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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think landlords should be crb checked

126 replies

Unwind · 30/12/2010 21:46

I don't imagine it would have helped protect Jo Yeates, even if her LL is found to be guilty, but it has made me think about the powerful position private landlords are in. There are too many stories, on here and elsewhere of them abusing that. Prospective tenants have to provide references, but landlords provide nothing, and they keep a set of keys.

My current landlord has threatened to have my neighbours killed. A previous landlord (who lived in the same building as me) once let himself in to my flat when he knew I was in there alone.

OP posts:
reallytired · 30/12/2010 22:32

That is nuts. If someone wants to murder a young 25 year old then they will find a way.

These crimes are completely unpredictable and impossible to prevent.

Myleetlepony · 30/12/2010 22:33

"Well yes, but the kind of person who is going to turn up to your home and cause trouble (say yelling abuse and threatening you) isn't going to pay a lot of a attention to a little thing like the law."
I know, unfortunately that applies to any member of the public, whether or not they are a landlord, the only thing to do is to call the police whoever they are.

KalokiMallow · 30/12/2010 22:34

Except the landlord has a key.

BitOfFun · 30/12/2010 22:36

It is nuts, yes. Perhaps we should use a sledgehammer?

KatieMiddleton · 30/12/2010 22:38

Oh please. What a ridiculous suggestion. Doesn't even deserve a biscuit. Needs a big, fat...

Hmm
Feenie · 30/12/2010 22:39

No! We need the knitting emoticon, exactly here.

KatieMiddleton · 30/12/2010 22:42

Yy a knitting emoticon would do it. Until MN do us one @ will have to do

fluffles · 30/12/2010 22:42

my city council has a landlord registration scheme: www.landlordregistrationscotland.gov.uk

actually, just noticed it's scotland-wide. is there nothing like this in england?

"To be registered, owners and their agents must be fit and proper to let residential property. Local authorities must take account of any evidence that the person has:

Committed any offence involving fraud, dishonesty, violence or drugs
Practised unlawful discrimination in connection to any business
Contravened any provision of the law relating to housing, or landlord and tenant law, and the person?s actions, or failure to act, in relation to any antisocial behaviour affecting a house they let or manage, and must take account of the fact and nature of any agency arrangement.
In addition to the information provided on the form, the local authority will also take account of any other relevant information they hold about the applicant. They will make a balanced judgement on the basis of all the available information, there is no automatic refusal."

KatieMiddleton · 30/12/2010 22:43

Maybe we could just lock up all men? Just to be on the safe side.

oneortwo · 30/12/2010 22:43

if your landlord is letting themselves in uninvited there is very little you can actually do other than ask them to please stick to the contract and blah blah blah. They know they're not supposed to, you know they're not supposed to, but you both know that they can and prob wont have any consequences.

there is nothing you can REALLY do like have the right to change the lock.

It is so awful when someone unpleasant has a key to your HOME!

So that is why I think references both ways instead of one way might be better than CRB - they would have to think about how it would affect getting future tenants before they just go ahead and treat you like muck!

junkcollector · 30/12/2010 22:49

Fluffles, They were going to develop one but I think it's one of the things that was scrapped in the spending review.

Feenie · 30/12/2010 22:53

Grin katemiddleton

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 30/12/2010 23:01

CRB checking doesn't mean much. It's just a 'snapshot' of a period of time. Too many people see it as some kind of 'talisman' that means all is well with the checked person when all too often it isn't.

LovelyJuggly · 31/12/2010 05:46

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet.

dexter73 · 31/12/2010 11:30

I think that if landlords have to be crb checked then so should the tenants.

LIZS · 31/12/2010 11:34

Surely he would have been as a teacher - it only shows someone hasn't previously been caught and convicted. Why not suggest everyone needs one to do anything ? Hmm. They only take at least 6 weeks and ££ to process after all.

SugarMousePink · 31/12/2010 11:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FIMBOisfirstfootin2moro · 31/12/2010 11:53

Ian Huntley was crb checked but changed his name, so his came back as clear.

ChildofIsis · 31/12/2010 12:01

All official tenant/landlord relationships are based on a contract which states the landlord has no right to gain unauthorised access unless there are exceptional conditions, ie tenants away and a leak etc.

Any landlord who breaches this should be treated very severely. The property is the tenants home for the duration of the let.

Unfortunately they're not all nice or official.

KalokiMallow · 31/12/2010 12:08

"Any landlord who breaches this should be treated very severely."

They aren't unfortunately.

Even if the tenants are then too scared to return to the property, they still have to pay rent, as not paying is seen as a bigger breach of contract :(

ChildofIsis · 31/12/2010 13:35

I take your point Kaloki, I can only speak from my own experience of being one of the 'nice' landlords.

I'm constantly amazed by the dreadful ways tenants are treated.
I can only assume the people involved don't actually like dealing with tenants and only want the money.

It can be a very easy way to make a return on an investment.
However all properties require some maintenance from time to time and that costs money.

theevildead2 · 31/12/2010 13:39

I think anyone with keys to the flat should be CRB checked, so I don't think YABU.

Doubt it would haved helped in the recent case as even if he is responsible he was a teacher so has been crb checked before (I assume)

SugarMousePink · 31/12/2010 13:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Niceguy2 · 31/12/2010 13:52

I think we should just CRB check everyone and intern anyone who fails.

Lynli · 31/12/2010 13:57

I can understand why that would be your knee jerk reaction, not sure how it would work.

I am a landlord my self and would not dream of letting my self into someones home unannounced.

Unfortunately many people could possibly have access to the keys of a rental property including the landlord letting agents and previous tenants.

I do think there should be more checks on landlords, and their properties.

There are many rules and regulations regarding health and safety, but if landlords choose to ignore them, and threaten and bully tenants that are too frightened to argue in case they are made homeless, they seem to get away with it.

I have let property for many years, and have
done everything I should to protect my tenants, however I have never been asked by any government body to prove the fact.

I did take advice as to whom I should register these documents with and was told I would only need to prove due diligence if I was unlucky enough to kill or maim a tenant, which does not seem a good system to me.