10:47 AM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago 71
Text Size
Fergus Wilson, a Kent portfolio landlord has made the headlines recently for the wrong reasons. Mr Wilson has stated that he will start evicting tenants with children under 5. Horrible headlines indeed. Exactly the type of landlord that should not inhabit the PRS, or maybe not?
Mr Wilson has now explained that his Local Council has demanded, that where properties are rented to tenants whose children are under 5yrs old, boilers must be fixed within 24 hours. Excellent in theory, but what if a plumber is not available ? What if a plumber lets a landlord down? What if a part for a boiler is not available and must be ordered? What if a boiler fails and a new unit must be installed?
In these scenarios, a landlord may not be able to repair within 24 hours and thus he would be in breach of the onerous conditions foisted upon him by the Council zealots. The landlord then becomes a criminal, as per these horrific local authorities.
Mr Wilson, in order to avoid becoming a criminal, must regretfully evict his tenants, who by all accounts have been excellent tenants. The landlord loses rent, the tenant loses their home. What sheer stupidity, but who can blame Mr Wilson? I certainly would not, and lets call a spade a spade. This disgraceful episode is down to the council.
Moving on, the Government, as we know, has introduced min bedroom sizes. Meanwhile, there is the new phenomenon, especially in London, where working adults on the ‘minimum wage’ cannot afford housing. Surely it would be better to allow these smaller rooms to be let? Instead we have these potential tenants sleeping in shelters, if they are lucky, or on the streets if they are unlucky.
The zealots, however, feel it is preferable to take these badly needed rooms out of the market. It seems they think it is safer to sleep outside in the elements. The stupidity is mind blowing. Day by day the PRS is under attack.
Councils everywhere are on the bandwagon, sucking cash from landlords with their sham schemes, under the guise of improving the lot of tenants. Even the landlords ability to evict under Section 21 of the Housing Act is under threat!
Wake up landlords and smell the coffee!
If in doubt, issue your Section 21 notices now, and rid yourselves of high risk problems before your tenants acquire indefinite leave to remain in your property. If at all possible, cease taking benefit tenants. Hand these problems back to Government and Councils.
If you do sell up, consider investing your hard earned cash in foreign property or foreign equities. Do your research. Take your investment where it is appreciated.
Only when the PRS is smashed will the powers that be wake up. In the meantime, prepare for 3 year tenancies, and possibly rent controls. This will restrict mobility as accommodation will become scarce.
There seems to be an agenda here, and that is that the Government wants rid of small individual landlords in favour of portfolio landlords.
It is time to fight back!
No benefit tenants, argue every step of the way on licensing. We may not be able to stop it, but we can certainly make life difficult for Councils. Hold them to account on every detail. Film inspections, get tenants onside and give them hell. The alternative is to surrender and lose your business.
Go hard or go home.
Landlords, stop whinging and fight back!
Larry Sweeney
Previous Article
Property sales down 8.8% from last year
Dr Rosalind Beck
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up11:40 AM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
Well said, Larry.
TheMaluka
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up11:41 AM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
The council (Ashford, Kent) imposing this condition, is the same council that was fined circa £40k for illegal eviction, https://nearlylegal.co.uk/2018/04/councils-behaving-badly-part-whatever/.
Alistair Cooper
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up11:43 AM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
Couldn’t agree with you more Larry. Despite anyone’s like or dislike of this portfolio landlords personality he has been without doubt ‘forced’ to take this stance in response to unworkable and hypocritical ‘rules’ imposed by bureaucrats so detached from reality it is almost inconceivable.
Next on the onslaught are the ‘civil penalties’ .. new powers given to unelected local bureaucrats to ‘fine’ landlords £20k a time for a plethora of ‘offences’ eg ‘not ensuring their angelic law abiding tenants recycle every item of their waste and put the bins out within a prescribed no of cm’s from the curb and certainly not before 6:59:59 the eve before collection! Petty unworkable rules to which all social landlords are of course exempt.
The closest analogy that comes to mind is offering a Rottweiler one steak or ten and pondering which he would choose!
Luke P
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up12:04 PM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
Exactly what we did by serving notice to all tenants to protect our business interests because of the introduction of UC in our area. As it happens, the result of that letter caused enough of a fuss at PMQs that the wait time was reduced and HB overlapped to ensure tenants weren't out of pocket.
If this 'four-day rule' makes it to other areas, I suggest we all follow suit and evict/refuse to take single mothers. They need to understand we are a free enterprise and their actions have very real consequences.
Alistair Cooper
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up12:04 PM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
And of course who ends up paying the £41.6k plus costs ... the hard working council tax and business rate payers of Ashord.. not a penny will come from the pockets of those actually responsible
The H
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up12:46 PM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
If this is all about safety of tenants and ensuring that they have a minimum standard of living, why is it not also covering social landlords and HA? Is the government/councils deciding that their tenants do not need his level of protection? How many council tenants with children under 5 wait more than 24 hours for the council to effect repairs? Are they not entitled to the same time frame for repairs as those renting in the PRS?
Chris mccauley
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up12:47 PM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
Mr Wilson is well known in Kent and has a bit of a history of getting into scrapes. One of them being the refusal to rent to Asian tenants because they leave his properties smelling of curry. He certainly stands up for himself and is a bit of a character, but the headlines about him do always seem to twist things against him . If the Government do abolish section 21 I will sell up my 5 properties one by one as my currently very good tenants eventually leave. I don t see what choice I have. You are right in saying there is an agenda against smaller landlords. I have always thought that as an ordinary joe who fell into renting property almost by accident I am not supposed to be in “corporate world” and now the corporate world in tandem with government has found strategies to put me firmly back in my place.
Mike
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up13:00 PM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
So that means if a boiler breaks down, and when a landlord gets notified, the time down to 1000th of a second may be as important as is winning the F1 championship.
So landlords make sure y0u are equipped with a stop watch. No I tell you what you couldn't get more stupid even if you tried, good attempt Kent council, you are still the champion of most stupidest council on earth.
Sam Wong
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up14:00 PM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
Does anybody know how does a landlord become a criminal if said boiler not fixed within 24 hours ?
Or what the penalty is ?
Paul Kaye
Become a Member
If you login or become a member you can view this members profile, comments, posts and send them messages!
Sign Up16:51 PM, 25th July 2018, About 6 years ago
I fully support this Landlord and would do the same,face up, clowns run this government and councils, god help us with councils and the government run by morons!!!!! Landlord bashing is a hobby and who suffers?tenants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!