New rent reporting system that links tenants’ rental payments with their credit report

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 18/01/2018 - 10:34
Brilliant, yes we are in touch.
Great, I'll email you. Henry

When the first scheme set up by the Big Issue and Experian was announced it was voluntary opt-in. Now it will be a condition of the tenancy. See how quick that changed?

Ultimately this is about control and LL are a cog in the wheel obediently informing on their customers.

It's one thing for a debtor to be refused a new credit card because of a few late payments -seems reasonable. But now a few black marks means being refused a home.

T loses his right under justified circumstances to withold rent when L is not meeting his obligations because to do so will be punished with bad credit.

We now are living in a 'grass culture' where citizens inform on one another rather than resolving their differences between themselves with honour.

T can claim a windfall if he informs on L for making an admin error e.g. deposit.

Your energy company grasses you to CRAs as a thank you for your continued custom and now so does your landlord. L is now also expected to inform on supsected illegal immigrants as a proxy border guard.

Where will it end?

I do not expect my criticisms to be well received here but please look at the bigger picture about the type of society you want to live in. We all play a part.

The real issue is that L's rights to collect rent and remove bad Ts are not adequate. So, schemes like this are marketed to mitigate the risks. It is a sticking plaster and not the answer.

There needs to be a fit for purpose system to uphold rights of both L and T, not a system for 'tell tales'.

Reply to the comment left by Joel Davis at 19/01/2018 - 00:10
Joel,
There are no circumstances that should allow a tenant to withhold rent, unless done through the correct channels, which is the civil procedure rules for disrepair and the local council.

The number of tenants that rationalise breach of contract, by denying their landlords due process is simply out of control.

Last year I wrote off over £23,000 of bad debt.

Do you know how many properties could have been repaired with that sort of money?

Those tenants that paid on time have subsided rent dodging scum bags, who will use any excuse to avoid paying and they should at least be rewarded with an improved credit rating.

What should be addressed is how an evicted tenant gets away with no credit score damage if it was done through PCOL and you don’t use a bailiff.

It’s an absolute disgrace and farce.

A poor credit score is not enough, private landlords need similar rights to commercial landlords for evicting tenant for non payment of rent. Commercial tenants enjoy enough safeguards in most other situations bar non payment of rent. The rules should be similar to commercial forfeiture for non payment with a longer period to allow genuine tenants to sort out their affairs if they run into difficulty. The ones who simply refuse to pay or get into huge arrears would be forced out alot sooner instead of enjoying months of rent free accommodation....

Reply to the comment left by Henry Yates at 18/01/2018 - 10:30
Hi Henry
Many thanks for your reply.
My point was that I doubt many overseas tenants would be bothered about building up a positive credit rating in the UK unless they planned to stay permanently. But I could be wrong.
But it depends on who pays. Can you let us know who pays?

Reply to the comment left by Rob Thomas at 22/01/2018 - 12:17
Hi Rob

I understand that it is the agent/landlord who pays, but that it isn't at all expensive.

Thanks for the reply Gary. The reason you lost £23K is because there is no practical way to get your money off them by force. The system is so useless that paying rent in this country is effectively optional.

I am astonished that any tenant ever bothers to pay their rent when in practice they could all live for free.

Most good tenants pay because they feel morally obliged to. If Ts only paid what they could be forced to pay, LL would go bankrupt.

LL rely on honesty, goodwill and honour of the T more than they might admit.

Credit reporting is a tool to force payment by threat of bad credit and will lower the level of goodwill Ts feel LL deserve.

It is creepy, manipulative and shameful to snitch on your customers. If that is how LL treat their customers then that is how they will be percieved by them.

In a battle of who can enforce their rights, T will win hands down. So LL should take care not to make T feel he is paying because he 'has to' rather than paying because he should.

There is no doubt this is all because of a few bad apples. It is not fair on everyone else who will have one more thing to be stressed about but it will sadly become standard practice.

I just wonder what happended to our culture in this country when in the past it was shameful to be a grass and now it is normal, encouraged and the standard way to do business!