To think pre 1989 tenancy rights should be restored?

[fideline]

And that Assured Shorthold Tenancies should be abolished (or severely restricted?

Pre 1989 nearly all rents were subject to 'fair rent' adjudication and private tenants had much better security of tenure.

Reintroducing similar measures would vastly improve quality of life for millions of people in the UK (including children) and help to reduce the Housing Benefit bill.

Special exemptions and phasing arrangements could be made for accidental LLs and amateur LLs with small portfolios.

Reasonable?

Aga do you have to stay in that area? That rent is shocking! It's bad here but yours is astounding really. Is it massive? Or normal but in London?

I wonder; if annual rents had to be advertised alongside the monthly amount, by law, do you think that would help depress the market a bit? You just made me think. I bet a lot of people never do that particular x 12 sum and the annual figure sounds even worse.

The rent is what it is, I just had a look the cheapest 4-bed available on the market today is £1700 pcm, but most more than that.

It's in commuter land.

When are you allowed to view Bumpy? The same day you go to HA office?

Fide she did mention it as a possibility but then she said that it was being completely re-done as the last tenants are out and they can't let people in because of health and safety! Yet the council people had told me I have a right to see any property before I take it...problem is that without seeing it, how can I take it!

I'm going there on Saturday for a poke about the area though...might have a better idea anyway...the woman I spoke to said the flats are very spacious apparently...bigger than average.

*Reasonable yes!

It'll never happen though because there are too many private buy-to-let LLs making a packet out of private tenants and Housing Benefit payments.

Farming the poor is a lucrative industry these days*

^ I came on to say pretty much what this poster said ^

yanbu at all

Aga I see...it's awful isn't it. If I ever make a billion pounds I SWEAR I will buy up entire streets and let them to those in need of good housing...I will give long term secure tenancies.

A friend who is hoping to buy was considering this the other day, Bumpy.

All in (mortgage, rent and service charge) it comes to more than £2k per month - 2 beds balcony and it is not big. And that is officially 'affordable'. Mind boggles.

I hate hate hate renting with a passion, I'm slowly being priced out my area so my ds will need to move schools (presumably a few times) I've no idea where we will end up.
We can't decorate his room as we don't know how long we will be here
We can't have pets in case we have to move.
I can't even plant a bulb in the garden without a pang of sadness that we might not see it flower.
It's really really shit and every minute of every day it worries me. Every purchase is thought out e.g trampoline "best not get a big one in case the next house has a small garden"

I want my son to live in a home, our home a lovely settled one. Go to one school with his friends and start his life from here.

Fideline I have 2 flats let on the Scottish equivalent tenancy. I need to be sure if my circumstances change I can get either or both back for me or my son to live in or sell them with vacant possession.

A house with a pre-1989 lease or a Scottish Assured, as opposed to Short Assured Tenancy, loses 50% of its value on a sale and is only saleable to a very limited specialised market.

so you want security of tenure and also the right to leave when you want?

you don't get that if you buy somewhere...

but you can negotiate both if you rent. I know someone who rents (in London, good grief) and has a very long lease with a break clause for the tenant. It's a nice house too.

but as all landlords are grabby crooks I must be imagining it.

What the fuck?

'You will need to be earning a minimum income of at least £66,000.'

To live in a grotty council flat on a shared ownership scam?

Oh no you have to insist on seeing it first. Communicating by email might be a good idea, so that you have proof that you weren't dragging your heels on making a decision, that you were just making a perfectly reasonable request to view first.

special security of tenure with ease of exit for tenants is fairly standard across Europe and was here until 1989.

You sound very defensive.

Not exactly a Des Res is it Aga?

The flats are always the worst, because of the rip-off service charges.

I wasn't a landlord pre 1989 but I was a solicitor. The 1988 Scottish Act was brought in as there were simply not enough houses available to rent as any landlord who got a house back (unless they were major portfolio holders) wasn't re-letting.

The housing problem was caused by council RTB being used to buy all the good social stock in the early 80s which was never replaced.

As for exploiting Housing Benefit one of my flats is in an area which would never be considered by a HB claimant as the Council Tax band is far too high. The other might but so far I've not let it to anyone on HB and to be honest probably wouldn't.

Caitlin That's not really professional LLing though is it?

Fide I know...I'm going to insist on Tuesday when they see me.

I don't think I've used the word exploitation. I do think if two thirds of tenants need to claim HB to meet their rent, then that is proof that rents are too high.

Bumpy very weird of them to think you can decide without a viewing at all. Just don't give them a chance to presume a refusal or anything (suspicious of officialdom? moi?)

The thing is Caitlin the fact that you might want your 'house back' at any minute means a lot of uncertainty for your tenants. You wouldn't want to bring up a child in home from which you could be evicted at short notice would you?

It's a very unsatisfactory form of tenure for families.

No it certainly is not

"A CRACK house which attracted a non-stop queue of drug addicts to a block of council flats in Kentish Town was raided by police on Thursday.
The drugs den in Durdans House, Kentish Town Road, became the fifth to be shut down since Camden Council and police were given new powers to speed up crack house closures last month."

Camden is basically where London goes to buy its drugs, so it's not really a surprise.

It is quite fucked up though, that they have to come up with a part-buy part-rent scam in order to persuade people on £66k+ incomes that a 700 sq ft council flat in a drugs den is worth over £2,000/month.

And presumably as a leaseholder you will be liable for levies to fund repairs to the properties still owned by HA.

^I know someone who rents (in London, good grief) and has a very long lease with a break clause for the tenant. It's a nice house too.^

Ok, so because one person in a country of tens of millions has a good deal, then tenancy laws don't need overhauling.

Ffs.

I think the comments on here by landlords and their supporters are just more evidence that leaving things to private individuals doesn't work - they take everything so personally. It's all 'what about me? What about my investment? What about my below-market rent?' etc. They are too emotionally invested in what they are doing to be even remotely professional. In other European countries, private tenancies are done by big institutional investors - they don't take as a personal slight if someone doesn't pay their rent; they don't whinge about having to do repairs once a tenant has left; they just get the fuck on with it and also they know that they have to adhere to high standards or forfeit their rental income. Private landlords have fucked this country up with their carping, whining, complaining, exploitative ways.