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Alistair J McMurdo

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About Me

BTL landlord with over 30 years experience

my expertise in the industry

BTL

Alistair J's Recent Activity

...but will the tenants be able to change it back to being paid directly to them when it suits them? If not, then it’s not secure for the landlord.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 14 May 2020 11:01 AM

We are similar Adrian and have operated this way with our own BTL properties and when we owned our letting agency. I would always tell staff and prospective clients “we look for the best tenants, not the quickest” as many other agencies did. I would rather keep them out, than try and get them out.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 15 April 2020 11:45 AM

Assistance is already there to help with rent payment difficulties through the welfare state, that’s what I and millions of other people have paid our taxes for for many years. You can get it twice buy taxing us then given our homes for free!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 15 April 2020 11:42 AM

I would like to buy a new car as I need this to get about but not in a position to do so just now. Can the government please tell car dealers to let me pop in and pick one up ...and I’ll hand the money in later! I honestly despair at these characters who have absolutely no idea about the economics and workings of being a landlord!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 15 April 2020 11:36 AM

Many people will now be covered by they’re employer or the governments 80% commitment so in these case there should be not reason not to at lease most of the rent

From: Alistair J McMurdo 25 March 2020 11:38 AM

What about Acorn taking a holiday?

From: Alistair J McMurdo 17 March 2020 15:34 PM

Mortgage holiday if fine BUT.. what if the LL relies on the profit earnings from his rentals as his monthly income? A mortgage holiday doesn’t help him?

From: Alistair J McMurdo 17 March 2020 15:33 PM

What if the landlord relies on his rental funds as his monthly income Mortgage holiday doesn’t help him?

From: Alistair J McMurdo 17 March 2020 15:31 PM

Tenants say they will pay a larger deposit but they just wont pay the last months rent. Landlords will, as usual, need to cover the cost of tenant/pet remedial work. Pardon the pun but.."the tails wagging the dog here"!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 03 March 2020 11:50 AM

From: Alistair J McMurdo 26 February 2020 00:14 AM

Your first paragraph highlights what I mentioned earlier. They may be greater need for more legislation/supervision on new installs if your finding problems at 5 years with a new build Suspect we are working with a different client base here.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 25 February 2020 17:32 PM

William, absolutely, I fully appreciate some/many may fail. However your main initial point was that you had “never” had a satisfactory test. This is the point that I and other readers are finding hard to grasp.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 25 February 2020 17:21 PM

I have to say, if you have never had a “satisfactory” test in all the years you've been doing this, you must really be visiting some very bad properties. Having been involved in property rental for 40 years, owned a triple award winning agency managing in excess of 350 quality properties for 15 years, I find this either suspicious or staggering. If what you are saying is truly the case and your working on newer properties, maybe it’s the electrical contractors that need greater legislation at the initial install stage..food for thought

From: Alistair J McMurdo 25 February 2020 16:57 PM

From: Alistair J McMurdo 22 August 2019 18:11 PM

I do feel your 100% in many cases. We used to run a successful letting agency and had many couples as tenants who had, the 2 leased new cars, went out most weekends and on foreign holidays...but they “just couldn’t afford a deposit, because renting was so expensive”! Waken up!! When we got our first house, I had 4 jobs, my wife had 2, rarely went out, got paving slabs for my birthday as we couldn’t afford them and our path to the house was a death trap. Holidays..never heard of them!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 22 August 2019 18:10 PM

From: Alistair J McMurdo 27 June 2019 12:23 PM

Another article in Landlord Today - Headline ... “Rogue landlord ordered to pay £10,000 for renting out poor quality housing” This is absolutely right to happen but “NOTHING” will happen to the tenants that caused all the damage to this poor woman’s, and many others, property. Punishments are not hard enough for wilful damage. These people just move “say they’ve never rented before” and cause havoc and misery somewhere else. Time for stiffer action . Have a tenant register, national insurance number etc. They either pay or are declared bankrupt which will affect their future chances. Makes my blood boil!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 26 June 2019 10:46 AM

Oh...they will be FREE too. Just like when all private landlords had to upgrade their smoke/heat detectors in Scotland..but council housing didn’t! Makes my blood boil!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 05 June 2019 10:10 AM

Deary, deary me!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 12 April 2019 15:46 PM

Very poor article and loaded towards a tenant survey. Will the next one be “.. 100% of private landlords would like rent increases” to cover the vast pile of costly legislation/compliance, reduced tax allowance, fees, etc etc”

From: Alistair J McMurdo 12 April 2019 11:23 AM

Great post, the reality is he was actually more honest, upfront and open than the BBC and it’s presenter! Would rather have that any day.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 19 March 2019 15:45 PM

My son felt the same about his attitude, he doesn’t actually help, either his own case, or that of other decent landlords

From: Alistair J McMurdo 19 March 2019 15:43 PM

Many councils tell the private tenants to “stay where they are” and wait until they are evicted as they don’t have any council accommodation. What chance do Landlord’s stand when you get irresponsible advice being given from the authorities!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 19 March 2019 11:43 AM

Absolutely right, I was virtually screaming at the TV last night, they are not eviction notices.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 19 March 2019 11:39 AM

This really is a great post and I feel your frustration. The Government and zcouncil don’t have the funds so they’re now trying to make the PRS social! If tenants and Councils thought they had a problem with Fergus, they’re going to have a bigger one once all of theses tenants look to the Councils for assistance. There won’t be a hotel or Travel Lodge room available for miles around

From: Alistair J McMurdo 19 March 2019 10:05 AM

SHELTER..SHELTER!! I would doubt that very much. Having owned and run a very well respected letting agency we approached Shelter on numerous occasions for help and advice on how to assist clients who were clearly in a bad place. Their answer “every time” was “ , sorry we don’t deal with agents! Furious to this day!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 19 March 2019 09:51 AM

BBCPanorama - can the programme makers make another announcement that these eviction terms “only apply in England, not Scotland” However the landlord has every right to sell his investment/property anytime he wants with the statutory notice. These are his “investments”. No different from stocks and shares, wine, cars etc Its only an emotive subject as it’s housing. But it should not be up “the public” to sort out the nations housing problem. No, I don’t agree with his delivery Yes, every tenant has the right for maintenance to be carried out if genuine. But..as pointed out earlier, it’s business! Highly irresponsible reporting from the BBC, no one was “booted out”! Most of Fergus’s points were very valid, he was just saying what many landlords and agent think!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 19 March 2019 09:40 AM

From: Alistair J McMurdo 13 March 2019 09:29 AM

When you say “all cash” presumably the article means nothing to sell? No solicitor is going to accept “cash” Trying to settle a discussion.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 25 February 2019 09:01 AM

Well said, I thought there was a hidden agenda in the post!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 03 January 2019 10:14 AM

That's exactly right James. The landlords have no options in most cases "even if they wanted to let to DSS, due to the lenders conditions". But Shelter prefer to LL/agent bash. My previous experience is that Shelter "will not discuss anything" with LL or letting agents..absolutely ludicrous!! This is fact, even when we have been actively trying to assist a DSS or homeless client and have experienced this on several occasions. Tell the homeless this!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 22 November 2018 16:46 PM

With my previous business we were asked to go along to a Council meeting along with other local agents to discuss the possibility of working alongside the local autority and posting all our rented properties on the Council website. After much discussion someone asked why they had stopped taking on landlords properties for a 3 year period and guaranteeing them the rent for this term, albeit around 15% below market value. The idea was they had control and the LL got his money each month. A junior member of the Councils panel jumped in and said "oh, it's because we were having to spend so much money in bringing them back up to standard before we could give them back to the landlord at the end of the term..in some cases around £14,000! Her comments were much to the anger of the senior member of the Council, however the fact is it's true. The Council had answered their own question as to why LL/agents we not interested in becoming involved. This has not changed all these years later. Once the decision makers put a mechanism in place to make certain tenants wholly accountable for their own actions, then maybe the industry will sit up and take note. PS..and that's not we will pay you back £10/month for the next 100 years

From: Alistair J McMurdo 22 November 2018 10:20 AM

Excellent post, 100% right. It’s clear the people who are trying to push this through have never been exposed to the losses that can occur. The practice of Councils telling private tenant to “stay where you are” despite not paying the landlord their rent is completely irresponsible. It’s very much a case of, we can’t house you, so stay where you are and the landlord can pick up the legal costs and potential default on his own BTL mortgage.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 22 November 2018 09:54 AM

Presumably you agree with the need for a “rougue tenant register then”? ... which will never happen sadly!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 26 October 2018 09:38 AM

You beat me to it with this. I’m sure the answer will be “Oh no, that would breach their data protection and civil rights” Would rather let them head off into the sunset to create havoc and damage to another innocent landlords property anonymously! Makes my blood boil!

From: Alistair J McMurdo 26 October 2018 09:36 AM

Hi Asa, just for clarity do you know how tenets “verify” their payment record to the credit companies?

From: Alistair J McMurdo 26 October 2018 09:33 AM

Thank for the industry support Bill. Good post

From: Alistair J McMurdo 01 August 2018 09:13 AM

I think Homerenter, whilst a fair idea in isolation, doesn’t recognise or masks what agents “really do”. That’s not taking money for nothing or driving around looking at nice houses..or not, but working tirelessly, 24/7 to ensure landlords and tenants are well cared for and maintenance is responded to quickly, carried out well at a fair price. Having been involved in rental property for over 40 years and having just sold our agency due to retirment it is a very difficult job to try and keep all concerned happy in the micro monitored world we live in now. Try and manage/run rental properties on the cheap and I guarantee you will pay a heavy price later I genuinely wish the company well

From: Alistair J McMurdo 01 August 2018 09:11 AM

This is also our experience with lenders

From: Alistair J McMurdo 26 March 2018 12:21 PM

Morning Guys, Just for clarity, we are finding that certain "buy to let lenders" are stipulating that landlords cannot rent their properties to benefit clients. Not saying this is right or wrong, but the article does suggest its the landlords/agencies who are unwilling. The article is also written by an insurer which does slant their view slightly . Happy to listen to all sides.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 26 March 2018 10:42 AM

The problem is much wider than any government.

From: Alistair J McMurdo 08 March 2018 09:37 AM

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