The landlord exodus explained – what our critics don’t want to hear

Excellent article.

When I sell (which I will), I’d be happy to pay reasonable moving expenses if tenants leave at the end of the notice period, return the property in a saleable condition and without rent arrears. This doesn’t mean that I should.

My tenants don’t want to buy their own homes. If they were to buy, they’d struggle every time their home needed work. They’d end up stressed and the property would, in all probability, be repossessed. The responsibility of homeownership would make them miserable and could lead to their relationship breaking down. I’ve seen it before with people buying under RTB. Homeownership isn’t for everyone.

Surely the likes of Generation Rent and Shelter realise that by getting rid of S.21 no reason given notices, and using S.8 reason given notices, that when the tenant goes to the council for re-homing they will be shown the door. In 22 years of being a portfolio landlord, I have used S.21 5 times, each time due to rent arrears. With S.21 gone, the councils will have no responsibility to re-home a tenant if the reason given is the tenants default on rent.

It's not just so called "bad" landlords that are selling up.

Many excellent ones are too, me for one started offloading a couple of years ago.

My real reasons for leaving the market after 30+ years: Verbal abuse from tenants, threatening behaviour from tnenats, tenants causing structural damage from life style condensation/lack of cleaning and care of "their home"/deliberate trashing of fixtures & fittings and flooring in the property; being an unpaid and untrained ASBO Officer with the possibility of fines if I don't deal with situations not of my making; being an unpaid and untrained immigration Officer with fines if I cannot recognise forged passports and documents (even Police Officers say they cannot always recognise them!); rent arrears when tenants decide not to pay AND that it is becoming socially acceptable to be in arrears; Local Authorities not supporting landlords who are housing those they don't have the social housing to accommodate AND supporting tenants in not following Court decisions re ie possession, paying monies owed etc etc.

I always redecorate to a high standard, carpet nicely, installed modern kitchens and bathrooms, I even curtain the properties with neutral shades to match carpeting and nice light fittings so that they are a home and ready to move into.

There is enough legislation already without the Renters Reform Bill becoming law; the removal of s21; the "new" Grounds for s8 are totally in the tenants favour and should Labour be returned at the General election they have already stated that they will instruct the Courts to carry out a hardship test re possession when landlords wish to sell/move into the property themselves or their families need homing ie Who will suffer the greater hardship if the landlord is given possession? The tenant who is losing "their home" or the landlord who is "gaining a saleable asset/or possibly an unencumbered home to move into/already has a home.

It's been an interesting and at many times a difficult/scary/frustrating/unfair journey. But it is certainly nice to not worry before going to bed and having less stressful days.

Reply to the comment left by Colin Bayley at 17/05/2024 - 10:59
councils will argue that the rent is deemed 'excessive' (even at market rent levels!) because its over the LHA rate. Ultimately all this does it make it totally unattractive to rent to anyone reliant on the rent being state funded....

Oh the irony...the reason the rents go up is because of the costs involved in renting and that includes the costs due to tenant non payment and costs getting the property back.. to be able to relet again....

When WILL the penny drop????

The problem is no matter the quality of private provision, it is considered bad. No matter the quality of government provision, that is good.
So they will always find fault and not care as the landlord is bad by definition.

Reply to the comment left by Reluctant Landlord at 17/05/2024 - 11:12
Lha only covers bottom 30% of rental market .

Big problem in this country . Is many who don't put into the system expect to take everything out.

For George Orwell Animal Farm afficianados. (Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely by intent.)

" Tenants Good Landlords Bad" squeaked Ben
" Napoloomey" the head pig. He wanted the landlords out so mounted a coup so he could take over the socialist funny farm and everything will be hunky dory in Lefty Socialist La La Land. Where there is free property for all.

Napoloomey looked at his second in command - Polly SnowBleat. Watching the landlords running for the hills, having ousted them from their properties, he looked whimsically at Snowbleat.

"They're gone then" said Napoloomey. " Yes" said Snowbleat.

"What happens now?" said Snowbleat. " Who will house all the proletenants?

" The state will provide
Snowbleat" said Napoloomey.

" But the state hasn't got the money to buy or build houses Napoloomey" she said. "We have made thousands of proletenants homeless by what we have done"

Napoloomey and Snowbleat turned and walked away in silence. They had no answer.
They had sacrificed millions of proletenants for political and ideological gain.

The End.

Reply to the comment left by Neil Robb at 17/05/2024 - 13:03
the councils only look at the LHA when it suits them, in cases where possession notices have been given and a S21 is issued, because they are trying to work out if they can throw money at the LL, he/she will retract the S21 to stop people coming onto their housing list.

it is simply another tick box exercise to show they are trying to determine if the T is making themselves homeless, therefore they can wash their hands of a 'housing duty' (and save money) if the rent is deemed something they can afford but actively chose not to pay.

Again ironic really because in my case, any benefit tenants I house are put forward by the council themselves WHO DO THE AFFORDABILITY in house (I demand a copy of this assessment too) so they know full well the rent is affordable on their 'incomings'.

Councils are literally shooting themselves in the foot, and blind to the tsunami that is on its way....

Only this morning I contacted the 'PRS LL Liaison officer' at a council I deal with to say he needs to get private LL's and the housing Dept to literally meet and get together rapidly to look at the crisis now and find a way forward to pro actively engage with LL and PROPERLY encourage them to take on housing list tenants, before they leave the sector completely and supply dries up (this council has no council owned accommodation of its own - relies on small HA's only)

He came back and said he isn't in the role anymore and has been moved to em/temp housing as they cannot deal with the demand/list! He says this is because LL's are all selling up citing too much legislation as is plus incoming and want to simply get out or the sector completely.

Excellent the message is getting through - and the results are becoming really obvious now and this is before the RRB is even passed....

Gloat? Me? Too busy laughing....

I await more inevitable desperate emails asking if I have any accommodation come again on Monday....

There is plenty of legislation already, it’s just not enforced. The courts are so far behind it makes any legal process a joke, and everyone is blaming the landlords for their situation.

Bad landlords should be dealt with, no doubt, but so should bad tenants, which seems to be escaping everyone concerned except us landlords.

I’m dreading Labour coming to power, I don’t think the Tories have done a very good job, but are probably the best of two evils?

It's about time that renters woke up to the idea that the reason that there is not enough subsided social housing is that millions have been sold since 1980 at initially up to a 50% discount. All this cash along with the money from looted national companies went to central government and spent on tax cuts.
Private rental shouldn't be the solution for low income families. It's certainly not the market I'm aiming for.