Posts with tag: tenants

Demand for rental property remains high

Published On: September 29, 2016 at 11:18 am

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The latest report from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) indicates that demand for would-be tenants increased during August.

There were 37 prospective tenants registered per ARLA branch during August, the highest number since June.

Ups and downs

Data from the report shows that in the first half of 2016, there were signs that demand was dropping, with month-on-month figures down on the same periods in 2015.

However, the last three months has seen a rise in annual demand.

In August, the number of rental properties available by member branch stood at 183. This was one lower than in July. Year-on-year, supply increased by 3%, with August 2015 seeing an average of 178 properties per branch.

Rising rents

Tenants negotiating rent reductions actually increased during August to the highest levels seen since records began at the beginning of last year. Members of ARLA said that around 3% of tenants got a rent reduction last month, in comparison to 2.1% in July.

Last month, 51% of ARLA members reported some signs of uncertainty from those looking to rent, or looking to let, following the Brexit vote.

This however seems to have had little impact on the rental market. During the last month, there were no reported changes in rent prices, supply of properties or demand.

Demand for rental property remains high

Demand for rental property remains high

Good shape

David Cox, Managing Director at the Association of Residential Letting Agents, noted: ‘Although Brexit painted a temporary picture of uncertainty for tenants and landlords, our findings show that the market remains in good shape. We’re not seeing anything across supply or demand that is out of the ordinary, and while demand is at high levels, this is being matched with a decent volume of properties on the rental market.’[1]

‘What’s good is that more tenants are managing to successfully negotiate rent reductions, and that agents and landlords seem to be responding well to this. The rising cost of renting, especially in major cities such as London, is an ongoing issue in both the buying and lettings market so it’s promising to see small steps towards better affordability for renters,’ Cox added.[1]

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/landlords/rental-demand-remains-high-according-to-arla.html

Do You Have Any Terrible Tenant Tales?

Published On: September 28, 2016 at 8:54 am

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Do You Have Any Terrible Tenant Tales?

Do You Have Any Terrible Tenant Tales?

Do you have any truly Terrible Tenant Tales? If so, you could be in with the chance of winning a great prize!

Ahead of Halloween, Just Landlords – the specialist Landlord Insurance provider – is launching a spooky new competition to get all those in the lettings industry into the spirit.

Whether you’re a landlord, letting agent, inventory clerk, cleaning company, deposit protection service, etc. etc. etc. tell your Terrible Tenant Tales to possibly win an exciting prize.

We’re used to hearing about all the rogue landlords that plague the sector, but what about the awful tenants that cause financial and emotional stress? If you’ve had to deal with a rogue renter, now’s your chance to tell your story!

Your tenant may have stopped paying the rent for months on end, abandoned your property, or left it in a terrible state when the tenancy ended – however awful they were, Just Landlords wants to hear about it.

All you have to do to be in with the chance of winning a great prize is to post your tale on your website or blog, including the line: I have entered the Just Landlords Terrible Tenant Tales competition by telling my worst tenant story. Remember to link to www.justlandlords.co.uk so that they can see your entry. Then, email a link over to the Just Landlords Content Manager, at rose.jinks@purplebridgepublishing.co.uk for your entry to count.

We’ll be sharing any stories you send to Just Landlords on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #TerribleTenants – so get involved!

So what are the prizes? One lucky winner will receive a £100 John Lewis voucher and a Just Landlords portable phone charger! In addition, the first 25 entrants will win a Just Landlords phone charger, so it’s important you get in quick.

If you don’t have any stories yourself, remember to share the competition with any landlord friends, clients or customers you have!

For more information and the full terms and conditions, visit: https://www.justlandlords.co.uk/news/enter-terrible-tenant-tales-competition-halloween/

We can’t wait to hear of any Terrible Tenant Tales that you have – Get posting now!

Landlord Action to Feature in Third Series of Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords

Published On: September 27, 2016 at 9:15 am

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Landlord Action to Feature in Third Series of Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords

Landlord Action to Feature in Third Series of Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords

Following the success of the first two series, tenant eviction firm Landlord Action has announced that it will feature in the 12-part third series of Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords on Channel 5.

As rents continue to spiral, due to continuing pressure on housing stock, the observational documentary will continue to follow the conflicts between landlords and tenants. Previous episodes have uncovered shocking subletting scams, rent arrears cases and uninhabitable conditions. The third series aims to reveal even more industry issues that affect all those in the lettings sector.

The Founder of Landlord Action, Paul Shamplina, says: “Working closely with those landlords that have found themselves in extremely distressing situations, we will once again be exposing the most prevalent landlord/tenant issues. These include subletting scams, in particular, those relating to the holiday rental market, retaliation eviction and more shocking rent arrears cases.”

However, Landlord Action also notes that it is not just battles between landlords and tenants that plague the private rental sector. The firm aims to uncover the rogue letting agents that rip off their clients.

Throughout more than 160 hours of filming, Landlord Action will name and shame those unscrupulous letting agents that withhold rent from landlords and deposits from tenants.

Shamplina comments: “Letting or renting a property can be a complex business and one that is not without risk. For this reason, it is important that we expose the rogue letting agent operators who are tarnishing the reputation of those good, trustworthy agents. The industry will be a better place once Client Money Protection is mandatory for all letting agents, ensuring landlords’ rent and tenants’ deposits are protected.”

He adds: “Those landlords that have kindly agreed to share their story will help educate and prevent others from making the same mistakes.”

The third series of Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords is due to air from February 2017.

Tenant Campaigners Make False Allegations over Revenge Eviction Case

Published On: September 26, 2016 at 9:11 am

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Tenant campaigners have made false allegations over a revenge eviction case, according to a landlord in Bristol.

Last week, the Daily Mail reported on a case where a tenant had been served an eviction notice to move out of her home of 12 years for complaining to her landlord about damp and dirty carpets.

Tenant Campaigners Make False Allegations over Revenge Eviction Case

Tenant Campaigners Make False Allegations over Revenge Eviction Case

It highlighted an “amazing show of support” from the tenant’s neighbours, who linked arms to prevent bailiffs entering the property in Easton, Bristol.

However, the photographs show that the majority of these so-called neighbours were in fact tenant campaigners from the Acorn Community group, which is pushing for an ethical lettings charter.

The story in the Daily Mail claims: “Residents came out to express their disgust at the revenge eviction of Ms’ Abdullahi.”

One campaigner allegedly stated: “We don’t want people in our community treated like this. It’s a revenge eviction and people deserve decent rented accommodations.”

Another said: “This landlord, and all landlords, need to know there are people in this community who won’t ignore it.”

While another supposedly commented: “We live in this street and it’s a close community. It’s amazing how many people have turned out.”

Despite the tenant campaigners’ efforts, the tenant and her family were evicted. If this really was a revenge eviction, then why hasn’t the landlord been penalised?

The Bristol landlord that pointed out the case, explains: “The reason the eviction went ahead is that it wasn’t a retaliatory eviction at all; you can tell that by the pictures.

“The landlord even invited both parties to a meeting to resolve the situation, after trying to evict her for over two years. So it’s surprising he even tried to go above and beyond his duties by trying to explain the reasoning behind the eviction to Ms Abdullai and Acorn Bristol campaigners.”

The landlord insists: “He followed all the correct procedures; getting in a damp specialist and environmental health to inspect the property after he was notified of the issue. The reports stated that the issue was not damp, but condensation mould due to inadequate ventilation to the wall, something this tenant was given several reminders about over the last few years.

“Acorn and the tenant have also failed to mention that access to the property for the workmen to resolve the repairs/issues was denied for over eight weeks. Surely if the condition of the property was substandard, then why did she delay repairs being made for such a long period?”

They add: “Acorn is gathering momentum and the problem here is that their ethical lettings charter isn’t about ethics at all; it’s about lynching landlords at any cost. Clueless tenant groups like these shouldn’t be allowed to continue to make a mockery of existing private rental sector legislation.

“£3,000 worth of rent arrears and he still allowed her and her family to stay in the property for an extra six months. Honestly, it smacks of desperation from an anarchist campaign group who are obviously looking for any opportunity to gain publicity and awareness.”

Landlords, always remember to follow the correct eviction procedures and respond to any repair requests quickly.

Tenants Let Down by Local Authorities when Suffering with Rogue Landlords

Published On: September 26, 2016 at 8:31 am

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Tenants are being let down by local authorities when they suffer at the hands of rogue landlords, according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).

Tenants Let Down by Local Authorities when Suffering with Rogue Landlords

Tenants Let Down by Local Authorities when Suffering with Rogue Landlords

The landlord body spoke out after shocking new figures from housing charity Shelter revealed that around one million tenants have been the victims of rogue landlords in the past year.

The charity claimed that one in eight tenants have suffered issues with landlords that break the law. Some of the problems highlighted by the research include landlords entering properties without consent, deposits not being protected, tenants being abused or harassed, and discrimination on the grounds of race, nationality and gender.

The report also suggests that 64,000 tenants have had their utilities cut off by rogue landlords, while 50,000 have had their belongings thrown out or the locks changed on their properties.

Now, the RLA claims that local authorities are not using the powers available to them to tackle rogue landlords and protect tenants.

The Chief Executive of the RLA, Andrew Goodacre, says: “Figures from the English Housing Survey show that 82% of tenants are happy with their rented accommodation, but we recognise that there are landlords who do not abide by the law.

“The RLA is fully supportive of regulations that protect tenants, but the reality is that we can regulate all we like, but without proper enforcement, it becomes meaningless. Tenants are being let down by local authorities, who are failing to properly enforce the powers available to them to tackle the criminal minority of landlords.”

A helpline advisor at Shelter, Danielle Goodwin, speaks of her experiences: “Every day at Shelter, we speak to people at the end of their tether after a law-breaking landlord has caused chaos in their lives.

“These range from instances where the renter has been unaware of their rights, to cases where renters are exploited and subjected to terrible experiences by a minority of law-breaking landlords.”

We remind all landlords that they must stick to the law and protect their tenants at all times. Keep up to date with your responsibilities and any changes to the law at LandlordNews.co.uk.

One million tenants victims of rogue landlords in past year

Published On: September 23, 2016 at 10:20 am

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A shocking new report has revealed that more than one million tenants across England have been the victim of a rogue landlord during the past twelve months.

This means that roughly one in eight renters have encountered issues with landlords breaking the law, according to housing charity Shelter.

Issues

Shelter’s research came from a YouGov poll of 3,250 tenants and returned worrying results.

Issues highlighted included landlords entering homes without consent, deposits not being sufficiently protected, renters being abused or harassed and discrimination on grounds of race, nationality or gender.

Further details from the report suggest that 64,000 people have had their utilities cut off by rogue landlords. 50,000 are predicted to have had their belongings thrown out or the locks on their property changed.

One million tenants victims of rogue landlords in past year

One million tenants victims of rogue landlords in past year

Unacceptable

Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer at the National Landlords Association noted: ‘these figures highlight serious issues that are simply unacceptable but our research with tenants shows that 82% say they are happy with their current landlord. Furthermore, Shelter’s figures show the vast majority of landlords to be law abiding.’[1]

Danielle Goodwin, helpline advisor at Shelter, said: ‘every day at Shelter we speak to people at the end of their tether after a law-breaking landlord has caused chaos in their lives.’[1]

‘These range from instances where the renter has been unaware of their rights, to cases where renters are exploited and subjected to terrible experiences by a minority of law-breaking landlords.’[1]

More cause for concern came from the National Landlords Association’s quarterly poll of its members. Results of this poll show that three out of ten UK landlords has been verbally or physically abused by their tenants.

[1] http://www.itv.com/news/2016-09-23/one-million-renters-suffer-under-rogue-landlords/