10:43 AM, 20th May 2019, About 6 years ago 125
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And so the onslaught against private landlords continues. Earlier this month, we were shocked to hear that a cornerstone of tenancy law in the UK was to be overturned, with the scrapping of Section 21. Farcically, we were told that a consultation would take place after the decision had been made.
This was an unexpected move, as in fact the Government had been conducting one of their ‘post-decision’ consultations on the idea of ‘3-year tenancies’ (something Shelter had been pushing for). Section 21s had not even been on the agenda. Such is the floundering, knee-jerk politics of today, that a completely different policy decision emerged from it.
The abolition of Section 21s had been called for by the anti-landlord organisation Generation Rent. As part of their campaign, they deliberately misrepresented Section 21 by repeatedly referring to it as a ‘no fault’ eviction – such that this phrase is now used by everyone, as though landlords evict the clients they are dependent on to cover the costs of their businesses, ‘for no reason.’
In fact, as we all know, often Section 21 is used because it is the least awful solution to dealing with rogue tenants. The anti-landlord representatives say it means landlords can evict ‘at a moment’s notice’ when in fact, although it is supposed to take 2 months, the average time taken is 6-7 months if the tenant does not want to leave. During this time, the tenant is often paying no rent.
The reason the only other possible Section – Section 8 – is not used as often is because the tenant can raise spurious defences, for example lying that the house is in disrepair. The judge often then adjourns the case and the tenant gets even more months rent-free, while the landlord is pushed further into debt through no fault of their own – some even have to take out loans to cover the mortgage on the rental in which the tenant is living.
This is not only costly financially; a survey has found that private landlords’ mental health also suffers significantly because of, amongst other things, the way that the system is set up to enable these rogue tenants to ruin landlords financially, especially, as it is often the case they also wilfully wreck the property. Landlords’ mental health | National Landlords Association
This can cost landlords tens of thousands of pounds. No-one in Government is looking at this issue at all. The demonisation of private landlords has gone so far, hardly anyone in politics or the media is speaking up for them, despite them facing these gross injustices and the legal system completely letting them down.
And now, if, as is expected, the Government continues with its move to scrap Section 21, ‘charities’ like Generation Rent and Shelter will start pushing for the next punitive measure against landlords; the most likely contender for this is to somehow force landlords to take tenants on benefits, even if this is not the client group landlords wish to occupy their properties.
Shelter has been conducting a campaign on this for some time and various Government Ministers have jumped on the virtue-signalling bandwagon. Shelter has even been bullying landlords and letting agents into removing the words ‘no DSS’ from adverts and they also threatened to sue a letting agent, before the agent settled out of court, rather than face the stress and costs of a court case. Shelter now represents this as a legal victory and claims it is now recognised as discriminatory to specify ‘no DSS.’ It isn’t. Being in receipt of benefits is not a protected characteristic according to equal opportunities legislation. Settling out of court to avoid the stress and costs of a £60 million ‘charity’ hounding you through the courts does not create new law.
As part of their campaign on this, Greg Beales, Campaign Director at Shelter, has claimed that there is no evidence that tenants are benefits are ‘less-good’ tenants than others. There’s ‘no evidence that people on benefits are ‘less-good tenants’, says Shelter spokesman
He said that, given that, landlords and letting agents who do not accept those on benefits are engaging in ‘disgusting’ and ‘immoral’ practices. https://inews.co.uk/opinion/comment/housing-benefit-renting-no-dss-shelter/
Such rhetoric demonstrates his ignorance. Of course as Shelter provides no housing to anyone, they would not have first-hand experience of the issues involved. As landlords, however, we know that there are many reasons why it makes no sense to accept people on low wages and/or on benefits. No amount of banning landlords and agents from specifying ‘no DSS’ will change these facts.
Some of the reasons why it often does not make sense to accept people on benefits as tenants:
This final point demonstrates how various forms of Government interference in the private rented sector are having the opposite results to the alleged intentions. One change causes landlords to not be able to take on tenants on benefits; the next tries to ban them from not taking on tenants on benefits. We all know the next will be rent caps. It is like trying to shove a lid on a boiling pot when it is about to boil over.
And at the same time that they are trying to ‘disallow’ landlords from having control over their own assets, are ‘disallowing’ landlords from offsetting their finance costs, and ‘disallowing’ landlords from choosing the tenants they want, they leave the social sector completely alone despite 61% of eviction notices actually coming from this sector 24housing and despite the fact that this sector also is moving away from accepting tenants on benefits.
As an expert on this said: “Shelter and the National Housing Federation are engaging in deliberate known deceit in their combined campaign over NO DSS in the private rented sector – A campaign that is so superficial it shames them both…Social landlords… do routinely operate affordability tests and they do refuse to accommodate the benefit tenant and thus they operate the same NO DSS practices as the private landlord.” https://speyejoe2.wordpress.com/2018/08/23/dear-polly/
Where is the hue and cry about that?
No. They turn a blind eye to this, because they are fixated to an almost manic degree on private landlords; a fixation which is already starting to wreck people’s lives by pushing them out of housing.
ameliahartman
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Sign Up4:18 AM, 5th June 2019, About 6 years ago
ameliahartman
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Sign Up4:28 AM, 5th June 2019, About 6 years ago
Whiteskifreak Surrey
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Sign Up8:19 AM, 5th June 2019, About 6 years ago
Reply to the comment left by ameliahartman at 05/06/2019 - 04:28
Perhaps Shelter , who hates PRS, could start with the banks and BTL lenders and ask to apply the same criteria? Or in case a tenant is perceived slightly more risky, offer a gold plated guarantee? They have millions which they do not risk, like landlords do. The next step should be Shelter asking the banks to offer mortgages to benefit tenants., as they are all angels and will certainly pay on time and never default. Why Shelter does not offer - to benefit tenants - a scheme similar to help to buy? Shelter is supporting policies which will destroy PRS and increase homelessness. They would help a lot more if they worked with PRS and not having an open war with them.
angalfaria
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Sign Up10:08 AM, 5th June 2019, About 6 years ago
Thanks for sharing a neat and useful post. Hope it will be helpful for the property owner.
Thanks a lot for sharing this.
Ian Narbeth
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Sign Up10:11 AM, 5th June 2019, About 6 years ago
Amelia
You write that Shelter "are insisting that EVERYONE is treated fairly, on a case by case basis, REGARDLESS of where their income comes from."
That might be fair enough if landlords could be compensated for the time and cost of considering prospective tenants "on a case by case basis". However, the Tenant Fees Act, which Shelter have championed came into force on June 1st. The Act makes it an offence to recover the costs of that due diligence. How much time and cost do you think landlords should incur reviewing all the applicants who present themselves?
The Act is also incredibly complex - read it http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/4/contents/enacted if you don't believe me. If a landlord asks the wrong question, asks for something he shouldn't or puts a foot out of line, he can be fined and even lose his livelihood. The second point is that even if the applicant can afford the rent today, they might lose their benefits and then not be able to. Third, in some cases, Councils claw back from landlords housing benefit where the tenant has negligently or dishonestly not informed them of a change in circumstances. So the rent received is precarious. Faced with those risks, what is the rational choice for a landlord?
Tenant groups have had their "victory" with the Tenant Fees Act. Landlords and agents have been reined in. Don't be surprised by the law of unintended consequences.
Gromit
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Sign Up10:52 AM, 5th June 2019, About 6 years ago
I know a few Shelter grassroots workers and they want to work with Landlords. BUT they all agree that there is a disconnect between them and those in the executive, and cannot understand why they constantly attack Landlords.
ameliahartman
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Sign Up23:49 PM, 7th June 2019, About 6 years ago
ameliahartman
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Sign Up0:52 AM, 8th June 2019, About 6 years ago
Old Mrs Landlord
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Sign Up8:34 AM, 8th June 2019, About 6 years ago
Reply to the comment left by ameliahartman at 08/06/2019 - 00:52
Seriously, you visit all your tenants at least once a month? What about their right to quiet enjoyment of their home? I'm surprised you have no complaints of harassment.
Larry Sweeney
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Sign Up19:50 PM, 8th June 2019, About 6 years ago
The View of the Alliance is that landlords should not take benefit tenants and with the proposed abolition of S21, landlords should issue s21 to offload benefit tenants. We further advise potential landlords moving away for work contracts not to rent out their home, for fear of falling foul of draconian council rules. Where it is feasible landlords should consider converting HMO's back to one family homes if it is economically viable from a sale point of view. We then sit back and watch Shelter and the useless government house all these displaced individuals. Not our fault. Not our problem