Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Emergency rent freeze laws passed !!??

264 replies

happyfishcoco · 10/10/2022 12:51

Emergency rent freeze laws passed in Scotland
and Welsh maybe follow.

YABU = vote agree to rent freeze
YANBU = vote for not agree to rent freeze

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63164850.amp

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-63131075.amp

OP posts:
antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 15:43

@FamilyTreeBuilder In some cities there has been a lot of purpose built student accommodation. It is much better for everyone of developers provide this.

Jjones8 · 10/10/2022 15:44

Rent freezes = less appealing for landlords to invest in property. So landlords sell and there are insufficient rental properties. It’s quite simple. If you make life too difficult for landlords there simply won’t be sufficient properties to rent. They’ll invest somewhere else.

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 15:44

@Badnewsoracle she could sell it with tenants. But she would get less money. She is running a business and maximising her money is what matters to her.

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 15:46

@Jjones8 Good. We need buy to let landlords to leave the market. Buy to let was responsible for pushing house prices up amazingly high. Before the invention of these mortgages, house prices had to remain at the level that first time buyers could afford.

Precipice · 10/10/2022 15:48

Badgersthrift · 10/10/2022 14:44

I’d love to see the statistics for this, are you able to share please?

My scepticism was a response to a comment claiming not much would be left as profit after these kind of payments. Surely the call for statistics should be aimed at a person making a claim (implicit suggestion that the standard landlord has regular maintenance and repair costs, with poor maintenance and repairs being an aberration) and not the one expressing scepticism at it?

I think it's unlikely there's much statistical data around on % of landlords responding quickly to fix problems. I think I saw once a survey from Living Rent which did ask about repairs, though not as a main focus, but I can't find any results on their website now.

From my own experience as a tenant and stories I've heard from friends/acquaintances, I've heard, apart from things just looking run-down, things like landlords refusing to replace a fridge in a student flat 'because you must have broken it', 1 out of 2 bathrooms being unusable for causing flooding downstairs for at least 8 months, boilers that required constant resetting or they wouldn't heat up the water, thermostats that didn't read the temperature or control it, massive mould just painted over with normal paint. I think these are all things that people would fix in their own houses, but when it comes to tenants living there, aren't bothered.

In fairness you're always less likely to hear about things that are going well.

Jjones8 · 10/10/2022 15:50

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 15:46

@Jjones8 Good. We need buy to let landlords to leave the market. Buy to let was responsible for pushing house prices up amazingly high. Before the invention of these mortgages, house prices had to remain at the level that first time buyers could afford.

But where are the rental properties going to come from?

FamilyTreeBuilder · 10/10/2022 15:50

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 15:43

@FamilyTreeBuilder In some cities there has been a lot of purpose built student accommodation. It is much better for everyone of developers provide this.

Yes, there is lots in Glasgow! But we're still 2500 rooms short because of the squeeze on private landlords. Not all students want to live for 4 years in halls of residence.

The way you are banging on it's as if you simply don't acknowledge that there is ever a need for a private rental sector.

LizzieMacQueen · 10/10/2022 15:50

Sorry HRTFT do someone upthread may have mentioned this, but the law in Scotland ( to end of March only ) still has a get out clause - landlords whose expenses such as mortgage have increased them, the law simply doesn't apply to them.

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 15:53

@FamilyTreeBuilder I am not talking about Halls of Residence. I am talking about purpose-built student flats. Stops the issue of 5 students renting rooms in a 4 bedroom family home. Reduces substantially disturbance and noise to ordinary residents of students partying and having fun late at night. Leads to better-maintained property for students that is professionally managed.

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 15:54

LizzieMacQueen · 10/10/2022 15:50

Sorry HRTFT do someone upthread may have mentioned this, but the law in Scotland ( to end of March only ) still has a get out clause - landlords whose expenses such as mortgage have increased them, the law simply doesn't apply to them.

Oh! So nearly all landlords then.

JubileeTrifle · 10/10/2022 15:55

When DH went to uni in Glasgow 30 years ago everyone was living at home. I think in 3rd year a bunch of his friends had a flat but for year 4 they all went home.
I think it’s more popular to move away now and his niece is there now and is renting in a flat. Seems like a massive waste of money to me but she refused to stay at home.

WorrieaboutFIL · 10/10/2022 15:57

Landlords are supposed to have stress tested to show they could cover the mortgages . If they go bankrupt hell mend em. Renters should be supported to purchase properties they are living in from their Landlords.

Zwellers · 10/10/2022 15:59

antelopevalley why should Tennants be exempt from cost of living increases. Are you going to paying off the increase in mortgages for landlords?.

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 16:00

You think tenants are exempt from cost of living increases???

ProseccoOnIce · 10/10/2022 16:01

I'm a Scottish LL - my old flat which I lived in is well maintained (as per Scottish repairing standards) & I usually rent it to young professionals- average tenancy 18m - we have no 6-month fixed leases here.

I'm meeting my mortgage advisor tomorrow to work out if I continue or not.

I've been a LL for 20 years & am at the point where it's likely to become economically unviable very soon.

As it stands, I make a few K per year - now that rates are increasing, that will be zero.

House prices are about to drop.

That's why so many LL are bailing out here.

It's the perfect storm.

Zwellers · 10/10/2022 16:02

WorrieaboutFIL. Thanks for branding me as scum deserving to go bankrupt for daring to rent out my dms bungalow to cover care home fees. Charming

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 16:02

Young professionals will find somewhere else.

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 16:03

@Zwellers you chose to run a business. You could have sold up

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 10/10/2022 16:05

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 16:02

Young professionals will find somewhere else.

We are LL in England so not affected by this yet. Our tenants are on benefits and the waiting list for social housing in London is insane. Where would they go if we sold up? Even if prices dropped by 25-30% they couldn’t afford to buy.

ProseccoOnIce · 10/10/2022 16:05

@antelopevalley - not in a buoyant market - 60-70 applications for 1 property within 24hrs - most can't get a viewing - you can pick your tenants - it won't be single people, especially single parents, pets, low income.

Where will they go?

AuntSalli · 10/10/2022 16:06

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 15:38

Please do not pretend landlords are charities. They are a business. If you can't afford to run a business you should sell up.

Nobody suggesting for a moment that they are charities however individual businesses local Small To Medium sized businesses have a great deal more flexibility in their terms and conditions and the human element is extremely helpful to very many tenants who rent because basically they don’t have the financial stability or acumen to buy a property.

MissFranKubelik · 10/10/2022 16:07

There are 2500 short term lets (Airbnb or similar) in Glasgow. This is where the rental stock has gone in the last few years. Allowing shortages and allowing LLs to exploit that with high rents.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 10/10/2022 16:08

If you want to reduce the private rented sector then focus your efforts on social housing. Otherwise the landlords that are left will cherry pick the safest tenants leaving the more vulnerable families struggling.

Zwellers · 10/10/2022 16:11

antelopevalley. One property is not a business. Anyway you obviously deliberately rude and obtuse so there's no point in further discussions.

FamilyTreeBuilder · 10/10/2022 16:11

antelopevalley · 10/10/2022 16:02

Young professionals will find somewhere else.

Like?

Have you ever been in the position of WANTING to rent? Clearly not.