Meet The Landlords TV programme – fair representation?

Meet The Landlords TV programme – fair representation?

8:52 AM, 30th July 2013, About 11 years ago 73

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Last night I finally got around to watching a TV programme I recorded on BBC a few weeks ago called “Meet The Landlords“.

I was asked to appear on the programme when it was first considered but when I told the reporter what managing my portfolio entailed he wasn’t really that interested. Who could blame him? My tenants stay with me for years, I outsource most things and for that reason I doubt I spend more than a couple of hours every week looking after my property portfolio. It makes me enough to live on, my tenants are all very happy and neither me nor my tenants are ever very likely to make good viewing on the Jeremy Kyle show.

The appearances from landlords and tenants featured on “Meet the Landlords” though was a proper rogues gallery. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the programming team had stood out the Jeremy Kyle recording studio’s a picked the worst of the worst people. Perhaps they offered them a free Maccie D’s in return for them and their landlords to make another appearence on the telly? LOL

The programme featured:-

  • Two amateur landlords whose tenants had not been paying rent for months,
  • a landlord calling himself the HMO Daddy who runs what I can only describe as “doss houses” for the dreggs of society,
  • and a woman from a North Eastern letting agency who let a property for a private landlord to rent to a drunken ASBO tenant who couldn’t even be bothered to turn up sober and then broke down into tears when presented with a property which he clearly realised he didn’t deserved to live in

If the BBC wanted to make a documentary revealing broken Britian this was a success. If they wanted to portray the Private Rented Sector then sorry, in my opinion it was a massive #FAIL

If the two amateur landlords had employed a decent letting agent or spent some time reading forums such as this one they wouldn’t have found themselves thousands of pounds down in rent arrears. One of the landlords was quite clearly on the verge of a mental breakdown but the hypocrisy of her story was that whilst her tenants were not paying the rent due to her, she was falling into arrears with her own landlord and prioritising subsidising her own mortgage! No wonder Paul Shamplina for Landlord Action has such a thriving Tenant Eviction business. He was one of the few people on the programme who came across as being decent.

I’ve heard about the HMO Daddy selling coaching and mentoring and I had always wondered why a landlord who claimed to be successful would do that. In my mind, you mentor people either to grow your own business (i.e. employees) or you do it when you’ve made enough money to become truly altruistic and because you thrive on helping other to achieve or solve problems which you’ve previously encountered. Having watched this programme I think I may have worked it out. Perhaps “landlord Jim” needs to sell a blueprint of his “secret recipe”, or a positive spin on what he would really like it to be like, in order to subsidise the appalling behaviour of his appalling tenants living in his appalling properties, all of which were exposed on National TV?

I’ve read some very positive views elsewhere on the web about the lady who worked for the letting agency and dealt with the ASBO tenant. Yes she was grounded, caring and very patient. What I can’t get my head around is how it can possible be in the interests of any landlord to put a drunken lout like that tenant into what seemed to be a relatively decent property. Fair enough, it was explained that the rent was guaranteed to be paid directly by the Council due to this chaps “issues” shall we say but come on! Anybody with half a brain can see this chap was on the road to nowhere but prison. If that house isn’t completely trashed within a year then I will eat my words but I’d happily lay a bet that the damage he causes to the property and the distress he causes to the poor people living in close proximity to him will not come close to the rental income. What man in his right mind would think his wife and children would feel safe living to a sexist drunk like him? The guy believed he was God’s gift to women and obviously has no respect for society or the law either. The chap needed to be institutionalised in my opinion, for his own safety and for others, but I suppose that’s the result of what was badged “Care in the Community”.

The real shocker for me was the prostitute tenant who gave up possession of her property without going to Court in return for a tenner. Yes she signed some papers but it was pretty obvious to me that she did that under duress and whilst under the influence of drugs, alcohol or both.

Maybe I’m lucky, perhaps I will be labelled as a snob for writing this review, but the “Meet the Landlords” TV programme was nothing like the Britain I know and love and certainly not representative of what I have witnessed as a result of being a landlord for the last 24 years!

What were your thoughts?Meet The Landlords


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andrew townshend

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18:25 PM, 4th August 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Mick Roberts" at "04/08/2013 - 16:47":

i can relate to mick's comments above, i am a hands on landlord who is happy to get his hands dirty, unlike those posh landlords in their range rovers and alike, if i make an offer on a property, it is a cash offer, the world seems to be full of messers dreamers etc, give me the man that calls a spade a spade any day. reminds me of a newspaper headline a few yrs ago 'THE ILLUSION OF WEALTH BASED ON DEPT', never a truer word said. well mick not many of us left, what say you boy.

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19:13 PM, 4th August 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "andrew townshend" at "04/08/2013 - 18:25":

Nowt wrong with Range Rovers for a landlord Andy!

You can fit an old bath and bog in one and still get access to the local tip.

And if you are using it solely and holy, it is tax deductable (although I've never tried arguing the taxman on that one).

I used to have a brand new Sport every year (V6 and V8 diesels unfortunately but that is what re-sells), abuse it to near death and then flog it on to the posh set for more than I paid for it. And be given a free bottle of champagne and perks by the dealer for the privelege.
-work that one out!

But I agree with the rest of your post 🙂

Mick Roberts

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16:46 PM, 6th August 2013, About 11 years ago

HELP!

Jonathan Clarke, John Paul, or any other HB landlord.

I've just started a new thread as I've been stung this week for the first time by the ÂŁ500 per week benefit cap. I'm hoping you guys may be able to help me with this or at least have some ideas.

Please see >>> http://www.property118.com/stung-by-the-500pw-benefit-cap-no-rent-being-paid-help/42064/

Mary Latham

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17:43 PM, 6th August 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Mick Roberts" at "06/08/2013 - 16:46":

I am not sure why you think direct payment will help? You would only get ÂŁ30 towards the rent via direct payment because it will not alter the cap and as you have said the first benefit to be reduced when the cap is reach is Housing/LHA.

I realise that Government are way off with their expectations that tenants will suddenly learn financial skills that they have never needed before but the fact is that this is what is expected and if tenants do not quickly learn that the amount that they are allocated for rent is irrelevant and pay the rent that is due the only option a landlord will have is eviction.

Follow me on Twitter@landlordtweets

My book, where I warn about the storm clouds that are gathering for landlords is here >>> http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1484855337

Jonathan Clarke

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19:50 PM, 6th August 2013, About 11 years ago

Mick

From what I understand if you employ them as your property admin assistant for example then the cap does not apply as they are working then they get back other things like child/working tax credits . Their HB is not affected. Make sure its under 16hrs per week . Pay minimum wage . Up the rent by the same amount as the wages you pay them so they pay you it back. You get full rent and free help running your business in effect. Genius eh!

Try DHP also but that lasts only 12 weeks but may bridge the gap till they sort the paperwork back in your favour of the Sec 21 kicks in.

But yes its another totally ill thought out policy. I`m getting a ÂŁ600 pcm cash flow on one of my 4 bedders with a mum and 6 kids. I`m prepared to take a bit of a hit on the margins but ÂŁ30 a week is farcical. Sec 21`s will flood the system and the taxpayers will pick up the B&B tab which will be at least 50% more than the current LHA rate.

Totally not in the kids interest. Where I am they haven`t even got enough B&B`s to supply anyway and have to farm them out to towns 15 miles away. Not great for September when they have to get them to school by 9am. Oh and the doctors and dentists will be a bit of a trek as well . And gran and gramps who previously mucked in with a bit of babysitting cant drive so thats out of the window.
Not really a family friendly policy.

I tried to set up a LHA emergency B&B myself as i saw a lucrative business opportunity as the emergency B&B rates are to die for. I would get one of my tenants to run them as they talk their language and wouldnt blink at accepting a homeless family at 10pm at night. Help employment stats as well. But the council didnt want to know. They said they were not interested in providing more unsatisfactory short term housing solutions. They just didnt get it. My voice rose slightly at this point The shutters came up and I had to leave.........................

andrew townshend

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21:19 PM, 6th August 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "HB Welcome" at "04/08/2013 - 19:13":

do i know you hb welcome, you would n't happen to be a norwich l/lord would you? karl by any chance?

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

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22:32 PM, 6th August 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "andrew townshend" at "06/08/2013 - 21:19":

R3NTS?
.

andrew townshend

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9:21 AM, 7th August 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "06/08/2013 - 22:32":

not who i was thinking of, but yes i have met r3nts.

Vanessa Warwick

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12:10 PM, 29th October 2013, About 11 years ago

I am pleased to report that "Meet the Landlords" has had a very positive impact for Castledene Lettings, who have taken on significant new business as a result of their appearance in the programme.

The alcoholic tenant who got the brand new flat has kept it immaculate and is behaving himself, even helping out in the local community.

Well done to JP and his team!

Did anyone watch C4 "Dispatches - Undercover in the property market" last night?

If so, what did you think?

If you missed it, I have written a review here:

http://www.propertytribes.com/review-channel-dispatches-undercover-property-market-t-9418.html

These programmes do little to show the positive sides of the property industry, and always focus on the rogues! I guess it makes "good telly"?!

Barbara Thorning

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16:04 PM, 29th October 2013, About 11 years ago

I watched this Vanessa and have to say I LOVED the red braces!! Stereotypical? All he needed was what my Dad used to call an Estate Agent's shirt ie coloured/patterned shirt but with a white collar.

It was interesting for me because I have worked as a Mystery Shopper, checking on Mortgage Advisors for one of the big chains. Along with the competency of the advisor, I had to assess how strongly the agent promoted their in-house mortgage advice service and I have to say they weren't pushy at all. I had to angle to be offered an appointment and occasionally it took a fair bit of prompting before one was offered. At no time was I put under any pressure with 'deals' or favourable treatment if their mortgage service was used for the properties I showed an interest in.

Twice as a vendor I have been stung by agents who were supposed to be acting in our best interests. Once many years ago we were only told of one offer from - surprise, surprise - a buyer who was arranging his mortgage with the agent and another who was so hopeless I can't begin to describe them. As a result, I have an innate mistrust of estate agents but at no time during my checking this year did I find them to be anything less than very professional. Their mortgage services were available if I wanted them, but no conditions were ever attached and although some were more thorough than others, generally I was very impressed with them.

As you say though, this viewpoint wouldn't make for "Good Telly". No wonder the Daily Mash write articles like this:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/business/letting-agents-to-out-bastard-estate-agents-201011253289

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