all the best…

Genuinely feel for you - but it’s becoming untenable being a small landlord due to the extremely punitive changes being made to the way rental income is taxed
as I understand it being a landlord is considered an investment activity, as such the cost of borrowing cannot be offset against tax in the same way that, were you to borrow money to buy stocks and shares you'd not be able to offset the cost of borrowing against any tax payable on the gains you make from that investment.
I may have those details wrong, but I think that's the jist of it?
Before BTL became a thing landlords would typically buy property outright, BTL has been a big factor in inflating property prices out of the reach of normal working people. Low interest rates allowed the BTL model to flourish, but those days are over now, or so it seems?

Yes, the state wanted private landlords out of the market to increase the number of properties being sold to first time buyers. That is now happening. So eg a landlord with a job in London and a 75% mortgage on a 350k place might have a 3% interest only mortgage which would cost 656 a month and might let the place at £1100. By the time the costs of things like letting agent fees etc are put in place as the interest cannot be set against the profit in the way it could there is no profit so people sell. That is not a problem. The state wanted that and landlords have been selling up in droves. Soon if the energy rating is below C they will not be allowed to let so even more landlords are selling up now too.

This is good for tenants able to buy but not for a lot of people who have never and will never be in a position to buy a place.