Evict landlords campaign

I've just come across another nonsense campaign, this time Shelter are wanting to "Evict Rogue Landlords". (Catchy heh? See what they've done here, put the boot on the other foot.... clever....catchy.)

Even by Shelters own admittance "The Government says that tenants are happy with their experiences of private renting and the laws to protect them are working well."

However, that's not going to get in their way and they've managed to concoct some bizarre statistical evidence pointing to a mass of awful rogue landlords preying on tenants.

According to their research the majority of environmental health officers working with tenants have encountered some rubbish landlords.

Never! Seriously! I cant believe it! So people working all day in the private rental sector have encountered a landlord who doesn't live up to expectations. What a shocker!

This comes in stark contrast to the worlds of teaching and nursing or dare I say housing officers or environmental health officers where they are incredibly hard working efficient professionals not out to take advantage of their tax payer funded position of responsibility.

Time to get real

Ask anyone in education if they have ever met a lazy, un-professional teacher and the answer would be "yes, every hour of my working day", ask anyone working in health if they'd met a incompetent nurse and they'd probably point over to one standing by the vending machine and as for council staff lets face it the majority of them are lazy time servers who are there for the pension and flexi-time and the ability to get away with doing as little as possible which is why they ended up there in the first place ( this description is built from the observations of every friend who has ever worked or still works for a council) .

We all know that the teaching profession has thousands of incompetent, lazy and therefore harmful teachers that are impacting on our childrens education and yet I read an article reporting that just a handful of teachers had lost their jobs over the past 5 years.

We all know that neglect and abuse is endemic within the NHS but how many nurses are sacked for chatting for hours at the coffee machine with their second Twix of the day stuffed in their mouth?

Let's face it landlords are an easy target, so if it makes you feel any better..... whinge on!

But the truth is the private residential sector is a highly competitive and price sensitive market that unlike the state monopolies brings value for money for the consumer, otherwise the market is free to vote with it's feet.

We are happy to admit that not all landlords are perfect but it also seems that they are an easy target that can be pelted like a peasant in the stocks to make society feel better, a defenceless individual derided by the group looking to off load blame.

But maybe this country has bigger fish to fry but the reality is these are the protected, untouchables that Governments and agency are scared to look at. These are the masses the union protected time servers, the wastrels and the incompetents in public service.

How about a campaign "Expel bad teachers" or "Cure sick nurses" or "Get rid of half the council work force without losing the quality of service because lets face most of them have very little to do because Labour has flooded councils with endless doughnuts who would of been on the dole otherwise but at least it keeps them off the streets and makes them feel that that university course was worth doing ........for now."

Maybe I need to work on that last one - it's maybe not catchy enough......

Feel free to go to Shelters Evict a Landlord campaign

Tips for reluctant landlords

The FT offers up a crib sheet for those reluctant landlords who have stumbled into the murky world of property management, poor desperate souls.

The advice follows on from research by More Than Business, that estimates that in the event of a second housing downturn, 10 per cent of British homeowners would have no other choice but to let their property and downsize.

Save the women and children first and then it's everyman for themselves..........

Read the crib sheet in the FT

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Sieze the property bull

Seize the property bull by the horns

Whilst static house prices and a nationwide need for prudency may be the order of the day for most, the bear market in the property industry needn’t spell doom and gloom for all. Aside from the positive indicators that the property market is now moving, there is one side of the coin that could indicate a bull market is on the horizon for today’s buy to let landlords. Figures from Countrywide, the UK's largest letting agent, show that the number of tenants entering the market has reached unprecedented levels. In Q2 Countrywide saw over 50,000 new tenant applications and they are strongly of the belief that tenant demand is outstripping supply which will lead to a significant shortage.

With the current squeeze on available finance, the requirement for sizeable deposits and restricted mortgage lending, it is no wonder that more and more individuals are struggling to purchase a home of their own. In addition, increasing student dept and a stagnant labour market are storing up affordability problems for the next generation. With this in mind there is no doubt that the current pressure on the rental market will not dissolve any time soon. This coupled with the increasing number of under-30s choosing to rent as a positive lifestyle choice due to the financial and geographical freedom it provides, means that the strain on the private rental sector is more acute than ever. Although this is obviously worrying news for tenants it can only spell good news for the landlords who supply the market. Although no one can expect the same levels of capital return on property investment seen a decade ago, now is arguably a great time to buy. Purchasers are in a strong position to strike a bargain and high tenant demand not only indicates that rental voids will be few and far between, but also provides the opportunity to increase rents and maximise yields.

Everyone knows that buying to let should be a long term strategy. According to the Office for National Statistics the UK population is projected to increase to 65 million by 2016, there is little confidence that developers will build enough new homes to meet this demand. The law of supply and demand has to indicate that although house prices may be stable at present it’s only a matter of time before property values will increase. The canny investor is in a great position to cash in now and in the future.

Big Brother - landlord advice

As the era of Big Brother comes to an end.

Craig Phillips the winner of the first ever Big Brother offers Property Hawk landlords some advice on how to manage their properties more successfully.

His advice based on over a decade of letting property mainly to student tenants is particularly helpful to student landlords.

His Big Brother career may be coming to an end but at least he has residential letting business to fall back on.

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Rental sector should be helped

According to reports in the FT the British Property Federation (BPF) who represent some of the big hitters in the property world are disappointed with the new governments lack of action on boosting the private rental sector.

I agree that steps such as the disaggregation of stamp duty should be taken to promote investment in the private rental sector. Disaggregation refers to the situation where a buy-to-let investor gets taxed on the aggregated value of their investment purchase even where numerous small buy-to-let units have been purchased.

I would still maintain that one of the most sensible steps any government could take would be to re-examine the SIPPS rules which currently prevent a landlord holding a buy-to-let investment in their personal pension.

The BPF warned that the new governments failure to act will not help to boost the number of rental homes in the UK and that they have missed an opportunity to support the fledgling professional private rental sector.

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Tips On Tenancy Deposit Disputes 13: Interim Inspections

Tip 13: Make periodic inspections

Interim inspections are considered best practice in lettings if a tenancy subsists for longer than an initial six month fixed term. By periodically inspecting the property for obvious damage, you are ensuring that your capital asset is properly maintained and protecting yourself from the kind of expensive repairs that can be necessary if minor repairs are neglected.

For the purposes of claiming the deposit at the end of the tenancy, evidence of regular inspections shows that you take a proactive and professional approach to property management, and a series of inspection reports documenting a deterioration in the condition of the property can be particularly powerful.

Interim inspections may also help to prevent disputes from arising in the first place. Let’s take as a hypothetical example an area of damage to paintwork on the stairs. If the tenant is only alerted that you consider the damage to be in excess of wear and tear after the tenancy has finished, they may be more likely to dispute your claim on the deposit. If, on the other hand, you had raised your concerns with them after an inspection several months earlier, they would have had adequate opportunity to reflect on the matter and repair the damage before moving out.

Tom Derrett is the Principal of Deposit Claim, an ex-adjudicator and an expert on the Deposit Protection Schemes.

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