Meet The Landlords TV programme – fair representation?

Meet the Landlords really did give me nightmares so on one level as sensationalist TV it did work.

I did feel sorry for the unfortunate few people shown as you don't know what lead them to become in such a bad way (mental illness, trauma, depression etc). The family that went abroad and could not get back into their trashed house must have gone through hell.

It was only really Paul Shamplina and Landlord Action that came away showing true professionalism and was in my mind an hour long advert for them as the first port of call for Landlords in difficulty. Maybe Paul can tell us how many phone calls he got afterwards. My guess is it was off the hook.

I found the whole thing quite depressing and turned it towards the end. Felt sorry for the amateurs though. Wasn't exactly a great advert for HMO!

I haven't seen the programme yet, but I have read a few accounts. I am a client of the agent with the drunk, and they do a decent job. The reason I use them is that my first two properties, in a poor area of Middlesbrough, were bought through a portfolio building company who did a lousy job. The area was almost OK initially but has been driven downhill by the council's Selective Licensing policy, which has moved the problem tenants from one area to another, where my two props are. The agents who looked after my four M'boro props aren't keen on this area any more so I moved to an outfit who have set up their stall to deal with that market. You've met JP who owns the firm and I'm sure you'd agree that his systems are impressive.

Given the option of doing it again, I'd still buy in Middlesbrough but not in that area. I'd take the advice of a good, local letting agent before buying and go for something more like one of my other two, where a poor but decent family live in an ex-council terraced house. They cost under 50 grand and the 3 bed LHA rate for the area is £110 per week, so I get a yield of over 11%. Good LHA tenants stay for years and treat the place as a home. The trick is buying in an area that will attract and keep them.

Hi Mark,

I reviewed the "Meet the Landlords" programme live on Property Tribes at the time of the broadcast, and we have since had a huge amount of comments and opinion:

http://www.propertytribes.com/new-bbc-1-programme-meet-the-landlords-t-8517-2.html#pid97891

I must confess to being quite shocked at some of your comments though.

On a recent thread on here, you were keen for everyone to be open minded about the lower end of the market, but now you appear to have changed your mind!

EVERY tenant deserves a warm, clean, and safe place to live, no matter what their personal circumstances.

If you treat people with respect, like Castledene's Bev did, then more often than not, people will act with respect. Perhaps this is the only kindness or example they have ever been set?

If you treat people like animals and put them in dysfunctional accommodation, like the HMO Daddy does, then they will kick against that.

It was clear from the programme that the HMO Daddy does not do any mid-term property inspections, otherwise he would be aware of the damp and mould problems in his rooms, which are dangerous to tenants' health.

Whatever anyone thinks of the programme, it got people talking and that has got to be a good thing.

I have indeed met John Paul, the owner of Castledean, many times, and I believe he is a thoroughly decent chap and very professional too. I do question the wisdom his company housing that one particular ASBO tenant though. Only time will tell whether it's the break that guy needs to turn his life around or whether my predictions will come true. I still feel he would be better served to be institutionalised for his own and everybody else's benefit though. Sorry folks but it's just my opinion, I wouldn't want him in one of my properties and I'm sure there must be more deserving folk looking for the property he's probably now moved into. Perhaps somebody more like that lovely lady on the programme who was suffering from Cancer and her little boy? I also feel sorry for the ASBO tenants new neighbours.
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Its good that so many people are talking about the programme and that was the objective for Holly from Blast Productions. I filmed a seperate pilot for this programme months and months ago, way before it was aired. The intention was to show the sharp end of the rental world and it did that. 2.4 million people tuned in.

Take note that after 14 years, we have dealt with over 20,000 instructions evicting bad tenants and they are from all over the country and from every walk of life.

Reply to the comment left by "Paul Shamplina" at "30/07/2013 - 15:43":

I fully appreciate that Paul. The most amazing story you ever told me was about the man who rented a prime London property for his mistress and never paid up. The pictures of you having clamped his Aston made me chuckle. I believe you managed to get some sort of legal claim to the car and have it sold to repay the debt to the landlord - your biggest recovery success ever if my memory serves me right?
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Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "30/07/2013 - 15:52":

Yes mark, you can still see a picture of the clamped Aston Martin on our website in total we were able to collect £92k, but unfortunately most tenants don't own Aston Martins that we can clamp for unpaid rent.

I think unfortunately you are correct Mark; I wouldn't want ASBO man in my property.
If a LA had put such a type in one of my properties I would have changed LA!!
It is only natural that a certain nimbyist attitude will occur.
As a LL don't want irate neighbours complaining about my ASBO tenant; there is a possibility that taken to the extreme the council could shut my property down for letting.
Yes I fully accept that these dysfunctional tenant types need to be housed; I just wouldn't want them in ANY of my properties; so I guess I'm a nimby; but only from a business perspective.
Mind you if I was an HMO Daddy type of LL then I guess I wouldn't be bothered who I took on!!?
These are the tenants that really need organised; protected accommodation, which would provide for 'care in the community'
As it stands presently these tenant types are just abandoned into the general population with NO real support.
All govt has done is just privatise the hassle of dealing with these types when really these people should be managed by a social system which has a structure of care.
NO PRS LL can provide those necessities!!
Institutional care could be far better than it ever was.
'Care in the community' was all about cost saving and all the platitudes that were expressed at the time as to it being a better solution for dysfunctional members of society was so much bunk!
Several member of the public have been murdered by these types who would formerly be in secure institutions!
Choosing to run my business a certain way; there is NO way I would take on these tenant types as shown in this programme.
The cancer lady I would take on; but she would not be able to afford my rents!

Reply to the comment left by "Paul Barrett" at "30/07/2013 - 16:01":

I agree Paul, just imagine if the lady with Cancer and her little boy were housed next door to the drunken ASBO man!

I can't beleive that Care in the Community has worked,. As an example, it was stated that ASBO man had called 999 over 100 times for reasons as trivial as not having money for a taxi home, probably after after getting himself into such a state he couldn't walk. How much has that cost the tax payer, not just in terms of call outs but the risk to life his actions have caused and also the expense of continually prosecuting him?
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