MNHQ here: Shelter's campaign for longer rental contracts

[FinnMumsnet]

Hello,

Shelter, whom we’re currently featuring as a Guest Campaign, are calling on the Housing Minister, Gavin Barwell, to give renters the option of secure five-year contracts. You can find out more and add your voice to their campaign here.

Shelter explain: “Renters would have the opportunity to stay in their home for a minimum of five years, but they wouldn’t be locked in. Renters with five year contracts would be able to leave their home at any time by giving two months’ notice. If their family grows or a new job opportunity comes up, they may well want to move. But if they don’t, they can be certain about where they’ll be living for the foreseeable future.

“Five-year tenancies would also give landlords more security, reducing periods of vacancy and lost rent. They would still be able to sell their home if they needed to.”

Last year, Shelter received this email from 'Rachel,' a Mumsnet user who had heard about the campaign; Rachel explains the impact that unstable and insecure renting is having on her and her young son’s life.

We know from discussions on-site that insecure private rents are an issue affecting many Mumsnet users -- and with 87% of respondents to our rent survey last year saying they would prefer to buy in an ideal world, we also know that, for an increasing number, private renting is the only option. It also seems to be an issue majorities of Mumsnet users would like to see action on:: our 2015 General Election survey found 80% support for tougher regulation of private landlords, alongside funds for tougher enforcement by Local Authorities, and 75% support for incentivising landlords through the tax system to offer secure, fixed-rate, long-term rentals. Both proposals had net backing from supporters of all political parties.

Feel free to find out more about Shelter’s campaign here.

Thanks,
MNHQ

As I understand it, there is no maximum on an AST although the process is different if more than three years - needs a witnessed deed. More than seven years needs to be registered with Land Registry.

My issue is with the ridiculous fees imposed by agents when you move in or out of a property.

We are interested in moving to a bigger flat/semi but I don't want to pay the £400-600 in contract and reference fees, let alone whatever we might have to pay to the current agent when we leave.

That needs addressing far more than long term leases. Lots of talk but never any action to stop agencies fleecing both LL and tenants.

Once your initial lease is over you move onto an rolling month to month agreement anyway so I really don't see the issue with length of agreements.

There should not be any cost in leaving.

The greed of London agents has caused a big problem - here the fees are half that ( but still far more than the work involved) . however the rents are also much lower so the percentage is higher, and both landlord and tenant pay. Fees to tenants are apparently going to be outlawed and the effect of that may not be as expected.

I currently rent and the only reason I would want a longer term tenancy is so that I couldn't be kicked out for requesting repairs. My landlord pretty much leaves me alone - I pay my rent on time and keep my house in a good state. But I didn't complain about a repair taking far longer than it should have (3 months rather than a few days) because I was scared of them not renewing my tenancy. That shouldn't be an option.

Amelia leopard landlords should be be allowed to kick you out for requesting repairs - so called 'revenge evictions' no longer allowed but of course could be difficult to prove.

And special subject I think you are right in maximum terms - I was just thinking of the type done in the agent I work for.

And those mentioning fees - yes this is being made illegal.

I think there are lots of things which could be done to improve things for tenants: the abolition of tenant fees, compulsory LL registration & enforced repairs - these already happen in Scotland.

When I rented, I did not want a 5-year contact, and most of my tenants don't want that either (average tenancy length is 18 months).

I would like to see better regulation of estate agents & LL, which the current government will never agree to.

I've often thought that a solution would be to make the 'no-fault' eviction period longer, but to shorten it for 'bad' tenants.

I.e. a landlord wants to sell etc mid tenancy, they need to give a longer period of notice of, say, 4 months, to give people more of a chance to organise themselves.

This would have to be balanced by tenants needing to give more notice and, perhaps, having to allow a limited number of viewings in the last 4 weeks.

The trade-off would have to be a much faster non-payment/wilful damage eviction process. And, yes, councils should be forced to take an notice to leave as addiction of homelessness.

The whole system just needs a good dose of common sense. Most landlords don't want to screw tenants over; most tenants just want a home they can live in.

Lots of common sense from Ginny - pity shelter won't campaign for this kind of thing. Being able to evict the non paying drug dealing wrecker and all their rubbish without waiting months would be great.

Landlord registration tends to aim at the wrong issues and is not working well where it is introduced. The main thing is to stop unfit properties being rented out in the first place, given that in some areas people will take anything. Rather than the useless epc, it would be better if there was some kind of inspection for basics such as working heating (of whatever form) , windows and doors that work, no evidence of leaks, electrics that work to a standard ( this is coming), clean and tidy. Basic stuff that no one should be without.

No inspection, no legal rent. There will still be slumlords renting dumps but anyone who takes a place without a cert would at least know they have a crooked landlord.

It would need to be available quickly though, no good if a house has to sit empty for months.

What needs to be changed is letting agents insisting on a salary of 30x wages without taking into account any benefits.
..how is anyone supposed to move given that situation..

And agree with poster above more regulation of estate agents is required

Those pricks Liberty Gas.

www.burytimes.co.uk/news/15004016.Elderly_woman_left_without_hot_water_at_Christmas_after_delays_in_replacing___39_dangerous__39__boiler/?ref=twtrec

I agree with the majority. It's a flawed proposal

Contractor6 that would depend on the agent, and any insurance or mortgage the landlord has

There is also the slight issue that most mortgage lenders will not allow landlords to offer an AST longer than 12 months.

I agree with KP86, and I thought something was going to be done about this? We are living with my dad (as temporary accommodation) after losing our tied accommodation (and job) when the farm dh worked on sold up.
I would need approx £2400 in deposits and fees to rent a 3 bed house here - if I could find one which would let us have pets
.

Also at present we would get minimal hb as dh has found some temporary work, but if this changes we would need to claim and everywhere says no hb.
I haven't changed dcs schools yet, as I dont want to move them, and then move them again if we find somewhere to live. So at the minute I'm doing 40 minute (by car) school runs - which is crippling us cost wise.
Now I need to start paying my dads rent, (housing assoc gave us 6 months for him to keep getting his rent paid - he's a pensioner) but cannot get any help with this as the tenancy is not mine. As it is a ha property the rent is affordable so we can manage for now, but will stop us saving for a deposit.
I am terrified of living in a private place and having to move every so often, particularly as we haven't found one jn 6 months! Well we did find one, but it would have been 65%% of dhs current income, so we couldn't risk it, as his work is temporary.
We are stuck and I don't know which way to turn

One size doesn't fit all with rentals. Making it easy (I don't know if there's any way to make it attractive) for LLs to offer longer term contracts would be good.

twinkletoes is there no help for your dad? This is not a sustainable situation. And I see it is a housing association again... As helenadove links and others show, they do stuff which a private landlord would rightly be roasted for.

No specialsubject - well there is.... As long as we don't live with him. We are just lucky he put us up. The alternative offered to us is 2 rooms in a b&b, with shared facilities, for 8 of us! Our income means his hb is stopped. And we aren't eligible as the tenancy is in his name.

There are private rentals with long contracts now, landlords do not actually evict on a whim, especially as that whim takes months and costs a lot.

Long term tenants are better for everyone so I remain puzzled why shelter and mn are directing their energies at what already exists.

You were wise not to go for that unaffordable place. I hope something comes up soon.

I have a friend who has 3 children and has had to move 4 times in a few years. They are good tenants, but twice the landlord returned from abroad and wanted to live in the house and other were wanting to sell without sitting tenants. So each time money they had been saving for a deposit had to go on letting agent fees.

twinkle what a ridiculous situation. A complete catch 22. I hope something comes up for you soon

You dont have to live in an HA property to be affected by their actions either.

Just seen this on fb.

"Absolute shower of a company, as private home owners we have been waiting 2 weeks for Hyde Housing to repair a leak after their contractors repaired a leaking pipe in our neighbours garden leaving us with no water and then leaving us with a leaking stopcock- after 2 weeks of phone calls and taking numerous days off work they still haven't rectified the problem and have now said a lot of errors have been made and they have to contact a manager. Do yourself a favour and don't let Hyde Housing send Relative anywhere near your home in fact I feel very sorry if u have to rely on them for any repairs because after the contractor left us with a leak they then sent a plumber without the correct part. Even after saying they were sending someone and getting me to wait in all day they couldn't even have the manners to let us know that no-one was coming."

landlords do not evict on a whim
They absolutely do. It's happened to me and I certainly wasn't a bad tenant.

There is this totally illogical view that had the LL not acquired or bought the house, the tenants would somehow have been able to do so which completely ignores the fact that if the tenants had sufficient savings for a deposit they wouldn't be renting.
Btl inflates house prices.

I think this is an excellent campaign fwiw

Eviction does not always mean a bad tenant. It can be caused by a change of landlord circumstances (dead, ill, job loss, BTL tax changes meaning no longer worth it).

given that eviction takes months and costs lots it is a strange whim. 'I know, I'll evict my tenant today. That will stop my income when they leave (or before) and cost me money to do.'

Apparently there are people who do this.