To object to paying two lots of council tax

[googlenut]

We pay really high rates on our own property. We have a rental property - a small flat- which we have been unable to rent. We have just been faced with a £650 council tax bill. If we had students in it the flat would be exempt, if we had one person in it we would get 25% discount but instead we have to pay the full amount when it is empty. I just can't see the fairness of this - but willing to listen if someone can explain the justice of it.

Actually we are doing tenants a favour - that is the nature of the service. We are providing a house for people to live in. Because many of us do it to a nice standard there is a certain amount we need to get back and that hopefully agrees with the market conditions. We are not raking it in or taking advantage of people.
But as many have said there is huge vitriol towards landlords on mumsnet that doesn't exist in real life.

Google you not doing a favour to anyone but yourself. By buying an extra property to what you need to live in you have stolen a home and increased the price of property in your area. If everyone had one property per person the price would stabilised to what it should be. You cant see that neither can others. Seriously you not heard this in real life. Every single patient that comes into my clinic is complaining about it as their grandchildren or children cant buy due to selfish people who own more than one property. Its also what everyone is complaining about in the paper and news. I really cant believe you not see this. If i was in gov i would tax people who had more than one property. Its a business but a nasty one. We need a stable roof over our heads. But you not listening so im wasting my breath.... As others had said if you wont greedy you would have let or sold!!!!!!

I note that googlenut continues to avoid addressing the fact that she got herself into this situation by setting the rent too high to attract tenants which is why it's empty.

googlenut
"Actually we are doing tenants a favour - that is the nature of the service. We are providing a house for people to live in."

That is not a favour that is a business, But if it makes you feel better to believe that you are helping someone out of the kindness of your heart then so be it.

I'm a landlord - it's not a favour, it is a business. People who sell food and the other necessities of life aren't doing it for a favour, they do it to make money.

That's why you run businesses, to make money. Doesn't mean it can't be done properly and ethically, of course. You may not get that back from your customers, but that's the same in any business.

there is a certain amount we need to get back
Yes, but for every month your flat is empty, you are losing another 8.3% of your annual rent + council tax!! You need to reduce the rent and be getting something in!!
Oh and if you were doing a favour, tenants would be biting your hand off!

I rented my house out to Students.
They wanted short term.
I accepted that they would trash it.
Each year a new set arrived.
Luckily the University is now building enough halls that the houses are going back to being family homes for sale.

Landlords now require students' parents to sign a deed of covanent agreeing to pay for all damages to the property caused by any of the tenants!!

judgerinder
I barely knew the names of my tenants, let alone their parents.
Most of the damage was "accidental" and I just withheld their deposits for the deeply stupid stuff.

I wonder if, by post 213, OP has realised that she is BU?

The 'justice of it' OP, looking at your original post, is that those are the ruled on empty property. T

That's how it rolls in the world of BLT.

Call it poetic justice if you like - you overpriced your property, and have to pay the costs of not being able to attract tenants .

BTL obviously, not BLT.

Though I suspect overpricing sandwiches has a similar result - still have to pay for the bread.

Speaking as someone who has taken a very large hit on selling a house recently (think thousands and thousands) to move so our lifestyle can improve...and as someone who has just sold a business and has a huge capital gains tax bill to pay I say...YABVU. (And I'm not complaining about my situation, I chose to be in it, and I agree with paying tax and contributing to society as a result.)
Suck it up. You want to rent > drop the price. No house is unsaleable or unrentable (unless outright dangerous)...just too expensive.
You are using the services. I take it you travel to the property to check it?
This is a business whether you want it to be or not. If you don't, then sell. Or keep it long term and hope its value increases then sell. Whatever.
Don't, however, think people who cannot buy and will continue to pay extortionate rent for the rest of their lives will sympathise with you. As a PP poster said...first world problem.

duh - wrong thrread

Google you not doing a favour to anyone but yourself. By buying an extra property to what you need to live in you have stolen a home and increased the price of property in your area. If everyone had one property per person the price would stabilised to what it should be. You cant see that neither can others. Seriously you not heard this in real life. Every single patient that comes into my clinic is complaining about it as their grandchildren or children cant buy due to selfish people who own more than one property. Its also what everyone is complaining about in the paper and news. I really cant believe you not see this. If i was in gov i would tax people who had more than one property. Its a business but a nasty one. We need a stable roof over our heads. But you not listening so im wasting my breath.... As others had said if you wont greedy you would have let or sold!!!!!!

and not in a good way.

Property prices are not increasing because people like me have bought a second home. That is just ludicrous.
Property prices are high because banks were willing to loan people so much money and they are continuing to be high because interests rates are being kept so low.
I've owned a house since 1980. I've seen house prices rises and falls going through several cycles. Including interests rates in double figures.
As I say I don't know anyone who minds about others having a BTL in real life.

It's not ludicrous to say that people buying second homes have contributed to property prices rising at all google.

Of course they have. If some people own more than one home (observation, not a judgement btw) then there will be fewer homes for other people to even own one of hence demand outstrips supply and prices increase.

It's not the only reason - the sell off of council houses is a major one, the degree of foreign investment in the top end of the London property market is another.

One third of ex-council properties are now owned by landlords. There isn't the housing safety net there was even a couple of decades ago.

People only need to ask the banks for huge mortgage loans because property prices are so high. Interest rates are being kept artificially low to pretend that the UK isn't in a huge recession with a major housing crisis.

It's very simple economics.

I know loads of people who object to btl in real life btw.

Including me, and I neither rent nor am I a landlord, so have no vested interest.

If property wasn't treated as an investment or way to make money, there would be many more homes for people to rent and buy, hence rent and house prices would fall and be more in line with salaries (as they used to be).

As I've said several times, I'm not particularly critical of people who own a btl, look after it and their tenants and charge a sensible rent. Like lots of people, I save my ire for landlords who own loads of properties and don't give a shit.

But landlords who overprice their properties, complain that no-one want to rent it, then complain about the financial consequences of this really get up my nose.

'not particularly critical' - well, that's nice of you.

Would love to know the ultra-ethical job that you do. I make money from renting out a clean, warm, decent, safe, modern property. Nope, not seeing the problem with that.

BTW the money to buy it came from many years behind a desk doing work that I was proud of and was useful.

'your property is only worth as much as someone is prepared to pay for it'

unfortunately properties in areas are held artificially high by estate agents, the market around me is stagnant, over 2000 houses are being built and very few are being sold yet prices are not coming down.