Landlords are hated but

[Parsley1234]

I am a landlord tenants been in situ for over 10 years very happily in a character Victorian terrace rent raises minimum I leave them alone get repairs done in a timely manner however from 2028 I will have to either sell holiday let or leave vacant the property as the modifications are untenable for me. Double glazing adding internal walls to make small rooms smaller etc. We are in a housing crisis this is going to make it worse and for all of you who want to have a go at landlords maybe look at the government housing policy first

The amount of landphobia I see is sickening, people of land are the most oppressed minority 😔

In response to your first statement you think that second homeowners are looking to buy properties in 'poverty ridden dumps'. Doesn't really seem likely does it.

You can blame the landlord haters and the govt for the switch from long term renting to airbnb, that's not to do with demand, that's to do with the fact the the govt responded to the 'tax the evil landlords' mob and changed the tax arrangements to make airbnb far more appealing from a tax POV than AST tenants. be careful what you wish for, that is a perfect example of unintended consequences.

I think your assessor may be incorrect. In fact the qualified exemption has been extended to include properties in conservation areas.

@PurpleFlower1983 the terrace I live in is having an external render insulation added. So the insulation is being added to the exterior not interior of the property.

I'm a Landlord. Just had an EPC done on one of my houses (never been done on the others as they are HMOs so not required). It's a standard Victorian terrace. Double glazing, good loft insulation, newish boiler. Apart from that nothing - no wall insulation of any kind. And it was rated a C.

But your issue isn't just with unused second homes it is with landlords

The properties don't disappear if landlords sell. It means that they are available for people to buy so that they don't have to rent.

@Dobbysgotthesocks you think putting render over Cotswold stone is a good thing and ripping out sach windows ? I don’t just awful
@thecatneuterer i hope that is the case for mine I really don’t want to rip out the windows we will see

@Eastangular2000 my issue is with the whole housing market! Something needs to change!

People working full time should be able to afford a roof over their head and for that not to be stripped away at the drop of a hat for no good reason. Everyone deserves to have a home and a safe secure and warm place to live.

@dianthus101 and can not be rented again some people can’t buy don’t want to buy there isn’t enough housing stock

Let's just hope that it doesn't end up with increased levels of damp and condensation which is what has historically happened when cladding is whacked on to period properties. It may be that this is a quick and easy solution available for the property you are renting, certainly doesn't mean it is an option for all properties.

Government policy has devastated the PRS, the effect of which has been catastrophic for those needing a home. Rents have increased by 20% due to the lack of availability.

There has been little if any effect on house prices in my area.

Yes I'm a landlord but my background is in social welfare law, and I would sooner see a massive housebuilding project by social landlords and affordable rentals by them, than massive profiteering by landlords in the prs. Sadly private landlords do not make enough profit at present to be considered to be massively profiteering. Increased costs, i.e. mortgage costs, maintenance costs, additional admin such as eicr and gsc, and massively increased plumbers, electricians and carpenter costs, along with cgt and additional land taxes, epc standards etc means very few new entries into the business, and current landlords finding it's no longer providing the investment returns necessary. That translates into what we are experiencing now.

Unfortunately if, as some people have suggested large companies enter the market that will not improve standards. Some of the most dreadful properties I've seen are owned by housing associations and companies with over 50 properties. And compliance is often quite poor.

But none of that is the fault of the OP!

@Parsley1234 it's the solution here. There will be other solutions elsewhere. It's not one size fits all.
You said further upthread you won't put in double glazing either!
You need to look for solutions because they will be out there.

Get a second opinion on the EPC. I live in a Victorian terrace built 1885 with an EPC C and we didn’t get wall insulation. We have:
loft insulation
flat roof insulation
double glazing
eco lightbulbs
gas central heating with controls

The recommendations in our report to increase the score further and get to a B were internal wall insulation, solar water heating and solar pv but they won’t be cost effective for us as we won’t live here for more than 3-5 more years. But as a long-term landlord they could definitely be worth it for you if they mean you can continue to let your property.

I feel your pain op, I have a Victorian flat, that was our family home when the kids were at home. I am now living abroad but rent the flat out, have modernised it as much as is possible given that it is over 100 years old, I literally cannot do anything else, have had no Govt. help either, and am quite worried about their ever-changing rules. I make enough to cover the mortgage and insurance and that is it, deliberately charging a fair rent, instead of trying to squeeze my tenants for money. Not every landlord is an asshole.

It’s not illegal.

And it’s only tax evasion if the next day the buyer gifts you the rest of money and pretends it’s unconnected to the purchase. Only the actual gain and actual consideration is taxed in most circumstances, so legitimately selling for low value just means legitimately less tax (and less money).

OP could gift the house to his tenants if he so chose to, or sell it for £1. No rules against it at all.

I’m a landlord and totally agree with you. I will also have to do work on all my properties to get them up to the standard they need to be to let out. Luckily they are in a coastal town so it would be better to move to the holiday let market for at least some of them.
In my opinion this will put more pressure on the rental market and increase prices even higher.
I certainly won’t be selling them off cheaply to FTB as they are long term investments and I also won’t be feeling bad about that.

Parsley1234

how is that going to help my excellent tenants who can’t afford to buy ?

They do landlord/tenant mortgages where you pay the deposit and then get it back on completion of the sale.

@Parsley1234 you can sell for whatever price you like within reason especially with a real genuine reason such as your tenants can't afford to buy at full market value. Enquire about "genuine bargain price" sales, usually inter family but I've often done landlord to tenants where the deposit is sort of gifted within the sale therefore the tenant just needs the mortgage but no deposit. You're welcome.

@Eastangular2000 I didn't say it was!

But the OP is refusing to meet the required change to legislation. There will be ways to do it. If your a landlord you signed up to meet those requirements. You have to take the rough with the smooth and that means stumping up the money when work needs doing not just creaming off the profits when times are good.

@SpaghettiNoodle probably better to gift it to family I would think ?
@Lineala yes the councils have a lot of substandard stock

OMG there are not always ways to do it, which part of that are you not understanding.

I couldn't agree more. I l ived in a one bedroom tiny cottage when most people were 'climbing the property ladder' so that I could have another tiny cottage to find my retirement. I could have bought a bigger house then sold it and used the equity for my retirement.

My tenants are newly arrived in the UK and absolutely don't want to buy here. They wouldn't qualify for social housing as they work. Where are they supposed to live?

The house has a brand new kitchen and bathroom and is well insulated. But if was built in 1812 and without reducing the room size rendering it unlivable it will never get to a C rating. So a property will be removed from the rental market and a good landlord (me) will not be fixing things the day they happen.

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@Dobbysgotthesocks who is refusing ? You are deluded I didn’t say I was refusing I am not going to render a Cotswold stone cottage or rip out sach windows no I’m not. As I keep reiterating the EOC chap said it cannot be brought up to a C no matter what !!! Please RTFT