Having the Rugg pulled out from under – ‘MOT Check’!

another scam--tenants will pay

Another expense for the landlord which will lead to increased rents.

A discussion on BBC 5-live this morning has a suggestion which goes even further than this to mandate annual inspections of every rental property by an independent inspector, at the landlord's expense of course. Any property which is assessed as not up to standard would have to be taken off the rental market until up to scratch! The person who is lobbying for this can't understand why such a system is not already in place and is appalled that boilers are the only items that have to be inspected each year while the general condition of the property is ignored. When asked would not this cost simply be passed on by the landlord in additional rent she said it should not involve any increase because the tenant "is already paying to live there".

Am not totally anti this if implemented fairly; 1) the M.O.T. property standards set must be fair & reasonable & also agreed to by the PRS sector, 2) if already paying for a selective licence, or as & when other local authorities bring this in to force, these M.O.T. style initial and annual checks should be covered by the existing licencing fee and not be an additional cost on top especially as we currently get no benefit for the fee paid as the funds are supposedly used to seek out rouge landlords. This would also prove whether the statistics reported about the effectiveness of selective licencing are true i.e. number of rouge landlords caught & fines imposed, funds of which should go a long way towards funding the resources needed to carry out M.O.T. checks. and 3) if annual M.O.T. checks are to be carried out against agreed standards, it should not only check whether the landlord is fulfilling their responsibilities but whether the tenant is too i.e. a tenants responsibility for looking after the landlord's property with appropriate consequences both ways.

Reply to the comment left by Laura Delow at 10/09/2018 - 12:27
Hear hear Laura.

I don't think annual MOT's would be bad idea, 'cause that's what Licensing should be doing, but they ain't. And they've more or less admitted now, they using our Licensing fees money paid to go after the bad Landlords.

Should be cheap £50 I'd say as they already have the Boiler service to check, EICR to check, I forgot the ruddy 3rd thing, I need some training, anyway, yes, so should be quick look round windows & doors ok, kitchen & bathroom, job done.
If house not up to scratch, Landlord pays maybe £30 for quick re-inspection on faulty stuff.

Then we can get rid of Licensing £780 & actually get the bad houses improved.

And yes, checking the tenant ain't damaging stuff 'cause at moment if tenant damages stuff & we get inspection, Landlord is made to fix it. What is that teaching the tenant?

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 10/09/2018 - 12:44
"What is that teaching the tenant?"
How to behave badly with impunity. You did ask!

Unlike a car where you have the choice to no longer run it and take it off the road should it fail the MOT, properties would still require (council) tax paying on them and, if tenanted, no option to leave any required works until you perhaps can afford to have them completed.

I’d be all for this if BTL PRS LLs could insist LA/RSL properties were inspected too.

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 10/09/2018 - 15:33
". . . LA/RSL properties were inspected too."
No chance.

Reply to the comment left by David Price at 10/09/2018 - 15:55
Which is exactly why, under the conditions which I'd be happy for this to go ahead... 😛