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Original poster

Are there any decent landlords out there?? Really?!

57 replies

narmada · 02/12/2011 21:29

Oh, I know there must be really, but .............nope, it's no good, I need to vent.

Just left out rental of 6 years. Reasonable working relationship with landlady. She usually repaired essential things when they completely broke. To keep the peace, we overlooked the complete lack of routine maintenance, the persistent damp issue and the painted shut windows, being asked to buy our own replacement fridge when the supplied one broke down when I was 39 weeks pregnant. The usual stuff....

And then the usual return-the-depsoit- shenanigans rears its ugly head.
We spent 2 days cleaning, a whole day rug-doctoring the carpets etc etc etc, but fessed up to running out of time (asbestos crisis in new house, two kids under 3, groupon end-of-tenancy clean offer withdrawn, arghhhhhh) and offered £200 quid to assist with final hoover, removing cobwebs, etc etc etc.

They are asking for more than double this as payment. God, I am fed up, but I'll be buggered if they are just going to treat us as cash cows. Of course, they are multi-squillionaires - I know I know, oh so irrelevant, but why is it always the same old story??!

Grumbles off and looks for Wine.

OP posts:
befuzzled · 02/12/2011 22:38

I feel your pain. We are about to be in exactly the same position after 4.5 years. Landladies married to bankers, dentists etc, live in massive properties in Esher, inherited the house we are in from their mother, is mortgae free, absolute pit as they have refused to fork out to maintain it. Due to prime location though they could sell it for 750k if not more, even in current market, and still hive off part of the massiv garden like neighbours have done to sell to developers for 200k like neighbours have done. And STILL they are bitching. Is unbelievable really. I think it is true what they say, the more money people are handed, the more money grabbing they become.

Don't take any shit. We won't, fight them all the way, document all the maintenance they failed to do. Go to the landlords/tenants dispute thing if necessary.

beachyhead · 02/12/2011 22:44

I'm a nice landlord.... I have one house, which was our holiday house, so not a typical buy to let... everytime they call, I jump, I go round very rarely, they seem to be looking after the house fine and I pay every issue when it comes up, or send my husband round to fix it (which sometimes he can, but sometimes he can!)

befuzzled · 02/12/2011 22:51

And will you return their full deposit when they leave then without seeing as an opportunity to squeeze a last couple of 100 pounds out of the golden goose before it flies?

Yes, am bitter.

Good to hear there are some morally ethical landladies out there, I like to think I would be.

Gonzo33 · 03/12/2011 07:03

I am a nice landlord (I think).

The house I let was my family home until three years ago though. Every time the tenant has reported any issues I have had a contractor or my Dad go round to check it out (he lives 5 minutes away) and fix whatever need's fixing. When these tenants leave, assuming they don't trash the joint inbetween now and then, they will get the full deposit back.

We are by no means cash rich though, so next year will need to sell Xmas Sad which I feel somewhat guilty about, but we have to purchase a home big enough for us all to live in because my husband retires from the forces 4 years after we get back to UK.

kreechergotstuckupthechimney · 03/12/2011 07:07

Me too Gonzo. Our house is always maintained, has gas certs and regular visits from the agents to keep on top of things.

ladyintheradiator · 03/12/2011 07:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bucharest · 03/12/2011 07:20

My Mum has just been asked by on of her tenants if she'd be willing to buy another house on the same street so that her tenant's SIL can move in.

Does that count?

Another couple she rents to haven't paid a full month since they moved in, so my Mum often finds herself asking the equal and opposite question.

Good landlords, bad ladlords who take the piss.
Good tenants, bad tenants who take the piss.
Delete as applicable.

(oh, and I rent here, and my landlord is constantly on the phone asking if we've cleaned the windows, changed the blinds, mopped the balconies etc so I'm not entirely pro-landlord believe me!)

LoveInAColdClimate · 03/12/2011 07:21

Yes! I am a lovely landlord.

jchocchip · 03/12/2011 07:37

tenant moved out leaving a mess hasn't given keys back so will need new locks and not answering her phone! When we were in rented, landlord wouldn't do the repairs the agent agreed were essential before we moved in. Thought we were difficult and asked us to move. Plaster was falling off the walls, fcol.

PigletJohn · 03/12/2011 13:13

most tenants think they are good tenants, most landlords think they are good landlords.

Most drivers think they are better-than-average drivers.

They can't all be right.

Thromdimbulator · 03/12/2011 15:24

I think the referencing process should run both ways at the start. i.e. the Landlord obtains information on the potential tenant, but the tenant also gets to find out if the Landlord is a) a crook, b) solvent c) has left a trail of disgruntled tenants who feel they have been screwed-over.

Seems only fair - but the balance of power is nearly all in the Landlords favour at the moment.

PigletJohn · 03/12/2011 16:25

good point, throm, and with landlords having difficulty finding good tenants, this would be a suitable time to ask for references. If they can't give them, I wonder why not?

bridgingtheabyss · 03/12/2011 18:09

Have never had a good landlord. Our current one tries to fix everything himself and refuses to get contractors in even when he doesn't know what he's doing. For example, we had a leak in our bathroom. He tried, and failed, to fix it three times then we were awoken one night at 4am by a huge crash. We thought we were being burgled but it was the kitchen ceiling collapsing due to the amount of water that had accumulated above it. Our landing light stopped working about 18 months ago but we haven't had him in for fear he'll fiddle with the electrics...

We also have a big wire sticking out of our shower unit which we were told when we moved in was an earthing wire, but I realised about a year ago when cleaning the shower that it buzzes when water is splashed on it. None of us have had a shower since that day (should probably add we have a bath, it's not like we don't wash!). Again we've not brought it up with him coz we're scared of what he might do trying to fix it.

And yes, we have had enough and applied for a new house.

hiddenhome · 03/12/2011 20:06

dh rents a property through a lettings agent and they attend to everything as soon as it's needed. They just phone dh and he agrees to whatever it is. It's a new house though, so nothing major yet.

dh is deffo a good landlord and does care about the tenants Smile

nancy75 · 03/12/2011 20:19

my landlord is lovely, fixes things quickly, keeps the house well maintained always to hand when we need her. I think it helps that I am a good tennant, the house is always spotless, rent paid on time and I don't bother her with little jobs that I can do myself. I think it works both ways.

Original poster
narmada · 04/12/2011 10:23

Thanks everyone for posting, have to say, I think most things are still in landlords' favour despite new legislation in 2007. We are trying to sort out ours amicably, really don't want to have to go to arbitration but equally, really don't want to end up contributing to the cost of general property maintenance, especially as she already gets a tax break for this!

OP posts:
scaryteacher · 04/12/2011 20:42

If she doesn't have a mortgage on the property, then she can't offset the interest against the rent, and if she hasn't done repairs, then apart from insurance and yearly checks on things, like the boiler, there is little else she can claim.

I'm like Gonzo, my home is rented out as we abroad with HM Forces. My home is now damp because the bloody tenants, despite having had the rent unchanged since 2007 so they could pay for oil, refuse to heat the place adequately. They then complain about plasterwork, and we suggest they heat it. I will be glad when we move back in, can kick the heat on for six months constantly and dry the place out. I am NOT going to start paying for the oil as well.

scaryteacher · 04/12/2011 20:43

Narmada - if you think the UK is weighted in the l/ls favour - try Belgium!

Original poster
narmada · 04/12/2011 20:58

I thought landlords could claim a tax allowance against things like dilapidations - e.g., they got some kind of concession for renovation/ redecoration?? She deffo doesn't have a mortgage on the place. They are seriously minted.

Sorry your tenants are spoiling your place. Do they have financial issues? Heating oil is megabucks.

OP posts:
sb6699 · 04/12/2011 21:35

Good idea from throm. We are about to go to arbitration as the inventory clerk said the oven needed cleaned at a cost of around 100 which we agreed to but landlord is looking for 1800!

Apparently he has photos of scribbles all over the walls and burn marks on the carpet which the clerk must have "missed".

Funnily enough the past 3 tenants before me all had to go to tds to get their deposits back and all were left for months with no heating, exposed wires and doors that wouldn't open.

If I had known this when viewing I probably would have gone elsewhere!

Graciescotland · 04/12/2011 21:39

My landlords latest reply to being told something else had broke down was ffs it never ends. Which is lovely Hmm

poppercondria · 04/12/2011 21:49

I gave our last tenants back their full deposit even though they burned an iron-shaped mark into the carpet.

I was a bit Hmm when the latest lot requested a new microwave as the one we left had finally died on them. I mean, fridge, washing machine, cooker... I agree that's my responsibility to provide. But a microwave? I mean, spend £50 for your own and just take it with you when you leave!!

Anyway, I bought a new one. They seem nice sorts.

sb6699 · 04/12/2011 21:49

Gracie, one of the responses I had when I reported that the boiler had gone on the blink in the middle of winter was "do you think I'm going to.phone an engineer just because you say so, you need to learn how far down you are on my pecking order!"

poppercondria · 04/12/2011 21:51

Oh, and I don't fix squat myself. I always call a contractor, and quickly.

scaryteacher · 04/12/2011 23:42

Narmada - if you do any repairs to the property you can offset those against the rent, so if you get £10k in rent, you reduce the tax bill by offsetting mortgage interest, insurance, agents fees, costs of boiler inspection/service. costs of any repairs, but only to maintain the property, not to improve it, so when the heating controller died, it had to be replaced with like, rather than an all singing and all dancing version.

My tenants pay the rent on time - always have. They have issues about using oil fired heating - but gas is also expensive, and they use the immersion for hot water, which is far more expensive than the oil would be. I cannot convince them that to have the heating on for a couple of hours a day morning and night (and they can run the system just for hot water as well), keeps the chill off, and if they used the woodburner as well, it would be toasty. He chooses to use fan heaters and then moans about the bills. I am running out of sympathy.

My agent is brilliant and checks the place every three months and always gets someone out immediately if there is a problem. The tenant isn't brilliant at pointing out problems though, until the 3 monthly inspection in some cases!