Renting dilemma

[moomoo1967]

Hi
I have a dilemma, I have been renting the same property for 13 years. the rent has been increased every year, there is now a £215.00 per month difference. I have friends who have lived in rental properties for similar lengths of time and there rent hasn't been increased at all. I asked the landlord to come round to the property last April and last November but he has avoided me ever since. His wife now has sole ownership. There are things which need doing to the property before I will want to sign the lease which is due in November.
Last year I checked other rental properties in the area to compare rents, this year I have done the same and there is a property similar to mine at £65 less per month. do I tell my landlord this when they call to discuss an increase, if you were a landlord would it prevent you increasing the rent ? knowing that there were similar, cheaper properties in the area ?

*their not there rent :(

It's a business transaction. You can tell then that you not feel you're getting a good deal and name your price. That's if you even want to carry on renting there given the maintenance issues.

Just say no and that you want a reduction by 65 a month.
Any sane landlord would not lose a long term tenant for that amount... unless the rent is very low.
They would have to factor in probably 2 month of it being empty so would be foolish financially
What is the monthly rent?

OP l am a LL, when my tenants renewal date is approaching, l let them know of any rent increase 2 months ahead ( the rent is not always raised it depends on costs and market rate) and ask what they want to do. There are never any repairs outstanding though as l deal with them as the arise.
For example with a long term tenant last year, l raised the rent 3 % to keep up with cost increases, after 2 years the same.) She said she was retraining for 3 months then would be on a higher salary, so l froze the rent for three months then raised it the 3% as she is a very good tenant. It is a business negotiation.
However good LL will always try hard to accomodate a good tenant, who always pays rent on time and looks after the property.
Check the market rate and think hard whether or not you are willing to move, then take into consideration any repairs that need doing. Present your LL with an option to renew at the figure you are honestly prepared to pay, and assuming all repairs are carried out by a set date. good luck

OP, if your rent has only risen by an average of £16 a month or £192 a year over the last 13 years I don't think you've done too badly. In the area where my son is renting rents have gone up around 50% in the last 10 years.

I agree that it's a good idea to put your case to the landlord and ask for a reduction because if you're a decent tenant the landlord will value you. It's up to you to know how much disruption and hassle and expense moving to another property will cause and whether you are prepared to do it.

Sorry for the late reply everyone I have had problems logging into my account.

At present moving is not an option, I would need approximately £1500 to be able to move. I don't even have £100 with no spare funds each month in order to save a deposit. My DD finishing full time education has meant I lose my housing benefit which was a massive chunk of money

I'm off today and am having a de-clutter. I will then wait for the LL to contact me with regards to how much the increase will be, inflation was 1.7% in August which would mean an increase of £13.50 per month. No up keep except for a new boiler and double glazing has been done in the 12 years I have been there

Hi OP

I'm a landlord, and the only time I've put up the rent was when I significantly upgraded the whole property, by £50 a month.

When I've got good long term tenants who look after the property I want to keep them so I haven't raised the rent. An extra 25 a month for the risk of losing a month's rent doesn't make any financi sense.

Saying that, your landlord also knows this. Tell them you're moving, unless they can agree to drop the rent. I'll bet they'll prefer to keep you. It's worth a shot to the alternative of finding new tenants and the risk of them not being good tenants, trust me.

On the flip side, it shouldn't cost you a fortune to move. The Tenants Fee act slashed any costs of moving and zero deposit schemes are now fairly common. Best of luck, you hold the power on this one.

So there are 2 issues here. You feel like you are overpaying (and may well be) but you're not in a position to move. This weakens your negotiating position a lot because you can't actually move.
I don't know where you are but the market has definitely changed as there are fewer tenants chasing more properties, at least in the south east.
I would tell the LLs or agent that you are concerned about the lack of maintenance and expect no increase in rent in the circumstances. You may or may not be successful on either front. I would then save like crazy by getting a second job or cutting expenses in some way. Otherwise it's hard to see how you'll ever get out of this situation.
Remember that they could ask you to leave too, so you really should take steps to becoming financially sound enough to move on.

I think you're unreasonable to expect a ll NOT to increase the rent in 13 years. It's a free market after all, and subject to negotiation on both sides.

I think you're taking a risk threatening to move personally; if your LL hasn't raised the rent in 13 years it's a fair bet that the rent is below the market value. He may well decide to give you notice anyway and let to another tenant at a higher rent.

My rent has been increased every year I have been there. Quite frankly in it's current state it is not worth the rent. I have looked at cutting back in lots of different ways and am a renowned penny pincher but i have cut back all I can. And not feasible to get a 2nd or 3rd job. Looking at the current properties available for rent, I would need st least 6 weeks deposit and 6 weeks rent plus moving costs(quoted £500 just for a 3 mile drive). I am hoping once the LL sees how much needs to be done they won't increase the rent.

I would say that if I moved and the LL had to get the property ready for another tenant then it wouldn't be available to rent for at least 4 months

I too am a LL. If your 1.7% increase is £13.50 then your rent is about £795 which in my area would probably get a 2 bed house/flat.

From his perspective, if your LL has put in a new boiler, that could have cost between £1-2,000 with labour. And double glazing could be £6-7,000, both rough guesses. So he's spent nearly a year's rent which I would have said was not unreasonable.

But it's his property and if he doesn't maintain it then he will be the one to suffer, both because it risks driving you out as a tenant (and evidently one paying over the odds) and the repair will take longer, cost more and lose more rent when eventually being done. I would say that 2 months is a typical void period with little or no work to do, with repairs needed it will be longer.

You should check with your local agents what is available in your area, what size and condition, and use that either to help you decide to move, or as leverage to negotiate with the LL. If he really is asking over the market rate and won't back down, then you would be saving real money to move and you would quickly recover your moving costs and be quids in every month.

Surely moving out of your current place would release the deposit to be used on the next place? And if he hasn't done much maintenance then it will be hard for him to deduct very much that isn't just fair wear and tear.

Also I believe there is a new 4 week limit on the deposit under recent law changes. I don't see why you'd need 6 weeks rent up front either. I wonder if you are painting too bleak a picture of the costs of moving.

England - security deposits now capped at five weeks rent. Normal rental is one month in advance.

read your how to rent guide to make sure landlord is doing all the checks they should.

Mencken - my how to rent guide ? I dont have one of those
I simply cannot afford to move, I have recently lost £400 a month in housing benefit. Double glazing was only 2 windows and one door so wouldn't have been a huge amount. I have checked out local adverts for rental properties and currently there are none to compare like for like, the one I saw last month has now gone off the site. No agent involved, private rental.

Adverts I have seen say 6 weeks advance rent and 5 weeks deposit so approximately £1925-£2000 + moving costs

Some property agents offer no deposit options for rentals. A deposit is not always required. (Per sister in U.K.).

It is very doubtful I would pass credit checks going via an agent which is why I've done a private rental

Like this site, Flatfair
flatfair.co.uk/

Thanks doc, wont pass credit checks though and I've just found a 'how to rent guide'on gov.uk so will download thanks to the poster who suggested that

Just checked out flatfair, seems like a good idea but it's going to take me ages to save up the membership fee, at least 18 months

You could try? If you have paid your rent in time for 13yrs, that has to count for something.

Oh, well. Sorry membership fee is so high. AT least more in reach than a full deposit. Good luck!