We need to wake up and smell the coffee!

We need to wake up and smell the coffee!

9:04 AM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago 88

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It is easy in life to think that you as one person can make little difference – wrong.

Shopping in B&Q for example!

You spend a few or a few hundred pounds on materials for your rented house – possibly one which has been wrecked by rogue tenants. You get to the counter and see B&Q have their little collection boxes just past the till for Shelter, an organisation which constantly hammers landlords and seems to think we are the rogues. This is something we might have unthinkingly ignored.

Well the Landlords Alliance has now begun a campaign to shake us out of this apathy.

We should not  give our money to organisations which support those whose mission seems to be to destroy our businesses and livelihoods; whose latest campaign is to get us to house tenants on benefits whether we like it or not, whether they can afford it or not, whether they make riskier tenants or not – whilst housing no-one themselves.

No. We need to wake up and smell the coffee.

So I for one, have withdrawn my custom from B&Q as of today.

I ask them to instead donate to a positive charity which they can be proud of supporting.

There are an estimated 2 million landlords in the UK who with their families and also the people who work for them and shop at B&Q have tremendous consumer power.

I urge other landlords to make the pledge today: ‘I will not shop at B&Q until they confirm they have stopped giving money to Shelter’.

 

The New Landlords Alliance is launched: Click Here


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MOH

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13:07 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

this is only a suggestion, but as landlords, we all know we are not the most loved out there so we're not exactly going to get the support of the wider population.
At the risk of being seen as "bashing shelter" (which is what some may say) why don't we pre-empt that accusation by giving our complete support to an alternative charity, such as Crisis. What I don't want Shelter to be able to do is get the sympathy vote, like I said, just a thought and open for comments.

Chris Mayger

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13:37 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by MartinO at 20/11/2018 - 13:07
We need to tread a little carefully with Crisis. I used to support them, but a couple of years ago they started promoting that the ending of a tenancy agreement was the biggest cause of homelessness in the UK. I wrote to their head John Sparks, outlining the range of reasons for the ending of tenancy agreements, but he couldn't agree to changing the use of this rather misleading statement. I also asked him to look into the impact of Section 24 of the Finance Act, on pushing private landlords out of the sector, thereby increasing homelessness, but unfortunately he wouldn't be drawn into this one either.

MOH

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13:42 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Mayger at 20/11/2018 - 13:37
That's fine, my point is that if we are seen to be going head to head against a "cuddly charity" such as Shelter, we won't get support from the general public or others for that matter. We need to show our "cuddly" side, we need to show that landlords do care, that not all landlords are rogue landlords, and that will take some doing, given the years of landlord bashing. Crisis was only a suggestion as it's a housing charity, but maybe some other kind of charity would be good, like I said, it was just to open up the debate.

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

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13:48 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by MartinO at 20/11/2018 - 13:42
Sorry but I disagree.

I think the objective should be to make it clear to the general public that Shelter provide neither shelter nor housing to the homeless, yet call themselves Shelter and are registered as a Housing Charity.

Let the public decide whether Shelter are a cuddly charity or con-artists.

Whether the public love or hate landlords is surely not relevant to that.

Rob Crawford

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13:49 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by David Lester at 20/11/2018 - 09:43
As far as I am aware, Screwfix and B&Q are part of the same Kingfisher Group!

Rob Crawford

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13:52 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

We should not cut off our noses to spite our faces! B&Q and Screwfix and M&S are important providers to me and I am sure many landlords. In some areas there are limited alternatives. What I suggest is that every time you see a Shelter collection box - state you are offended and state why (loudly)!

MOH

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13:55 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 20/11/2018 - 13:48
You are of course right, but that won't be an easy task, what we know is one thing, what the public want to know is quite another, but at least this is a start, and a great one too.

John McKay

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15:05 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rob Crawford at 20/11/2018 - 13:52
Rob just how bad do you want things to get before you'd be prepared to stick up for yourself. I use B&Q and Screwfix a lot, or I did. My spend with the former has now pretty much ended and is significantly reduced at the latter. If you keep spending money with these two outlets you are handing bullets to the enemy.

John McKay

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15:07 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by MartinO at 20/11/2018 - 13:07
I have a monthly direct debit set up to donate to Centrepoint and the charity is also mentioned in my will. I'd be happy to go head to head with anyone that says I am just a charity basher.

Dave Driver

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15:29 PM, 20th November 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by David Lester at 20/11/2018 - 09:43
Screwfix is part of the same group as B&Q.

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