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Original poster

Frustrated with tenants?

462 replies

thankunextex · 25/03/2019 10:13

I’m trying to view a house and the tenants have refused to let me view it both times. Appointments been booked in advance and then they say it’s not a good time an hour before.

I get it if you don’t want to actually leave the property (not sure if that’s the situation or not) but I’m just being messed around now.

OP posts:
thedisorganisedmum · 26/03/2019 13:10

I am not ignoring anything, it's still very much a choice.

There are many of us who had no chance in hell in buying a property in our area. We bought somewhere else and went from there.
No one is pretending it's cheap and easy, but if your priority is to buy a place, it's far from impossible for the majority of people.

Let's not pretend everyone wants to buy either, some people are keen to enjoy their freedom and flexibility and not get stuck into diy and boring home ownership. Nothing wrong with it.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 13:15

Wow!

thedisorganisedmum · 26/03/2019 13:17

I know ILoveMaxiBondi it's easier for some posters to picture all home owners as young people with a trust fund and parents gifting them a £200k deposit... because that's how we all started apparently Grin

MrsPlesWearsAFez · 26/03/2019 13:21

I should obviously have paid more attentiom in Maths Hmm

Toddlerteaplease · 26/03/2019 13:22

I had this. First time the tenants cancelled. Now the vendor is doing work on the house and won't let me in to see it. I think I'm the only one interested and was ready to go. But after 6 weeks of waiting I've found somewhere else. His loss.

RidiculousFoodBills · 26/03/2019 13:22

Costed me 5k including solicitors....

Understandably, it will be MUCH more down south, but in general I agree that lots of people would be able to buy if it was their priority. Or if they made it a priority when it comes to spending habits.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 13:24

😂😂😂 oh I needed a good laugh today.

safariboot · 26/03/2019 13:35

Pretty dense to take out a mortgage that you are relying on other people to pay.

Being a landlord is a business. It's entirely normal for a business to borrow money to invest.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 13:39

Being a landlord is a business.

Spot on! Been saying this all along and yet everyone is falling over themselves to insist that it’s isnt, they didn’t choose this, it just “happened” to them. The house landed in their garden Hmm

It’s a business, that you must have a contingency plan for if the shit hits the fan. You have to to risk assessments and one of those risks is that you will have months with no rental income. If you can’t afford that then don’t start the business.

RidiculousFoodBills · 26/03/2019 14:02

There are genuinely people who ended up as landlords by various circumstances.
Inheritance, but it's not a right time to sell. Being posted abroad for a year or so. And more.

I honestly haven't seen that "everyone is falling over themselves to insist that it’s isnt a business"...

"If you can’t afford that then don’t start the business." Barely anyone would start a business if everyone kept to this rule. Majority of small businesses would fold if they lost their income for a whole month or 2 and it wasn't covered by their insurance. Does it mean all these people just shouldn't start that business?

swingofthings · 26/03/2019 14:08

Being a landlord is indeed a business regardless how you got to become one. Running a business means that you should have contingency plans in place. Running a business also means that you try to sell your product at the best price you can and if a customer messes you about, you don't serve them any longer.

You can't shout that being a landlord is a business when it benefits the tenant but then shout that landlords are just greedy when they do indeed treat their affairs in a business like manner.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 14:09

Does it mean all these people just shouldn't start that business?

If their business involves hoarding property and preventing it from being available to people who actually can afford it then yes, they should find something else to fail at.

RidiculousFoodBills · 26/03/2019 14:19

You know if landlords won't buy houses, or will sell their stock, it won't mean that people will be suddenly able to afford to buy. It will mean that rent will go up because there will be less competition...

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 14:32

You can't shout that being a landlord is a business when it benefits the tenant but then shout that landlords are just greedy when they do indeed treat their affairs in a business like manner.

Except no-one here is doing that.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 14:33

it won't mean that people will be suddenly able to afford to buy. It will mean that rent will go up because there will be less competition.

It will mean more properties in the market meaning fewer people needing to rent.

RidiculousFoodBills · 26/03/2019 14:42

And how would that be? People would suddenly be able to afford to buy? Prices wouldn't drop as much as you are probably imagining...

53rdWay · 26/03/2019 14:52

How about landlords continuing to buy houses, but under a system which better protects security for tenants and comes down harder on amateur landlords who can’t be arsed to find out what their legal responsibilities are?

lyralalala · 26/03/2019 15:03

They should focus on doing what they are doing around here - build more social housing. Good quality social housing is meaning that there are less people looking to private rent, which has brought private rents down and has given more choice to renters. That is directly affecting the shit landlords the most as people don't have to take their damp/unlooked after places.

Also LL's should have to register, as a minimum like they do in Scotland. It's insane that basically no-one has a note of the fact that I let out a property. I have legal responsibilties yet there's no way of anyone checking that I do. For example unless a tenant reports me there's no way of anyone knowing if I do gas safety checks or have smoke alarms fitted, and in many cases a tenant would be too scared to report a LL.

Our local council has a scheme whereby if you register with them and show documentation of gas checks etc they keep a note of you and can contact you if they have people who need housed, but they don't have anything available. It's a really good idea as they have a note of who is renting locally that is all up to date on everything and the property is of a good standard. For me this meant when my tenant was allocated a social housing property (at long last, I was delighted for her) they knew I was a good LL who charged similar to social rent and they had someone that needed housing so they put us in touch. It helped everyone out. If you don't follow your obligations then you don't get to be part of the scheme anymore and they do tell people looking for private rent to ask if they are part of the scheme. Kinda like a landlord vetting scheme - which is a good thing if you ask me. LL's vet tenants, I was always surprised when prospective tenants asked basically nothing about my circumstances.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 15:22

And how would that be? People would suddenly be able to afford to buy? Prices wouldn't drop as much as you are probably imagining.

How would what be? How would there be more houses on the market? Umm, because the LL would be selling them, obviously.

How about landlords continuing to buy houses, but under a system which better protects security for tenants and comes down harder on amateur landlords who can’t be arsed to find out what their legal responsibilities are?

Yes to this! Absolutely. It’s what needs to happen. And some more.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 15:24

If there are 20 house for sale at £200k in Littletown and 40 people in Littletown who can afford to buy them then another 20 houses come on the market at £200k in Littletown those same people can still afford to buy them. The price doesn’t need to come down.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 15:27

lyra that’s what should be happening everywhere.

RidiculousFoodBills · 26/03/2019 16:03

@lyralalala that scheme sounds absolutely amazing! More councils should do this!

@ILoveMaxiBondi so it would basically just work for few areas where there is not enough housing for sale.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 26/03/2019 16:05

Are there only a few areas where there aren’t enough houses for sale?

lyralalala · 26/03/2019 16:33

that scheme sounds absolutely amazing! More councils should do this!

It is. It's only a pilot scheme and the three years are nearly up so I'm wondering if it'll continue. I'm hoping so though as the combination of the scheme plus the new builds have made a few of the worst LL's locally sell up as they just can't command the same rents so they won't do it if there's no big profits anymore.
Plus when I was a tenant I'd have loved a way to have access to a list of LL's who are decent. Also, it's a quick way for people to know if a LL accepts people on housing benefits as well as the housing office keeps a note of that.

Loveinstantcat · 26/03/2019 16:35

We were tenants in a house that we didn't want to move out of but our landlord was selling. We refused viewings until we moved out, because that was our right and we were entitled to pack in peace

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