‘Save the tenancy – don’t serve notice.’ That’s the message to landlords from a west country council.
Landlords and tenants are being asked to get in touch with Torbay council instead, to help reduce and prevent homelessness in the Bay.
The aim is to encourage tenants to contact the council for advice if they think they may be at risk of being served notice, and also support landlords who are either struggling to let out their properties or who may need additional support with tenants to prevent the need to serve notice on them.
The council says it’s reminding landlords of the Tenancy Matching Scheme which helps to match 'tenancy ready' clients with local landlords and looks at suitability based on things like suitability and affordability of the property.
A council spokeperson says: “Over the past few weeks we have seen a bit of a spike in tenants becoming homeless and needing temporary accommodation, and we obviously want to avoid this happening wherever possible.
“Our main message here is that prevention is better than cure – save the tenancy, don’t serve notice. So whether you are a tenant at risk of being served notice or a landlord experiencing issues our housing officers are here to help.
“Our tenancy matching scheme also offers support for landlords including finding suitable tenants for your property, deposit and rent in advance to minimise delays in letting your property, ongoing support for you as long as the tenant lives at the property, and a review of each tenancy at the end of the first six months.”
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This council have no idea what is going on in the PRS 🤔, the statement about having trouble letting a property is laughable , the trouble we have at the moment is controlling the list of people to view and picking a tenant 🆘🤔.
The Council should be contacting Mr Grove regarding his ridiculous Rent Reform Bill..
Private landlords are not social housing and landlords having to hand the keys to their property for the life of the tenants if they let their property is destroying the PRS
as landlords increasing rush to exit the market because of the abolishment of fixed term tenancies..
Save the tenancy? My purpose is to save myself from bankruptcy with all the money I have to spend to constantly repair the properties, literally destroyed by tenants who have no clue what it means to live in a decent place. At the start of the tenancy, they walk into a lovely flat; when they return it, it is more like a pig house. Why should I care about saving a tenancy with a bad tenant who does not ventilate the property? Does not clean it? A tenant who does not use the heating to save money (sadly, I pay more to restore the property to good condition every six months). Is this council joking? I propose to this council a new motto: educate the tenants (and stop pestering landlords with nonsense)!
So well put
The fundamental issue is EDUCATION, what happened to our education! No life ethic. What do we expect the society to become when there are organisations educating people on how to misbehave and disrespect other people's properties! The government should check charities and organisations, whether they breach the correct moral values, if so, withdraw their knighthood.
I suspect that the increase of landlords giving tenants notice to quit is driven by a number of things,
1. The impending removal of section 21 notices.
2. The threat by councils to introduce rent controls in the private sector.
3. The ever increasing proposed legislation acting against PRL.
4. The fact that private landlords are sick and tired of being demonised by every political party, just for wanting to make an honest living.
5. The fact that interest rates have increased in the banks, and that the government have made it almost impossible for some landlords to make a decent profit due to the tax changes that have already been introduced and future changes in the pipe line.
6. The fact that the huge majority of landlords are completely Peed off.
Peter: Spot on! Great post.
All true.
Peter, I totally agree with your list, but don't forget the cost of getting repairs done and materials have gone through the roof. And local councils screwing landlords with Selective licencing.
Do they not realize that they and the government are the ones causing the problem, and then they blame the landlord for it?
All of my rents are on the low side, but it's getting to the point where they either go up or I sell. My rents are currently being increased this year. first time ever.
I never have a problem finding tenants. Houses normally go on the first day they are advertised.
Excellent list. We are also demonised almost daily by mainstream media as well, increasing the ignorance of the general population who think all landlords are monsters.
So well said Ian, another example of Councils beyond ridiculous, no clue, out of touch, money wasting schemes. No wonder they're all bankrupt.
I thought the article was an actual joke!!!
How on earth can anyone in the council think that Landlords are struggling to find tenants???Cant stop laughing...but so sad that these idiots are wasting public money instead of building social housing for the millions in need!
Thanks Rebecca
Its the Council’s intervention that has caused the housing financial problems in the first place. Ok you want to help scrap the Licensing Schemes that contributed to unaffordable unsustainable renting, That’s at least £5’000.00 per property for traditionally built housing.
I had to replace personally 85 beautiful panel doors mostly hand made mortise & tenon that stood the test of time when there was a much greater risk of fire. Open coal fires in virtually every room of the house just add paraffin oil heaters. Now then we have room sealed Boilers & central heating with no naked 🔥 so you are telling me suddenly we are all at more risk of fire and must have a fire assessment risk Certificate costs me £220.00 each property along with all the other crap. I never seen the inside of an University I thought most were highly educated those days and should know better but we have to hold their hand.
University is not what it once was that's for sure.
If the Tenant stops paying, is in arrears, is non compliant with the terms of the TA, will not co-operate or communicate with the landlord even for essential maintenance, causes a nuisance to neighbours, damages the property etc etc what else is the landlord going to do other than evict them and most likely sell up and get the heck out. "Oh please Mr Landlord, don't evict the Tenant, just continue to house then for free (which we would never do) whilst they trash your pension...."
Er....no.
So well said Sarah, thanks
How ridiculous. Either you need the place back to sell it, or you have the sort of tenants described above, in which case they need to go, and be replaced with tenants who will look after the place and pay the rent. There are plenty of them looking for a new place. Either way it's no business of Torbay Council. Councils could get together and lobby the Govt to make things less hostile for landlords, also they could look at their own anti-landlord schemes.
These Councils need to realise that ‘the boot is now firmly on the other foot’. Landlords no longer need to accept bad tenants or bad tenancies, nor do they or should they trust councils.
Councils are at the root of endless problems inflicted on the PRS from hyper bureaucratic and expensive licensing schemes driving up rents to the outright coersion of tenants to ignore statutory notice periods ending a tenancy.
My message to Councils is ‘start respecting the PRS’ or face worsening consequences.
Its not just about the really bad tenants you want rid of ASAP (even Torbay might understand about those).
It is the non-good, but not terrible, tenants one may have put up with in the past knowing you had S21 to use if they went too far and you got really fed up with them. (And you didn't want a void period an having to re-decorate.)
With S21 going, whether by this Government (who aren't strengthening Section 8 adequately enough to make up for the loss) or the next one, it is politicians and the supposed pro-tenant charities/groups who are bringing matters to a head: not tenants or us.
So we react rationally.
For me: one s21 just served, when otherwise it wouldn't have been. A family will have to find somewhere else; good luck to them with that. Doubt they'll find anything as good as they currently have (and would never afford to buy).
Through a complaint to my MP about many things that need improving to Section 8 if S21 is to go, I got an 'aren't we good' letter from Jacob Young MP (Minister responsible) which completely ignored all the matters I set out in detail.
Now I've done a letter back to my MP, complaining about that non-response. Also pointing out that due to the Minister not addressing two of my specific concerns that I had since served the S21 notice. Making clear the Minister's poor performance and lack of action being directly related. In effect saying he's putting a family out of a home.
Wonder how he'll try to answer that. But not holding my breath.
MPs, Councils and 'charities' have no common sense. They don't own the property. It's all about woke ideology. I.e. protect the tenants at all costs. Ignore the person who runs it and put everything together.
Do Torbay council operate out of Fawlty Towers?
If not they should do.
These individuals appear to be somewhat detached from the challenges that landlords currently face.
It's conceivable that they expect us to endure until the "Renter's Reform Bill" is enacted.
However, when we voice concerns about the impractical eviction policies thereafter, they may assert that we should have issued notices prior to the implementation of the new legislation.
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