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Tom Dawson

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Just a small point but when interest rates did plummet to near zero for owner occupiers post 2008 crash, btl mortgages were consistently higher by a couple of %. So the PRS (and the tenants who have been paying the rents to fund these mortgages) has actually been quietly recapitalising the banks over the last 15 years. It is nice that government wants to thank us with all of these friendly reforms that encourage us to contribute to stabilising the financial sector.

From: Tom Dawson 26 September 2023 09:11 AM

This is nuts. I have student tenants in Wales and having checked with the NRLA, their position of understanding is that we can issue a 12 month contract but we cannot insist on students leaving at the end so when the next cohort of students are signed up (which always takes place whilst existing students are in occupation) then I would be sued for contractural disappointment!

From: Tom Dawson 15 June 2022 08:58 AM

So this council admits that most landlords are good, which means the licencing of their properties was pointless. And the letters/notices/fines that were issued came about because tenants brought the issues to the council's attention and the council used existing legislation to enforce standards. We do not see in this article any issues that were highlighted and solved through expensive licensing.

From: Tom Dawson 05 May 2021 10:21 AM

Actually I think there is a win-win here. I would be open to councils leasing my property at LHA rate if they took on maintenance beyond fair wear and tare and guaranteed the rent by paying direct on day one with an additional responsibility to take on any tenant issues such as ASB or any other reason which might make them borderline homeless. . For me that would mean no agent fee and no voids. For the council that would be significant savings over having to pay out to bed and breakfast or even to charities (who offer the same terms I propose here but many take a big chunk of cash to put in poorly trained staff and not adequately support the tenants but have bloated management - the savings could provide for nationally accredited and trained workers to work with tenants properly). If proper accountability can be devised then this is a problem that can be solved. Maybe I am too much of an optimist but quietly chipping a way at councils and offering solutions to them may get their different departments to work together. One day all the headline grabbing we see now will be seen for what it is but we are a way off from that yet. One we get past celebrity culture and value substance culture then the whole of society has a chance.

From: Tom Dawson 21 April 2021 09:24 AM

Just how does licensing protect good landlords?

From: Tom Dawson 15 March 2021 08:53 AM

Hi Tricia. I have gone onto the government petitions website and cannot find it to sign. Would you have a link please?

From: Tom Dawson 01 March 2021 08:51 AM

Given that many agents charge 10% or more to manage properties plus get an extra dollop of cash for finding tenants, this should also be considered. If the councils are to offer to do this, I would want a professional independent inventory done with a commitment from the council to restore to that standard at the end of the lease period. Some indemnification from ill thought through government policy might be another useful carrot such as EPC C by 2025. I agree with Andrew though in that my experience of dealing with one council is that they have lied to me about a potential tenant who was on a bond scheme of theirs who I agreed to help. He was fleeing as a witness to a crime and being persecuted. What the council did not tell me was that he was a witness to his own crime, he was the perpetrator and a paedophile to boot. He lasted a week. My house had every window smashed and door kicked in. Much more damage than the bond scheme would cover. SO there are duplicitous officers working at councils who have their own agenda and really do not care about us even when we are trying to help.

From: Tom Dawson 10 February 2021 09:01 AM

Different people charge different amounts but where I let out student property the halls fees are far in excess of what I charge and I worked out that halls probably make as much profit in one term as I do in a year or a year and a half. I am not a charity, I make a profit but it is not exorbitant. So university halls of residence can easily give a full term off rent free and still make it back later. Those of us who have for years now not been trying to rip students off but make simple honest business will not have the capacity to go for grand gestures out of the oodles of profit made from charging students more than their entire maintenance allowance for accommodation. Actually with lockdown 1 I did refund utilities for those who had left to stay at home. Presently all my students are in residence and not at home, so they are using the house with all it provides and so should be paying in line with their contracts.

From: Tom Dawson 08 February 2021 09:00 AM

10k from landlord to improve insulation quality? I agree it is important but there is no thought as to how this stacks up against the value of the property. 10k represents almost 3 years rent in some parts of the country where there are cheaper houses and cheaper rents. It also is about 20% of the capital value of the house. Many of the tenants in these houses are LHA and have been staying for a very long time, quite happily. BUT if this is really going to happen there will be house sales aplenty in these areas and a significantly dwindled housing stock. Perhaps this policy thought (like so many others) has been dreamt up by a London/SE bubble person. Also why are landlords being targeted for this? Surely if home insulation is so important (and it is important for sure) then all home owners should be forced or fined to the same standard? Already my rental properties are at a higher standard than many privately owned homes, so go pick on everyone, because everyone should be a part of the solution. It would help if we actually made most of the insulating materials in this country. Celotex/Kingspan etc are all made in one factory in Germany with different badges put on them. Why are we not making these materials here?

From: Tom Dawson 04 February 2021 09:21 AM

"Throwing people out of their homes during a pandemic might be a government policy...." Hmmmm.

From: Tom Dawson 27 January 2021 09:12 AM

What about tenants who don't want to stay for twelve months? There is already a problem with this where a worker in an area for a short time can only do short stay lets up to 90 days and after that it is a 6 month AST. Suppose someone has a four month contract to work in an area, that is already tough. Now there are quite a few who have between 7 and 11 month contracts who we cannot legally produce the correct paperwork for.

From: Tom Dawson 30 October 2017 08:48 AM

In addition to this, most housing associations cherry pick the better quality tenants leaving those who struggle with the responsibilities of a tenancy to the PRS. So in the PRS we offer far better value for money not just on rental costs but also on the disproportionately greater hassle generated

From: Tom Dawson 29 September 2016 09:43 AM

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