x

James Fraser

4806 Profile Views

About Me

my expertise in the industry

James's Recent Activity

Absolutely hilarious, Baroness - do keep it up! I didn’t realise comedy was a major constituent of your talent!! Landlords ‘evict on a whim’ do they? Nothing to do with aggressive or anti-social tenants, or the plethora of other reasons landlords might need to evict then? But especially funny was your inability to recognise that landlords might be forced into selling whilst asking the govt for a package of measures to keep tenants in their homes long term!! You do realise that landlords may well be happy with that, but the government certainly isn’t - right? You do know that there are no package of measures ever going to be forthcoming because the government's avowed aim is to get landlords out of the market, not keep them in it?! Blaming landlords for government policies over which they quite clearly have no control is ludicrous and ignorant. If you want landlords providing long term homes then campaign against policies that prevent us from doing so!

From: James Fraser 12 October 2020 18:19 PM

Oh, sorry, do my eyes deceive me? A council WANTS private landlords, do they? This cannot be true, because: 1. Councils persistently, nationwide, have hated landlords and regularly try to trick, harrass and campaign against them. Look how many councils want S21 banned for example. But now they want our help? 2. The public hate landlords and regularly express their displeasure at landlords receiving public funds, or existing at all. So we’d better not upset the haters. 3. Boris and central govt have confirmed that they don’t want private landlords either, so maybe these councils and the govt can get together for a quick conflab to decide what they really do want?! Until then, I’m out!

From: James Fraser 07 October 2020 11:18 AM

The PM is seriously mistaken on this. The average tenancy is 4.2 years (EHS). I have two tenants of 15 years, one of 12, one of 10, somebody right now RELUCTANTLY leaving after 9.5 years. None of their houses look anything like what I gave them. I have one new tenant just moved in to a £25,000 refurbishment who has almost immediately asked to redecorate my £3000 paintwork. I have agreed, as they seem to want a very long term let to get kids into and through school. I hear this often in my day job as a landlord accreditation trainer. The usual govt horsesht about the sector being insecure and unhomely. And yes, when Osborne spouted his lies about wanting to get FTBs on the Ladder whilst forcing out landlords, there was clearly an ideal opportunity for the 2 to meet in a mutually beneficial deal! But guess what? Osborne was not interested in the same way that this government - now planning to put UP CGT - are also clearly not interested.

From: James Fraser 07 October 2020 11:07 AM

Mark. You do realise the evidence says the exact opposite, right? That - apart from the 2 years following the credit crunch, FTBs have for the last 25 years been the biggest, or the very closest second place, of all buyers? If you can show me the slightest evidence - real evidence, not a hearsay comment in the Guardian - then you might have some credibility but the EHS, ONS, NHPAU and even the LSE disagree with you.

From: James Fraser 07 October 2020 10:57 AM

Exactly Paul. Does Mark think your nurse, fireman, road sweeper or anybody else ‘worthy’ is doing it voluntarily?! For what it’s worth, I DID go into this business 25 years ago thinking I could house homeless people, do good for others, give people a chance in life. I was proud of myself and worked hard at it. But you soon learn!!! With the best will and intention in the world, it HAS to be profitable. Wait til you’ve been confronted with your first £30k refurb after a tenant wrecked it before saying it ought not to be a profitable business!!

From: James Fraser 04 September 2020 21:05 PM

It’s a farce. What’s the betting the extension isn’t going to end on 20 September?!

From: James Fraser 04 September 2020 09:03 AM

These people are idiots. They want all landlords gone yet also want to resist eviction?! So, if I’m selling to that all-important FTB, these renters are the ones now selfishly preventing that FTB from buying! And I thought it was landlords that were supposedly ‘preventing’ the FTBs? So what exactly do these protestors want - is it that they keep a landlord in business by continuing to rent off them, or do they want them gone in which case the protestor needs to be evicted??

From: James Fraser 19 August 2020 12:58 PM

Well I never. Fewer landlords means higher rents shock.

From: James Fraser 12 March 2020 09:20 AM

Yeah, you’d think S24 would be a bit of a clue, wouldn’t you?!

From: James Fraser 10 March 2020 13:12 PM

What a surprise! A council needs private landlords! Best tell the government...

From: James Fraser 08 February 2020 21:47 PM

How long will it take this govt to understand what they’re doing to the PRS?

From: James Fraser 01 October 2019 00:25 AM

It’s pure communism. I would say ‘let’s hope Labour never get in’ but you can equally imagine the Tories pulling this stunt. This happens and I’m off to somewhere more welcoming.

From: James Fraser 12 September 2019 09:53 AM

Come on government, grow a brain cell. You’ve been warned enough times over this!

From: James Fraser 11 September 2019 20:09 PM

And yet FTBs are increasing year on year and almost back to their all-time highs of c.400,000 transactions a year. The govt said they wanted to slow the property market and they have, so presumably they’re pleased to be taking less in tax off the reducing transactions? 🤔

From: James Fraser 22 August 2019 10:44 AM

Exactly me too Paul. Precisely how I operate.

From: James Fraser 24 June 2019 10:17 AM

These scum tenants make me sick. Supported by councils and charities like Shelter to enable them to keep being scum tenants. No interest from police and yet landlords aren’t allowed to prevent the bad behaviour unless they go through months of stress and expense. This is why Section 21 needs to stay!! And this is also why anti-landlord organisations and charities should stop attacking landlords and start seeing the crap they have to put up with! What would Shelter do with this spunktrumpet tenant?!?!

From: James Fraser 21 June 2019 13:14 PM

This article can’t be right! Don’t Shelter and Gen Rent keep telling us that rents in Scotland haven’t risen??

From: James Fraser 25 April 2019 21:28 PM

Post of the Century on here Paul. Could have written every word of that myself.

From: James Fraser 30 March 2019 00:39 AM

The Tenant Tax campaign met with him but he refused to listen or understand. He will not be changing his mind anytime soon.

From: James Fraser 13 March 2019 00:38 AM

Yes Paul. Every time you hear someone moaning about landlords getting a £9bn ‘subsidy’ from Housing Benefit, remind them that landlords lose £9bn a year, mainly to those in receipt of housing benefit! So actually the subsidy is to tenants spending it on other things!

From: James Fraser 08 March 2019 23:23 PM

Hilarious. The govt want to tax landlords out of the sector but spend £45.5m trying to get other people IN to it! You really couldn’t make this stuff up. PMSL!

From: James Fraser 08 March 2019 13:12 PM

Paul - what’s the betting any rent controls will be exempted for the BTR brigade?! And what on earth is that comment in the article about how BTR are best placed to ‘absorb’ the tax changes?!?! THEY don’t HAVE any tax changes, only further tax incentives! How disgraceful to kick the small guy because he is too much of a threat to the big boy, and how utterly daft is it to claim BTR are absorbing tax changes when its ONLY individual people and their families who have to suffer that!

From: James Fraser 05 February 2019 12:07 PM

Many former Tory voters won’t be doing so again thanks to that idiot.

From: James Fraser 31 December 2018 09:04 AM

Here’s a funny thing. The NHF’s chief David Orr is quoted in another article on this same page, saying it was ‘madness’ that the govt were ‘lining the pockets of private landlords’ with HB payments. He has grave concerns that we receive £9.3bn from people on benefits! Well I never! THATS the reason we can ALL refuse to take tenants on benefits - don’t want to go upsetting the NHF/govt finances now, do we?!?!

From: James Fraser 27 November 2018 16:23 PM

Guarantors like Shelter are currently refusing to be, you mean?!

From: James Fraser 27 November 2018 16:17 PM

Yes, Steven Oneill! I am a landlord currently running full, back-to-the-brick refurbs on four houses, two of them 50 miles away! I am commuting great distances, doing much of the physical work myself, running various trades too, and sitting up til the small hours most nights running the paperwork and accounts. The spend on this is around £80,000+ over a 3/4 month period in which there is NO downtime - eves, weekends, all consumed by work. But apparently this isn’t a job, can’t be considered a business, and is me parasitically feeding off a ‘desperate’ and ‘exploited’ renter! F-F-S!!!!!!

From: James Fraser 29 October 2018 10:45 AM

It’s funny isn’t it, this empty homes grant. It’s almost as if they were desperate for housing at a time when the government wanted us landlords to stop supplying it?!

From: James Fraser 22 October 2018 09:38 AM

Well I never. Rents rising as supply falls, y’say? Wow. If only somebody had realised that over 3 years ago and predicted all this. Oh, wait...

From: James Fraser 11 October 2018 13:16 PM

I would love for there not to be a need for more landlord representatives, but everything conciliatory has been tried and it has got us nowhere but worse off. We’ve reached the stage where landlords should be allowed to try a different approach - if it fails, at least Mr Sweeney tried, but it’ll have greater chances of success if the community get behind it.

From: James Fraser 09 October 2018 11:09 AM

I know a group of campaigning landlords who have privately prepared a statement refusing to rent to any DSS, charity or council housing worker until all attacks on landlords are immediately ceased and unwound. I think we should all put out something like that to all tenants/charities/govt departments/councils and stick to it. A landlords union, fighting back against the ridiculous treatment currently being meted out!

From: James Fraser 02 October 2018 12:17 PM

Duncan, most ltd co BTL already insist on a PG, but - naturally - don’t choose to offer lower interest rates alongside that!

From: James Fraser 12 September 2018 21:46 PM

Property118.com/tax

From: James Fraser 07 September 2018 11:42 AM

I have tried to engage them many times, but any question they don’t like is stonewalled with complete silence. I’ve even been banned from their FB page, despite being polite and reasonable throughout. I guess when you’re a total hypocrite bringing in £62m a year who can’t explain your ludicrous position, you’re bound to keep quiet!

From: James Fraser 28 August 2018 20:59 PM

Hallelujah!! I’ve been saying this for years, arguing with haters, and never raising rents on existing tenants such that mine were 20% or more BMV. S24 has changed all that such that mine are still BMV but have increased by £150-200 per month over the last couple of years. It’s madness, but the idiots in charge are hell bent on creating more of it!

From: James Fraser 09 August 2018 10:48 AM

Great comment John!

From: James Fraser 19 July 2018 09:13 AM

Unfortunately the govt are so thick-headed that they refuse to equate rocketing homelessness with them forcing landlords to evict and sell.

From: James Fraser 29 June 2018 16:45 PM

Surely even the labour retards have worked out that such a deposit is less than even one missed rent payment?! As much use as a chocolate teapot.

From: James Fraser 19 June 2018 15:16 PM

Surely this can’t be true?!?! Really?? I mean, the govt have repeatedly told us rents won’t go up and the anti-landlords keep telling us they can’t go up. And I completely trust the government. They’re always right. Especially the munchkins at the treasury, the little tinkers!

From: James Fraser 26 April 2018 12:34 PM

Agreed Adrian. Blackpool landlords should fight this every step. If the council were that worried about standards they wouldn’t rent out such s*it themselves. Plus they could always say ‘£50 for accredited landlords’ as a minimum sweetener. They’re not supposed to profit from licensing so I hope Blackpool landlords demand a precise breakdown, with evidence, of where every penny of that £775/542 is allocated.

From: James Fraser 28 March 2018 09:33 AM

Totally agree. The lunatics have taken over the asylum. Great to hear Shelter even slightly recognising the links between regulation and homelessness. Lets now get them to recognise how S24 and heavy levels of licensing also destroy the ability to rent homes at a reasonable price!

From: James Fraser 12 March 2018 11:01 AM

This article needs a fair bit of tweaking to get right. For a start, as Barry said, it is not higher rate taxpayers alone who are affected - the author has missed the way the tax shifts tax brackets, even at 20%, or destroys benefits, personal allowance, child benefit, tax credits and even causes some 20% payers to become 45% payers. The author also needs to know that even the government’s conservative estimate of ‘1 in 5 affected’ means 425,000 landlords facing difficult choices. In other words, in the region of 1-2m tenants as a minimum must face the knock-on effects of higher rents or evictions. If you believe in the Pareto principle, this 20% of landlords, as portfolio holders, will cause 80% of the damage. Some surviving landlords will adapt their game, but a whole load more won’t. We are already seeing the effects of this (rental demand up 18%, supply down 8%). A perfect storm is brewing.

From: James Fraser 08 March 2018 19:31 PM

Ha! Some hope, Gordon. The only effective measure for getting rid of the rogues is surely about to be denied to us so I don’t think landlords will be left with ANY powers at all. Come on in tenants! It’s a free house for you to abuse at will!!

From: James Fraser 19 February 2018 09:23 AM

Yep! Well done Richard Lambert. Sadly, even if the homelessness minister understands what’s happening, getting her to convince her Treasury colleagues might be a shade more difficult.

From: James Fraser 12 February 2018 11:17 AM

Exactly. And this basic HMO model is not only typical and accepted nationwide, but don’t these London boroughs have both Article 4 and HMO licensing to stop poor quality rogues?

From: James Fraser 19 January 2018 12:23 PM

Yeah, I love that. The government are determined to make renting as expensive possible then tell us WE'VE got to be careful of what tenants can afford!! You really couldn't make this stuff up.

From: James Fraser 21 November 2017 09:57 AM

We'll be lucky. It's a one-way street without truth or balance.

From: James Fraser 12 October 2017 09:42 AM

Exactly, David. It's another London/SE-centric report that takes no account of the areas that are cheaper now than before 2008. Plus this seems to be using gross, broad-brush returns with no accounting for all the mortgage costs/management costs/accountancy and legal fees/refurbishments along the way.

From: James Fraser 29 September 2017 11:28 AM

Yep. Lunatics are in charge of the asylum. They've been warned a thousand times but tefuse to listen. Fools.

From: James Fraser 27 September 2017 11:05 AM

Go, Alan Ward and the RLA! The JRF/Shelter/Guardian are a coalition of jokers. Bet CR doesn't reply.

From: James Fraser 26 July 2017 09:49 AM

Well I must say, this has all come as a complete shock to me. Had anybody else spotted these outcomes?!??

From: James Fraser 26 July 2017 09:44 AM

The perfect truth. Love the line about not renting to a tory as they cant be trusted. We should all adopt that policy - see how long it lasts if no tory party member/councillor/MP/staff member can ever gain access to rental!

From: James Fraser 12 June 2017 09:51 AM

I did the same at the tail end of last year. All good tenants of more than 3 years got a voluntary goodwill refund. You generally know the ones that aren't going to let you down.

From: James Fraser 26 May 2017 15:25 PM

Totally right John. One of the founding principles of law in this country is that you cannot be guilty of someone else's offences. How and when did it become the fault of the landlord?! And more to the point, how many landlords willbe trapped by this in future when 5-yr tenancies are mandatory and you can do nothing to evict the nuisance tenant? We're all just sitting ducks then. How many tenants will refrain from such behaviour knowing landlords will be paying their fines for them??

From: James Fraser 25 May 2017 09:24 AM

Well I never! Stock falling and rents rising as a result - who knew?! If only a national campaign had been lobbying the government repeatedly on this since July 2015... Oh...

From: James Fraser 17 May 2017 16:27 PM

Its nothing to do with logic. They could raise MORE money with less destructive measures, but they dont want to. They want to be seen to be kicking landlords (but are either too thick, or don't care, to realise the effect this then has on tenants). Those landlords will never forgive them. Forcing up rents and evictions, devastating businesses and pensions, preventing the conversion of stock or rebuilding of derelicts, all completely unnecessarily, is unforgivable. Idiots.

From: James Fraser 11 March 2017 07:23 AM

Never a truer word spoken by anyone on this subject, Steve Bolton. Absolute hypocrisy runs through this govt's housing plans. They must surely know they are creating a perfect storm for renters, not making it better!

From: James Fraser 08 February 2017 12:04 PM

Rebecca, you are spot on in your assessment. Councils, govt, the left generally - all arehappy to slag us off publicly for 'pocketing' (whatever that is supposed to imply) whilst simultaneously complaining locally that no landlords will assist with housing LHA! Proudly tell them why you refuse to help - its because you'll only be attacked if you do! Whenever I get slagged off for the Housing bill, I confound everyone by proudly and excitedly explaining that I flatly refuse to house certain groups in order to avoid that exact scenario - that usually wipes the smile off their faces! As for 'pocketing', what were the contractors doing when they charged £141,000 for a single speed hump? What were large contractors doing when they charged £10,000 per house to supply and fit the cheapest trade 8-cabinet kitchens to council houses? What was a plastics supplier doing charging the NHS 35x the true cost of disposable tweezers? Nobody even mentions any of these examples - they're all welcome and necessary suppliers!!!!!! Really, you couldn't make this up!

From: James Fraser 05 January 2017 11:08 AM

A register of rogue tenants would be fantastic - I'd welcome such a thing and have wanted one for years. It'll never be allowed though. No one has the bottle to start one and this govt are too scared to stand up for landlords to allow it. Tenants often have the landlord over a barrel and a lot of them know it!

From: James Fraser 03 January 2017 09:40 AM

1664. As Ive pointed out elsewhere on this site, you are clearly howling at the moon with pretend knowledge. Let me demonstrate: Number of FTBs 2010: 168,000. Number of FTBs 2015: 257,000. Amount borrowed by BTL in 14/15: £15.6bn. Amount borrowed by FTB in 14/15: £47.7bn. (Source: CML/BOE). So how exactly are landlords squeezing out FTBs? When you say 'levelling the playing field' I presume you mean FTBs need to be held back to match the TINY volumes landlords are transacting - yes? Also, it is FULL removal (100%) with a (temporary?) 20% credit applied AFTER the 100% deduction has been calculated, so next to useless really. And exactly where, how and why would anyone but an uninformed lunatic think that interest only mortgages had terms in them demanding specific repayment vehicles?! You seem to have utterly misunderstood IO mortgages as you also claim theyre used to AVOID tax??? Eh?? You obviously dont know very much about this so please dont embarress yourself like this in future. Or do. Its very entertaining.

From: James Fraser 14 December 2016 16:52 PM

Youre not a landlord, are you Paul? I presume youre filling out your tax return devoid of all the legitimate expenses because youve always happily volunteered to pay more tax than the law demands? Or that you didnt buy on a mortgage because even before this blew up youd had a premonition about how evil it would be for a housing business to carry borrowings, and wanted no part of it? Of course you did. You only declare gross rents? Voluntarily offer rents at huge reductions to market, or house people for free if they say they cant afford it? Too many holes in that comment for you to be real. Get back to your friends on HPC.

From: James Fraser 14 December 2016 16:40 PM

You clearly dont have a clue 1664. 'Large levels of debt pushing out residential buyers'? Hmmmm, let me see. Number of FTBs in 2010: 168,000. Number of FTBs in 2015: 257,000 - a nigh-on 60% increase. Also, perhaps you could explain how BTL lending in 14/15 was £15.6bn (60% of which was remortgages, so paying off previous debt!), yet the poor beleagured FTBs carried out over 3x the transaction numbers and borrowed £47.7bn?! (Source: CML, BOE). Yes, definitely being pushed out by landlords... obviously... Cuckoo!

From: James Fraser 14 December 2016 16:32 PM

Thank goodness we've finally got some press coverage willing to tell it how it is! The future of professional portfolio landlords and their service(s) are now in grave doubt. Hammond MUST correct this urgently or we will end up in the same position as Ireland - rents and homelessness at an all time high. Destroying an ordinary private individual landlord, and his tenants, clearly does nothing whatsoever to save the housing crisis, but it does make the rental sector considerably worse.

From: James Fraser 16 November 2016 09:56 AM

Paul - Barry is right on every count. How on earth do you equate a government-inflicted rent rise with a tenant being properly credit checked?? There is no correlation between the two. What Barry is saying is that 30-50% increases over 4 years is going to happen, which can ONLY mean rents go up, or huge numbers of people get evicted. Not good for anybody.

From: James Fraser 08 November 2016 11:20 AM

I couldn't put it better. A rent rise over the last year, and in coming years, is surely far more to do with S24 and SDLT than students doing what they've always done!

From: James Fraser 13 October 2016 12:46 PM

Since my rents have always happily been way below market value and long-term stable with it, mine will be rocketing far more than that just to cover the massive forced costs of the idiotic Section 24. By 2020, if not before, I am convinced this country's PRS and social housing divisions will be in a state of utter collapse.

From: James Fraser 25 August 2016 23:04 PM

Never mind consulting about digital returns - it's all completely irrelevant until they consult on Clause 24!

From: James Fraser 16 August 2016 09:46 AM

Paul Knox clearly knows nothing of incorporation costs. Maybe he should do a modicum of research before posting such unhelpful advice?!

From: James Fraser 22 July 2016 14:09 PM

Breaking News