I am having to make 350 people homeless this year!

Monty,

I think you've now read the Licensing conditions. I'm speaking to Letting Agents this morning, showing them ALL the conditions, they all saying anyone with more than a few houses cannot physically do all them conditions without a letting agent.

You go through the conditions, add up the time with each one, And times it by a fair number of houses, & tell me if I’ve got the time to do that?

I'm sure a lot of this is a way for councils to get money from where ever they can (including huge fines) as they still have to earn their astronomical wage especially those at the top, poor things! I've disliked council for years! What your letters state is so true but I also think that many tenants simply don't pay their rent = homelessnes, hence the increase. If everyone writes to the top people, they'll soon get fed up!

It’s gettin to the point where it’s just not worth it I have incorporated but will still be selling and scaling down have 3 up at the minute and are going to sell off in 3s over the next few years. Just can’t get my head around what’s going on and really believe life is to short to take on all these headaches. I also believe it’s going to get a lot worse nobody wants or likes us for some reason I’ve totally had enough.

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 06/03/2018 - 11:26
Right Mick, I understand what you are saying, your letter was unclear to me.
You mean its not physically possible without using a letting agent, not that it is a condition of licensing.
The way things stand, you're probably right.

Reply to the comment left by NW Landlord at 06/03/2018 - 11:49
If Labour ever get in, it'll be time to head for the hills !!!

Reply to the comment left by Dr Rosalind Beck at 05/03/2018 - 17:10
Hi Ros

I wish you were right about them begging to have us back. But this is what I think will happen. The extra costs and taxes will drive out a lot of landlords, rents and homelessness will rise and politicians and Shelter will blame greedy landlords for putting up rents and evicting 'vulnerable' tenants.

I don't think we can win. Indeed, there may be much worse to come if we get a Corbyn government. Now that a Conservative government has created the precedent of charging capital gains tax at a higher tax on residential property, what is to stop a Corbyn government taxing capital gains on property at 90% or 100%?

My advice to landlords would be to sell if you can and take your capital somewhere else (abroad would be safer). The only people I can see doing well are those providing temporary accommodation because councils are soon to be flooded with people needing to be housed.

Reply to the comment left by Rob Thomas at 06/03/2018 - 12:08There's a business opportunity. Evict your tenants and then provide temporary housing to local council at 3x the rate.
Oops someone had that idea and has done that before in Peterborough: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/717504/Council-makes-70-families-homeless-to-rehouse-HOMELESS-families

Reply to the comment left by CARIDON LANDLORD SOLUTIONS at 06/03/2018 - 11:08
It can ONLY be used to administer the scheme...not even enforcement can be funded from it. Make sure you FOI yearly two simple questions...how much did the SL scheme cost to administer? How much have you taken in fees? Any discrepancy has to be refunded plus interest. (We use same legal team as the Brown v Hyndburn case).

As a Landlord with HMO's (They have almost the same conditions as selective licensing) I had to put up with all this since 2004. The only requirement if you self manage in your case Mick is a one day course but if it's the same as me, one has to live within a certain distance otherwise one would need an agent so going to Spain you would require an agent. I though everyone had to go through 'Right to Rent' anyway? Not that I'm defending the Council but in my experience saying is one thing and doing another. They simply don't have time to carry out every bit of all this and as long as I don't get tenants complaining (which I never get), I get on reasonably well. Last inspector left saying 'won't see you for 5 years', also saying 'I think you have a bit of damp under one window (which I didn't) but I'm not going to record this as I can see you are a lady who deals with things'. I don't even send them my certificates, even though I have them and am required to send them as part of my licence, until they ask for them which has been once in all these years. That's because they often loose my application forms so I expect they will loose my certificates too so would be wasting my time.

I fought a court case over HMO status 25 years go and won. However they came back with clearer legislation in 2004. Some Councils like Nottingham are obviously widening the net. Are there not protest groups Mick in your area? As an individual I was able to fight them alone all those years ago as I was singled out as a test case, but these days one needs collective action as I'm sure many landlords are affected.

This is getting rolled out across the country and together with section 24, reaffirms my decision to sell some properties last year. So glad I did and I remember the old investment saying, if you are going to panic, panic first! A couple of interest rate rises could be the tipping point I expect to see later this year. Some values in towns and particular some streets within towns are going to get hammered if there is a mass rush for the exit due to rates, taxes and licensing etc