Forum Administrator
Posts:32
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| 05 May 2009 04:45:14 |
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In what they call an exclusive The Times newspaper this morning announced that the Government will introduce a Green Paper to licence all Landlords and Agents in England and Wales.
Scotland has had mandatory licencing of Landlords since 2006.
Read more on the NetRent.co.uk Blog:
http://www.netrent.co.uk/netrent_homev2/blog.asp
or The Times article:
http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article6223112.ece |
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maryandwarren
Posts:7
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| 05 May 2009 08:02:51 |
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This is just another way for the government to get money from us, and is unlikely to get rid of any bad landlords. The good landlords will pay up and the bad ones won't register, so they'll still be out there. It's the same with deposits - there are still bad landlords who don't pass their deposits to the DPS or similar, and the type of tenants they have wouldn't report them.
The government need good landlords, but the way they are treating us I would think it likely that a number of good landlords have given up letting, not bad landlords. |
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Tom39
Posts:1
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| 05 May 2009 09:10:32 |
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| Why can't an accredited or licenced landlord choose an accredited or licenced tenant? A bad tenant can cost an individual landlord (and by extension the private housing sector and by further extension, society as a whole) many thousands of pounds. This scale of cost dwarfs the several hundred pounds that a bad landlord typically will cost a private tenant. How is it that our landlord organisations have been so utterly ineffectual at ensuring a level, legal playing field between landlords and tenants? |
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Pebble.co.uk.ltd
Posts:27
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| 05 May 2009 09:18:01 |
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We agreed wholeheartly with Mary & Warren. Is'nt the market tough enough in the current economic times, with drop of rental income for landlords. Due to many homeowners who are unable to sell their propertys renting their propertys out. Leading to rentals coming down. Alot of landlords we deal with are finding it extremly tough, with being locked in with government run mortgage companies and not being able to secure a competive deal.
This is another way in which good landlords are being penalised, making it an un-attractive propostion to stay or enter the buy to let market. The deposit protection scheme did not weed out bad landlords. Infact paying out compensation to bad tenants who use this legislation to their own ends, even when they have run up substantial arrears.
The government needs to be giving landlords a postive message in these precaurious markets.
Pebble - effective landlord solutions.
www.pebbleonline.net |
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amandah
Posts:1
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| 05 May 2009 11:00:41 |
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| This is another way of yet again the wrteched Governemnt getting money out of us. I rent out a private Annexe in surrey and dont have the money to think about this stupid scheme. Anyway I am utterly, saddened.regards Amamda H |
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John180579
Posts:1
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| 05 May 2009 15:42:10 |
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Yes I totally agree with your idea of licensed tenants - it has to be a level playing field. It seems that there is no law to protect landlords from the very bad tenants which every landlord appears to have the misfortune of knowing.
We are currently struggling with a tenant who has not paid rent since September 08, is not living in the property but because he still has belongings there we are advised that he still has rights. We cannot therefore relet the property and we are losing out all round.
Surely there should be some law to protect individuals from tenants who abuse both the law and the good nature of their landlord
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holger.laux
Posts:1
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| 02 Jun 2009 06:48:14 |
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I feel this is going totally against the principles af logic and fairness. They already started this muddle with the deposit scheme: *I* have to "protect" the tenant's deposit. - From what? From myself?
The same is going to happen with this register: *I* will have the privilege to be included into an *compulsory* register? And for this privilege, I have to pay a membership fee?
Both the terminology and the thinking behind it is wrong. If this is what the government wants, then put it straight: Call it a license. In order to operate as a landlord, you have to have it, including training, a test and a code of practice. Scrap the deposit scheme and the HMO licensing and make it all part of the landlord licensing. Then you can justify fees and you can also withdraw licenses from rogue landlords.
I am not sure if this strict approach is what I and many landlords want, but at least we'd have a clearly defined situation rather than patching on another half-baked piece of legislation here and there. |
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NLondon
Posts:2
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| 16 Jun 2009 06:38:10 |
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I'm really annoyed with this proposed new plan to license landlords. As an American who is letting out a property in the UK, I'm especially irritated by the UK Government's interference and overregulation in the private property market. The government here clearly has leanings of a Socialist state which distrusts private wealth and entrepreneurship, and treats landlords like evil capitalists without recognizing all the risks we take on in taking on often disappointing and costly tenants.
In the UK, it's all about the government grabbing all the taxes it can from the private sector and wealth creators. In the US, there is a far friendlier attitude to landlords, including good incentives in the tax system to encourage landlords and the private rental market, like allowing the writing off of depreciation costs on buildings/rented properties against taxes owing..
I contacted the NLA to complain about the licensing scheme when it first came out in the press as well, and I have to say they were not impressive in their response. In typical British passive fashion, it was like,'the Government is going to do it anyway, we can't stop them so we just have to accept it and try to work with them," What's wrong with this country anyway? Come on, landlords, let's fight this!!!
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daniels
Posts:1
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| 16 Jun 2009 09:56:00 |
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I started reading the report. The opening sentence says - "This Government values the private rented sector.". Well, if they have to convince us of that, then I DO NOT BELIEVE IT FOR A MINUTE ...
Later on the opening statement says ... "Through the Housing Act 2004, this Government acted to tackle areas of greatest risk within the sector..." To us, the greatest risk is tenants dissapearing, owing money and leaving the property in an unlettable state. How does the Act tackle that ?
I have had 2 tenants in 2 properties over the last 6 months leave, owing nearly £10k of rent between them, and leaving 2 flats needing complete renovations at a cost of £20k. Will the new scheme pay ME compensation for this ? OF COURSE NOT.
It is LANDLORDS who need protection from rogue TENANTS, with compensation paid for lost rent and damage, not the other way round !
Surely this is yet another hurdle, just like the waste of time and money EPC's. When has a tenant EVER not rented a property because it had a poor EPC ?
The sooner this Government of 'Envy Politics' is gone the better.
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Tom339
Posts:1
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| 16 Jun 2009 10:08:47 |
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| I totally agree. As I suggested in an earlier posting, an accredited or licenced landlord should be able to choose an accredited or licenced tenant. A rogue landlord might groundlessly withhold a tenant deposit of - typically - several hundred pounds. A rogue tenant costs an honest landlord - typically - sums running to thousands. It would be great if honest landlords could find a means of taking concerted action over these issues. Our national organisations appear to be utterly supine in the face of these challenges. |
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NLondon
Posts:2
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| 23 Jun 2009 06:43:06 |
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Here is the No. 10 Petitions link to oppose the Landlord license scheme. I'm doubtful this tone-deaf Government actually pays the petitions much heed, but I suppose it can't hurt.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/landlord-licence/
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Johnson
Posts:23
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| 19 Aug 2009 08:21:58 |
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[quote]Posted By NLondon on 23 Jun 2009 06:43:06
Here is the No. 10 Petitions link to oppose the Landlord license scheme. I'm doubtful this tone-deaf Government actually pays the petitions much heed, but I suppose it can't hurt.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/landlord-licence/
[/quote]
Until landlords get themselves organised the government will continue to increase legislation. The various landlords associations haven't stopped the government and seem intent on sitting on their hands so they don't upset anyone. I'd love it if the associations came on here and explained themselves.... |
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Bill the Landlord
Posts:18
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| 26 Aug 2009 18:00:15 |
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| Actually i dont mind the licence scheme although i dont want to pay for it but landlords bring this stuff on themselves. If the rugg report is right the standard of privately rented housing in the uk is generally awful. What do we expect the govt to do - sit on their hands? especially when there's money to be made? |
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Pobinr
Posts:1
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| 11 Feb 2010 03:55:03 |
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Landlords already have to comply with the terms of shorthold tenancy agreement law, gas safety regs, electrical regs etc which are all perfectly reasonable things to expect. The courts are there to apply the legislation. What is the need for another body to apply the rules ?
Answer = jobs for beaurocrats.
Besides generally bad landlords lose good tenants. They are in a market place & have to compete like any other business. Sub standard properties or poor treatment of tenants means losing the tenants.
The law's already weighted in favour of the tenant. For example, If I want to check the condition of one of my flats giving the tenant 24 hours notice & then the tenant refuses access I have to get a court order to enter !
How can that be right ?
There are are many rogue tenants. It takes months & £1000’s lost in rent to get non paying tenants out. How about a tenant licencing scheme then ?
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Beauvallon
Posts:1
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| 13 Apr 2010 11:47:34 |
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| Having just joined the landords club and read some of the points raised by landlords I am in complete agreement with the majority of comments. We have been landlords for 3 years now in the Stoke on Trent area and although we have soon very good tenants the bad ones have cost us dearly. The area is particularly hard hit with unemployment and therefore many of our tenants are on benefits. However, this is no excuse as, mentioned above, we have some wonderful tenants. It is absolutely ridiculous that the government in its wisdom decided to pay housing benefit direct to the tenants. The good tenants don't want it, it is a worry to them and one they didn't have to be concerned about before and the bad tenants use it to gain a huge amount of money that they just spend - a landlord cannot do anything about this until the tenant is two month's in arrears. This has happened so many times to us in our short time as landlords that I feel if we are in business next year it will be a miracle. The benefits office are not interested in our plight either, they have fulfilled their obligation to pay the benefit to the tenant, what the tenant does with it is not their concern. Even when applying to have the benefit paid direct to the landlord I have found increasingly the benefit office are insisting on the most minute detail of the tenancy before they will consider the application. This would be ok if they stopped the benefit going to the tenant in the meantime, but they don't. This is obviously a bit of a rant, but I think a long overdue one. How do other landlords cope, I would love to know. |
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Paul Mac
Posts:56
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| 14 Apr 2010 06:51:52 |
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| There is an answer to these proposals and it can be found in the ballot box, The Tories have said that they won't bring this legisalation in and so the answer is to vote this government out. Maybe then we'll get a government that actually values landlords rather than a government who seems to want to put us all out of business |
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maryandwarren
Posts:7
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| 14 Apr 2010 09:35:26 |
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| If the rugg report states that the standard of privately rented housing in the uk is generally awful, where do they get this information? Our houses are all superbly decorated and furnished, and I know plenty of other landlords who also have lovely houses that they let. I have never heard of anyone in authority checking houses that are let, and I suspect the only ones that they see are the ones where tenants have complained, i.e. the bad ones. As a matter of interest, has any landlord on this forum ever had their house checked by any authority? |
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