Half of renters are living in cold, damp homes – Citizens Advice

Lies, Damn lies and statistics !
How does this micro sample square with EHS that show 80% satisfaction by Tenants.
That's far more than satisfaction rate with politicians !

Should also point out that its the Tenants responsibility to heat the homes and everyone has to pay the same Utility charges.
Unless your an MP on expenses !

What a complete and utter load...
Little wonder there is so much negativity toward private landlords when this level of rubbish is being peddled as 'fact'.

Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 24/07/2024 - 09:10
Of course if all properties became grade A these charities would disband forthwith and return the large sums held in investments back to donors with a dividend. No? That's silly, of course, they're part of a parasitic self-expanding industry which is doing very nicely and is busy killing off the PRS. The UK disease.

My advice is to put the heating on!!!!,

It is not the landlord who is in charge of the heating, If tenants don't heat the homes they will be cold and damp....simples!

Why are we blamed for everything? aren't the tenants supposed to have any responsibility?

Anyone else noticed that once fairly balanced and respected organisations like Crisis and CAB are fighting to steal the limelight from Shelter.
This self serving attention seeking is doing nothing to serve those who mistakenly put their trust in these organisations - tenants who may have a genuine issue of poor treatment from one of the small minority of bad or criminal landlords.
When will the more savvy renters realise they are being played by virtually every hanger on around the sector?

Reply to the comment left by Keith Wellburn at 24/07/2024 - 12:35Keith, the problem is that there is a small number of landlords who are absolute b@st@rds. If a tenant complains about disrepair, they evict them as a knee jerk reaction. Unsurprisingly, these tenants are very upset and often endure hardship. Because there are more prospective tenants than vacant homes to rent, the tenants are then in a fix. Landlords can charge top dollar even if the accommodation is sub-standard.

Now, you can, as I do blame Tony Blair for opening the floodgates of immigration and blame Nimbys for blocking new housing. However, we are where we are and tenants who will never be able to buy their own home are at the thick end of it. Short of money and of options, they go to the CAB and Shelter.

The case of Hayley on CAB's website: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/almost-half-of-private-renters-live-in-homes-with-cold-damp-or-%20mould/ should concern everyone.

Responsible landlords need to show some sympathy and work with Councils and others to raise standards.

Reply to the comment left by Ian Narbeth at 24/07/2024 - 12:48
Those in need of help are not served well by sensational reports of such large numbers supposedly suffering appalling conditions.

I was a hands on landlord since 1990 with Victorian properties including HMOs and have dealt with many situations around the physical characteristics of the properties and tenants lifestyles and what needs to be done to resolve issues with condensation and mould. Occasionally involving LAs who had an understanding of the technicalities as well.

Too much to go into here, but we seem to have ended up with damp and mould as an oppressor Vs victim situation when it is a situation demanding pragmatism from BOTH parties.

S21, rent rises etc - for the first 25 years I was a landlord the markets I operated in were tight. The notion of evicting someone if they complained about disrepair is risible - when there were renovated properties sitting empty waiting to be let what on earth would be the point of having an empty property in poor shape.

Whilst tenants stay put nowadays due to the market conditions, historically it was tenants who decided to have a change on a whim and availed themselves of the 1 month notice under S21 as I used to let the tenancies go periodic to give them that choice.

I’m virtually out now perhaps a few years before I would otherwise. Osbornes Section 24 finance restriction was NOT a sensible way to kick off a regime of ever more demands. The problem is however much a landlord spends and complies it is never recognised. I can’t remember the last time I came across a rental property without central heating - it’s just a given now (I’m not including illegal properties, converted sheds etc, operated by CRIMINALS not landlords) - yet apparently huge numbers are chronically cold in the SUMMER according to yet another dubious grandstanding charity. Is that due perhaps to too much insulation by any chance?

Private landlords are never going to suit tenants who can’t afford to run the CH / who thinks they would? Restore some order to the wider market with more social housing and get back to the situation where LLs are competing for tenants and many of todays negative headlines would disappear.

Reply to the comment left by Ian Narbeth at 24/07/2024 - 12:48
Agreed Ian,
However, media reporting ( you can't call it journalism with the biased one-sided reporting ) does not verify any of the alleged accounts from tenants.

The PRS is the antithesis of monopolism, and isn't exploiting anyone, but of course needs to be hyper-regulated! Obviously we can afford to have 'fundamental rights' in our utopia of a post-industrial ponzi deficit economy - I mean we'll find someone to pay for it all, right?

You can see why these so called charities come out with such exaggerated nonsense (and that is not to say there are some real issues for a minority of tenants). Just look at the political grandstanding - do tenants not really understand that it is a chronic under supply of property in relation to the numbers chasing it that is causing rents to be bid up over original asking prices? It’s what happens in markets.
The notion of making a special piece of legislation to prevent the practice, whilst acknowledging that it can’t be stopped should a tenant want to offer over asking rent just highlights the crass, dumbed down state of play and the willingness of politicians to exploit it.
So, the legislation comes into play; Letting agent “Of course we can’t ask you to offer more than we are asking in rent, that would be illegal. But if you want to offer more, of course we can’t stop you”. All the while deflecting, just as the Tories did for the last decade from the REAL causes of the various problems in the rental market, while the politician hopes to be seen as actually solving something.