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AIBU?

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Original poster

Non oaying tenants should be arrested!!

268 replies

JakieOH · 02/07/2015 23:02

Just watching a programme about landlords and tenants. I know there are bad landlords out there, however, surely it should be a criminal offence not to pay rent on a property?? It can take months and months to evict a tenant from your property and it costs a fortune too. Meanwhile the landlord has to pay the mortgage etc. it's awful, these people should be arrested for theft because that's what it is.

More a rant than a question really, I rent out my old flat and it worries me a lot! If my tenets decided to stop paying rent I would most likely default on the mortgage and loose the property. There would be very little comeback to retrieve the money Owed.

I'm lucky because I have great tenants, they get a lovely oroperty at a very very reasonable rate (just covers the mortgage and any breakdowns/upkeep etc)

OP posts:
Original poster
JakieOH · 04/07/2015 11:00

I can only speak for myself here, not trying to be a fairy god mother or have 'poor people kiss my feet' as previously stated.

i get no income from my flat PM. The tenents pay the mortgage amount and not a penny more. I pay for any repairs etc myself and also rent a property in the town I'm living in. By default I will gain from this as technically they are paying off my mortgage I guess but in return for that they get cheap accommodation in a very expensive rental area. I don't grudge paying rent to my landlord, I know she has other properties and this is her business, I'm lining her pockets but in return o get a nice flat. That's life! Like I said if it was a business and I was looking to profit I could charge in excess of £400 more pm. The downside of that would be I wouldn't know the people living there and I would be making money and taking the risk of ending up like that woman on the prog.

They would struggle to pay more anyway so i wouldn't do that. They are very happy with the situation and hopefully they are gaining too. Private renting isn't always about rich people taking money from poor people, that's a sad way to see things IMO.

OP posts:
suzannecanthecan · 04/07/2015 11:04

In order to flourish, live a good life, make a contribution to society we need a secure and affordable place to call home.
This is a basic human need, arguably more fundamental than Healthcare or education yet none of us has a problem with those two things being provided and protected by the state.

Why then have we allowed housing to be used as part of the casino financial sector??

suzannecanthecan · 04/07/2015 11:07

i get no income from my flat PM. The tenents pay the mortgage amount and not a penny more

in other words your tenents are buying your flat for you, how kind of them

at the end of the day they will have nothing, and you will still have your flat

needmorespace · 04/07/2015 11:09

I don't think it is a sad way to see things. I think it is the reality in the majority of cases. You may think you are a fabulous landlord, your tenants may think you are as well. But the majority of private landlords are not like you (despite mn seeming to be full of them).

But, as per your post, you have made a 'business' decision to charge less rent haven't you. You could get more but there would be more risks. You will still end up with an asset that you didn't pay for. Your case might be slightly different because you also rent so you don't end up with two or more assets. But anecdote is not data. Most btl landlords go into it knowing full well that their additional property/properties are increasing in value (often through contributions from the tax payer in general) and use it as a pension or income. Jesus, programmes like Under the Hammer positively salivate over btl purchases.

There are some accidental landlords I agree but not the majority.

I say again, there should be a mass programme of social housing building, it would rebalance the housing market and provides a great many jobs.

SurlyCue · 04/07/2015 11:18

Do you think there should be no private landlords?

I do. People's homes, their homes, the roof over their head without which they are homeless, should not be a private business, investment, money maker. Commercial letting? No problem with that. But residential letting should be done away with as a business model. Letting residential property should all be a social concern. Not for profit.

Original poster
JakieOH · 04/07/2015 11:27

Of course I made a business decision. I'm not looking to profit from it, I had to move it was that simple. cancan if you read my post (instead of picking bits that suit you) you would see I acknowledged that I will gain should I decide to sell. Although I don't accept I will gain an asset I haven't paid for Shock personally I have paid more for my property than will ever be paid by rental income!

This is obviously getting ridiculous now, suggestions that private renting be banned haha! If that was the case I would have no where to live at the moment. Some people are happy to rent from private landlords, like I said that's life Smile

OP posts:
suzannecanthecan · 04/07/2015 11:32

?
So many people's lives would be massively improved if they could rent at an affordable level, not have to worry about the landlord deciding to liquidate her asset giving them notice to leave.
Far fewer people would have to rely on housing benefits so that transfer of public money into landlord's pockets would be much reduced.

It's so far from where we are now though that I can't see it happening :( ?

suzannecanthecan · 04/07/2015 11:34

suggestions that private renting be banned haha! If that was the case I would have no where to live at the moment

Newsflash!
Landlords don't create / build houses they just buy them up and rent them out
?
The property would still exist if it wasn't part of the private rental sector?

SurlyCue · 04/07/2015 11:38

This is obviously getting ridiculous now, suggestions that private renting be banned haha! If that was the case I would have no where to live at the moment.

What a very shortsighted attitude Confused of course you would have somewhere to live! You own a flat for starters! Grin That aside, if private letting was ended, BTLers would be forced to sell, the market would be flooded with properties, house prices would plummet, many current renters would be able to buy and the government would be able to buy up loads of properties to form part of their increasing social housing stock.

suzannecanthecan · 04/07/2015 11:42

lots and lots of MPs are also BTL LLs

hell will freeze over before they even regulate the rental sector let alone put an end to private renting :(

SurlyCue · 04/07/2015 11:47

Sadly i think youre right suzanne. However there are and have been things made legal/illegal in the past (and recent past) that people never thought they'd see so there is always hope. It requires public opinion being strong enough and consistent enough to change it.

OhMrGove · 04/07/2015 11:47

Labour housing policies are yet another reason im a paid up member of the Conservatives. There was some chat of banning non fault evictions this week. It's as if they forget the landlord owns the property, not the tenant. Situations change, I fled an awful relationship so evicted the tenants in my own flat with a 3 month notice period. so long as an adequate notice period is given, this is fair. Not ideal but one of the perils of renting. Just like fear of non-paying tenants is one of the perils of being a B2L landlord.

BeautifulBatman · 04/07/2015 11:47

Brilliant idea Surly - how are you supposed to force someone to sell, if house prices plummet leaving the owner in negative equity?

SurlyCue · 04/07/2015 11:50

Brilliant idea Surly - how are you supposed to force someone to sell, if house prices plummet leaving the owner in negative equity?

Oh you dont have to force anyone to sell. They can hold onto their empty house if they like.

ThatBloodyWoman · 04/07/2015 11:50

I make no apology for not rtt as its so long.

I personally think a rent cap should be reintroduced.Furthermore I would like to see a tenants charter that demands certain rights for a tenant so they can live a freer family life.
I think private landlords should be made to allow tenants freedoms such as pet ownership,being able to decorate and hang pictures -just basic things that make a house a home for many.I think there should be greater protection for tenants - much greater protection when it comes to security over the length of tenancy.

We were rid of debtors prison long ago.Perhaps a better solution to rent arrears would be an end to extortionate rents and deposits.

Rant over.

SurlyCue · 04/07/2015 11:54

Not ideal but one of the perils of renting. Just like fear of non-paying tenants is one of the perils of being a B2L landlord.

I love how people say that as if renting and letting are both a business decision Hmm theyre not. Letting is a choice you have made. You can opt out of that any time you like. Renting, for the majority, is not. People need to have a roof over their heads. No-one needs to let their property.

ReallyTired · 04/07/2015 12:01

I think that there is a lot of jealousy on this thread. Believe it not, there are plenty of people who do not want to buy or cannot get a mortgage. For example I rent to a South African contract worker. He only has leave to remain for another 3 years. Is it really sensible for him to buy? I expect that the same people who hate landlords would hate immigrants who take jobs and rent property.

In most parts of the UK, market does a good job of rent regulation. London and the Home Counties are an exception, but in a lot of the country landlords cannot get away with being excessively greedy.

BeautifulBatman · 04/07/2015 12:07

I agree Really - it's all a bit 'I can't afford a house so I don't want anyone else to own one'.

SurlyCue · 04/07/2015 12:10

Oh of course! It must be jealousy. Discussion over then, it's been solved. As you were everyone Hmm

ThatBloodyWoman · 04/07/2015 12:10

Thats a standard response of the priviledged.

SurlyCue · 04/07/2015 12:12

I agree Really - it's all a bit 'I can't afford a house so I don't want anyone else to own one'

Who said they dont want anyone else to own one house? Confused

ThatBloodyWoman · 04/07/2015 12:12

Its childish and nasty tbh to accuse jealousy of people who are simply fed up of being shafted and treated like second class citizens to boot.

Original poster
JakieOH · 04/07/2015 12:12

How has a thread on the immorality of squatting gone to banning landlords all together. I posted this in haste I guess and don't actually think people should be arrested, but I don't think all landlords are parasites, it's actually funny now! still counting all the money ive made from the poor mwahaha

OP posts:
SunnyBaudelaire · 04/07/2015 12:15

" I expect that the same people who hate landlords would hate immigrants who take jobs and rent property. "

that is some truly dipshit non sequiter of a response

SurlyCue · 04/07/2015 12:16

How has a thread on the immorality of squatting gone to banning landlords all together.

Because one is as a result of the other and how it is regulated. When a problem arises it helps to look at the root cause. Ignoring that cause is incredibly shortsighted. The problem will continue to resurface until the root cause has been dealt with.