DSS Tenants – does this video say it all?

Now here's a thought for you, it's something which has been buzzing around in my mind for quite some time. BABY BOOMERS - apparently they are one of the three top targets for pay day loan companies. The other two are owners of strollers and wearers of skinny jeans according to research. Many baby boomers have not made sufficient provisions for their retirement. Could this type of accommodation be the answer for them, particularly those who will be claiming benefits and needing to rent? See >>> http://goo.gl/HSGnR My best friend is a Director of Tingdene which is Europe's largest manufacturer of these units and also the largest park operator with nearly 10,000 units. Have they spotted a niche we haven't I wonder?

There is a new thread just started over on Property Tribes featuring a video recorded between Jonathan Clarke and Vanessa Warwick this weekend.

Both Jonathan and Vanessa have commented above thanks to Mick Roberts getting this debate over DSS Tenants started. For me, like many other landlords, the revelations in this thread are akin to taking a peek into a parallel universe of landlordism.

The link to the Property Tribes thread is >>> http://www.propertytribes.com/pt-tv-exclusive-interview-with-jonathan-clarke-milton-t-8347.html

Other very interesting reading is the Spotlight thread on Jonathan Clarke which I contributed to back in Jan 2011 when Property118 was in it's infancy. See >>> http://www.propertytribes.com/in-the-spotlight-jonathan-clarke-t-2347.html

That is very kind of you to post the link Mark.

I think JC deserves MASSIVE recognition for the value he brings to the forums with his wonderful posts that inspire and educate. I don't think he quite realises how much his contributions help others.

He is naturally shy and retiring, so I am very glad he agreed to take part in the interview.

I am encouraging him to write a book as he has such a unique view of being a landlord that I find always inspires me and keeps me moving forwards!

Bravo! JC, you are such a star!!

I'd like to get Mick to write a book too but I think the first couple of chapters might have to be written by a person who could explain the Nottingham dialect first e.g.

ote = anything, something or out

note = can also mean nothing

took - can also mean taken

That way we could all read it with 'note took ote" 🙂

I deal in low cost housing in one of the poorest semi rural areas of the countries. I have a strategy for dealing with tenants and the condition of my properties. All my properties are unfurnished terraced or semi's. I have no wallpaper or carpets. My kitchen and bathrooms are tiled. All properties are skimmed and painted and have laminate flooring upstairs and down.Tenants who don't pay or leave rubbish or damage the property are an occupational hazard, Unless they make an effort to destroy my property[which is very rare] A skip,two days clean, touch up and paint and its turned around. I don't need to be ducking and diving in order to make a living. I'm sorry I haven't read all the posts by Mick but I think the video said enough. Who would treat his properties with respect? I wouldn't. Have your property in good shape before tenants move in and you'll be surprised how few live like those in the video. My average tenant stay with me 4 years and I do a total refurb about every 12 years and with ECO for boilers and EWI soon becoming available there is profit to be made in HB tenants. I just recommend you treat people professionally whatever you may think of them.
PJ

@PJ I think you should read Micks posts, Jonathan's too. Don't be too quick to judge, these guys are both very well respected landlords

I too let properties to DSS tenants, who are usually on the deposit bond scheme run by the council. I am definitely going to try the new rule of not redecorating when they are left in a mess like this. It makes more sense to let the new tenants move in with no deposit and redecorate themselves. I usually go in and Magnolia the lot but whats the point. I currently have seven outstanding deposit bond schemes which the council will not pay out to me for tenants which have done a runner. This video is nothing in my experience, dog and cat poo and maggots are the order of the day with many tenants and they have children crawling around in it. I once had a dead rabbit in a hutch next to a babys cot!!!! My husband and I laugh about it then move the next ones in, you will never education these people in cleanliness.

Brilliant debate, Vanessa I think you are great, when I bought my first 20 properties I envisaged a job like yours, power suits and showing tenants around my beautiful properties, sadly it was not to be LOL That's what you get for renting in Torquay!

Some people are rattling on about waste convicting me or the tenant, when today I find out new tenant is having deal with scrap man who is having a lot of scrap, & then using his registered waste carriers license to deal with rubbish-That should put that one to bed.

Aah, putting me on another website slagging me off without knowing the full story, no I don’t mind, renting houses out is a job, come 5pm onwards & Sat Sun’s, I’m in another zone, tenants have emergency builders numbers if problem, I have people cover for me if I’m away, I can take criticism even if people have got it wrong-It’s normally people that don’t know me well that get it wrong. Being a Landlord is a job to me, not way of life, I have mates that live in my houses, but come Sunday mornings when we’re on the bikes, houses are not even spoke about, I don’t care if they want to give me a years rent up front, out of hours I’m not bothered. So u can see as long as me business is running right, I let things go over me head.
Ha ha, u got laugh, if Vanessa the expert can get it wrong, then what hope is there for the rest of us.

The video is how the tenant left it, not how the Landlord gave it them. Granted, new tenant is taking it like that, but they are desperate & no one else is giving them house while they have 1 kid in 1 bed flat. And new tenant isn’t living in it like that. Surprised some people are getting confused on here & thinking that is the case.
What would u want me to do, go in & vacuum & polish for ‘em every week? Put their clothes in the washer, dryer, iron for ‘em, then put ‘em in the wardrobe? As said before, I’ve put brand new combi in, brand new kitchen, full rewire, new doors & windows where asked, now again look at video & what is in that video that the Landlord needs to be slated for? What bad has the Landlord actually done in that video? And then look again & see how the tenant has GAVE it back to the Landlord?
And I once again, once they’ve done their bits & ask me, I will then do the required building work. When we see these houses on Auctions Under the Hammer, do we say ‘Aah, Auction house can’t sell that dump’? No, because someone isn’t going to accommodate it like that.

Here u go, look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNzkzoRkQxo - Is this the Landlords fault? This is biggish 4 bed house. Tenant in this had SEVEN kids, was in Housing Association house for approx. 10 years who couldn’t give her anything bigger. Was with me approx 6 years. Now the minority who don’t know full story please go & slate the Landlord on that one too. Again, I had several tenants asking for this house for a long time. And new tenant with 4 kids was asking me for this house for over a year & was SO GLAD when it came up even in this condition-Because u know what? For approx 6 months, she was living in her Dads’ overcrowded house with fella, Dad, Mum, brothers etc. So who do we go on at here? Maybe the Council for having no accommodation for them? Or the new Landlord for getting them something-Which today is GORGEOUS. New kitchen, bathroom, rads, front & back COMPOSITE doors etc. Oh yeah & she took house in this condition offering to do all labour cleaning work, but this time Landlord had the most humongous skip for them. I do what I am asked-It keeps the tenant happy.
Most of my tenants come from my existing tenants or someone I know recommending me. And from my tenants recommending them to me. I normally don’t have to advertise, have about 200 people on my waiting list, get approx 20 calls/texts every week, people asking for houses-A lot of people ringing week after week, & quite often once one person gets house, they hear how great I am compared to other Landlords, & their sister, mother, daughter, cousin, mates all want houses off me. I currently have several families, where Mum, 2 daughters. 2 sisters, cousins, son, ALL LIVING IN MY DIFFERENT HOUSES AT THE SAME TIME. Sound a terrible Landlord, don’t I.

I just can’t fathom out how these video’s give Landlords a bad name? Mark that’s running this site is clever guy, do u think he’d let a Landlord boast his mis-givings on here? Vanessa is smart, better looking than all of us, & business minded, she realised within a heartbeat what the video was telling & subsequently said so. Most other Landlords can see what video is saying, u just have to shrug your shoulders at the minority that think this is giving Landlords a bad name-I’ll say it again in Capitals shall I? TENANT HAD DECENT HOUSE OFF LANDLORD-THREE YEARS LATER, GAVE IT BACK TO LANDLORD A DUMP.

I think only way you’d solve this is, put everyone in front of judge & jury, & then Judge tell the minority afterwards-How on earth does the tenant leaving their crap & wrecking a house put the Landlord in a bad light-Beggars belief, doesn’t it.
This saying might apply: Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience

Some of u ought to see some of my tenants NICE houses, gorgeous they are, they do their bit, I can see they are looking after & investing their time & money, I do my bit & give them more than normal.

Hmm, average tenant stays 4 years? My average is about 7 years.

I haven't had time to read all comments as out of the country at present...But worth taking note of..
If you hand over your property to the council it may well infringe your loan. Never mind insurance
Not all DHSS tenants are a problem but if they do get into trouble either with rent or damage to property its hardly worth taking them to court as they have no money..
Also if given notice to quit the DHSS or CAB will advise them to stay till they get a court order.. Personally I find this is not very helpful to the tenant as they will have to leave sometime and this then leads to a spiral downwards in any credit rating they may have had..

When letting to DHSS is accept over 40 as by then they know the system and as a professional landlord I want them to stay and enjoy their home.

Good luck

Well Mark I decided to try and read through the rest of the comments before commenting further, My point remains, As much as I appreciate your comments and this site, this video was in poor taste. Most of the comments from Mick seem to be justifying why he would post something like that. He's non stop telling us what a good and big hearted person he is, and he may be,However I make money from having a portfolio that is run professionally,[and I don't wear a suit ] Not only is being professional important at the lower level I think its essential in order to thrive. I expect costs and budget for it.You wouldn't expect Tesco's to treat all its customers like shoplifters and I don't treat my tenants like those in the video.
If I had 200 tenants on my waiting list,20 phoning every week and a turn around of 7 years per tenant I think I could of prepared that property in the video to a descent standard and be making a profit. Because there's massive demand where Mick is that doesn't justify lowering standards.
Where I do agree is regarding UC. I have commented on another post about UC and I fear that would be a major problem if tenants were paid direct. That will set HB professional LL's back years and the lower end of the market will be left to the Rachmann's of this world.
PJ