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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Tenant cashback?

The latest Tory idea to kick start the jobs market and save money into the bargain is Tenant Cashback also known as the tenant apprenticeship scheme.

The scheme announced last week offers tenants who are wannabe decorators and carpenters the opportunity to become an apprentice in their own home and to get paid for it.

Under the scheme tenants would get paid for fixing their own taps, fitting doors and painting their own property. OH DEAR!

Clearly Grant Shapps who has been the Minister pushing the idea has never witnessed the average persons first attempts at DIY. Whilst the theory is great; that we train up a people to become a less reliant breed of tenants. Any landlord on the receiving end of the DIY treatment would wince at the thought of what state their property would be left in. Lopsided doors, floods and a paint scheme straight out of the text book of Playschool for those older enough to remember this childrens classic.

Before you panic....the scheme is only available to tenants living in the social sector.

PHEW ....one definitely left filed under nice idea but in practice a potential disaster.

My experience of tenants decorating my property is let them practice on somebodies else's property and perfect their skills before before letting them loose on my buy-to-lets!

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4 comments:

Steve Frost said...

What an alarming idea! Thanks for bringing this to our attention... almost lost for words!

Steve

Anonymous said...

Hwo ridiculous! What will they come up with next? Thank goodness its only the social sector.

Anonymous said...

So we could end up with washing machines plumbed into the bedroom, Kitchens wrecked by people that don't understand the difference between water gas and electricity, carpeted ceilings, putting-green lounges and who knows what other bizarre workarounds. Can you imagine water and gas pipes being used as stair-banisters or ladders in place of stair-cases to save on space.....
I saw one flat recently where all the walls doors and electrics had been ripped out. It had new windows though! What the occupants didn't understand was you need more than new windows to keep a place heated!! (The boiler was condemned and the electricity meter had a warning label to Not Connect anything). Surprisingly the estate agent was actually turning down offers!

Anonymous said...

DO not tar everyone with teh smae brush.

When I moved into my first property my landlord was attemptign to assemble a MFI wardrobe. He had been at it most of the morning. Togtehr we had it finished within the hour. Since then I have redorated dozens of rooms, fitted bathroom fans, concreted a side path, replaced roofing. This has benefited me , as I have an improved living environment and my landlord as they get a happy tenant whom feels they have a 'home'. My shortest tenancy was for six months as we were not allowed change our baby sons room from 'magnolia'! Landlords who cannot accept that some of us need a home are not for us.