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Jonathan Sandford

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No-one seems to have mentioned the impact on neighbours - even worse if the childminding takes place in a flat rather than a house. We had an application from a tenant - very professional in her approach - who asked for permission. She said her operating hours will be from 8 a.m. to 6 pm and would be run on a licence issued by 'tiney' as an Ofsted-registered Childminder Agency. Public Liability insurance is provided following successful registration. This includes Public Liability to a limit of £10 million, plus professional Indemnity and Legal Expenses cover. What stopped her request in its tracks was when she said she would be operating within the Early Years Foundation Stage and Ofsted ratio requirements. That means she will be able to care for up to 6 children under the age of 8 (floor space allowing). She also may choose to have some after school children over the age of 8 (if space allows and it is not detrimental to the younger children in her care). How would that go down with neighbours? We (sadly) had to refuse permission citing everyone has the right to peace and quiet and enjoyment of their own home without excessive disturbance from others which would surely not be the case if a childminding business was being run.

From: Jonathan Sandford 22 August 2023 09:49 AM

Cn someone please clarify what is meant by “newly rented properties” Does it mean that if a property was being rented prior to this legislation (if it happens) then it’s classed as an existing rented property rather than new and therefore exempt? Or does it mean that from the date of inception, even existing rented properties will come under the proposed legislation as soon as one tenancy ends and another begins?

From: Jonathan Sandford 06 September 2022 10:49 AM

Sorry but the landlord's behaviour is inexcusable. Anything that compromises safety deserves to be punished. We had a landlord who had 6 Tamil curry house waiters in sleeping bags on the floor of a large room in an Edwardian house. These guys were only paying £65 per week (in 2018) but they had a choice of 3 bathrooms, a large fully fitted kitchen/diner with 2 large freezers and it was their choice to sleep on the floor in the same room. I would defend our landlord against any criticism of exploitation as he was doing the best he could to provide a safe living environment . As I said, it's the unscrupulous landlord who deserves to be punished but our one would no doubt be charged with overcrowding and operating an unlicensed HMO if caught

From: Jonathan Sandford 20 July 2021 11:35 AM

Many tenants using the term “DSS” have no idea what it means. The “Department for Social Security” hasn’t existed since 2001 but most people recognise the acronym, especially within the context of “No DSS”. We had a mother of 2 children apply for a tenancy, based on housing benefit plus working the maximum allowable hours in a supermarket. She gave us the impression that although she was living from hand to mouth each month with absolutely no spare income, she would rather have a finger cut off than miss a rental payment and for the first 14-15 months she was a model tenant. However, after rejecting advances from a co-worker, said co-worker shopped her to the council by saying she was working excess hours allowed under the receipt of benefits rules (she wasn’t but why let the facts get in the way of an opportunity to visit grief?) The council immediately issued a sanction and suspended her housing benefit. The English legal system works on the presumption of innocence. Not the benefits system. She was deemed guilty from the outset and was absolutely mortified that she was immediately in arrears with no prospect of recovering the deficit. Our experience trying to speak with the Council wasn’t as bad as Genevieve Nash but they were absolutely impenetrable. Our landlord client was unsympathetic and asked us to start eviction proceedings against her. In the end, her stepfather paid her arrears but not before she had almost become a nervous wreck despite the co-worker being found out to have lied out of malice. Our tenant is still in situ and hasn’t missed a rental payment since but sadly, she is the exception. The easiest way to avoid problems is “Sorry, no DSS”

From: Jonathan Sandford 20 April 2021 10:44 AM

So I'm leasing a Bentley Continental GT Convertible costing £2809.09 per month plus VAT. Business has been wobbling for a while now and I can't afford the repayments. So I've stopped paying. Apart from trying to recover the arrears, the leasing company now have the temerity to demand the car back but I won't give it to them. My justification is that I need a car to do what little business is left and also to get down to Waitrose for my weekly shop as I can't get a delivery slot. So I'm keeping the car and depending on the outlook for my business, may or may not resume payments and may or may not address the arrears. The leasing company have got pots of money - they can afford it. How many people support my stance?

From: Jonathan Sandford 18 March 2021 14:15 PM

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