Plans to ‘shelve’ the abolition of Section 21 – the fall-out continues

Reply to the comment left by The Forever Tenant at 12/10/2022 - 11:56
However harsh this may sound but in reality it is not your home.

You are renting someone else's property.

I don't mean to sound ignorant/harsh etc but that is the fact of the matter.

Don't worry, it's not come over as ignorant or harsh but I do wonder if it is that type of rhetoric that is why there is the backlash against landlords.

It's basically saying that I am not allowed to settle down. It may be that there is so much anti-landlord sentiment because tenants are not allowed to feel at home.

Reply to the comment left by The Forever Tenant at 12/10/2022 - 13:42You cannot tar every landlord with the same brush. I have properties with tenants that have been there nearly 10 years, most stay around 3 years before they move onto something bigger or move in with partner. That is my experience
I have told one tenant that in 2 years they need to move out if the EPC C rule comes in as I will have to sell the house, they are staying and accept the risk is out of my control.

Reply to the comment left by DGM at 12/10/2022 - 13:48
I don't want to say that this is what all landlords are like, my current landlord is one of the best I have ever had and I really couldn't fault him for anything.

It's more that this sentiment is out there, it is something that is repeated regularly for the public to see on landlord forums across the internet. It can be hard to see the opposite view when this one is made so prominently.

Reply to the comment left by John Hynd at 12/10/2022 - 11:05
Yes I couldn't agree more this mornings Breakfast TV coverage gave the impression that we are all out to shirk our responsibilities and make life difficult for tenants. When is there going to be a fairer representation of what so many of us actually do and why we do it ie a working pension fund if you like which when we set it up seemed entirely sensible ie about ten or twenty years ago. Those of us who now have progressed and taken on board and complied with all the legislation etc over the years to keep our properties safe and tenants comfortably housed and in my case didn't raise rents for six years in some cases preferring to keep good tenants have now been so battered and disillusioned by talking to a brick wall it seems that no one is listening or cares and yet, then they wonder why its all going pear shaped!! Surely there should be provision for private landlords to continue in the sector in this way without the problem of distorting property values and taking advantage of hapless tenants with nowhere else to live and this should be the focus now rather than trying to force a lot of them to the wall and tenants to suffer. It takes time, effort and expertise (despite what some people might think) to build up a property portfolio and administer and manage it efficiently and there are a lot of people out there doing the job very well. Those that just happened into it ie accidental landlords, will probably have left the sector by now anyway or looking for the first bus out. I wish Ben Beadle could have had the same amount of time to put across far more forcibly what so many Private Landlords are thinking and saying on this site day after day ie not just snippets of information which don't mean very much in themselves to the majority of people but a more accurate picture of how this situation has evolved and how difficult it has now become for what is turning out to be a nightmare for some a lot of landlords and tenants. Treat the cause not the symptoms or provide a suitable replacement.
With regard to the abolishment of Section 21 or not, I wonder how many people would want to be in a situation such as I find myself in now with tenant who rented a room two years ago and now owes four months rent. Having tried every which way to find a way forward and negotiate with him he obviously has no intention of co-operating because he knows that he can play the system for all he's worth which means that I could have him until the bailiffs remove him in March next year, if the time schedules I have been given are to be believed. And not only have I lost the rent but the all the court fees it will incur if I am to try to enforce a Court Order only to find he has returned to his country abroad. Isn't it time someone put a more accurate picture out there and explained exactly whats going on and to create a fairer more fast track path for Landlords when things go wrong?

Reply to the comment left by The Forever Tenant at 12/10/2022 - 11:56I appreciate what you are saying but the reality is most LL's do this as a long term (pension income based or passing it on to family) model.
There are going to be times when their status quo changes. Elderly family member needing care, tenancy legislation changes, death of a partner, increase costs making the business unviable. External factors. A landlord may HAVE to sell/get vacant possession. Unfortunately with the climate as it is it is not easy for a tenant to up sticks and simply glide into another rental, but as I say the LL may not have a choice himself. That right to regain possession simply cannot be undermined by stripping away parts of legislation that is not currently deemed PC. Its private property not state provided housing.

Reply to the comment left by DSR at 12/10/2022 - 20:47

Longer term tenancies are available under the current system. But they come at a cost.

A cost the minority of tenants want the majority of tenants to pay for.

Reply to the comment left by The Forever Tenant at 12/10/2022 - 11:56
I quite understand your point. However if you rent someone's property that is a consequence. I auppose in sicial housing there is more stability.
We were renting for years, and we eventually bought the cheapest property on the market, to be in our own place.
Always on the back of my mind that if we stop paying, the bank will reposess.

Reply to the comment left by DSR at 12/10/2022 - 20:47
This reality possibly explains why Government seem to favour corporate landlords over individuals.

Reply to the comment left by David Nichols at 12/10/2022 - 11:26
You're right David. I have a tenant on HB but if section 21 goes it'll be too much of a risk for me to consider taking someone whose on benefits and unemployed.