To hate landlords?

[MsPeachh]

Last month, I had to move suddenly. I found the flat I’m in now, it had just been bought by my landlord and I’m the first person in after the former owner moved out. It’s an ex-council house that the owner had purchased under “right to buy” and now I have to pay a third of my salary to a private landlord for what was originally meant to be affordable housing.

I’m a scientist in my late twenties with good qualifications and I feel total despair that I might never be able to afford my own home, and I will be lining someone else’s pockets via rent for the rest of my life. Let alone what anyone in a position less fortunate than mine is supposed to do.

To make matters worse, I looked up my landlord’s info on Companies House and I discovered that they have 22 properties in my area! It’s a village on the outskirts of a town where lots of people move when they are ready to move out of the hustle and bustle and settle to raise kids. And more and more of these properties are being snapped up by this landlord. It makes me sick, honestly. I know a lot of people become landlords accidentally in later life due to remarrying etc and ending up with two houses between one couple, but this landlord sucking up 22 houses in such a small area disgusts me. I feel like I’m completely losing hope for the future of people my age and younger as house prices keep soaring and soaring.

AIBU?

Although actually the entirety of CGT last year was 1%of the total tax take, so I'm thinking that given there are lots of other tax points that contribute to that figure then maybe landlords aren't quite horny handed sons of the soil ploughing all of their profits into keeping us going, economically.

Also, the overflow pipe goes outside. Why did yours go downstairs? Did you use a dodgy fitter? Always best to go by word of mouth I find.

Are you entirely stupid? Why on earth would an overflow pipe go downstairs?? How on earth do you think that would pass a gas safety certificate? Or even the most basic regulations relating to not only renting property but installing a central heating system?

I will try to explain this very simply. Its a flat. Outside, there is space. Underneath, there is another flat. The water from the overflow pipe went into the extractor fan of the shop below...I'm sure even you can work out the rest without it being spelt out exactly.

And I "sound needy" - wtaf? Because I can maintain my properties for my tenants and do things by the book, I sound "needy"??

Do you actually live in a parallel universe?

Well, that's what I'm asking you. You said your overflow flooded downstairs. So why did your overflow pipe feed into downstairs? If it's pishing out at all (ie is faulty), it should be pishing outside.

Jesus Christ. The overflow pipe was on the flpping outside wall.

The tenants wrongfully activated an emergency overflow mechanism. It flooded the flat downstairs. The water didn't flow downstairs. The water flowed outside. The flat was downstairs. My flat was upstairs.

What with gravity being what it is, the water flowed downwards. Outside. To the flat which was downstairs of mine. The water did not flow down the stairs.

Why do you need to ask again when it has already been explained to you that both the overflow pipe and water FLOWED OUTSIDE???

Before the tenants caused damage, there was no water flowing from the overflow pipe.

Do you understand or is this beyond you? Do you have problems with going off on strange tangents and making up little stories usually?

You do understand that flats on lower levels are slightly wider than those above? The shop below, as already explained, had an extractor fan which sat directly under, albeit around 20 feet under, the overflow pipe from my property. No-one knows which was there first. It is entirely possible that the extractor fan was illegal but since fighting a court case was more expensive for the insurer than simply paying out, thats what happened.

The whole point was that landlords do a lot of looking after of tenants because some of them don't really take a lot of care of the properties they live in. There is an element of this risk calculated into some rents.

Council housing is affordable to those on low wages in a way that private rentals aren't. I'm a working single parent on a low wage and can pay my council rent in full without housing benefit, if I were paying private rental costs on the size house I need in my area I would be needing several hundreds of pounds in housing benefit which would then go to profit an individual landlord.

I had some bad experiences with private renting before I got my council property including losing most of my savings when they refused to give back deposits (before the regulated deposit schemes started), selling the house and showing potential buyers the property within days of me giving birth, having to move out with only a months notice, etc. All these things cost money I didn't have on top of a rent I couldn't afford on the wages I earned.

I am happy with the house I have now. The tenancy I have means I can stay here unless I chose to move, it has meant security for me to raise my family without them having to move schools because we have had to move house/area, it has meant I can afford to pay my housing costs even as a single parent on a low wage so don't have to deal with the bureaucracy around claiming housing benefit and waiting for the hoops that need jumping through to receive the money so I can house my family.

Council/HA properties pay for themselves through the rents as they are non-profit organisations unlike private rentals where the landlord needs to make some kind of profit.

As for would I move so a family could have this house when mine are grown - yes, I would consider it for a property that had what I needed and the tenancy was still a secure one as it's the security and affordability that I appreciate the most.

What is an "emergency overflow mechanism"? A boiler only overflows due to faulty pressure. And it does so via an external outlet in order not to flood properties below. If a property below has an ingress at the exact point that allows water to penetrate, and if the water is only there because of faulty pressure, I fail to see how your tenants are to blame. Did they fuck with the boiler inlet taps?

Anyway, that's not what you said initially.

I think you are getting a wee bit confused.

I was a landlord for around 3 or 4 years, and not through choice... house sale kept falling through and we had to move for my new job. Being a landlord was a frickin nightmare and we lost money.

What is an "emergency overflow mechanism"? A boiler only overflows due to faulty pressure. And it does so via an external outlet in order not to flood properties below. If a property below has an ingress at the exact point that allows water to penetrate, and if the water is only there because of faulty pressure, I fail to see how your tenants are to blame.

Its an overflow pipe. I described it as that so even you could understand what happened. Since you couldn't cope with the initial brief explanation before developing this odd fascination.

Did they fuck with the boiler inlet taps?

Yes, they did. As I said about 25 posts back.

Anyway, that's not what you said initially.

Erm...

I think you are getting a wee bit confused.

Ah, OK. Well thank goodness you were here to get to the explanation of what happened in my own property!

Dunning-Kruger?

@Tumbleweed101 - housing associations and/or council housing does not pay for itself through rents. They are subsidised by the taxpayer in the form of grants. The same is not true for private rents.

Private rents can only be the market rate - ie what people will pay. Whether or not that is profitable for an individual landlord is irrelevant- they can’t charge more if it’s more than the market rate.

Also in many parts of the country private rents are not much more than council rents. Generally private rents are in better condition with furniture and white gooods. In others that’s not the case of course.

@AngryFishes - where’s your evidence for the below? Doesn’t accord with any research I’ve seen. Council houses don’t pay for themselves at all generally, councils are bad at getting value for money in building and managing their housing stock and then they are sold at huge discounts.

“ It's actually the other way around: housing benefit is a drain on the public purse forever while council houses pay for themselves relatively quickly.“

Also @AngryFishes - what are you trying to say by the below? Rental income is taxed as, well, income.

“Although actually the entirety of CGT last year was 1%of the total tax take, so I'm thinking that given there are lots of other tax points that contribute to that figure then maybe landlords aren't quite horny handed sons of the soil ploughing all of their profits into keeping us going, economically.“

[quote CayrolBaaaskin]@AngryFishes - where’s your evidence for the below? Doesn’t accord with any research I’ve seen. Council houses don’t pay for themselves at all generally, councils are bad at getting value for money in building and managing their housing stock and then they are sold at huge discounts.

“ It's actually the other way around: housing benefit is a drain on the public purse forever while council houses pay for themselves relatively quickly.“[/quote]
How much do you think it costs to house people on lower wages in private renting? Their jobs are essential - cleaning, for example, but don't pay enough to fund the costs of private rentals (unlike council housing).

And temporary accommodation, used to house homeless families and vulnerable disabled people, is very expensive (despite often being shoddy condition).

Council housing is cheaper long-term. Especially when you look at the bigger picture and take into account the knock on costs (health and social care, criminal justice, etc) of failing to provide stable affordable housing.

Housing Benefit is necessary. Or do you think lower waged families and the disabled should be left to rot on the streets?

The rental sector should be nationalised. I don't hate landlords personally but they have a vested interest in keeping supply of property low and prices high.

That went so well in the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc dudnt it "TrailingLobelias*?

Mmmn, I'd just LOVE to rent a state run property with a kitchen and bathroom shared with 3 other households, instead of a privately rented property of my own choice!

Just remember that none of the extensive legislation introduced in Scotland with regards to fire safety, HMOs, etc applies to properties rented to families and therefore the majority of social housing. Wonder why that is?

@GreenlandTheMovie

That went so well in the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc dudnt it "TrailingLobelias*?

Mmmn, I'd just LOVE to rent a state run property with a kitchen and bathroom shared with 3 other households, instead of a privately rented property of my own choice!

Just remember that none of the extensive legislation introduced in Scotland with regards to fire safety, HMOs, etc applies to properties rented to families and therefore the majority of social housing. Wonder why that is?

kitchen and bathroom shared with 3 other households Erm, I think you've got it mixed up. That's what's happening in the private rental sector. Council housing, on the other hand, provides affordable stable single household homes - including for low waged families and vulnerable ill and disabled people.

@SheepandCow - I asked for evidence not weird accusations that I want the “disabled to rot on the streets”. As I said the evidence does not show that councils and housing associations are good at getting value for money. No one said housing benefits was not necessary. The issue is how best to supply housing.

@GreenlandTheMovie - agree. Councils are often shocking at maintaining their property and provide their tenants with no flooring even or white goods. Then they are surprised when it doesn’t work out.

In Scotland private rented tenancies are indefinite (no s.21), well regulated and often no more than a council tenacy (depends on area though). There’s no right to buy now too so really not much difference between the two other than there is not much council housing available and you can actually pick a house freely in an area that suits if private renting.

@SheepandCow have you tried to get a council house in the last 20 years? Your posts would indicate a resounding no.

[quote CayrolBaaaskin]@SheepandCow have you tried to get a council house in the last 20 years? Your posts would indicate a resounding no.[/quote]
What makes you think that?

Yes Scotland has better protections than England. And, like Wales and NI, they've banned right to buy. Unfortunately England has yet to do the same.

Private rentals are increasingly being let unfurnished. Some have white goods but more and more don't. Just like council...minus the security or affordability.

There's a very obvious answer if some councils the same as many private landlords in not maintaining their properties. The solution is that they do maintain them. It could be funded with the money currently spent on housing benefit for private rents and temporary accommodation.

no one said housing benefits was not necessary
Another poster did say that.

The biggest issue I had with private renting is that they are not stable, long term homes. The landlord can give notice on a whim and you have to be out in a month. That was my experience renting in the housing boom. Landlords were selling as house prices were rapidly increasing. We had to move three times in as many years because of it and we had very young children at the time so it was a nightmare. It was this that eventually left us homeless as we ran out of deposit money where some was kept back each time for no good reason.

In a round about way it was landlords that pushed us into council housing as we had no other options but to be put in emergency housing due to them abruptly ending the tenancies after 6mths/1 yr.

I would never chose to put myself back into that system and consider myself very fortunate to have a stable council tenancy since I don’t earn enough to buy a house on my single wage.

[quote CayrolBaaaskin]@SheepandCow have you tried to get a council house in the last 20 years? Your posts would indicate a resounding no.[/quote]
This!!!

I was on the housing list for 12 years and never got to the top of the list. Fortunately, I inherited some money, enough for a deposit so now am secure as a home owner.

MsPeachh you are not wrong. After renting cold, damp, mouldy houses, with the help of a generous family member we bought our first house 25 years ago. The deposit was £3,000. Only one of us was working and I had two babies. I was 25. This would not be possible today. My grown up children will never afford a house. It's so wrong that people should be profiting from homes that people need, and yes I blame the government, and greedy LL. Private renting is not secure, you can be chucked out at a moments notice, stuff doesn't get fixed in a timely manner and it's so expensive. My daughter's room costs more a month than my mortgage and bills combined. Fair? Hardly.

We were certainly relived to sell our two buy to "lose" flats even at 50% losses over purchase price in the 90s property crash given the hassles of being a landlord. I am currently helping my sons manage the house they let out and it is reminding me of the cost and hassle. They have wanted people to stay but both sets of tenants have chosen to move after a year due to personal circumstances staying yet both moved in on the basis they wanted a stable home for years which would have been great for us on the landlord side. Wjhat is the better the new ones hopefully moving in before Christmas similar do not stay more than a year?

In England you cannot be moved out at a moment's notice. the sector is massively regulated and has been for decades. You cannot remove a tenant without a court order and those who want to try for council housing have to wait until evicted by a court process which i think costs landlords about £3k and I bet mostly they don't get that back from the tenant. I believe it can take at least 2 months never mind covid 19 special rules on not evicting, to remove people with solicitors costs and all sorts. You need annual gas and electric checks too - the fact my son's tenants are moving is costing me £2500 so far in agent' fees, repainting (as I am too kind to charge the existing tenants), gas cert, the new electrical check thing, inventory, key handing over probably more because there will be a period it is empty.
we have by the way always fixed things much faster than properties managed by agents as we don't want the asset losing value and often much quicker than we could afford to do on our own home. Anyway it will be not my responsibility in a year or two when my sons are older thankfully (not that legally it is mine now but I choose to help)