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Tricia Urquhart
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After a lifetime of renting how are these people supposed to pay their rent in retirement?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 January 2022 16:12 PM
Leaders should lead by example. Boris should resign.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 January 2022 08:02 AM
Normal!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 January 2022 13:23 PM
I think it would be a linked tenancy unless there was something very different in the lease and as such would not solve the problem. Even if it did I think HMRC would see it as a ruse to evade paying tax & ignore it.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 January 2022 13:23 PM
Not. ideal if the house has been your home for 25 years! ! would pay the annual 1% tax on the NPV or ignore it altogether as I can't really see any way HMRC would no. Bit of a non story except maybe in the build to rent apartments at £1000 per week!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 January 2022 07:52 AM
The NPV is calculated by dividing rent in year 1 by 1+0.035; In year 2 by (1+0.035)x(1+0.035); year 3 by (1+0.035)x(1+0.035)x(1+0.035) etc This formula means the NPV for each year becomes smaller relative to the rent so it takes longer to get to the £125k. My long term tenant will get there in 25years, but by then the 1% of the NPV will be pretty small. Oh & guess what - social tenants are exempt!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 January 2022 07:49 AM
There are some Govt schemes for FTBs and these may only be for new houses (which are priced at a premium because of this) but there are plenty of FTBs who buy without the Govt's help. The SDLT exemption is for any purchase by a FTB so plenty out there who will be wanting an older, established house and other buyers who are not FTBs will only pay 2% over £125k upto £250k :)
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 January 2022 16:25 PM
Interesting that the only person who appears to agree with you is.....you!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 January 2022 16:20 PM
What schemes? They will be available for anyone who has a deposit and can get a mortgage and at £150-200k should be easily accessible to many FTBs. I have rented them out to happy tenants for over a decade so I am sure they will make perfectly acceptable homes for young people.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 January 2022 14:42 PM
Michael I am 'dumping' my properties and I would argue it is good business sense. The PRS hitting EPC C (the wrong measure in the first place) will not save the planet and unless all housing is mandated to the same level the savings in CO2 will be minor compared to the cost. I am happy to do my bit for the planet - but I can't do it all on my own - so my lovely Victorian Houses and 1/2 bed electrically heated starter homes will be available to all FTBs. The Govt should be delighted!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 January 2022 12:38 PM
Having done a bit of research there is a calculation to produce the NPV which is the figure used not the actual rent paid. The NPV is lower than the actual rent and so it will take longer to get to £125k that suggested in this article. Still potentially a problem in high rent or long term tenancies
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 January 2022 11:04 AM
The PRS is the direct result of Govt housing policy (or lack of it) so its a bit rich to slag us off! Even if it were true that the PRS is 'the tenure of last resort' there are many renters who need us due to the failure of Govt to supply any alternative. Oh and by the way, not everyone wants to live in a Council House chosen for them by the LA with no flooring and anti-social neighbours in a grotty part of town!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 January 2022 09:21 AM
What about all the Council tenants with tenancies for life? It only takes 17 yrs at £600 pcm to hit this figure?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 January 2022 07:25 AM
There have been no changes to the EPC requirements since EPC E became mandatory everything else is a proposal! The bill has not yet been published and although it is likely that EPC C will be a requirement by 2026 & 2028 it is not law yet. The claim from Shawbrook Bank as stated here is misleading and factually incorrect.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 January 2022 07:32 AM
For cities and young professionals. Where should everyone else live?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 January 2022 15:29 PM
If the majority of us had not been vaccinated the NHS would have been completely swamped and there would have been innumerable excess deaths from causes other than Covid as treatment for everything else would have stalled. As it is, many people have died unnecessarily and millions are living with pain due to cancelled operations. Some cancer patients cannot have chemo because of the lack of staff - the list of knock on effects of the pandemic is endless. Vaccination is not about the individual it is about our society so stop being so selfish and get vaccinated. That is the only way our hospitals can get back to treating everyone and all health conditions.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 January 2022 15:27 PM
LLs are able to take advantage of business opportunities and when Covid struck the combined effect of the eviction ban & the popularity of staycations made the transition from long term let to holiday let a good solution for those with properties in the right places. The Govt should not be surprised. Time and time again, the Govt fails to see the unintended consequences of its policies and is surprised when the obvious happens.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 January 2022 07:27 AM
Really interesting to see what I think is happening in the PRS being backed up in this story. The Govt may well be achieving its goal of reducing the number of BTL properties and this will no doubt help some FTBs. However the people who cannot afford to buy and who don't qualify for Social Housing (or who qualify but can't get Social Housing) are being squeezed out of all forms of housing. I am one of those LLs approaching retirement and I will be off loading all of the properties in my portfolio that are below an EPC C (about 60%). I believe many other LLs will do the same and this will add to the squeeze. Some may go to LLs but most will probably go to FTBs. The reduction in the number of houses available and increasing rents make this an untenable situation for many renters whilst the Govt SDLT holiday, which pushed house prices to an all time high, has exacerbated the situation. We are in danger of creating a cohort of people who could never afford to buy and now can't afford to rent.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 January 2022 11:36 AM
Anybody still renting out a property with an EPC of E or below should be being punished not given money! And unless the only requirement is a few LED light bulbs I can't see £49k going far.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 January 2022 09:03 AM
As more LLs leave the sector rents will continue to rise - basic economics of supply and demand. Eventually all the LL-haters will realised that we are a necessary part of the housing landscape but by then the damage will be done.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 January 2022 07:02 AM
Do they believe that if you ask the question enough times eventually you'll get the answer you want? By the way, the link doesn't work!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 January 2022 06:55 AM
No matter what you call us they will still hate us!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 January 2022 06:54 AM
We are definitely singing the same songs! Haha!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 January 2022 09:15 AM
Successive Govt's have failed to build enough social & affordable housing and now they this MP blames LLs for taking advantage of the opportunity that lack of building has presented. Housing building companies land bank & keep supply of new houses to a minimum to increase their profits yet it is LLs who take the blame for simply providing houses to those people who can't afford to buy. We have become the most hated people in the country and blame for everything is being heaped on our shoulders. I will not miss the PRS once I leave (first house being sold this month) but I fear the PRS may miss me and the others like me once we leave!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 January 2022 07:12 AM
Super rich people make clever use of money - hardly a news story.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 January 2022 07:07 AM
Why let the facts spoil a good strap line?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 January 2022 07:39 AM
When you are evicted for not paying your rent no private LL will touch you & the Council don't need to (intentionally homeless) hence you are homeless!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
23 December 2021 11:31 AM
M&S (£13million); Nationwide; B&Q for starters.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
23 December 2021 09:31 AM
When you can put £20k a year into the stock market without fear of having to pay ANY tax on it (except IHT if you die) why would anyone want to invest in property where you not only have to pay higher tax than any other business but you also run the risk of non-paying tenants and Govt interference costing you thousands? I don't know whether the Govt is trying to destroy the PRS or just thinks it is an easy target, but the PRS is shrinking fast and soon there will be a major shortage of decent housing at affordable rents, with no alternative in sight.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 December 2021 07:30 AM
M&S are a corporate partner of Shelter and have given them £13million over the last decade or so.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 December 2021 08:59 AM
So 66% are not planning to buy. This LL is planning to sell several properties - all because of EPC C - will the 34% make up the difference? I think not. IMO the PRS is about to become a tight squeeze.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 December 2021 08:01 AM
And they wonder why LLs are leaving the PRS for holiday Lets & Air bnb!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 December 2021 07:57 AM
My first casualty of EPC C is going on the market in January. Tenants gave notice on a lovely big 3 bed Victorian property - new DG, boiler, rads, fully refurbished over the last few years, but an EPC D. I'm not prepared to waste my money doing 'improvements' to meet the target set by the vagaries of an EPC assessment that are not only inconsistent, unfair & opaque but are also ever changing and incompatible with future heating ideals. This house could've been a fantastic rental home for a family for many years but now will be sold and probably removed from the PRS. Others will follow soon. EPC C is going to make finding a rental home so much more difficult for many, many families - well done Boris.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 December 2021 07:56 AM
If only the Govt hadn't practically removed foreign languages from the national curriculum! Most won't go because most can't speak any other language!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 December 2021 10:26 AM
Its interesting isn't it that installing solar panels gets you the EPC C whilst not reducing your carbon emissions from your GCH? Another example of how farcical the assessment is. I am not prepared to invest my money chasing these nonsensical & ever moving targets - show me the door!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 December 2021 10:25 AM
With interest rate rises adding to the financial pressures on LLs the Govt needs to take the following action if it is to avoid a tsunami of LLs leaving the sector and precipitating a housing crisis: 1. Sort out the EPC assessment so it is an accurate and fair measure of energy efficiency instead of a cost based measure 2. Set the next target to EPC D to allow / encourage LLs to improve as many properties as possible 3. Introduce a financial aid package to allow LLs to complete more expensive upgrades 4. Set the timescales for further upgrades at a manageable rate to allow LLs to plan for the work Bringing in EPC C for 2026 /8 when we are already in 2022 and with an algorithm that is opaque, flawed & unreliable will result in many LLs heading for the door rather than undertaking expensive measures with no guarantee of achieving an EPC C. As ever, it will be tenants who suffer as rents go sky high and properties disappear from the PRS.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 December 2021 08:31 AM
Got that one wrong too didn't they!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 December 2021 17:19 PM
Computer says 'No!' Many people have no idea that defaulting on a loan payment or missing a payment on your phone bill can affect your credit rating or any idea how to improve it. My kids got credit cards as soon as they were 18, went on the electoral roll & paid all their bills to ensure a good credit rating when needed.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 December 2021 11:55 AM
What LLs need most is clarity! Until the bill is published it is just guesswork and until we are told what we have to achieve and by when, most LLs are not going to start taking any action. We are also told that the EPC assessment is due to be revised in 2022 to recognise the 'greenness' of electricity - so as well as as undefined target it appears the target is about to move! Who in their right mind is going to spend thousands on a property in this situation?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 December 2021 07:41 AM
How about a winter truce on withholding rent?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 December 2021 09:03 AM
Just wait until EPC C hits! This Govt is walking into a housing crisis of unseen proportions as LLs vote with their feet and move their money away from the PRS into other areas. Councils & Govt seem unable to grasp the concept that LLs do not have a responsibility to provide housing and the constant pressures being exerting on LLs is forcing many to reconsider their position. LLs are in the PRS to make money and no-one should be surprised that when there are easier avenues to take LLs change direction!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 December 2021 07:35 AM
SELECTIVE LICENING; EPC C; ABOLITION OF S21; COURT DELAYS - my favourites!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 December 2021 16:40 PM
A 2% drop will seem nothing compared to the drop in numbers that will occur if the Govt confirm EPC C.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 December 2021 07:30 AM
Sounds more like a hotel than student accommodation! And at what cost? Maintenance grants will not cover 'luxurious studios and en-suite serviced apartment rooms'.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 December 2021 07:17 AM
Yes - it will save tenants £20 a month - why won't the LL put solar panels on the north facing roof? :)
From:
Tricia Urquhart
07 December 2021 08:40 AM
The PRS is not unregulated - Councils just don't bother to use the powers they have to enforce them. Instead they introduce further layers of regulation in the form of licensing, checking up on the compliant LLs and leaving non-compliant LLs hiding away in the shadows.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
07 December 2021 07:28 AM
It's not just tenant's who are worried about paying fuel bills this winter - many home owners are too! And with mortgage rates likely to rise soon home owners also will be facing a rise in the cost of their home! Welcome to the real world.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
07 December 2021 07:25 AM
I pick my agents with care and over the last 20years they have found me some great tenants. Don't tar them all with the same brush.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 December 2021 15:31 PM
The only thing Selective Licensing is guaranteed to raise is the rent!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 December 2021 07:05 AM
Agreed ...and it is tenants who bear the costs in increased rent.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
03 December 2021 08:09 AM
This is the thin edge of the wedge - a few LLs leaving the market, some new tenants entering it and the squeeze meaning less accommodation and higher prices. If the Govt announces EPC C that 'few' LLs leaving will become 'more' and perhaps 'many' and the result will be a desperate shortage of rooms & houses.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 December 2021 07:01 AM
The Govt will not shut down houses but they may fine LLs and force them to spend the money. I won't be waiting around to see - I'm selling while the going is good.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 December 2021 12:52 PM
I reckon 10 years is equivalent to 10 points lost due to the changes in assessment.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 December 2021 12:51 PM
I have a property with modern electric radiators, that run on clean green electricity - it is an EPC D. To get to an EPC C I can fit GCH or solar panels, probably both about £5-7k. GCH will make it considerably cheaper for my tenant to heat but will be carbon emitting, solar will reduce the cost by about 1/3 but because of the Green tariffs on electricity and the removal of feed in tariffs for solar it will still be expensive for my tenant. Where is the Govt support to enable me to take the green decision? In reality I will probably just sell the property if EPC C comes in because there is no guarantee over the EPC rating once the work is done and the return on my investment would be about 20 years. It is simply not cost effective for me to do.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 December 2021 07:06 AM
Will the Govt listen - or just plough on regardless? We know we have to improve the energy efficiency of ALL our housing stock but using a metric based on cost, favouring carbon emitting gas and penalising clean, green electricity makes no sense at all. Until the EPC is a clear, accurate measure of the energy performance of a property it is unrealistic to expect LLs to spend thousands on upgrading them. The Govt needs to switch to EIRs and make the assessment easy to understand with clear, achievable steps to follow to gain an improvement in the rating. We need to move to D first and then to C if we are not to lose thousands of properties from the sector and create a housing crisis of huge proportions and we need to bring the owner occupier sector along with us on the same path to have any meaningful effect on carbon emissions. Finally we need the Govt to understand that this is not a green-washing exercise but people's lives and livelihoods they are dealing with. We are already seeing spiralling rents and a lack of properties to rent - EPC C has the potential to decimate the sector and once LLs have left they will not quickly return, leaving the rental sector in chaos.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 December 2021 06:53 AM
The increasing length of tenancies makes the Govt's timescales for introducing EPC C even more laughable. Much of the improvement required in an older property - floor insulation, internal wall insulation - is very intrusive and needs to be done without tenants in situ. With tenants staying longer the opportunities to do this sort of work are few and far between and the Govt's target dates of 2026 / 8 are unrealistic.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 November 2021 06:42 AM
'Placed in emergency accommodation' - given the size of the family and the lack of LA housing of this size I would guess it is not particularly permanent or even suitable accommodation.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 November 2021 09:19 AM
The interesting point though is that the Govt is planning to push law abiding LLs to EPC C whilst failing to enforce the EPC E already in existence. The result can only be a 2 tier PRS - expensive, compliant properties & cheap non compliant ones. Let's face it, if you don't comply with EPC E you probably don't have a as safety, EICR or smoke / CO detectors, so these properties are possibly dangerous as well as non compliant but tenants will be forced to rent them due to a lack of decent, affordable properties.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 November 2021 09:16 AM
Easy to get confused - we will probably need CO2 alarms when we have to achieve EPC A!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 November 2021 11:53 AM
Modern, well maintained boilers do not release CO into the room - do you really think that those LLs who have old, poorly maintained appliances and probably no gas safety are actually going to comply with this legislation any more than they already do with existing legislation? Decent LLs will conform, even though unnecessary, and it is just another cost to be taken into account when setting rents. I am all for saving lives but I don't believe this will save even 1. PS I have already put CO alarms in my houses in advance of this legislation.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 November 2021 08:22 AM
Councils seem to spend most of their time making life difficult for Landlords but then want them to step in and help them provide housing! I have no problem helping Afghan Refugees but I am loathe to get into any arrangement with any Council in any way!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 November 2021 07:38 AM
Alternatively employ a Lettings Agent!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 November 2021 07:35 AM
Why let the truth spoil your argument?!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
23 November 2021 15:00 PM
The Govt knows that the EPC is a crude measure and it is based on cost. It was never meant to be used as it is now and some of the measures recommended increase the carbon emission. EIR is a better measure to work with to achieve net zero because it is based on the carbon emissions and we will eventually switch to using this I believe. So .....if you spend all your money trying to achieve EPC C by 2028 you may find by 2030 that you no longer hit the Govt's target because although your property is cheap to heat it is emitting carbon! Bye bye gas! It is a moving target, that is not clear or consistent and I will not be wasting my money trying to hit it.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 November 2021 13:23 PM
Let's hope the Levelling Up & Housing Ministry are taking note - these rent rises come after the very reforms that are being considered for the English housing market. follow this with EPC C and the result will be catastrophic.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 November 2021 07:31 AM
The imbalance will continue to be compounded, and probably accelerate, as we approach EPC C and LLs continue to divest properties that are expensive or impossible to upgrade.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 November 2021 07:28 AM
Like politicians rent controls are bad for tenants (even though they think they are good!)
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 November 2021 07:25 AM
Not my figures - theirs! I'm not even a member!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 November 2021 15:49 PM
On their website - 90k members and 10% of the PRS.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 November 2021 06:59 AM
I think someone should be checking how the £65m is spent - Govt & LAs have a habit of wasting taxpayers money!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 November 2021 10:56 AM
Certainly the rent repayment orders often seem extremely punitive. If there is no loss to the tenant then by all means fine the LL but RROs encourage tenants to look for faults. It also encourages the adversarial approach to the PRS when we should all be working together.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 November 2021 10:54 AM
10% of the PRS I believe.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 November 2021 10:52 AM
There is a clear link between licensing & rent increases!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 November 2021 07:39 AM
This report seems to show that LLs are being responsible and doing all the things that can be done easily around tenants. The next level of improvements are so intrusive and expensive that many LLs will baulk at them. At my age I do not have time to recoup the cost of the 'improvements' required so I will be selling and I believe many others will too.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 November 2021 10:05 AM
Angela, that is really interesting and shows that however came up with the algorithm was wired to a mars bar!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 November 2021 09:28 AM
I have just replaced old radiators in a property with new ones. The tenants are delighted saying the house heats up much more quickly and they are having to turn the heating off. Clearly this will save them energy & money. How many EPC points do I get for my new radiators? Zero. The EPC assessment is a joke but I'm not laughing and nor will 7 sets of 11 tenants when they are asked to leave so I can sell their EPC D rated home.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 November 2021 07:43 AM
I have the same problem with electric radiators: how is it good for the environment to rip out a perfectly good heating system and replace it with another electric system, which is no more carbon (or tenant) friendly but just might be cheaper (if you get the right tariff & use the complicated system efficiently)? The carbon emitted in the production of the new heaters; the waste of decent radiators; a system tenants often don't like & can't understand all make this a complete nonsense & just about sums up my opinion of EPCs!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 November 2021 07:52 AM
Whilst this headline is a bit alarmist the powers that be need to recognise that enforcing EPC C in the timescales currently suggested will precipitate the largest housing crisis we have ever seen. The Green Homes Grant fiasco showed that, even if LLs wanted do the upgrades necessary there are not enough qualified trades people to do it. EPC C will result in a dump of rental properties onto the market, where owner occupiers do not need to improve them, and a shortage of decent rentals. EPC D would allow LLs to improve the worst first and continue to work towards EPC C in voids. And the EPC algorithm needs to be updated to reflect the green credentials of electricity instead of its cost, cost which is hugely inflated by the green levies imposed upon it!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 November 2021 07:26 AM
EPC C is a much greater threat to the PRS than Covid 19 ever was.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
09 November 2021 07:36 AM
I'm struggling to imagine the situation in which mediation will solve the issue - rent arears; ASB; trashing property? Doesn't seem likely to me!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
09 November 2021 07:34 AM
The Queen has often used the train :) I think the senior Royals are probably better than the Politicians for at least trying to travel in a less polluting way - did you see Biden and his 30 car entourage, flown over from the US to drive around Europe? And Boris flying a private plane from COP26?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 November 2021 12:42 PM
You are wrong I'm afraid - it is illegal to rent out a property without an EPC of E or better unless you have an exemption in place.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 November 2021 12:39 PM
Rather flies in the face of Shelter & Gen Rent's position that all LLs are greedy b*****ds!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 November 2021 07:34 AM
If S21 is removed provision MUST be made ensure that LLs can get though the courts quickly to evict rogue tenants who run up huge debts living rent free. The court process at the moment is hugely biased towards the tenants who manipulate the system and postpone the inevitable but get free housing for lengthy periods while the LLs run up further costs with little hope of ever seeing a penny come back. Failure to address the court process WILL result in LLs leaving the PRS. As Adrian says, it is not No Fault - just the quickest & easiest option to evict a tenant who is not behaving in a tenant like fashion.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 November 2021 07:25 AM
If they know the areas where EPCs are likely to be below an E why not spent the money employing someone to sit down with the EPC register, identifying the properties below an E then cross referencing with other information to identify the rented one? They don't need to be innovative - just diligent!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 November 2021 07:19 AM
Has the Govt deleted D from the alphabet without anyone noticing? Why this jump from E to C? It is too large a jump - some will be scared of such a large jump & not even try; and many who try will fail and leave the game; a few will make the leap & be safe until we have to jump again to B. We need the stepping stone of D to allow us to bring everyone with us on the journey to save the planet (and house all the tenants!) I'm off looking for D - anyone want t come & help me look?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 November 2021 07:16 AM
LLs only provide HMOs if there is a demand for them. Where are the tenants who can only afford a room rate rental supposed to live if there are no new HMOs?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 November 2021 07:45 AM
Like Stehen, my tenants stay as long as they want. In 20 years I have only ended one tenancy so in my view this longer tenancies debate is a red herring. Like many other LLs, the length of my tenancies is determined by mortgage holders who won't allow anything over 12 months.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 November 2021 07:43 AM
Why is it so difficult for LAs to cross reference the EPC register with other information they hold to work out who is non-compliant?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 November 2021 07:36 AM
BTR clearly has a place in the PRS but from the statistics above they are for singles & couples who are prepared to pay extra for more amenities and who are happy living in flats in cities. I can't see BTR being the answer for families, who want gardens & good schools not gyms & shared work spaces.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
03 November 2021 07:38 AM
More would-be renters keep coming into the market & more LLs are beginning to cash in their chips and leave, squeezing the PRS. Rents are going to keep rising unless the Govt finds a way to increase the housing stock, either by building more or reversing the trend of LLs selling up. IMO EPC C will increase the number of LLs leaving hugely until renting privately will be restricted to only those with high incomes & perfect histories.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
03 November 2021 07:32 AM
This is at odds with my own experience - I have yet to meet a tenant who even looks at an EPC! If you look at properties coming on to the market currently, many are still being posted without the required EPC being shown & they still rent very quickly. I guess its all in the way you ask the question!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
03 November 2021 07:25 AM
Given that Councils are only now 'engaging' with LLs who are illegally letting properties with an EPC below E, the rush to EPC C seems premature. Why not aim to get ALL housing up to an E and then a D? Surely that would save more emissions that the PRS meeting C - or is that not what the plan is about?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
29 October 2021 11:29 AM
You appear to be planning to work outside the law. Good luck with that!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
28 October 2021 20:34 PM
I have no problem with a LL register - the problem is setting it up efficiently and using it effectively. If it is used, as SL is, as a revenue stream for LAs the end result is just higher rents for tenants of compliant LLs.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 October 2021 07:41 AM
The Green Party are basically communists when it comes to policy and though there is no chance of them getting into power, if they make their statements often enough someone will start thinking its a good idea! Nothing quite so dangerous to business as a Politician!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 October 2021 10:31 AM
Taxing LLs more and expecting rents to be less - clearly no understanding of even basic economics!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 October 2021 07:50 AM
How are tenants supposed to find out about this money and how to claim it? £65m will only be of any benefit if it is delivered to LLs whose tenants are in arrears now but can pay their rent going forward. I fear it may be a scheme that achieves very little.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 October 2021 07:48 AM
If you need to prove it is insulated you perhaps need to hire your own thermal imaging drone. The Council are only going to use theirs to catch people out - not help LLs! Alternatively drill a small hole in the ceiling and see what is there - that's how I discovered my floors are insulated when they EPC assumed they were not!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 October 2021 14:20 PM
Wales and Scotland have had a similar scheme for sometime so I am glad that there is now one for England. I'm not sure how tenants are supposed to find out about it and how they go about claiming it but anything that means that LLs are no longing having to carry covid debt is welcome. I hope it is used carefully so it benefits people who could pay not those who chose not to pay. Paying it direct to LLs is very welcome.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 October 2021 14:17 PM
I can cope with red tape and tax what I can't cope with is EPC C. This will have me and many other LLs heading for the door, precipitating the biggest housing crisis this country has ever seen, unless someone gets a handle on the assessment & its ridiculous implementation quickly!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 October 2021 15:33 PM
Surely a quick look at the EPC Register is a cheaper way of seeing whether a house is compliant than using a drone! The information is already freely available it just needs someone to cross reference it with rented property address. No-one wastes money like local Govt!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 October 2021 10:57 AM
That sounds like it will help any electrical heat system :) Putting green tariffs on gas will also help level up the playing field. I think we may all have to get used to paying more for our energy in the future - cheap gas will not be a cheap option anymore :(
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 October 2021 08:30 AM
The Govt is lurching from one idea to the next in an effort to tick the green box. Insulating all our housing stock would reduce the amount of energy used in heating our homes and thus our carbon emissions without changing our heating fuel, but instead of supporting that idea the Govt offers just 90,000 households the chance to save £5k on a heat pump - a system which requires good insulation in the first place. Maybe Boris thinks heat pumps are sexy and insulation boring - either way this policy is destined to be as ineffective as the Green Homes Grant.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 October 2021 07:43 AM
I hate to agree with anything Gen Rent say - but actually insulating properties and thus reducing the amount of energy needed to heat them seems like the first step we should be taking. I wonder what the cost & the impact of every house in the country having decent loft insulation would be - probably a better investment than 90,000 people installing heat pumps!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 October 2021 09:29 AM
From a LL perspective installing a heat pump doesn't seem to guarantee you an EPC C (powered by electricity) so its a no go anyway.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 October 2021 09:24 AM
As we head towards EPC C with no coherent strategy for achieving it - by the way heat pumps score badly as they are electrically powered) - watch the number of LL leaving the PRS turn from a trickle into a gush and see how that affects demand and supply!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 October 2021 07:49 AM
G romit - I am aware of the PROPOSAL for EPC C - not yet law - but given that heat pumps are electrically powered the installation of one is worse for your EPC than GCH at present.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 October 2021 13:37 PM
Given the difficulties I have encountered trying to get a shared drive repaired I cannot imagine the difficulties a shared GSHP installation might experience!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 October 2021 13:35 PM
If you are correct about the leader of Norwich Council that is absolutely scandalous!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 October 2021 09:01 AM
its my tenants call not mine - but I'm nothing one in my home. I know that the kettle uses a lot of electricity and I don't need an electronic device to tell me! You have to ask yourself why, after Germany halted their roll out because it 'wasn't in the interest of consumers', our Govt continues to force them on us.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 October 2021 08:27 AM
Not only would this provide much needed extra housing at the lower end of the market, it would reduce some of the pressure on the PRS and perhaps slow the relentless upward pressure on rents for all.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 October 2021 07:48 AM
At least LLs are not being forced into this ahead of owner occupiers. The focus so far is on the cost of the pump but no one has addressed the other costs - insulation / rads / tank etc - or the practicalities of installation in smaller, terraced housing with limited space inside & out. I'm not convinced heat pumps are the solution so I'm looking forward to the early adopters putting some real world evidence on the table before making my decision for my own home as well as my BTLs.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 October 2021 07:44 AM
No mention of the unsuitability of most of our housing stock to be retrofitted with heat pumps - which require well insulated houses, bigger radiators, maybe bigger pipework, bigger water tank, additional storage space for units, top up heat source - all off which is invasive to fit & expensive. Whilst the Govt can force its will on the PRS (I guess most of us will leave) how on earth does it intend to force hard pressed home owners to find this sort of cash? Without changes to the whole of the housing stock the transfer away from GCH is meaningless and from where I'm standing there is no viable alternative at present.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 October 2021 07:50 AM
I'd like a freeze on mortgages, utilities, council tax, food, wine .......unfortunately we don't always get what we want John. The constant pressure on LLs is pushing many out of the sector and the result is fewer properties and more tenants. This is called supply and demand, I believe, and the result is higher prices - basic economics John!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 October 2021 07:38 AM
Having just read about Charles Dickens House in Tower Hamlets, where tenants have been dealing with appalling conditions for over a decade, and remembering the recent story of similar conditions in Croydon's Social Housing I would suggest that Shelter should concentrate its efforts on taking these Housing Associations to task instead of constantly haranguing the PRS.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 October 2021 07:36 AM
Given the ridiculous price rises the the SDLT holiday fuelled it is not surprising that LLs were reticent to buy in an over priced market.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 October 2021 07:19 AM
Increased pressure on LLs has lead to a slow and steady exodus from the PRS whist the number of households looking to rent continues to increase. Increased demand + lower availability = rent rises Just wait until EPC C hits - I predict the flood of LLs leaving the sector will precipitate a housing crisis.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 October 2021 07:43 AM
This article is really misleading - shame on you Graham! The cost of insulating walls varies hugely between cavity and external insulation. I was quoted around £10k for external insulation of a victorian terrace under the Green Homes Grant. The £400 quoted above can only be for cavity wall insulation of a flat-backed 1970s style terrace and the article does not make this clear. The section on insulation is completely misleading and is presumably the type of 'facts' that policy makers are relying on whilst making policy!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 October 2021 07:39 AM
so really, instead of a Dept of levelling up with Housing tagged on as an after thought what we really need is a Ministry for Making our Housing Fit for the Future! Unfortunately Boris is just box ticking for climate change!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 October 2021 09:31 AM
The huge numbers of purpose built units charging premium prices must contribute to these figures. I'm in Nottingham & I had a student rental until 2020. I charged £75 pw whilst the ensuite all singing all dancing new flats were costing £125-£150 pw. New student accommodation is popping up all over the city & the Council is actively discouraging traditional student lets, trying to force these properties back in to use as family housing. Forcing traditional student LLs out of the market to be replaced by large scale student LLs is bound to increase the average cost.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 October 2021 08:55 AM
There is also no point forcing LLs to upgrade their properties when the owner-occupier sector does nothing! Rising energy costs will make everyone want to cut their energy usage so perhaps what we all need is more carrot & less stick!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 October 2021 08:49 AM
If LLs are to be expected to spend up to £10k to improve the EPC that measurement MUST be a fair reflection of a property's energy efficiency. At the moment is is based on assumptions and guesses conducted as a tick box exercise, and is so opaque that having spent £10k you still have no idea if you will reach the desired EPC. If you do improve the EPC to a level that allows you to rent it out there is no guarantee that the next EPC will as the algorithm keeps changing! It is like throwing darts at a moving target, blindfolded! LLs will not spend this sort of capital without some guarantee of the result.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 October 2021 08:09 AM
Its going to be an insurance based product - like the 'No-deposit deposit' now in operation. What the powers that be have missed is that for a good tenant who leaves a clean and tidy property with no deductions, the insurance route is more expensive. How can it not be when you put a business in between LL & T who wants to make a profit?!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 October 2021 13:19 PM
At least he now has free accommodation & 3 meals a day!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 October 2021 07:45 AM
If LLs hold the power - and that's a big if - is that not right because they own the property? LLs invest their time & money in the property what do tenants invest? There is no other partnership I can think of where the junior partner hold the power.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 October 2021 07:43 AM
My MP is a 20 something with no idea how the world works. He wouldn't know an EPC if it slapped him in the face and blindly follows the party whip with no original thought. He does not represent his constituents he merely tows the party line. I have written to him several times but just get hog wash in return.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 October 2021 11:49 AM
This is not a story of a Council's success prosecuting a rogue LL but one of failure of LAs preventing disgraced LLs from simply moving to another area and repeating their behaviour!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 October 2021 09:39 AM
I think the SDLT 'holiday' has done more damage than good. People have overpaid more than they saved and those who needed to move (eg for work) have been caught in this stupid market. I have read that many people who moved in the last year either think they have over paid or regret moving; first time buyers have watched prices go even more out of reach as their savings are effectively reduced by inflation and HMRC has lost revenue. Who are the winners? Well perhaps LLs who took the opportunity to leave the market!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 October 2021 09:36 AM
I don’t know how the level of UC is worked out but I assume there is a formula that takes into account what is necessary to support recipients. To arbitrarily add £20 a week to the amount makes a mockery of the system. Either the formula is correct and the top up should be removed or the formula is wrong and it should be revised. A decent society supports those who can’t support themselves (as opposed to won’t) but the money given to claimants comes from all of our pockets and there must be an underlying calculation to justify what is handed out.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 September 2021 08:35 AM
In the news today - Govt planning to lower the threshold for starting repayments!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 September 2021 08:56 AM
The problem with these high quality units is their high price tag! The loans given to students won't even cover their accommodation in these units let alone cover other living costs. Then when these students enter the real world they discover that their salary won't cover an equivalent in the real world. I believe it was Martin Lewis who said we are 'educating our young in to debt but not about debt'. There is a place for both high end and low cost student accommodation but this focus on the high end may result in less choice and that is not a good thing.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 September 2021 08:04 AM
Why would anyone want to let at LHA rates, which are pretty much frozen, when there are plenty of tenants around & rents are rising fast? That's without considering whether you want to take the tenants that qualify for housing help.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 September 2021 09:12 AM
I believe we are beginning to see the start of a major housing crisis. LLs are beginning to leave the PRS and the shortage of stock is resulting in higher rents. The LL exodus is set to continue and will be in flood by the time EPC C hits, at which point those left in the market will be able to charge what they want & thousands of tenants will be left out in the cold. This will give opportunities to unscrupulous LLs to rent substandard & unsafe properties and we will have a huge underbelly of illegal housing. So well done all the agencies who are attacking the PRS in the name of tenants - this will be the result of all your hard work!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 September 2021 08:03 AM
Or their flat screen TV!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 September 2021 17:21 PM
'The value of a good tenant should not be underestimated' but equally the inability to evict a bad tenant needs to be assessed! The PRS needs to work well for both sides and during the pandemic the LL has become the junior partner in the relationship. Govt should not underestimate the effect of supporting tenants at the expense of the LL if the PRS is to survive and continue to house so much of the population who fall between home ownership & social housing.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 September 2021 07:48 AM
I agree - but given the length of time sometimes necessary to charge / argue / agree the deductions how is the time between deposits managed? It will surely usually be 14 days & possibly a month before the charges are agreed. Does the new LL have no deposit at this time & how do you make a tenant increase the deposit if deductions have been made, particularly once they are already in the new property?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 September 2021 08:42 AM
Stock shortages? Just wait until EPC C hits - then you will see shortages. For those LLs staying in the PRS the future looks rosey - increasing demand and reducing stock. For tenants the picture is less happy - reducing stock & increasing rents. Me - I'm significantly reducing my portfolio & only keeping EPC C compliant properties.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 September 2021 07:49 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't most build to rent flats? How is that fair to the pet? Pets need to be in homes with gardens not stuck in a block of flats with no outside space - that is just a selfish owner in my book.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 September 2021 07:45 AM
Add to furlough and benefit cuts spiralling gas & electricity prices and renters are in for a hard winter - especially those on electric heating. 30% plus of their bill provides subsidies to the green energy industry. The Govt could help everyone instantly by removing this unfair stealth tax and funding green energy openly and fairly. Remove the green levies from our bills - NOW!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 September 2021 07:43 AM
As ever it is the decent tenants who lose out as LLs increase rent to cover potential losses; become increasingly careful about who they rent to & sell up and move into safer assets. This Govt is sleep walking us into a housing crisis, the like of which has not been seen before.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 September 2021 08:56 AM
Perfect storm - no S21; EPC below C; no way to evict tenants so HAVE to upgrade; cost into £1000s! I will certainly be getting out long before that happens. I have also experienced a regulated tenancy - no way am I going into that situation again - whatever name they give it!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 September 2021 08:38 AM
EPC C is a much bigger threat than the loss of S21. We all know that most S21 evictions will just become S8 - EPC C will see perfectly decent homes being removed from the PRS 6 out of 9 of mine will be sold :(
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 September 2021 07:45 AM
I had a tenant who had a dog without permission. The letting agent failed to spot it - they removed it very time there was an inspection. When they left the garden was covered in poo, the laminate was ruined from pee and the kitchen cupboards were chewed - they were charged! This is just one example of irresponsible pet ownership that has forced me to adopt a 'no pets' rule
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 September 2021 07:42 AM
Another article on this site today tells the true story of the PRS with demand outstripping supply and properties renting quicker than anytime since 2016. Could it be that the constant demands placed upon LLs by the Govt, Shelter & Gen Rent is causing LLs to head for the door? When will they realise that their actions are making life harder for the very people they claim to represent?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 September 2021 07:54 AM
The cost is passed straight on to the tenant in most if not all cases and then they wonder why rents keep going up!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 September 2021 09:09 AM
No-one condones criminal behaviour by LLs but Shelter's stance is so biased and one sided. What about the shocking behaviour displayed by some tenants - running up huge debts & trashing properties? Meanwhile most LLs & tenants continue with a perfectly happy relationship. This constant bashing o f LLs is driving the good ones out and the bad ones continue as before. When Shelter and Gen Rent have destroyed the PRS where are all the renters going to live?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 September 2021 06:24 AM
I believe LLs are switching from longer lets to shorter lets because of the risk with longer lets that you get stuck with a non-paying tenant that you can't evict & who trashes your property and then walks away. Govt interference in the PRS, so unbalanced in favour of the tenant, is driving LLs out of the PRS. For the PRS to work well there has to be a balance between the needs of LLs and tenants. The interference of bodies like Shelter & Gen Rent is turning this into a crisis as decent LLs leave with no replacements in place so we now have spiralling rents & lack of housing with the main victims being decent tenants who are supposedly being supported by these organisation. If Keir Starmer gets his way and social care costs are dumped on LLs things will deteriorate even more and very quickly!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 September 2021 07:32 AM
it has been said before, but I think it bears saying again: LLs do not evict good tenants! We are a business and throwing out good customers is not good business practice. Good tenants, who look after the property and pay their rent rarely get asked to leave, so who exactly are GenRent supporting?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 September 2021 07:23 AM
Most people still have no idea about EPCs and they are so meaningless that they don’t add any value to a property, as shown in this statistic. The only reason there is a premium for D over F & G will be because they will be so obviously run down. Also interesting that we are going to be told to raise our properties’ EPCs, costing thousands, when the National Grid has fired up a coal fired power station to provide electricity in August.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
07 September 2021 07:16 AM
Does that headline even make sense? Sloppy. Maybe arrears are not a big cause of disputes because it is more black or white than cleaning. Either you have paid or you haven't. Cleaning is more subjective and in my opinion many people don't really know how to clean a house properly!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 September 2021 06:43 AM
Misleading headline! 'Landlord body tells Govt' is not the same as 'Landlords' - I didn't tell the Govt anything, neither was I asked.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 September 2021 06:41 AM
This should hopefully allay the fears of the many bigots who believe the refugees are ‘taking our houses’. We owe these brave people so much and the least we can do is support them in their new lives. Unfortunately the ignorant, racist portion of our society is concerned how this might affect them rather than offering wholehearted support. The Govt is providing extra money, the PRS is being asked to offer housing so let’s welcome these people into our communities and show them the Best of British.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
03 September 2021 06:35 AM
Every property should be able to attain an EPC E relatively easily and LLs should be required to fit the really pretty basic measures required - loft insulation, LED bulbs, double glazing, decent boiler. But after that it gets more difficult. Most properties need wall insulation and possibly floor insulation to get to the proposed level of C and this is too expensive, too disruptive and too unproven to mandate for in law. Add to this the Govts mixed messages on heat pumps - unsuitable for most properties, gas - supposedly being phased out and electricity - trashes an EPC because of cost, a quarter of which is green subsidies even though much of electricity is now clean and green. We need a coherent, affordable solution to decarbonising heating. Let’s start by taking the tax off clean green electricity!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
03 September 2021 06:31 AM
Ask me - not the Housing Secretary! Prove you are a decent tenant who looks after my property and you can have a pet - but if you are out at work all day you can't have a dog however good a tenant you are!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 September 2021 09:00 AM
I don't know where they found these tenants but availability appears to be the only factor where I have properties. Given that many tenants never change their utility supplier and others fail to get to grips with their heating controls (especially storage heaters) I find it hard to believe they care at all about the EPC rating. In addition, as the EPC is such an artificial measure of anything it would be worrying if tenants were actually relying on it!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 September 2021 07:15 AM
Rents may be higher than the payments on a repayment mortgage but a renter invests none of their own money in the deposit and has non of the costs of the upkeep of the property. They can also move on a whim with just one months notice. With all the extra demands and costs being heaped on LLs and the likelihood of many leaving the PRS rents are only going to go one way - up!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 September 2021 06:39 AM
it never ceases to amaze me that GR keep making demands without giving anything in return. For the PRS to work well there has to be fairness to both sides. GR never seem to consider this and just continually portray the LLs as the bad guys and the tenants as the poor victims. Consider where all these tenants would be if we all upsticks and leave! If their demands were more reasonable they might get some traction but this pie-in-the-sky stuff just makes them too easy to dismiss so they achieve nothing.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
31 August 2021 08:21 AM
Perhaps part of the reason that LLs have removed properties from the long term market is the inability to evict a non-paying or otherwise rogue tenant. The market has been tipped so far in favour of the tenant recently that a few unscrupulous tenants have soured the whole market. For LLs to offer decent, secure homes to renters there has to be a fair mechanism to deal with the minority who do not play by the rules.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
31 August 2021 07:23 AM
Unfortunately wanting doesn't always mean getting. In the current market there are plenty of tenants without pets for a LL to choose from and until the balance in the PRS is redressed towards the LL from its current precipice in favour of the tenant, things are unlikely to change.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 August 2021 11:15 AM
I dispute the statement 'It is too easy for LLs to evict locals from their homes..' - it has not been easy during the pandemic to evict anyone! Could this inability to evict bad tenants be behind the move to holiday lets? Most holiday makers don't overstay their time, fail to pay their rent or trash the place. Once again Generation Rent is playing the one sided blame game.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 August 2021 07:14 AM
This is a good example of where the EPC assessment fails - electric radiators are all scored the same whether they are high end quality rads or a £25 convection heater from Homebase! Storage heaters score slightly higher because they use E7 (but who wants to live with old storage heaters and pay higher rates on everything else?). Many assessors agree this is unfair but there is nothing they can do about it. Similarly, good double glazing doesn't score higher than bad; new rads don't score higher than old; well maintained boiler no better than poorly maintained inefficient - everything is about the box it ticks. It would be funny if it wasn't going to affect so many people :(
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 August 2021 08:50 AM
Trying to improve an EPC is like throwing darts at a dart board, blindfolded! The system is so opaque there is no way of knowing how many points an improvement will achieve. The measures recommended often involve huge sums of money for little benefit (which goes to the tenant) and no financial return for the LL. Installation of any internal insulation (inc floor) is so disruptive that it can't be done with tenants in situ. The recommendations are at odds with other Govt policy - GCH scores highly but new installations will be banned after 2026 while heat pumps score badly although the Govt wants to install 600,000 a year! Electric heating, which is green & clean, scores very badly because of cost (25% of which is green subsidies) even though it can be completely green (from solar & wind) and on some estates there is no alternative. Until the govt has a cohesive policy for the future of heating our homes and the EPC is a fair & transparent measure why would anyone invest the £000s needed to bring a property upto this artificial standard? EPC C - if it happens in its current form - might just precipitate the biggest housing crisis we have ever seen. I for one, am heading for the door and will be evicting perfectly happy tenants from perfectly decent homes.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 August 2021 07:12 AM
THE EPC C is a proposal not law yet.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 August 2021 15:35 PM
That is a different problem and requires a different solution. Dealing with one should not preclude dealing with an other. This is a humanitarian problem on a huge scale, that we have had a significant part in causing, we must help those we can.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 August 2021 08:16 AM
Val this is racist and ignorant - shame on you!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 August 2021 08:13 AM
LHA fuels rent rises as is is tied to average rent. Look how rents jumped when the Govt reversed its cuts to LHA in April 2020. The only way to reduce the burden of rent on tenants claiming LHA is to increase the stock of affordable housing.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 August 2021 07:35 AM
Many smaller LLs will be leaving the sector over the next few years - increased legislation / tax & EPC C will see to that. But the demand for rentals will not be diminished, so for those who plan to stay for the long haul I believe there will be good rewards. For those of us who have been in a while & who are approaching retirement now looks like a good time to get out. The people who are in trouble, as ever, are the tenants, as deminishing stock & high costs are going to price many people out of the market with nowhere else to go :(
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 August 2021 07:31 AM
SL is just about funding their Housing Dept - nothing to do with raising standards as they already had powers equivalent to SL under existing legislation.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 August 2021 07:27 AM
The pressure on rental housing stock is only going to get worse. More households are coming into the market just when many LLs are leaving due to extra regulations, lack or support from Govt / LAs and the imminent imposition of EPC C. Renting is going to become unaffordable for many people and with no alternative they will be looking to social housing for support - where there is already a dearth of properties. The LHA bill will go through the roof and we will have a housing crisis the like of which we have never seen before.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 August 2021 07:39 AM
The assessment algorithm is hugely complicated yet assessors have very little training & just tick boxes. Assumptions are made on the age of the building (and are often wrong) and the insulating properties of different building materials are often inaccurate. Factors that cannot be changed (location, orientation, size) can affect the rating. Very little benefit is derived from improvements such as new radiators vs old; the efficiency of a boiler isn't measured so a well maintained one is no better than a poorly maintained one, and cost is a factor regardless of whether the fuel is clean (green electricity) or carbon releasing (gas). The improvements suggested are ridiculous - under floor insulation at a cost of hundreds of £ to save tens of £ in heating with no consideration to the difficulties of installing in a tenanted property and the knock on effect of having to raise kitchen units, door frames, skirting boards, sockets where that floor is solid. Similarly internal wall insulation requires massive alterations. No points are given for 10mm of underlay (that must make a difference). Over time the algorithm changes - properties can lose 10 its over a decade and trying to achieve a C is like throwing darts at a dartboard blindfolded - with the target constantly moving! EPC C is tick box exercise to show how green the Govt is, when much more could be achieved by concentrating on getting the basics right everywhere - loft insulation, water tank insulation, LED bulbs, high quality double glazing & boilers with good controls. In its efforts to tick a green box that will achieve virtually nothing in terms of reducing our emissions this Govt will destroy the PRS and put thousands of families on the street with nowhere to go as LLs of older properties sell up and leave the market all together. The remaining PRS will consist of well insulated, boring boxes that will become too warm to live in in the summer because of the insulation requires to meet the new EPC requirements!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 August 2021 07:34 AM
It is also something that should be read BEFORE you rent your very first property. Once you have signed a tenency its too late!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 August 2021 08:24 AM
Are you an antivax too? Although the planet's temperature does vary naturally I don't see how anyone can deny that man is causing changes to happen more quickly and the result IS climate change. EPC C in the PRS is not going to stop this but denying it is happening does not help either!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 August 2021 08:21 AM
Three factors at work here: general rise in rents across the PRS; student LLs who lost money last year when students went home or didn't pay rent trying to recoup. losses; huge increase in purpose built accommodation which is much more expensive than traditional HMO student houses. Many of our young people are destined to leave Uni with a degree that does not lead to work and a huge debt they will carry for the next 25 years.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 August 2021 07:01 AM
This Govt is completely blind to the fact that this is going to cause the biggest housing crisis ever seen as LLs sell up and take their money elsewhere. The cost, and indeed the logistics, of improving much of the housing stock to EPC C is prohibitive and any tenants in older properties or with electric heating are going to find themselves homeless. The whole situation is exacerbated by an EPC assessment that is not fit for purpose, rewarding GCH over clean, green electricity and which is completely unintelligible to most people. The net gain in CO2 emissions will be negligible but the PRS will be drastically reduced with no alternative available for thousands of tenants - this is sheer madness.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 August 2021 06:52 AM
I have all the above in my victorian properties and they are Ds. I am surprised without wall insulation you can get a C - when were they done? Some of my properties have lost upto 10 points in the last 10 years.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 August 2021 12:44 PM
Heat pumps are expensive to install, expensive to run, hugely disruptive to retro fit (larger rads & pipework needed) and do not provide sufficient heat or hot water in our climate and will require a top up source unless you have a super insulated modern house - yet the Govt thinks we should all fit them! People who live in fuel poverty are often living in electric only houses. We make clean green electricity and yet because of the green subsidises put on our bills (upto 24%) this becomes an expensive way to heat homes. There is no way anyone with any sense is going to remove a gas boiler and put in a heat pump so the Govt is on a hiding to nothing IMO. If you want to move away from gas put the green subsidies on gas instead of electricity and increase our wind & solar power generation.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 August 2021 07:40 AM
How easy do you think is to get cash strapped councils to pay money out for adaptations? So now on top of spending a fortune getting our properties up to EPC C we are supposed to spend more money adapting them for specific tenants, who we can't evict and who should be housed by the LA. Anyone else think this is bonkers? No thanks. I
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 August 2021 13:24 PM
Having jumped through all the hoops for this scheme and received vouchers for insulation, I had some of those 22,000 vouchers that cannot be redeemed because the scheme was cancelled. Do I believe any Govt funded scheme will be worth applying to? NO. Will I do the required work to my rentals without financial support? NO. Will my properties reach EPC C without it? NO. Will I sell my properties? YES. Where will all the tenants go once evicted? I have no idea. Will EPC C in the PRS save the planet? NO. Will it precipitate the biggest housing crisis this country has ever seen? I believe it will.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 August 2021 07:28 AM
Doesn't this show that licensing is about Councils raising money not standards?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 August 2021 07:22 AM
Unfortunately due to the lack of social housing available the powers that be rely on the PRS to house would be tenants. What they seem to forget is that LLs have a choice and can rent to whoever they like. Short stay tenants pay more and generally do less damage than long term tenants so why would LLs not go this route if it works for them. It is about time LLs were supported in doing the valuable job they do instead of being constantly bashed and trashed!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 August 2021 15:43 PM
There is a reason so many more HMOs are springing up - its all people can afford! Families may not like living sandwiched between HMOs but don't blame the LLs who are responding to demand, blame LAs and Govt policy that have put houses out of the reach of single adults. We desperately need more affordable housing so stop bashing LLs and build them!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
09 August 2021 07:20 AM
RRO are just going to drive more LLs out of the sector. Then rents will go up and there will be more tenants chasing fewer properties. We are about to enter a housing crisis and the powers that be and the tenant favouring lobbyists are in a dreamworld!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 August 2021 17:52 PM
They really do think we are a bunch of amateurs!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 August 2021 11:30 AM
The Afghan interpreters worked for the British Army in theatre and when we left we reneged on the deal that they would be looked after. They and their families lives were at risk as they were seen by some elements as collaborators. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people and need to fulfil our promise to help them now we are no longer involved militarily in Afghanistan. Edwin's comments and his 'likes' verge on racism. I am sure these resourceful people will find jobs and be an asset to our country but maybe they just need a helping hand to get them started. I would not hesitate in becoming involved in this program if I had a suitable property. These people are only refugees from their own country because of the service they did ours.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
03 August 2021 14:07 PM
That is exactly what this 'over privileged whiner' intends to do - so where are all the now homeless tenants going to live Daniel? Me selling up doesn't put the deposit in anyone else's pocket or increase the number of social housing units available. We are a significant part of the housing market and as we leave the pressure on the remaining stock will ensure higher rents & more homeless families. Is that what you want?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
29 July 2021 08:13 AM
The Stamp Duty holiday has done more. harm than good! I'm sure nobody intended it to cause the boom it did and I am pretty certain many people have overpaid. Meanwhile those who had to move rather than chose to have got caught up in the madness - my son, a key worker moving for work, has had his transaction take 8 months to complete meaning he has had to commute an hour each way for 5 months!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
29 July 2021 06:59 AM
When politicians make it impossible for LLs to evict non-paying tenants they will take whatever action they believe protects them best. A report out yesterday highlighted the fact that 70%. of us are basic rate tax payers - we cannot afford to house people for free - and so LLs have become creative in how to ensure they receive their rent.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
29 July 2021 06:54 AM
My mortgage conditions do not permit tenancies longer than 12 months so that is one obstacle. And tenants who sign up for 12 months often ask to be released early - or just leave - due to a change of circumstances. Most of my tenants started on 6 or 12 months and then went periodic and stayed as long as they wanted. A good tenant is hardly ever asked to leave so in many ways this is a non story.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
28 July 2021 07:17 AM
The bottom line is as LLs we do everything we can to reduce the chances of a bad tenant or damage to our property. Unfortunately for the many good tenants out there who have or would like pets, accepting pets increases the risks and so many LLs choose not to.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 July 2021 10:05 AM
30 % over 5 years sounds like a significant number to me! Most of the extra burdens placed on LLs in recent years have had fairly minor financial implications which have been passed on to the tenant via increased rent. When the requirement for EPC C becomes law I expect to see a flood of LLs leaving the sector as this is not a simple case of proving you are compliant and passing the cost of the proof on. It has been estimated that the average cost to bring a property up to EPC C is £7500. Even with a rent rise of £25pm that is a return time of 25 years! That is of course assuming that your property can be made EPC C for £7500. Personally I will be selling all victorian terraces and all electric only properties thereby making 7 happy families homeless. There will be more tenants fighting over fewer properties so prices for those will increase but where will the rest go? Social housing - I don't think so? Owner occupied - unlikely. This Govt is pushing us into a housing crisis of never before seen proportions with its eyes firmly shut!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 July 2021 08:40 AM
Until the EPC assessment accurately reflects the condition of properties, does not make invalid assumptions, gives realistic upgrades that can be achieved without ripping the fabric of the property apart and stops penalising electricity because of price most LLs will just sell any property below a C. The effect of this policy will not improve the living conditions for tenants but it will reduce the stock available and increase rents for some whilst pushing others into the arms of rogue LLs. This policy might result in a tiny decrease in carbon emissions but I believe it will decimate the PRS. Personally I will be selling 7 out of 11 properties, 3 Victorian terraces that require over £10k each investment to reach EPC C (not guaranteed) and 4 properties without gas, that cannot reach C due to the cost of electricity, ironically inflated hugely due to the green subsidies slapped on them.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 July 2021 07:39 AM
What about the new space travel program for the very rich from Branson & Besos? What do you think the carbon emissions from that are? Or the new oil drilling platform off Shetland?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 July 2021 12:42 PM
There was a report out this week that said modern houses will need to be retrofitted with cooling systems soon because they are too warm! Older houses were built to naturally cope with our climate - older properties are much cooler in this current heatwave than modern boxes. Yes it costs to heat them in winter but they can be made hotter when the weather is cold but stay cool when it is warm. Your tenants are discovering the problems caused once everything is insulated and air tight. Could insulating become the next cladding crisis with it all being ripped off? I also have properties that have 'lost' 8 points in 10 years. How can the Govt expect us to hit their targets when they keep moving them? This bill will be introduced, LLs will leave the PRS and the Govt will be left scratching their heads wondering what to do about the housing crisis.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 July 2021 08:21 AM
1. 'This bill will help my constituents have lower fuel bills' - but watch their rent sky rocket as LL leave the PRS & those that stay put their rents up to cover the costs. If you want to lower fuel bills take the green subsidies off electricity bills (the only green fuel) - that will reduce bills by 40%. And since most electrically heated properties are lived in by tenants &/or low income families this will help those that need it most. 2. Sort out the EPC assessment so that gas boilers (due to be phased out by 3035) aren't the only way to get a C; electricity is recognised for its green credentials and improvements are feasible and cost effective. 3. How can you possible force owner occupiers to achieve a C? Most don't even know what an EPC is! This measure will single handedly decimate the PRS - personally I will be selling 7 of 11 properties that cannot make the grade. Where will these tenants go?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 July 2021 08:08 AM
Over demand + under supply = rising rents. Wait until EPC C comes in and LLs sell up in their droves - only a few will be able to afford the rents of the compliant properties. Where will the rest live?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 July 2021 09:16 AM
I am in favour of a LL database - especially if it then supersedes Selective Licensing schemes. If LLs had to register and then put their registration number on all tenancies surely prospective tenants would be able to see straight away whether or not their LL was compliant? If not they could be reported and maybe, just maybe we could start to see enforcement action against the real rogues instead of ever more regulation of those of us already complying with the law. At present many tenants rent from rogue LLs through ignorance or because they want to rent cheaply. This fuels the 'rogue' sector but with a registration number (or not) on documents they would be able to see easily if the LL is compliant. If they rent from a LL knowing there is no registration they would be part of the problem instead of a victim. Anything that exposes these crooks and removes them from the PRS is welcome in my view.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 July 2021 09:14 AM
Once again the PRS is being mistaken for Social Housing! Given the support there has been for LLs in recent years (none) is it surprising that LLs feel no duty to tenants? I am making as much money as possible before selling up and leaving the sector completely.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
09 July 2021 13:57 PM
Are we not allowed to make a profit on the investment we have made? We are not charities, we are businesses and we have invested our hard earned money into BTLs and provide homes for many happy customers. One bad tenant can leave us thousands out of pocket and the costs of running a decent BTL have gone up hugely in recent years. I also pass on all extra costs to my tenants. If you want not-for-profit housing get yourself a Council House!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 July 2021 13:03 PM
Let's combine two topics: renting with (quality) furniture and allowing pets. Not sure the second set of tenants are going to be quite so happy as the furniture now has cat claw marks & dog hair all over it!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 July 2021 06:45 AM
It’s fine - when your house burns down and you lose everything you put a sob story out there and crowd funding raises you enough to replace everything you lost!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
07 July 2021 07:36 AM
That's like all the LAs who said that LLs would absorb the cost of new licensing - dream on!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 July 2021 11:24 AM
Increased cost & regulations = LLs exiting market = less properties less properties + more demand = higher rent Basic maths!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 July 2021 07:31 AM
Council Tax is supposed to be used to provide services not as a punishment! Most LLs don't want their property empty but if they do why should they be penalised? You don't get punished for taking your car off the road and not driving it do you? I have an empty property - I desperately want to sell it and I have a developer who wants to buy it, but the legal wrangling & planning permission is so slow it has sat empty for 3 years. The Council Tax is an unwanted burden and their planning department the main cause!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 July 2021 07:26 AM
Andrew raises a lot of good points, however until the EPC regulations apply to the whole housing market not just the PRS & until EPCs accurately reflect improvements made and don’t ask for silly improvements it just feels like the Govt scoring points at LLs expense.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 June 2021 12:08 PM
We wanted to upgrade my windows (already UPVc) in a conservation area and put in a new (coloured) door. We asked if we need to apply for planning permission as loads of others in the same street had changes and had no planning permission. The Council said they hadn't got the resources to challenge offenders but now we had alerted us to the fact we were going to do it they would check up on us!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 June 2021 07:10 AM
As a LL I would only buy a property with, or able to get, an EPC of C or above. Not because I think this will help climate change or carbon emissions or even because tenants want this. No - simply because of arbitrary Govt targets likely to be introduced in the next few years. This will not make the housing sector better in terms of CO2 emissions, it will simply transfer inefficient &/or characterful houses to the owner occupier sector and reduce the PRS to boring, standard, but well insulated boxes. While Boris slaps himself on the back for achieving a target whilst signing off a new oil drilling platform and cancelling the Green Homes Grant, prospective tenants will be fighting over the few overpriced rentals available to them!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 June 2021 07:04 AM
Here's a blunt message back - not in my property!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 June 2021 06:54 AM
Just another example of the contradictory policies LLs have to contend with!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
29 June 2021 07:51 AM
I have tenants who opt for E7 tariffs when they don't have storage heaters or standard tariffs when they do! Generally they are so un-proactive (is that a word?) that they consistently over pay for utilities and stay with expensive suppliers so I agree that many pay too much. Then there are those who don't register with a utility company or simply do not pay!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
28 June 2021 07:21 AM
There has been a fall in possessions because it has been impossible to evict!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 June 2021 07:19 AM
So in 84% of disputed cases the LL gets all or some of the money claimed. Seems to me that's the bigger story!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 June 2021 07:47 AM
Surely you can remortgage at that .05% discount and all your problems will end! Oh - just done the maths and that 3.15% mortgage is more expensive than every mortgage I currently have! Your only option is to leave the PRS and sell to an owner occupier who has no obligation to improve the EPC.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
23 June 2021 07:38 AM
Look at the date - Dec 2016!! Why does it take LAs so long to deal with these LLs? No-one wants them in our industry but when they can get away with providing substandard housing for so long is it surprising they continue to do so?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 June 2021 10:50 AM
Unfortunately, in both residential & commercial sectors there are some who choose not to pay and the inability to evict them just plays onto their hands at the LLs expense.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 June 2021 16:13 PM
Landlord possession claims in Q1 were done because were was no possibility of evicting!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 June 2021 07:09 AM
Once again the assumption is that tenants are all wonderful people and LLs all ruthless, unfeeling money grabbers. The cost to repair the damage that can be done by even one pet is huge - considerably more than 1 weeks deposit - and tenants balk when given the bill. By not allowing pets in my properties I keep them in better condition (particularly the floorings) which new tenants greatly appreciate. How about thinking about those tenants who do not want to live with the after effects of a previous tenant's pet?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 June 2021 07:08 AM
Selective Licensing is just a means for Councils to raise money for their Housing Department, paid for in the end by hard working tenants in the form of raised rents. Croydon have been caught out!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 June 2021 06:51 AM
"Renting is so complicated" she says and then encourages tenants to use any possible error on the LLs behalf to their advantage! Not really sure 'doesn't remember receiving' is an accurate picture of events either! The PRS works best when LLs & tenants work together - this constant adversarial approach does tenants no good and is pushing good LLs out the door.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
07 June 2021 07:15 AM
The grubby, greedy LLs who put roofs over tenants heads with their own hard earned money! Where would tenants live without us? Do you feel the same way about supermarkets - making money from feeding people? Or utility companies - making money from energy? No-one does it for free- why should they?!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 June 2021 12:45 PM
That the most common recommendation is Solar Panels, costing thousands of pounds, shows why most LLs feel the whole system is ridiculous. The most common recommendation I have had recently is under floor insulation - costing thousands of pounds, disrupting tenants & requiring new flooring to be laid - all for a gain of £20 per year! Until the EPC is a fair reflection of a property and the recommendations sensible, LLs will just dump them on the market reducing voice & availability for tenants.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 June 2021 07:15 AM
The Council is on the side of the tenants - whether they are in the right or not! Ask LLs with non-paying tenants, unable to evict because of the ban on evictions, who they think has all the power! For a PRS to work e need all sectors to work together; Councils declaring all out war on LLs is not helpful.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 June 2021 07:04 AM
Eviction is never a quick option and usually it is the act of a desperate LL who has tried everything else!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 June 2021 06:58 AM
Can someone show this report to Shelter please? Clearly we are not all the rogues we are constantly made out to be!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 May 2021 06:54 AM
Good for them! Consultation over licensing is a tick box affair with Councils just riding roughshod over LLs to introduce licensing and the tenants end up paying the cost in extra rent. LAs already have the powers they need to deal with rogue LLs - licensing is just a way to fund their Housing Dept because they are short of funds.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 May 2021 06:52 AM
Decent tenants do not get served with S21!!! How many times must we say that LLs do not evict good tenants before we are heard? S21 is used because it is quicker and easier than s8 to evict for arrears and other issues but no LL wants to evict a good tenant. Like Jim, in 20 years I have issued 1 S21 - because I needed to sell a property, so its abolition is not of a huge concern to me. But the Govt must tighten up on S8 so rogue tenants can be evicted.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 May 2021 07:43 AM
Joining a redress scheme (when my agent already has to), no worries - I'll just pop the fee on the rent :)
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 May 2021 11:41 AM
Unfortunately for Generation Rent, most tenants are quite happy with their LL. Unfortunately for those tenants and their LLs this will be a self-selecting disaffected minority whose views will be extrapolated to the entire PRS resulting in more regulation and higher costs for the LL which will be passed on in...yes you guessed it...higher rent!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 May 2021 07:01 AM
Where are all the renters going to live when all the good LLs have been driven out of the PRS?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 May 2021 19:01 PM
Clearly their Housing Dept needs more funds. I feel sorry for the tenants, who through no fault of their own will now get an extra rent rise.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 May 2021 06:47 AM
They'll be back! The lure of the Capital will return once we are through Covid - people generally have very short memories.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 May 2021 07:06 AM
No-one has yet explained how the time when a LL is assessing, calculating and disputing a charge to the deposit in the old house will be covered. I am certainly not taking on a tenant without a deposit because it has not yet been released by the former LL! Even when things go well there is upto 2 weeks before the deposit is released - and if charges are in dispute, much longer. How is this going to be covered?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 May 2021 07:18 AM
Probably cheaper than trying to evict legally and having a non paying tenant for the best part of a year waiting for the courts to open! There is no mention in the article of how big the arrears were, but given no legitimate way to evict a non paying tenant for the last year I am not surprised that some LLs resort to this kind of behaviour.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 May 2021 07:14 AM
Its no wonder tenants don't get their deposits back if they need to be told such basic things!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 May 2021 06:58 AM
Is the answer 'Because tenants are still failing to look after the houses they rent'?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 May 2021 06:43 AM
The biggest barrier to becoming a homeowner is taking on expenses before buying. Live at home and don’t rent; don’t have children; don’t insist on the newest phone / car; don’t go on that ‘holiday of a lifetime’; don’t have expensive nights out all the time - these are all things that will help potential homeowners save. Once people prioritise ‘my own space’ / have children etc it becomes so hard to save enough for a deposit that many people will give up. The ‘must have it now / must have it new’ approach to life is the death knell for saving and the lack of financial education / understanding hamstrings a whole generation who will struggle to get on the housing ladder.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 May 2021 12:43 PM
Some interesting points: "First, we must ensure that adequate housing standards and living conditions are applied to the private rented accommodation, in the same way they currently apply to social housing” - I think there are plenty of issues in social housing that need to be dealt with! "Secondly she says landlords should be required to join a local accreditation scheme" - happy to do this. "The upcoming [Renters’ Reform Bill] must get the balance right for both renters and landlords and not tip too far in favour of one or the other.”- absolutely! All the talk is about renters but if LLs are not protected from rogue tenants they will leave and the PRS will continue to shrink. Shelter's sledgehammer approach where all LLs are bad and all tenants are good does more harm than good. The focus should be on addressing the problem LLs without putting further burdens on the good LLs which just result in costs being passed on to tenants or LLs leaving the PRS completely. Decent LLs want the rogues pushed out of the sector too but all the time there are tenants prepared to rent substandard accommodation because of the lower cost it is hard to drive them out. This is the area where Shelter should focus is attention, not on the decent LLs who are trying to do a good job, providing decent homes to their tenants.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 May 2021 07:07 AM
The sooner Council Tenancies are reviewed every 5 yrs and those who no longer meet the criteria are asked to leave the better! How can this situation be possible when the demand for council houses is so great?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 May 2021 16:15 PM
Of course not everyone in this situation is a bad tenant - but too many are for me to take the risk.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 May 2021 16:12 PM
Five weeks rent + VAT which will not be returned even if you leave your property in pristine condition - expensive for tenant. On a short term rent that is a huge premium to pay. Anytime you put a profit making venture between LL and Tenant there is a cost to be born, usually by the tenant.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 May 2021 06:56 AM
Tenants should not have to foot the bill for basic safety works but they do foot the bill for selective licensing in my properties - £890! When inspected my properties were 'well above the required standard' so they receive nothing extra for this payment - but nor do I - so their rent (like many others in Nottingham) went up to cover the cost. Nothing is achieved with selective licensing that couldn't be achieved under other legislation other than money to run Nottingham City's Housing Dept and a rent increase. Nottingham City Council is broke so they use Selective Licensing to plug the financial gap and who pays (literally) - the tenants!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 May 2021 06:51 AM
Generation Rent admit there will be wear and tear but say that that should not be taken from the deposit as it is not damage. They don't say that you shouldn't be surprised when your rent goes up - the only way to cover the extra wear and tear a pet causes.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 May 2021 07:02 AM
Insurers are there to make a profit - if you put a profit making organisation between LL & tenant all you do is increase the costs to - guess who - the tenants! Not to mention the difficulties in trying to get an insurance policy paid for by a tenant to pay out to a LL. In addition, even the most well behaved pet will increase the wear and tear on a property. I don't really mind a cat in a house with a 10 year old carpet but I refuse to have one in a house with a brand new one! Anyone with a pet in my property will find their rent going up to the max!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 May 2021 11:59 AM
But he is right - market forces will decide - so leave us alone to get on with running our businesses.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 April 2021 08:40 AM
Councils already have all the powers they need to enforce improvements in substandard accommodation. Licensing simply funds Council Housing Depts by pushing up rents for tenants.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 April 2021 08:13 AM
Do we have a comment from Shelter or Generation Rent?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 April 2021 08:09 AM
Wait until the EPC legislation requiring a 'C' by 2025 / 28 is passed. LLs like me will be leaving in droves.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
29 April 2021 07:02 AM
'Shelter and tenants' Groups' seem to forget that the PRS is just that - Private. They should focus their attention on getting more social housing built as this will not only stop rents rising but also create LLs with a social duty. The PRS is a profit making sector and due to the extra costs heaped on LLs by the Govt their costs, and so their rents, keep rising. Many LLs are not hugely rich and just trying to supplement their pay or pension. They do not have a duty to house people or to offer low rents - that is for the Social Housing Sector. Only when we invest in that area will rents stabilise - although there is no guarantee these will be decent houses, well maintained if recent revelations are to be believed!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 April 2021 07:44 AM
My daughter owns her own home and has 2 cats. I the first year she has had vomit, wee and blood on her carpets - and she is a 'responsible owner' with 'well behaved' pets. This shows the inevitability of accidents and is why pets are not allowed in my properties until I am convinced tenants are staying long term and are looking after my property.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 April 2021 07:07 AM
Shhhhh - don't tell Shelter!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
23 April 2021 07:09 AM
Unfortunately the SDLT holiday has done more damage to the prospects of FTBs than can be undone with a 95% mortgage! If you can buy a house now because you only need a 5% deposit, your monthly payments are gong to be bigger because you have to borrow more and at a higher rate. How is that helping FTBs?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
23 April 2021 07:06 AM
Why would LLs try to take part in any future Green Scheme after the fiasco of the last one?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 April 2021 14:37 PM
David - what is your experience of benefit tenants? Clearly as a tenant you have not housed them - people here are talking from experience. I agree with Andrew that benefits are supposed to be a safety net, not a way of life.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 April 2021 12:47 PM
David, I also have 11 sets of happy tenants, many who have been renting from me for several years. Don’t believe the press - and if you continually have problems with your LL then maybe it’s you or the type of property you rent.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 April 2021 12:41 PM
I want to kick that box every time I see it! My only dealing with Shelter resulted in an 80 year old leaving her home of 40 yrs to become a sofa surfer because they were more interested in beating a LL than supporting a tenant.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 April 2021 12:37 PM
I have issued 1 S21 in 20 years when I needed to sell a house to buy my own home. But I have had tenants break agreements, damage my property, not pay rent - who needs protection from who?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 April 2021 12:35 PM
Why would any LL want to take on a tenant 'facing homelessness'? Polite speech for 'in rent arrears!'
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 April 2021 09:00 AM
I can't believe anyone thought pre-tenancy training or a leaflet would make a LL more willing to accept a tenant! What we want is a guarantee that the rent will be paid - is that too much to ask?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 April 2021 08:58 AM
If you pay your rent on time and look after your property you are unlikely to be served a section 21. No LL wants to lose a good tenant.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
21 April 2021 07:22 AM
LLs are business people - if being green reduces costs we will be interested. Unfortunately, many of the recently announced 'Green Mortgages' don't have a market leading rate, because (guess what) the lenders are businesses trying to make money too! With the mixed messages coming from Govt - Boris is to announce cuts in emissions of 78% by 2035 shortly after cutting the Green Homes Grant & subsidies for electric cars - it is difficult to know whether this will be a successful tactic.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 April 2021 07:16 AM
Guess what - rents will go up and so the tenants will end up funding the Housing Dept instead of Central Govt. I get that LAs have had such big cuts in their funding that they need to be creative in how they fund their services but at least be honest and admit that this is about funding not standards.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 April 2021 11:36 AM
Making plenty of money in Nottingham - doesn't even make the list!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 April 2021 11:34 AM
90% collection rate & tenants who can't and don't want to manage their money - doesn't sound like a good proposition to me!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 April 2021 07:13 AM
There is always a reason (and usually a 'fault') - no LL wants to evict a good tenant.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 April 2021 07:25 AM
Its not an issue then is it and those of us who want to have pet free rentals should be allowed to say no?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 April 2021 07:24 AM
This will only be of any benefit if the EPC assessment is fit for use - which it currently is not. Replacing electric heating with gas (if you could) might increase your EPC but it doesn't make the house more climate friendly. Landlord are unlikely to spend the sums of money required to improve their properties' EPC when the whole assessment is such a lottery.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 April 2021 07:38 AM
GCH scores highly because it is cheap (although not green) and electricity scores badly because t is expensive (although can be carbon neutral). Gas is supposed to be being phased out by 2035 and yet it is the only sensible way to get to a C. The whole thing is a joke!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 April 2021 14:29 PM
Do the really think its the availability of funds that stops LLs from improving the energy efficiency of their properties? Rather I believe it is the cost (which needs to be passed on to the tenant); the payback (often £20 per year for a £4000 outlay); the vagueness of the EPC system (no guarantee what rating you will get after the work); the selectiveness (only applies to PRS not home owners); the farce of the Govts entire policy (Green Homes Grant - need I say more?); the timescale (ridiculously short) etc etc. Good luck with your new product NW!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 April 2021 10:07 AM
I hope he's got a satisfactory EICR!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 April 2021 10:02 AM
There are 2 major commercial - to - residential conversions near me that completed in the last couple of years. Both are electric only with EPCs of D with no potential to go higher. What happens to these - do they just get exemptions? Why were they allowed to be converted without extra energy efficient measures? It's a joke!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 April 2021 15:09 PM
Clearly he believes it will get him elected - and it might, as tenants may believe his propaganda & that of the militant leftwing anti LL brigade!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
09 April 2021 07:21 AM
Whilst it would be helpful to have the dates pushed back as suggested, in my case it will just mean the date I sell my properties will go back by a couple of years. I can get to a 'D' but the expense of getting to a 'C' will still not be viable for a LL like me, with perhaps only 10 years left in the game. There is no realistic alternative to GCH until EPCs reflect the 'green-ness' of electricity so my electric only properties will have to go to the owner occupier sector and my tenants will be left looking for alternative accommodation in an ever decreasing pool of houses. If you agree with me that EPCs are unfair in their current state please look for my petition on the Govt website & sign it if you can. I can't add the link on this site but if you search for EPC it will come up. Thanks.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 April 2021 07:45 AM
The cost of upgrading a property from E to C will not be covered by any saving from a mortgage like this, it just means an extra product is available to some LLs. If you ask me its just a gimmick - and all my mortgages have a significantly better rate than 3.99% (although they are also all less than 80% LTV).
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 March 2021 08:19 AM
Look out for the rent rises.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
29 March 2021 08:20 AM
If only EPCs could be scrapped as easily!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
29 March 2021 08:19 AM
It is not lack of finance that is holding LLs back from improving energy efficiency in their properties - it is that the measure used is opaque and ever changing. Trying to improve your EPC rating is like trying to hit a moving target without blindfolded. Give us a clear set of goals based on a consistent policy and we will invest in our properties. At present we are being asked to invest large sums of money with unpredictable results and no guarantee of being able to continue to rent our properties out. And please bear in mind that if LLs are forced to spend large sums of money on their properties they will look to recoup through rent. We are, after all, a business nor an environmental charity!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 March 2021 07:45 AM
John Elledge does a huge disservice to the many honest, hardworking LLs in the PRS who provide decent housing to tenants. Not everyone wants to live in a tower block with a faceless LL and most tenants have a good relationship with their LL. There is not a one size fits all for renters and small LLs are an important part of the choice for tenants. Although there are some rogue private LLs out there, the existing corporate LLs (LAs & HAs) are not without their faults and without the smaller LLs many tenants would struggle to find a home at all!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 March 2021 07:35 AM
Not sure I would call property 'low risk' at the moment! Like Shane, I am beginning to unwind - thank goodness Rishi didn't mention raising CGT in his tax proposals!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 March 2021 11:53 AM
Funny that they should announce this just as everyone is turning their heating off! As has been said before, tenants take no notice of EPCs when choosing a property and many expect to be able to walk around in T-shirts in January! EPCs a flawed and unfair - If you haven't signed my petition yet (and thanks to those that have!) search for 'EPC' on the Govt petitions website & it should pop up (unfortunately this website won't allow me to post a link ).
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 March 2021 11:50 AM
I know of 2 house fires this week where the occupants lost everything but did not have contents insurance - it is a false economy in anyone's book. However....is it not breaking the law under the Tenant Fees Act to insist tenants take out contents insurance?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
23 March 2021 07:51 AM
CGT and the 3% additional SDLT.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 March 2021 15:16 PM
I had a prospective tenant for a coach house with no outside space ask if they could bring their Labrador!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 March 2021 15:13 PM
Increase in CGT; EPC ratings required to be C; no section 21 eviction; forced to take pets - why would anyone choose to be a LL in 2021 and beyond?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 March 2021 07:21 AM
How on earth does a LL demonstrate a pet is poorly behaved? What a load of twaddle!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 March 2021 07:19 AM
I can only imagine there are serious issues of rent arrears, illegal occupation or some other serious issue for the Police to get involved in evictions. LLs and the Police don't just turn up and evict decent, rent paying tenants.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 March 2021 10:39 AM
Why doesn't the Govt just build social housing on this land?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 March 2021 07:34 AM
Councils are under huge budgetary pressure and this is one way they can fund their housing dept without using their own money. They don’t care that the rents go up - just that it relieves the pressure on their budgets. Unfortunately the tenants suffer.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 March 2021 13:57 PM
It’s becoming a 2 tier system - and like others here I am aiming for the top tier. All the time demand outstrips supply good quality houses will rent.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 March 2021 13:52 PM
People were always going to go back - they have short memories and I am sure London is a great place to live. And they've had enough time to realise a garden is hard work!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 March 2021 14:28 PM
They do realise it will cause rents to increase significantly don't they?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 March 2021 09:09 AM
I wonder whether they asked the question 'Would you support selective licensing if it increases your rent by £25 pcm?' ?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 March 2021 09:07 AM
I offered to top up the insulation in one of my properties to the recommended 270mm and the tenants said "No Thanks'!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 March 2021 10:30 AM
Bit of a risky market after the year we've just had!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 March 2021 14:26 PM
It's amazing how these types of proceedings are announced with a flourish as a great success. Success would've been stopping this LL long before he had raked in £750K!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 March 2021 15:56 PM
This is just headline grabbing and pandering to their target audience.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 March 2021 11:54 AM
Where are these tenants going to live? If LLs don't accept LHA and social housing is full do we just make them homeless?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 March 2021 11:53 AM
This is very noble of you - do they qualify for LHA? This looks. like they might not be claiming their due.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 March 2021 11:51 AM
Oh..and by the way...where do 'Public Funds' come from? The taxpayer - so we get to pay again!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 15:52 PM
I agree with what you say but you missed out that it was outsourced to a US company - how ridiculous was that!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 13:41 PM
Links can't be posted here but if you google Govt Petitions 559700 it should pop up, or on the petitions website put EPC in the search box. Thanks.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 09:39 AM
I think they are confusing the PRS with Social Housing!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 09:37 AM
How is a suspended sentence appropriate for this? That is a slap on the wrist for all the damage he has done, putting lives at risk, stealing power as well as growing an illegal drug!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 08:42 AM
If you, like me, think that going from an EPC E to a C under the current assessment is virtually impossible please sign my petition. You can find it on the Petitions website, number 559700.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 08:40 AM
This is all well and good but where is the protection for LLs who have tenants with huge arrears refusing to pay? The support for tenants must be balanced by a court system that allows LLs to deal with rogue tenants swiftly.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 08:38 AM
He's been home schooled for the last year!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
28 February 2021 07:59 AM
When Nottingham introduced SL the cost was passed to the tenants immediately - Nottingham had some of the highest rent increases in the country as a result!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
28 February 2021 07:58 AM
The important thing is not to pay CGT and IHT and you seem to have found away around it - good for you. You could sell it and give the money away - that too would avoid one set of tax.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
28 February 2021 07:55 AM
Whilst no-one condones rogue LLs this is another blatantly biased position. The Council could spend its money searching out and prosecuting rogue LLs instead of spending it on a few tenants who will presumably spend their entire rented lives looking for a reason to get a rent repayment order.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 February 2021 08:01 AM
You can already set 'Green Improvements' again your income on your Tax Return, so I think the NRLA are wrong about LLs needing to wait until they sell to get the credit.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 February 2021 17:41 PM
Part of the problem is the the LHA fuels rent rises - so rents go up, LHA goes up and rents go up again! When the Govt took the brakes of fLHA rises as a response to the pandemic, rents shot up again snd so tenants continue to struggle to pay. The solution is more affordable housing but successive Govts have failed to address the lack of building and we are in the sorry state we are.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 February 2021 17:39 PM
Selective licensing is just a way for Councils to fund their Housing Departments. They are so short of cash that they need the fee in order to do what they already have the power to do, but funded by LLs, who incidentally pass the costs straight on to the tenants!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 February 2021 17:29 PM
Consultation is a box ticking exercise. The one question the councils always miss off is 'Tenants - would you like your rent to go up?' It is the one certainty of SL. I know - its what I did when Nottingham introduced SL and I was not alone.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 February 2021 11:10 AM
I am one of the LLs who has got vouchers - 2 for external wall insulation. My installer won't be doing them until the summer and if the scheme ends early I won't be doing them at all. The vouchers only last 3 months (they can be renewed) but EWI can't be done in the winter so this is very worrying news.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
22 February 2021 11:06 AM
It has been proven over and over again that rent controls don't work - but it makes a good headline & tenants think its good so vote accordingly. Another politician who doesn't understand the PRS!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 February 2021 11:42 AM
Many people who have to be housed by the Council have been evicted from the PRS - probably for non-payment of rent - so why would we want to house them? Without wishing to tar all council tenants with the same brush, why would anyone risk getting a rogue family for the princely sum of LHA? Why does the social housing sector expect the PRS to bail them out?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 February 2021 11:41 AM
Students have maintenance grants to pay their rent - LLs don't have access to effectively interest free loans that get written off after 25 years, they have mortgages that need to be paid. Students pay little or no attention to the contract they sign and are just interested in living with their mates. They, and many other people, got caught out by covid. Unlike many other people, most have parents to fall back on. Those that don't can access a hardship fund. The pandemic was not caused by LLs so why should they take they hit? You signed a contract and you've had to absorb a loss. Welcome to the real world.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 February 2021 10:30 AM
Many renters, particularly the young, can only afford a room because Govt policy has forced rents so high. A combination of lack of building housing over decades and the availability of LHA for everyone has pushed the cost of renting a whole house out of the reach of many. That, combined with people's desire for their own space before they can afford to buy, has pushed demand for HMOs up. HMO LLs are only responding to demand - if people didn't want the rooms LLs won't convert houses in this way.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 February 2021 10:25 AM
I have sympathy for anyone who is suffering under the pandemic but I don't see the Govt insisting grocers and utility companies provide their services for free. Why is housing, arguable the first expense you should pay, different? By all means, offer support to people who need it - just don't expect the LL to foot the bill on his / her own.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 February 2021 07:54 AM
Any tenant who leaves my property with a debt can be sure I will go for a CCJ. Those who pay have nothing to worry about.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 February 2021 12:55 PM
Also read today that the Govt's Green Homes Grant Scheme is going so well they are withdrawing £1 billion from the scheme for year it has been extended by - that is half the funding! So much for Govt investing in our Green Future - it appears the only people required to do that are landlords!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 February 2021 17:05 PM
My rents are all going up.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 February 2021 14:08 PM
We all know this - its just that Shelter & Generation Rent don't want to see this type of headline as it doesn't support their agenda.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 February 2021 14:22 PM
If the answer is renting to the Council it must be a stupid question!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
10 February 2021 14:20 PM
Fine words but where is the action to support them?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 February 2021 12:49 PM
It took about 10 weeks for my voucher to arrive once I had finally found an installer to quote. I don’t quite understand why they only last 3 months when it’s unlikely the installer can do the work that quickly. I know it can be extended but why make more work?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 February 2021 12:00 PM
So SDLT is preventing new accommodation coming onto the rental market; extra costs like EICRs & reduced tax breaks are encouraging LLs to exit the market - you just wait until the EPC C regs hit - we will be running for the exit leaving hordes of homeless tenants behind us! This Govt is destroying the PRS without putting any extra social housing in place. Its a disaster slowing unfolding before our very eyes!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 February 2021 08:37 AM
Who'd be a tenant on benefits - there is no way you will get a property now or in the near future!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 February 2021 08:34 AM
All the climate change levies are currently loaded on to electricity bills - according to the Times this morning 25% of your electricity bill is this levy whilst it is only 2% of your gas bill. This discriminates hugely against properties with electric heating and adversely affects the EPC as the algorithm is based on cost.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 February 2021 09:55 AM
What about protection for LLs from non-paying tenants?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
03 February 2021 15:19 PM
Can see any great uptake on this - you need to get the Green Homes Grant issued first and this seems impossible!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 February 2021 09:54 AM
Given what some tenants believe 'clean' means I'm not surprised that this is the number issue. I've yet to meet a tenant who realises dust & grease settle on the top of kitchen cupboards and limescale seems to be an alien concept - I don't know what some tenants do to toilets!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 February 2021 09:52 AM
Nottingham City Council recently released the figures for their Selective Licensing Scheme. Since lunch in 2018 when they anticipated 30k applications the have had 24,069. That suggests 6k (probably more) LLs have not applied. A simple LL Register, where tenants could check their property is registered and report it if it is not, would help to flush out these 'hidden' LLs who are often the ones renting substandard properties. As an aside NCC have issued just under 17k licences - not what I would call a success story.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 February 2021 09:49 AM
You don't have to give a reason, just choose a different tenant.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 February 2021 10:25 AM
It's really interesting how many comments "pets in rentals' generate - you would think that alone should show the Govt how big a problem LLs believe pets to be. The bottom line is there are a significant number of renters who are not at all bothered about looking after someone else's property and until there is a way to identify them (and evict the) all tenants are treated the same and will pay the price.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 January 2021 11:51 AM
Inspections - pretty easy to spot a pet!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 January 2021 11:46 AM
You don't need to hold the amount as a deposit to charge it - bill them and if they don't pay do a MCOL.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 January 2021 11:45 AM
You don't need to put it in the agreement just do it on the next anniversary and tell the tenant the rent rise is due to them having a pet.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
30 January 2021 11:44 AM
No requirement to use the Govt's model tenancy.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
29 January 2021 11:00 AM
What are they using their grants for?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 January 2021 10:45 AM
Apparently the scheme is administered by a companion the US - how mad is that!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 January 2021 10:43 AM
The consultation is just a nod to the law, Councils take no notice! LLs tell them rents will go up and then Councils act surprised when they do! Given most Councils are broke this is their best way of funding their housing departments and if the cost is borne by the tenants that's a shame but we can always blame the greedy LLs can't we?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 January 2021 09:05 AM
More evidence! The LL wanted to move from his 3 bed house into a 1 bed rental! What was needed here was more common sense! This eviction order should never have been upheld.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 January 2021 09:01 AM
As someone with 2 family members who work in NHS hospitals I can confirm this is not just fake news but in fact simply a lie. It's idiots like you spreading fake news that is contributing to the death toll.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
26 January 2021 08:23 AM
Its not the death rate that is the problem, its the toll on the NHS! Have you been to a hospital this year? Or been waiting for an operation? We have to get on top of the virus for all our sakes is we want treatment in hospital for anything else in the next decade!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 January 2021 15:19 PM
Selling with non-paying tenants? Don't see that working and think it a bit mean to pass your problem on to an unsuspecting LL!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
25 January 2021 15:17 PM
I have started a petition onEPCs to help bring to the Govts attention the unfairness of the EPC assessment - if you agree with me please sign. I can't post the link on the website but if you google Govt petitions 559700 it should pop up under the title 'Overhaul current, flawed EPCs so that they are fair, accurate & relevant'.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
23 January 2021 08:31 AM
5 out of 5 LLs will say selective licensing would increase rents - but that's not going to be reported is it? And given the demands on Council resources at present how else will they fund their housing dept?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
20 January 2021 12:43 PM
Given that the tenant is (usually) responsible for utilities - except perhaps in HMOs - the LL cannot do this as the utility companies will only talk to the account holder. So this is a nonsense story!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
19 January 2021 07:39 AM
Can I claim a mental health breathing space and stop HMRC from chasing for my taxes??
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 January 2021 10:49 AM
But what happens if they go into a home or hospital or even die - how do you end the tenancy?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
16 January 2021 17:26 PM
So Kristjan, how does the porting work? If it takes 2 weeks to get the deposit back from the old house and it is not sufficient for the new house how does the new LL get the full deposit? I can imagine that some tenants will be happy to make it up but what if your tenant chooses not too?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 January 2021 10:56 AM
I too have tenants of this age and they really look after the property. My only concern is how all these older renters will cope when they retire. The lack of pension provision by most people coupled with no equity in a house to fall back on sounds like a recipe for disaster.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 January 2021 10:20 AM
What are they using their Student Loan for? I'm sure they are still receiving them!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 January 2021 10:11 AM
Our whole rental market is based on a 6 or 12 mth AST. To allow longer tenancies we would need a change from mortgage providers and possible in type of tenancy so that current eviction rules (!) still apply. My tenants can stay as long as they like as long as they pay their rent & look after the property - no need for longer tenancies here. In my experience it is tenants who have a change of circumstance and want to leave.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 January 2021 10:46 AM
If it is the insurance based product they are an expensive way to offer security for anyone who looks after the property and generally gets their deposit returned.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 January 2021 10:41 AM
How about the 'lifetime deposit' how exactly do you cover the gap between needing a new deposit and having the old one retuned - assuming that it is returned - and what happens if there is a shortfall of hundreds of pounds?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
14 January 2021 10:23 AM
An evictions ban together with a loan scheme for tenants - with money paid direct to LLs- would prevent people from being evicted whilst they get themselves back on their feet. The alternative is a landslide of evictions post covid with many tenants receiving CCJs &/or poor references so un able to rent again, LLs selling up and homelessness increasing. It is common sense & the Govt should see that a relatively small sum of money could prevent chaos in the housing market post covid.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 January 2021 12:34 PM
Nottingham Council seems to want all students in purpose built accommodation anyway so that the private houses go back into the 'family market'. Problem is these all inclusive, ensuite student boxes cost more than the maintenance grant!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 January 2021 10:06 AM
Not in a million years would I hand over my property to a council!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 January 2021 09:09 AM
When the evictions ban is finally lifted and the courts have caught up with the backlog of cases there will be a number of things that will happen: 1. Thousands of tenants will be made homeless with no alternative accommodation 2. LLs who have been badly affected will sell up reducing the number of available properties in the PRS 3. Those that remain will put up their rents to cover for losses 4. Anyone without a perfect credit history and a secure well paid job will be unable to rent. Surely the answer is to financially support the PRS (as is being done in Scotland & Wales) so that the arrears can be dealt with over a period of time resulting in tenants staying in their homes paying their rent and LLs remaining in the PRS.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 January 2021 09:08 AM
"No repossessions were recorded between April and end September 2020 compared to 14,847 in the same period last year." Presumably these were all excellent tenants who were unfairly evicted by the greedy LLs. I accept that there are tenants struggling financially because of Covid but why are LLs expected to pick up the tab? Many of them are struggling too and unable to access any meaningful financial support. Why doesn't the Govt support both sides of the housing market?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
11 January 2021 09:01 AM
Scotland have a tenants loan scheme - by all means prevent evictions but at least support the LL. A tenant building up a debt which is then set against a loan which must be repaid is much less likely to stop paying just because they can.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 January 2021 10:58 AM
With no help forthcoming from the Govt LLs will be forced to evict non-paying tenants as soon as possible even if they are willing to help them. The simple truth is that many LLs just cannot afford to bear the cost of a non-paying tenant. No-one wants to evict previously good tenants who have fallen on hard times but without financial support many LLs have no choice. Then, any tenant evicted for non-payment of rent will find it impossible to rent again from a decent LL so where will they go? Either into shady, off grid properties or on to the streets. Come on Rishi, give tenants & LLs a break instead of just businesses.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
07 January 2021 09:30 AM
Why would I want a non Trustmak tradesman to to the work on my property? And this doesn't address the time taken to get a voucher from the scheme - still waiting for mine :(
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 January 2021 11:42 AM
What will the renters do when they retire? Most won't have a decent pension and we will have a whole generation expecting the Govt to provide them with LHA to pay their rent because they can't!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
06 January 2021 11:40 AM
Where are all these people going to go when they are eventually evicted? They will never pass a credit check for the PRS again!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
05 January 2021 11:54 AM
I am not an Air BnB host but if I was why should I do this for free? How long would the person expect to stay and what happens if the abuser finds out where they are and trashes my house / car/ etc. I am all for supporting victims of abuse but this is a nonsensical idea. Surely empty hotel rooms would be a better solution. (Or Lib Dems' spare rooms!)
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 January 2021 14:06 PM
We had selective licensing introduced in Nottingham 2.5 years ago. Result - about half of the number of LLs expected applied and rents went up! So....no rogue LLs caught and Nottingham on the list of fastest rising rents in the country. My tenants gained absolutely nothing - except a rent increase!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 January 2021 14:02 PM
The problem is not LLs buying properties - they are investors who are responding to a supply and demand chain - it is the lack of building houese for decades by successive Govts. The lack of housing pushes prices up - for buying & for renting - then LHA paid to allow renters to afford to rent pushes rents up even further! Builders restrict the number of units coming onto the market so the price doesn't drop - why risk profits by building more? Build more houses and house prices stop rising; build more houses to rent and rents stop going up. This is Govt policy at fault, not landlords who are providing a much needed service.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 January 2021 13:54 PM
Ridiculous! HMOs fulfill a particular role, catering to a particular tenant. If you want an ensuite, rent an ensuite but don't force people who are trying to spend as little as possible on rent to pay for something they choose not to have. Next we will have an increase in LHA to cover the extra costs incurred because of extra facilities!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
31 December 2020 12:33 PM
I bough a property with a tenant in situ nearly 20 years ago - my solicitor was really concerned about lack of vacant possession but I guess now that is not an issue. I would be a bit concerned to do the same today, given the difficulties of eviction, but I can see how it works for many people.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
31 December 2020 12:30 PM
Nottingham City Council have just lost millions of pounds on an energy scheme and are about to go bust - I know they have a difficult job and a limited budget but as a business most Councils would not survive in the real world.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 December 2020 10:50 AM
Given the 'success' of the Green Homes Grant - firstly overwhelming tradespeople with demand and then taking forever to issue the vouchers - it is difficult to see how we can get this done even with Govt help. Personally I think the Govt should concentrate on getting ALL homes to EPC E before trying to get rentals to C. We also need realistic improvements - heat pumps in Victorian Terraces is not ever going to be the answer!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
24 December 2020 10:48 AM
Goodness - LLs are not all greedy, unscrupulous rogues! Who would have thought it!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 December 2020 10:35 AM
When the supermarkets give out free food and the utilities give out free gas, electricity and water then free rent should follow. Until then people should pay for necessities and cut back on non-essentials. The Govt has handed out money by the bucketful to people who have been furloughed or made redundant - whose money? Our money! We all pay. I am sorry for those who have been impacted by the pandemic but they must understand that the world has now shifted and they need to move with it not stand there bleating with their hands out!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 December 2020 10:33 AM
My understanding of the ruling in question was that the discrimination was against women and disabled people as they were more likely to be on benefits than other groups. The bottom line is that the PRS falls into 2 groups - working and non-working. The price charged and standard of property reflect which group is the target market. Low income people applying for high value property will not usually pass the affordability criteria or credit check - if those checks have to be done there is a cost to someone, which is ultimately passed on in rent increases. The 'No benefits' line generally saves everyone time and money. We can remove it but the result will be the same - the working tenant will get the rental. You can change the language but not the reality.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
18 December 2020 10:27 AM
I have a house that has never had mould until current tenants. Turns out they never put the heating on and condensation is settling on external walls and going mouldy! There is a difference between damp caused by structural issues and by tenants and LLs can only solve one type!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 December 2020 15:36 PM
Are tenants with guide dogs a large section of the population? I've never met one in 20 years of renting. The fees ban means LLs can no longer take a pet deposit or insist on professional cleaning - those changes made in favour of tenants have made LLs even less likely to accept pets.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
17 December 2020 15:11 PM
If tenants are to be given loans & grants how can we ensure they actually use them to pay off the rent arrears? Some, I am sure, will use it to pay off other debt - such as doorstep loans for Christmas - as we all know it is pretty impossible to evict a non paying tent at present.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
15 December 2020 11:53 AM
I think the drive towards greener homes is going to continue and denying it is just sticking your head in the sand. The problem is there isn't a reasonable alternative to a gas boiler that is relatively cheap to install and run. I guess the hard deadline will encourage R&D and so there maybe a solution soon that we are not aware of yet. But we have all got to go green whether we choose to or not.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 December 2020 08:20 AM
I think you mean lower not higher! A is high G is low!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 December 2020 08:17 AM
Renters pretty much can't be evicted, small businesses can claim grants and individuals have been furloughed - not everyone has been helped but many have. It is a hard time for everyone but your statements are not really accurate.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
09 December 2020 08:16 AM
Given that LLs need to get their properties up to higher EPC ratings using the GHG to do so is a no brainer. Because of the way this scheme has been put together there is no opportunity to 'choose' your contractor - you are limited to the one you can get to quote! So LLs are between a rock & a hard place - do I do the work and risk using a cowboy or miss the opportunity to benefit from this scheme, without which the costs of many improvements are prohibitive?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 December 2020 07:54 AM
Do Acorn realise that in areas where Selective Licensing has been introduced the most noticeable difference is rent rises as LLs seek to recover this extra cost? I hope in their coaching notes they include the facts that selective licensing increases rent, reduces stock and drives rogue LLs underground with even less oversight. Be careful what you wish for - you may get unintended consequences!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
07 December 2020 12:20 PM
LLs don't generally evict good tenants so who are these people who are being protected and why? There is absolutely no chance of evicted anyone at the moment who is not hugely in debt so where is the support for the LL in all this?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
04 December 2020 12:53 PM
Conciliation service? I can't see a LL who is owed £1000s in rent arrears and the tenant who owes them sorting it out over a cosy chat! Eviction process not helped by Councils refusing to do anything until a tenant is actually evicted. What we need is a swifter Court process for arrears and an increased social housing sector .
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 December 2020 15:35 PM
A year after SL came in in Nottingham the Council had received about 16,000 applications out of about 33,000 expected. It took nearly 2 years for my license to arrive even though I applied a month before the scheme started. I think there are thousands of LLs who have yet to apply. The authorities just keep hounding the good LLs with more requirements whilst failing to go after the real rogues.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
28 November 2020 09:58 AM
How long does it take to fine this LL? Over 2 years - no wonder so many don't bother, there a good chance they'll never get caught. Instead of patting themselves on the back the Council should be asking why it took so long!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 November 2020 15:30 PM
Just reports what most of us already know - unfortunately 'LL and Tenants get on' isn't usually newsworthy - but well done to Paragon for doing the survey and publishing the results :)
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 November 2020 14:52 PM
I believe this story could also be written as "Council failing to complete alterations required for family with disabled child causing family to become homeless". Depends who you want to slag off doesn't it? Eviction is not possible at present with significant rent arrears but "Tenant doesn't pay rent" isn't an emotive enough story is it?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
23 November 2020 13:15 PM
I also spell out the cost of oven cleaning (£50-£75) and other cleaning £20-25 per hour. That certainly helps some tenants focus on leaving the property clean! I also advise them which products work best - some people really don't seem to know anything about cleaning at all! The place I always find missed is the tops of kitchen cupboards - usually thick with grease & dust. I put newspaper on top now then it just gets thrown away :)
From:
Tricia Urquhart
13 November 2020 16:06 PM
This is a pointless article - if you haven't already got your quote and your tradesman booked you have no chance of accessing the Green Homes Grant. This whole policy is all 'Fur Coat and No Knickers'! It makes the Govt look good but costs nothing because no one can access it!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 November 2020 17:26 PM
The choice is CGT or IHT - just make sure you only pay one of these!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
12 November 2020 16:57 PM
Not really a plan of action for the majority is it?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 November 2020 16:35 PM
If we are to bring our properties up to an EPC C can we please have an energy assessment that is not fatally flawed? Gas - high score on EPC but Govt banning GCH from new builds in 2025 - how is this consistent? Storage Heaters - score better than intelligent electric heaters yet are inflexible and cause all your other appliances (and any boost to heating) to be charged at higher rate Modern electric radiators - efficient and controllable, can be powered by renewables yet slated by the EPC Assumptions made about construction and insulation based on age of property regardless of whether it is in fact correct. Recommendation inappropriate and not cost effective - solar installations on north facing roofs, £10k to do external insulation taking 30 yrs to get back in rent Older properties will be dumped into the owner occupier sector, where no improvements will be made, whilst LLs snap up modern boxes with GCH and charge more because they can! And overall, no improvements to the energy efficiency of the housing stock. Sheer Muppetry!!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 November 2020 16:35 PM
Why do Shelter persist in this adversarial monologue? We all know there are good and bad tenants and good and bad landlords. Instead of continually promoting the idea that all tenants are saints and all LLs are the devil they could come up with some constructive ideas for improving the PRS for all. Instead they LL bash and promote the idea that there is a war going on when the truth is that most tenants and LLs are quite happy! The PRS is not perfect so let's all work constructively to deal with the rogue elements on both sides and make it a good experience for all. If all the private LLs left there would be chaos so lets move forward together instead of taking sides regardless of the facts!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
08 November 2020 16:28 PM
If the property is unliveable why does the tenant want to stay?
From:
Tricia Urquhart
27 October 2020 12:42 PM
I don't have a problem with the general principle of improving the energy efficiency of my properties but I do have a problem with this proposal. 1. As already commented - the cost of getting a Victorian Terrace up to this level is prohibitive, if possible. I will sell mine to owner occupiers who don't care. 2. The EPC process is not fit for purpose - to get a better EPC I should rip out my highly efficient electric radiators (which can run on completely green electricity) and replace them with either storage heaters - designed by the energy industry to use electricity produced at night and horrid to live with; or gas central heating - which the Govt is trying to ban but which gives the highest EPC rating! This will result in a complete lack of choice for tenants as the only houses that will achieve a C or above will be modern, featureless boxes and the numbers of these available will mean sky high prices. Where are all the tenants who cannot afford these going to live? In a Housing Association house - if they can get one - which doesn't comply?!
From:
Tricia Urquhart
01 October 2020 14:08 PM
The 'have-it-now' generation can't buy a house because they are too busy buying cars / phones / 'experiences' now. We know its hard to save when you are renting but if there is no reason to save if you don't believe you can ever buy, so you can spend all your money instead. Additionally, the traditional route of buying a house before you start your family has been reversed and if you start your family in rented accommodation you greatly reduce your ability to save & therefore buy. Those who prioritise buying & are prepared to make sacrifices to do so still seem to find a way.
From:
Tricia Urquhart
02 February 2020 08:06 AM
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From: Tricia Urquhart
02 March 2021 11:53 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
02 March 2021 11:51 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 15:52 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 13:41 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 09:39 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 09:37 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 08:42 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 08:40 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
01 March 2021 08:38 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
28 February 2021 07:59 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
28 February 2021 07:58 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
28 February 2021 07:55 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
25 February 2021 08:01 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
24 February 2021 17:41 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
24 February 2021 17:39 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
24 February 2021 17:29 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
22 February 2021 11:10 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
22 February 2021 11:06 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
20 February 2021 11:42 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
20 February 2021 11:41 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
17 February 2021 10:30 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
17 February 2021 10:25 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
15 February 2021 07:54 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
12 February 2021 12:55 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
11 February 2021 17:05 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
11 February 2021 14:08 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
10 February 2021 14:22 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
10 February 2021 14:20 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
08 February 2021 12:49 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
08 February 2021 12:00 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
05 February 2021 08:37 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
05 February 2021 08:34 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
04 February 2021 09:55 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
03 February 2021 15:19 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
02 February 2021 09:54 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
02 February 2021 09:52 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
02 February 2021 09:49 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
01 February 2021 10:25 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
30 January 2021 11:51 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
30 January 2021 11:46 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
30 January 2021 11:45 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
30 January 2021 11:44 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
29 January 2021 11:00 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
27 January 2021 10:45 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
27 January 2021 10:43 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
26 January 2021 09:05 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
26 January 2021 09:01 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
26 January 2021 08:23 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
25 January 2021 15:19 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
25 January 2021 15:17 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
23 January 2021 08:31 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
20 January 2021 12:43 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
19 January 2021 07:39 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
18 January 2021 10:49 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
16 January 2021 17:26 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
15 January 2021 10:56 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
15 January 2021 10:20 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
15 January 2021 10:11 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
14 January 2021 10:46 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
14 January 2021 10:41 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
14 January 2021 10:23 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
12 January 2021 12:34 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
11 January 2021 10:06 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
11 January 2021 09:09 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
11 January 2021 09:08 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
11 January 2021 09:01 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
08 January 2021 10:58 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
07 January 2021 09:30 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
06 January 2021 11:42 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
06 January 2021 11:40 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
05 January 2021 11:54 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
04 January 2021 14:06 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
04 January 2021 14:02 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
04 January 2021 13:54 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
31 December 2020 12:33 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
31 December 2020 12:30 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
24 December 2020 10:50 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
24 December 2020 10:48 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
18 December 2020 10:35 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
18 December 2020 10:33 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
18 December 2020 10:27 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
17 December 2020 15:36 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
17 December 2020 15:11 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
15 December 2020 11:53 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
13 December 2020 08:20 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
13 December 2020 08:17 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
09 December 2020 08:16 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
08 December 2020 07:54 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
07 December 2020 12:20 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
04 December 2020 12:53 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
02 December 2020 15:35 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
28 November 2020 09:58 AM
From: Tricia Urquhart
27 November 2020 15:30 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
27 November 2020 14:52 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
23 November 2020 13:15 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
13 November 2020 16:06 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
12 November 2020 17:26 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
12 November 2020 16:57 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
08 November 2020 16:35 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
08 November 2020 16:35 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
08 November 2020 16:28 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
27 October 2020 12:42 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
01 October 2020 14:08 PM
From: Tricia Urquhart
02 February 2020 08:06 AM