Obscene rent increase

[user97213982742]

Landlord has served Form 4a increasing my rent by £205 a month from October. This is a 46% increase.

The accompanying letter states

“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to implement an increase in the rent. This reflects the continued rise in property maintenance and operating costs, aligns the rent more closely with current market values, and will help support planned maintenance and improvement works to ensure the property is kept up as best as possible with future regulatory changes to the private rent sector”.

I understand that maintenance costs and improvements are the landlords responsibility and shouldn’t be a reason for a rent increase. And it is the landlords responsibility to ensure property meets the forthcoming EPC standards coming into force for private rented accommodation.

My wages haven’t increased by 46% a month.

I’ve lived here for 20 years. And the property only has one door. No fire doors, only 1 double glazed window that has blown, and does not meet fire escape route standards If there was a fire downstairs I have no other means of exit?

What can I do please

You’ve had a low low rent for years and years. As long as the new rent they’re charging you isn’t any higher than other two bedrooms in your area. You’re just gonna waste money on greedy lawyers Who by the way are far more greedy than landlords.

ignore me…I worked it out

There are some bad landlords out there, but most do maintain their assets. However, if the government puts up their costs by, for example, demanding that landlords upgrade their buildings to a higher EPC rating, that expense can easily wipe out their profits. It typically costs £10k-£12k to upgrade a property from an E rating to a C rating, although it can cost as much as £15k. That is more than one year's total profit. For many landlords, that is 10 years profit or more. So no, they aren't going to find this money from their profits as you insist they must. Either they increase rents to pay for this, or they take the property off the rental market completely.

You haven’t said where you are, OP? What is the first part of your postcode?

Your LL is unlikely to be making a large profit from you, due to your low rent. Probably not enough to fund any significant upgrades anyway. It doesn’t matter whether they have mortgage obligations or are simply trying to run and make a profit from their capital investment business. Your LLs financial circumstances are not your concern. Many landlords only break even, although larger ones - like you describe your landlord to be - should expect to be profitable. Unfortunately, it’s this very lack of profit that has forced many LLs to sell up and increased rental demand due to lack of available properties.

I understand why such a large increase is not well received. You have either been lucky previously or the proposed increase is unreasonable.

You say you are not in an apartment block, so are you in a house?

I would consider appealing to tribunal, but do be careful what you wish for.

You are in a 2 bedroom flat with only one window? That doesn’t seem right?? And your rent was £445. So you were paying a very cheap price for a very basic flat?

Putting it up to £650 is still cheap but it’s up to you to decide if it’s cheap enough given it doesn’t sound very nice.

They can put the rent up, that’s legal but the one window and stuff might not be legal. You can contact environmental health but it might not help because if the flat is not fit for habitation you would have to move out. You must have known the rent wasn’t going to stay at £445 indefinitely?

Nope. Only 1 window is double glazed.

I will not be disclosing the first part of my postcode.

@user97213982742 I don’t think where you are in the country really matters as wherever you are, a 2 bed house for £650 doesn’t seem like it will be much (if any) above market rate. I’d be surprised if the new landlord hasn’t checked the market rate before sending you the letter, especially since you say they bought 50 and therefore are likely to be professional landlords.

Are you in a position to buy the house? If you have a deposit and can get a mortgage, it could be worth approaching the landlord to ask if they would consider selling. Given they bought a portfolio, they’re unlikely to be attached to your house specifically and may be happy to generate a bit of cash to pay for the refurb of others in the portfolio.

if you don’t want to buy/can’t buy then you need to decide how much you have to lose if you challenge the rent increase at tribunal. Is it REALLY above market rate? Are you sure? Personally I would try to negotiate with the landlord rather than risk a bad reference if I did have to leave. Ask them: “Can we agree to £600 instead of £650” or “Can the increase be phased in over a year” or “If I pay £650 then will you agree to do a, b and c to the property within the next 2 years”, you get the idea.

Haha because it will show even more than you are wrong and were paying below market rates?

If it doesn’t start with a TS or a DH then not only were you below market rate, you were practically living for free.

If your place is so bad, and there are similar places that are better for the same as your new rate, why aren’t you just giving notice and moving to one of those.

I don’t understand why you would stay in what sounds like an awful rental when you could be in a better one for the same price.

Whether or not the landlord has a mortgage is irrelevant . They are entitled to charge you a market rent irrespective of your earnings. You are entitled to live in a safe well maintained house.
the fact that you have not had a 46% pay rise is totally irrelevant. But ask for the repairs to be done .

.

Redcar!

But the OP has a two bed 🤷‍♀️

There are 6 (last check) available 2 bed flats on right move for up to 450 (current rent for OP) - 6! Out of 110,000 rentals in the UK.

Hahaha I knew!

Also, for those who don’t know, this is Teesside. AND it is a coastal town with a nice beach and seafront, so at 450 for a coastal property, you were absolutely paying under market rates

ODFOD. Jokes on you. I’m not in Redcar or anywhere ‘ooop north’

Redcar rentals in rightmove, for 2 bedroom minimum:
0 up to £450
0 up to £500
5 up to £600
13 up to £700

you were paying below market rate.

Yes you are 🤣 nobody has even heard of Redcar unless they’re local

You will not win in court with any claim. Pay your rent or move to somewhere else

And if you don’t live up north, then stop complaining because your rent is almost free then, since Teesside and surrounding area is the cheapest place in the entire uk to live. You are under market rate for here, and so if you don’t live here you are absolutely robbing your 2 bed for £450 🤣

If you are in Redcar, £650 will get you what looks like a decent 2-bed overlooking the strand.

You might like to point out to your landlord that he's asking a premium rent for a non-premium property.

However, £450 is very, very low for a 2-bed. I'd say negotiate with them, but also accept that you'll have to pay more - or downsize.

https://www.onthemarket.com/to-rent/flats-apartments/redcar/?

I AM NOT IN REDCAR 😡

😂😂😂

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

THEN YOU ARE DEFINITELY UNDERPAYING BECAUSE REDCAR IS SO BEYOND CHEAP THAT IT IS UNREAL.