Robert Brown ... Landlord Today

Michael The problem with no fixed lease term is for joint tenancies, there needs to be unanimous agreement to give notice and potentially one tenant can stay put with the others moving out and stopping paying. Currently many Scottish students are just giving 28 days notice, with little chance of the flat being relet before the next session in September. There will be many flats now let to professionals and a shortage of student flats come September, but many flats will be left with no tenants for the next six months.

From: Robert Brown 27 October 2020 11:19 AM

From: Robert Brown 27 October 2020 11:12 AM

Personally, I have never been better off - and with cruises cancelled, payments returned in full, my biggest problem or frustration is finding a good low risk yield for the money piling up in my bank accounts. The highest rate I have found is 3.05% with Natwest but such accounts severely limit the amount of deposits. I am seriously thinking of buying more properties but I need to weigh up the frustration of low yields versus the hassle of further property investments. I guess I'll just have to do more fancier cruises next year as I don't know what else to do with the money that is accumulating faster than I can spend it on things I want or need.

From: Robert Brown 27 October 2020 11:12 AM

Most landlords want to engage with problem tenants. The problem is usually that those tenants don't want to engage with landlords. If I had an ongoing commitment for something I couldn't afford I would want that commitment to end ASAP. I wouldn't just stop paying and think that was a reasonable course of action. Most landlords would be quite happy to waive any remaining term of the tenancy and accept the deposit as full and final settlement in exchange for the tenant leaving the property promptly and in good condition. No trashing of the tenant's credit rating or harming the tenant's chance of securing a more affordable home as early as possible in return for no trashing of the landlord's property or harming the chance of securing a more suitable tenant as early as possible. That sounds like a win win to me. Why are so many lefties so keen on a lose-lose outcome?

From: Robert Brown 27 October 2020 10:59 AM

I have had the same flats back , either almost pristine with no damp or mould, or with a lot of damp and mould. Same flats - different tenants - no remedial action needed in the property other than cleaning up the mess after tenants left. Damp and mould are issues are usually due to lack of proper ventilation caused by not opening the window and drying clothes inside. It's very rarely a problem with the property or the fault of the landlord.

From: Robert Brown 27 October 2020 10:48 AM

John That's why I actually like HMO properties with several tenants who, probably unknown to most of them, are actually locked into the joint tenancy until they unanimously agree to end the tenancy. I use this to get rid of any unwanted tenants who want to stay on with new flatmates and to retain good tenants with new flatmates. This, along with solvent guarantors who value their credit ratings, has meant I have only had one eviction out of around 300 tenancies over the years.

From: Robert Brown 27 October 2020 08:52 AM

Totally agree. I have some large 4 bed flats let to 4 students but with expensive alterations and HMO licences. The market rents for these went up about 20% overnight in 2004/5 when Glasgow City Council brought in its HMO licence for all properties with more than 2 unrelated adults, irrespective of its size. When I was a student around 50 years ago, the same flats had 8 to 10 students sharing. The main risks were food or alcohol poisoning or skin problems associated with unwashed sheets, bodies etc. Fires were pretty unheard of, even with a high number of smokers. Councils and young people unwilling to share rooms are the main reason for rents being so high.

From: Robert Brown 26 October 2020 13:54 PM

As I've said before, I can't think of any safer home for my money than PRS, with yields of 8 to 10% easily achieved on 100% equity properties and approaching 20% on 50% ltv mortgaged properties and nearly 30% yields on 75% ltv, although the risk at that level is greater but still less than any other investment currently. These figures are purely on revenue returns and are significantly better when historic capital growth is factored in.

From: Robert Brown 26 October 2020 13:43 PM

If rent controls are as effective as energy price caps then most landlords have nothing to worry about. It seems many tenants are happier to pay around £300 higher capped energy prices than shop around for better fixed deals.

From: Robert Brown 26 October 2020 13:37 PM

They need to have an option where GR can sign it from the sofa. Obviously too much effort for most of them currently - or trying to solve a non-problem like most GR and Shelter campaigns?

From: Robert Brown 23 October 2020 09:27 AM

Desperate tenants wouldn't grass and become homeless. Solutions are to build more and incentivise property owners to let long term. Currently the incentives are to give up letting long term.

From: Robert Brown 22 October 2020 13:00 PM

Used to be called lodging or flat sharing! It's nothing new but previous generations accepted their financial limitations and didn't expect everything on a plate now!

From: Robert Brown 22 October 2020 09:35 AM

Same observations as the next post. Make PRS more attractive and landlords will make properties available for long-term lets instead of Airbnb etc.

From: Robert Brown 22 October 2020 09:28 AM

His properties should be confiscated by the council, brought up to standard and let out by the council. However the other side of the coin is his tenants are still better off than if they were homeless and the homeless "charities" need to stop making the PRS less attractive to landlords thus causing even more homelessness and forcing desperate tenants into such circumstances.

From: Robert Brown 22 October 2020 09:26 AM

London is suffering due to a drop in demand. The property shortage continues elsewhere as will the booming rental market, especially with the rent dodgers preventing properties from being let to decent tenants willing and able to pay market rents.

From: Robert Brown 21 October 2020 17:50 PM

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, so perhaps you may be right again some time but I don't think it will be the same day.

From: Robert Brown 21 October 2020 17:47 PM

The places people are moving to will enjoy a boom in market rents, especially with lots of rent dodgers sitting it out until eventual eviction. Perhaps not such an ill wind.....

From: Robert Brown 21 October 2020 13:21 PM

Look on the bright side Mark. Lower rental demand in London means higher demand elsewhere with limited availability, so rents elsewhere will soar. Happy days!

From: Robert Brown 21 October 2020 13:16 PM

Politics of Envy! Locals could take lower offers from other locals if they wanted to do so.

From: Robert Brown 21 October 2020 08:51 AM

Yes...... Hundreds more dying of Covid. No Deal Brexit looming. Possible vaccine for Covid around Christmas. US Election in 2 weeks. Nothing else happening? Wrong again Seb!

From: Robert Brown 21 October 2020 08:50 AM

Susanna Can you please clarify what you mean? Do you mean the size of the penalty, the fact it's paid to the tenant and not the public purse or something else?

From: Robert Brown 20 October 2020 22:36 PM

What qualification in statistical analysis do you have which would justify your question and encourage us to pay any attention to your post on this occasion?

From: Robert Brown 20 October 2020 22:31 PM

Seb You really must hate tenants otherwise you wouldn't mock those who genuinely want to keep them in homes and want to limit the risks of having to evict those who want to meet their legal obligations but find circumstances preventing them from so doing. I pity you for your pathetic attempts to belittle decent landlords and tenants.

From: Robert Brown 20 October 2020 22:25 PM

Surely the disproportionate fine is the costs incurred by decent landlords and tenants to pay for the Council departments, regulations, building alterations etc. now imposed in response to problems caused by the rogue minority? Scotland brought in mandatory HMO licences for all properties with more than2 unrelated adults around 20 years ago. The HMO licences cost over £1900 initially plus £953 every three years, plus mandatory mains operated smoke alarms, fire doors etc. costing £3000 plus per property along with annual PAT tests. This was in response to a double fatality in a fire in a basement flat, which is still not required to comply with the new regulations as it houses only two adults. Incidentally this landlord was jailed, but for perjury, not manslaughter and has been in trouble again recently - so much for close ongoing monitoring of known rogue landlords! These additional costs led to many large flats being occupied by only two adults, shortage of larger properties for rent and consequently higher rents. This is what I call disproportionate, not the fine imposed on rogue landlords.

From: Robert Brown 20 October 2020 13:50 PM

Totally agree! The rogues who have made the setting up of Council departments to monitor the PRS should have to foot their entire costs. Why should decent tenants and landlords have to foot the bill to police these rogues?

From: Robert Brown 20 October 2020 10:05 AM

Mediation has almost certainly been tried in the vast majority of cases which end in eviction. It's nothing personal. Landlords just want paid what is due to them and tenants can then usually stay as long as they like. If a tenant's circumstances change, then they may need to change where they live, just like owner occupiers who can no longer afford mortgage payments if their circumstances change. Public sector needs to take responsibility for the more "vulnerable", or get the so called charities to provide proper help instead of just counter productive agitation. Landlords can't be expected to subsidise tenants no longer able or willing to pay their way.

From: Robert Brown 20 October 2020 10:00 AM

Why doesn't this fine go into the public purse? While it seems deserved it contrasts with community service order recently given to a thug who beat up his landlord.

From: Robert Brown 20 October 2020 09:50 AM

This kind of landlord gives us all a bad name. If he's given a record fine, why are we not allowed to know his (or her) name? At least this fine goes into the public purse, unlike the next door story.

From: Robert Brown 20 October 2020 09:48 AM

I thought that- because without government help where required, no one wins. I'm on the side of both decent landlords and decent tenants. A government loan could provide a solution to both. Decent tenants don't deserve eviction but landlords can't and shouldn't be expected to put up with any non paying tenants, whether normally decent people who want to meet their obligations or feckless rent dodgers.

From: Robert Brown 19 October 2020 10:35 AM

Totally agree. Most landlords and tenants are on the same side, with coinciding, not conflicting, interests. Same goes for most bosses and workers, suppliers and customers etc. Socialists don't understand that there are win win options in most things where there are reasonable people involved. Perhaps they don't understand reasonable behaviour - only conflict?

From: Robert Brown 19 October 2020 10:26 AM

If people don't have the money to pay their rents then they should either borrow the money or vacate the property. A government loan scheme doesn't cause extra debt. The tenants have already incurred the debt in rent arrears. A government loan actually prevents the debt escalating with statutory interest, court fees etc. avoided. Why would anyone who claims to be on the side of tenants be against them getting loans to avoid eviction and greater debt?

From: Robert Brown 19 October 2020 09:29 AM

This information should be aimed at tenants. It's their responsibility to keep the property clean. Why should landlords incur the costs of dealing with a cockroach infection caused by slovenly living?

From: Robert Brown 19 October 2020 09:21 AM

Even when they are given information they ignore it.

From: Robert Brown 19 October 2020 09:18 AM

David I'm sure you could have said it ruder- and with some justification! Keep the faith!

From: Robert Brown 18 October 2020 19:36 PM

It's the rent dodgers holding on to tax payers' cash given to them to pay their landlords that are despicable people. Sensible landlords want nothing to do with them. There are plenty of decent tenants to choose from. Why should we choose scum?

From: Robert Brown 18 October 2020 17:43 PM

Lou may be right about higher IQ in some recent or future tenants but Javad is right about low IQ in the vast majority of past tenants. Getting free money to pay your rent but not paying it and thus eventually getting evicted sounds pretty low IQ to me!

From: Robert Brown 18 October 2020 17:00 PM

David You should buy in Scotland. The SNP are even more helpful - rents up 33% virtually overnight when their crazy PRS legislation came into force in December 2017!

From: Robert Brown 16 October 2020 16:35 PM

The more landlords who give up, the greater the demand for my properties and market forces will push up the market rents. I can't think of any other investment vehicle giving a better risk/return ratio, albeit with a bit more hassle than lower yielding but lower risk and higher yielding but riskier investments.

From: Robert Brown 16 October 2020 10:49 AM

Tenants should get their priorities right. If you want a pet, buy a property. Don't expect a property owner to risk damage from your pet. Another example of how limiting tenant deposits has come back to bite them. They probably still think that the do gooders are on their side!

From: Robert Brown 16 October 2020 10:41 AM

I would say that a tenant living in a property he couldn't or wouldn't buy is living off the landlord - not the other way round!

From: Robert Brown 16 October 2020 10:00 AM

I bet a third of many tenants' earnings normally goes on fancy clothes, costalot coffees, booze, holidays and pcp cars - none of which is essential. Food and rents are essential and affordable on two thirds of normal pay with appropriate budgeting and prioritising.

From: Robert Brown 16 October 2020 09:57 AM

Market forces will always prevail. As soon as people can get back to their normal profligate lifestyles and throw their money at the non productive hospitality sectors then all the currently unnecessary former employees will be re-employed and demand for rental properties ( which has not diminished in most places) will drive up rents and property values yet again. With a huge number of high rise flats currently unsaleable, demand for traditional properties will increase pushing up property prices and market rents. I'm in this for the long haul and don't believe there is any safer home for the money I have worked hard to accumulate along with the alleged windfall gains from rising property values over the last 40 years and rising rents over the last 15 years.

From: Robert Brown 16 October 2020 09:52 AM

Our properties. Our choice. No discrimination, it applies to all pets and all tenants.

From: Robert Brown 16 October 2020 09:39 AM

As ye sow........ Perhaps they might be better asking landlords, usually successful businessmen who have continually had to adapt to changing circumstances, to run an experienced eye over THEIR business practices and suggest where economies can be made. It's my understanding that no public sector employees (I won't use the term workers) were furloughed and continued to get paid 100% irrespective of whether any useful work was being done by them. In addition the number of council executives earning six figure salaries is outrageous.

From: Robert Brown 16 October 2020 09:35 AM

Damian This was a breach of regulations, not a crime! Even if it had been a crime, it was victimless. Contrast the recent story of a thug getting a few hours community service for attacking a landlord.

From: Robert Brown 15 October 2020 17:15 PM

Unfortunately much of what you quite rightly want would be unenforceable or easily changed by the tenant once they had secured the tenancy. Pricing out benefit claiming tenants and ensuring solvent middle class guarantors is the safest way forward, although even the seemingly most suitable tenants can now be subject to enforced diminished circumstances. In such cases, hopefully their guarantors will ensure early vacant possession to minimise their liabilities. We live in unique times where affording something isn't regarded as a prerequisite to obtaining or retaining it, especially if it belongs to someone whose diligence, foresight and effort now has them perceived as richer and thus less deserving.

From: Robert Brown 15 October 2020 14:45 PM

Paul I had noticed that no one had responded to Seb's recent posts and from the tone of his post above, he is desperate for us to engage with him. Hopefully we won't return to the stage where we rise to his taunts and will in the main continue to ignore him.

From: Robert Brown 15 October 2020 12:53 PM

A 2.5 times penalty might be legal but is NOT reasonable! What loss did the tenant incur? It would appear that there was either damage or rent arrears which should be paid to the landlord. Compensation should be proportional to loss. This penalty, if levied at all, should at least have gone into the public purse. It also looks like one less property is now available for rent in an area of high demand.

From: Robert Brown 15 October 2020 08:55 AM

Surprise surprise! Make it more difficult to get rid of rogue tenants and landlords will be much more careful in tenant selection. No more benefit of the doubt. As ye sow...........

From: Robert Brown 15 October 2020 08:51 AM

The local sellers could always accept a lower offer from another local buyer. The sellers determine the price and who buys. Don't blame landlords and second home owners who already pay an extra stamp duty penalty. Local sellers have a choice and can stop this happening if that was their higher priority. Perhaps those who complain could set an example on their next house move?

From: Robert Brown 15 October 2020 08:49 AM

SNP making the PRS less attractive to Landlords, more Landlords sell up, fewer good properties available for growing demand from tenants, market forces cause market rents to rise for those landlords sticking it out. Well done SNP!

From: Robert Brown 15 October 2020 08:44 AM

Simple. Don't look for asbestos and you won't find it.

From: Robert Brown 13 October 2020 16:23 PM

Totally agree. A 2.9% increase in students means 2.9% more after a diminishing amount of student flats. Guess how sympathetic that will make me?

From: Robert Brown 13 October 2020 16:16 PM

Tax Airbnb and other tax dodgers to pay something towards furlough costs.

From: Robert Brown 13 October 2020 10:08 AM

In that case, HMRC will (eventually) turn their attention to spare room. I know that they do occasionally focus on small local holiday letting agents where there are lots of holiday lets and flex their muscles. I enjoyed witnessing this happen in a popular Open Golf venue a few years ago, with a healthy six or probably seven figure sum extracted from many home owners cashing in on five figure rentals from golfers and spectators.

From: Robert Brown 10 October 2020 11:38 AM

Paul These idiots don't seem to realise that for every eviction of a feckless rent dodger, a home is made available for a more deserving tenant from the 97% who will honour their obligations. I've never understood why Shelter etc protect the rent dodgers - kindred spirits perhaps - taking not producing?

From: Robert Brown 10 October 2020 09:30 AM

Janet Any intelligent plant from Shelter etc. would make wild anti tenant posts to paint landlords in a bad light. Only a stupid plant would so obviously have a go at landlords - so I think you are right. There are a couple of stupid plants posting on this site!

From: Robert Brown 09 October 2020 22:12 PM

Totally agree. Airbnb users letting rooms short term and tax free are a scourge in many residential areas. It has destroyed the enjoyment of hard earned properties for many Edinburgh residents and probably in other cities as well.

From: Robert Brown 09 October 2020 18:34 PM

Yes - but lots of them use Airbnb.

From: Robert Brown 09 October 2020 18:30 PM

Good! I've never understood why they get £7500 per annum tax free while landlords providing homes get taxed on turnover.

From: Robert Brown 09 October 2020 13:05 PM

Great post! No way should rent dodgers get off the hook. Pay up or move out should be the message.

From: Robert Brown 09 October 2020 13:03 PM

I have generally found students to be easier to deal with than young professionals, less fussy and picky, if a bit less tidy!

From: Robert Brown 09 October 2020 12:59 PM

Like in many cases with the younger generation, it comes down to how the parents are. Middle class solvent parents tend to take their responsibilities seriously, even if their offspring don't.

From: Robert Brown 09 October 2020 12:57 PM

I have found wealthier students with wealthier parents as guarantors and joint and several liability tenancies to be relatively reliable - apart from a couple who left in March on 4 weeks notice and were then outraged when I refused to take them back for the new term as the flats had already been taken by new tenants who committed to stay until next June at the earliest. Some parents can be snobby but all damage is paid for as soon as I see it and I have never had any bad debt as they value their credit ratings. I have also had good tenants who are not students with solvent guarantors.

From: Robert Brown 09 October 2020 10:03 AM

No David The rogue tenants win - at the expense of decent landlords and tenants! I'll never understand why the do gooders keep supporting the scum and harming the decent valuable productive members of society. Maybe their driving force for equality makes them happy with a race to the bottom?

From: Robert Brown 08 October 2020 22:40 PM

Seb You make a valid point but then destroy it with vitriolic unfounded comment. Given rent arrears only affects around 3% of tenants then surely that small minority should be helped out short term until they can assess their longer term strategy? A tax payer funded loan for rent arrears and ongoing rent payments would have an immediate partial repayment of 20 to 60%, depending on the individual landlord's marginal rate of income tax, plus a significant chance of full repayment ( plus interest?) from the tenant debtors. Where is the downside of such a scheme, other than the loss of pleasure to some in not seeing landlords bear the brunt yet again? However landlords' attempts to support methods that would allow tenants to remain in situ are dismissed by you as only after their pint of blood! No other business is compelled to continue to provide a service no longer being paid for, so landlords can hardly be criticised for supporting measures that help their tenants and them!

From: Robert Brown 08 October 2020 14:40 PM

In that case the SNP has sentenced its renting supporters from never feeling at home! It's very rare for a decent tenant not to stay on after the initial period of the rental agreement. "No fault" evictions are largely a myth but actually work in the tenants' favour in hiding the real reason why the tenant is looking for a new home. In Scotland, where they can no longer hide behind the myth of a no fault eviction, landlords are now alert to checking tenants out more thoroughly before giving them potentially unlimited possession of a six figure asset that will be extremely difficult to repossess if things go sour. This higher risk caused massive departures from the PRS, accompanied by massive market-driven rent increases for the best properties. Yet again, loony lefties have ended up harming the vast majority of decent tenants to protect the minority of rogue tenants.

From: Robert Brown 08 October 2020 14:26 PM

No reason to trash their credit ratings if they honour their debts. It's time that unpaid rents could trash rent dodgers' credit ratings without the hassle and expense of a ccj. But if a ccj is needed to teach them a lesson then that's what will happen. It's time that everyone took responsibility for themselves and their families and didn't expect the taxpayer to pick up the tab, other than for a short period of unexpected problems. Longer term problems need longer term solutions - like moving somewhere cheaper or to find jobs, moving in with family etc. There were lots of fruit picking jobs available recently with free accommodation but we had to rely on immigrant itinerant labourers whilst young fit UK residents languished on furlough or Universal Credit.

From: Robert Brown 08 October 2020 14:14 PM

From: Robert Brown 08 October 2020 13:13 PM

Surely any bad debt from defaulting tenant loans is more fairly shared among all tax payers than borne solely by innocent landlords? Given the treasury will get 20 to 60% of this loan returned as income tax by landlords and could get 100% back from tenants through paye or benefit reductions, this must be a win win all round? Thirdly the tenants avoid eviction and the tax payer avoids the higher cost of temporary accommodation. Only someone who hates landlords and private tenants would dislike the idea of tenants' crisis loans to allow them to stay in a home they can no longer afford, hopefully temporarily.

From: Robert Brown 08 October 2020 13:05 PM

On reflection I think the real easy money has yet to come - when those without the deepest pockets or thickest hides are eventually sickened enough by feckless rent dodgers and misguided do-gooders to give up. Their properties, probably in poor repair when their tenants eventually vacate, will be picked up cheaply at auctions. However the resulting shortage will push rents through the roof!

From: Robert Brown 08 October 2020 10:40 AM

It has NOT been easy money for the vast majority of landlords! Long hours spent redecorating frequently, cleaning up after tenants, passing up on luxuries - even some necessities trying to plan for the future. The easy money is what the rent dodgers get, especially when they don't pay rents with tax payers money already handed to them.

From: Robert Brown 08 October 2020 09:06 AM

Every flat bought for renting potentially provides a long term home to those who can't afford to buy and many of them will never be able to afford to buy. The Council and LHA's can't house them all. Would Mark rather they lived in cardboard boxes?

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 17:17 PM

I've just noticed this was in Guernsey. Don't they still have the birch? That would have been an appropriate (additional) sentence!

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 11:06 AM

David You disappoint me. Surely Shelter wants to do what is right to ensure as many good quality properties as possible are available to rent - even if that means punishing those who trash them? PS. I think I'll go and lie down until I'm thinking straight again!

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 11:01 AM

Agreed. Most home owners are working when he's on the box. Wonder if there's any connection between working hard and home ownership?

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 10:58 AM

The average length of a tenancy is well over 3 years in most parts of the country, so plenty of time to make it their "home". "No fault" evictions are a leftie myth. Landlords don't evict good tenants, especially now when they can't easily evict and so much prefer the "devil they know".

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 10:54 AM

But if you had voted labour last time you would have got communism!

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 10:49 AM

Totally agree Fred. Years ago there was an indexation allowance which took inflation into account and thus mitigated the amount of Capital Gains Tax payable on long-held property investments. If this were brought back, plus allowing landlords to "roll up" unused annual CGT allowances and make Stamp Duty less onerous then I am sure many landlords would be happy to sell to those first time buyers with the gumption to sacrifice some luxuries and save the necessary deposits.

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 10:49 AM

Life has always been difficult for first time buyers - with mortgages rationed during the credit squeeze of the 70's, 15% interest rates in the 80's or 90's (can't remember when exactly - only remember the pain). The difference with previous generations is we worked to overcome the difficulties - with deposits saved over years from earnings and not funded bank of mum'n'dad, no granny's equity release or legacies etc. So why not encourage landlords to "right" what you see as a "wrong" by providing tax incentives if landlords sell to first time buyers - assuming the ftb's can sacrifice their fancy cars, holidays, costalot coffees etc. to save the deposit? To help all home buyers, landlords already have a 3% (4% in Scotland) Stamp Duty penalty imposed on property purchases. We also, uniquely, pay tax on turnover, not profit, pay 28% CGT - with only a single year's CGT allowance - no matter how long we have held the property we then sell. By contrast those who could more correctly be called speculators can bed'n'breakfast shares to get an annual CGT allowance, enjoy an annual dividend tax allowance and those who buy over businesses can get £1 million of capital gains taxed at 10% instead of the 28% paid by landlords. However I suspect you're not too interested in finding "solutions" to the "plight" of first time buyers and more interested in continuing to hammer landlords!

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 10:41 AM

Does Boris not like the colour of No. 10's front door? He could always move out! Perhaps in his younger days his experiences of living in other peoples' houses were largely limited to an overnight stay after a party? NB. Note the use of PERHAPS - a question, not an allegation!

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 09:33 AM

Almost all properties are handed over to tenants in good condition but many are returned trashed. Will Shelter support landlords seeking compensation to restore them to the condition they want them to be in?

From: Robert Brown 07 October 2020 09:23 AM

Mark I wonder why you continue to read them then and certainly don't know why you continue to post on this platform!

From: Robert Brown 06 October 2020 21:52 PM

Paul I don't know the answer. I remember being pretty frustrated in the early 2000's about rents not being able to rise and cash flow being impacted by the expense of new fire doors, smoke alarms etc. to comply with the new HMO licence requirements along with its cost of around £2000 for the first three year period. It was pretty borderline as to whether to sell up and pocket the capital gains or stick with it. I suspect many landlords sold up and the shortage of rental properties helped break the rent freeze log jam. I also remember mortgage rates rising during that time until the banking crisis which also helped to keep rents on the rise. However the biggest contributor to higher rents was the December 2017 legislation which helped rents to jump by a further 30% virtually overnight, again probably due to landlords pulling out or moving to Airbnb to retain control of who stayed in their properties and when they could be told to leave. It also looks like the high density cardboard clad student residences are losing popularity due to their success in incubating and spreading Covid-19, so demand for domestic flats is soaring and rents continue to rise, just a pity I don't have any vacant properties and can't get rid of any currently underpaying tenants, although rent reviews will be on the cards very soon!

From: Robert Brown 06 October 2020 18:06 PM

In Scotland around 2005 a combination of compulsory landlord registration plus HMO licences for all properties housing more than 2 unrelated adults ( irrespective of size of property) broke the market driven freeze on rents that had been there for 10 to 15 years previously, with increasing capital values driving property investment during that fallow period. Since then, with those changes plus the December 2017 legislation forbidding landlords and tenants from agreeing mutually acceptable tenancy durations, rents have more than trebled and property values have continued to climb, albeit more gradually, but probably doubling again over those last 15 years. Decent landlords have nothing to fear from registration or licensing but decent tenants will foot the bill for placating the leftie envy of a more enterprising section of society.

From: Robert Brown 06 October 2020 15:06 PM

It would have been totally different if a landlord at the end of his tether had acted like that and put a tenant in fear of his life! It doesn't say if the thug is still a tenant? Hope he's enjoying a homeless hostel or cardboard box somewhere!

From: Robert Brown 06 October 2020 14:51 PM

Andrew I've found that the harder I work the luckier I get! I suspect the same is true for you. Perhaps lack of luck and lack of application/determination/perspiration/inspiration and aspiration go together? I was once told "Don't waste energy on envying someone. Spend energy on emulating them instead." The politics of envy portrayed by landlord bashers will only backfire on the tenants they claim to support.

From: Robert Brown 06 October 2020 14:44 PM

Paul I don't ring fence £10k per tenant - just a single float of £10k plus. I also take comfort from the fact that I have at least one solvent guarantor per property who wants to keep a good credit rating and so far, a simple email has been enough to resolve the few late or missed rent payments over the years. I suppose I have been lucky (helped with a little common sense) that my properties are all pretty nice and with multiple people wanting them, so I tend to get the pick of tenants and have only been let down badly once by someone who went seriously off the rails, ending up jobless and on Housing Benefit. I know I may not be typical but I suspect that there will be many landlords of 20 plus years who are in the same position.

From: Robert Brown 05 October 2020 22:14 PM

Paul I meant it was necessary to keep one float of £10k plus available to cover shortfalls and unexpected costs, not £10k per tenant. With a portfolio of 16 properties, solvent middle class guarantors and £250k gross rents to cover around £20k interest then I am quite comfortable with the level of risk currently. However it was different when I started out, with the rent barely covering the interest payments and capital growth being the principal driving force for investing in properties then! PS. Gosh! Have I become one of the fat cats the Tories are supporting?

From: Robert Brown 05 October 2020 18:01 PM

Just enjoy being wealthier than most lefties - apart from Labour front benchers, past and present! PS. Don't even think you could ever be wealthier than any Tory front bencher!

From: Robert Brown 05 October 2020 17:53 PM

Totally agree. When I was a student around 50 years ago, it was quite common for at least 8 to share a 4 bed flat - sometimes more in older flats with huge rooms. Now Glasgow City Council limits occupancy to 4 unrelated adults in a flat built to accommodate at least twice that number and charges nearly £2000 initially for a 3 year HMO licence with over £900 payable every 3 years on renewal. That's on top of around £3000 for new fire doors, mains operated interlinked smoke alarms, emergency lighting etc. No wonder rents are still on the increase and the housing shortage isn't getting any better. If students were willing to share bedrooms with flatmates (and not just casual strangers) then individual rents could be halved and lots of student flats available for housing families.

From: Robert Brown 05 October 2020 16:13 PM

Are owner occupied properties less dangerous than rented properties - or are tenants more dangerous occupiers than home owners? If the answers are both NO, why force landlords to incur this expense? If the answers are YES, then surely it would be fairer to charge all new tenants a one off fee to cover the cost of such alarms instead of landlords having to recoup this expense from increased rents which unfairly affect the more responsible and longer term tenants?

From: Robert Brown 05 October 2020 16:01 PM

Paul I'm not sure that I would venture into the PRs now with a high ltv mortgage, but it was certainly my best ever business decision in the mid 90's. I won't get rid of any properties but also won't be buying more and am keeping a healthy five figure sum in easy access accounts just in case, even although NS&I have just slashed their interest rates from 1.16% down to 0.01%. That is the nub of the problem. Cash earns nothing now and I think the stock market, which I am not that familiar with, is riskier than property, even with all the disadvantages thrown our way by recent legislation and tax raids. If I were still in my thirties ir forties I think I would still go for properly investment after optimising all available tax relief through pensions invested in a variety of stocks across various countries and business sectors. The multiplying effect of gearing, transforming a rental 6% yield into almost 24% with a 75% ltv mortgage is still too good to pass up for investors with time and liquidity to smooth out any bumps in the road ahead.

From: Robert Brown 05 October 2020 15:47 PM

Paul I still think a potential 24% yield plus capital growth is worth the risk longer term provided landlords can bear a loss of rental income for the time taken to regain possession from rent dodgers. If the official legal remedies remain ineffective in the longer term I can see a potential business opportunity for intelligent but muscular "consultants" setting up to advise rent dodgers of the considerable advantages in leaving promptly and quietly rather than staying put and accruing further rent arrears. It's a great pity that Shelter, Crisis, Generation Rent etc. don't take the longer term view and give better advice to those struggling or failing to meet their financial obligations.

From: Robert Brown 03 October 2020 12:04 PM

Even replacement of single glazing with double glazing is tax deductible, although it could be regarded as an improvement. A rare example of common sense from HMRC.

From: Robert Brown 03 October 2020 11:55 AM

Almost every article comparing alternative investments ignores the multiplying effect of gearing or leverage available on residential btl properties. 20 to 30 years ago I was quite comfortable with a 90% ltv mortgage but now I wouldn't go for more than 75% ltv ( if I were still investing personally which I am not as currently 40% of any gain would eventually go to HMRC and I give them enough already in income tax). Getting back to gearing, with a 25% deposit then a nominal 6% yield on a btl property grows to 24% gross, less about 1.5% interest on the 75% mortgage. That £240 per annum income per £1000 equity is solely on rental income and capital growth should augment that further. A 25% increase in property values represents 100% increase in equity on a 75% ltv property - not an unreasonable assumption over a few years based on past performance. The risks are that the 25% equity is wiped out by a 25% reduction in property values and the rent doesn't get paid. I don't think the former will happen and would guard against the latter with solvent guarantors being required. I therefore believe property investment, using money lent by the more cautious (or timid) building society investors is a much better and safer investment than any other investment opportunity. Government bonds might be safer but NS&I has just reduced its interest rate from 1.16% to 0.01%, so earning 10p per annum on every £1000 "invested". I prefer the £240 per £1000 of equity from a 24% return on equity plus probable capital growth which is why I won't be selling up and would advise anyone with a net worth under the iht threshold to invest in property but do so carefully and cautiously.

From: Robert Brown 02 October 2020 22:23 PM

Paul If he doesn't agree then you must be doing something right! I think you have found an excellent way of protecting yourself against the currently totally dysfunctional PRs legislation. However if I were to spend at least one night per month in each property I would hardly ever be at home, would have one room less to rent out in each property and in any case most of the properties are now in the names of my grown up children and their spouses would probably have something to say about them spending regular nights away in properties occupied by young singletons - on second thoughts........!

From: Robert Brown 02 October 2020 21:26 PM

Seb I don't really care what you believe, or think or say. However I do care what many other posters on this platform believe, think or say - because I respect their opinions and suggestions. I would only care about what you say on here if I thought those whom I do respect would be influenced by your comments but since I really don't think that will happen your comments are no more than a source of amusement to me and I suspect to many others. Any feelings of anger, outrage or astonishment I may have experienced with your earlier posts have been significantly diluted by the sheer volume of them, illustrating the old proverb of the emptiest vessel making the most noise.

From: Robert Brown 01 October 2020 22:20 PM

Please don't claim to read my mind. I care deeply about my tenants but I expect them to care enough about me to meet their obligations to ne, as I meet mine to them. Si far, I have only been let down badly once - by a DSS claimant!

From: Robert Brown 01 October 2020 13:38 PM

Replacing single with double glazing counts as an expense as does renewing a boiler. Using self assessment it's very likely that income tax relief as your highest rate would be available, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this stuff is a good investment for any landlord or tenant. I have never had any tenant ask to see or discuss the epc rating of any property. Many even linger on the highest standard tariffs instead of shopping around so saving energy costs is not a priority for the average tenant. The only energy they want to save is that expended on getting up off the couch! This is probably much more relevant to owner occupiers but as said earlier the government doesn't want to upset them by forcing unnecessary and unjustifiable costs on them - so yet again go after the landlords!

From: Robert Brown 01 October 2020 10:16 AM

Seb As well as not understanding how business in general works, you clearly don't understand how insurance claims and premiums work. I agree with Paul (usually do) about the £15k potential cost of a rogue tenant, but this cost would be recovered over a long period and not from a single tenant in one payment. I also do agree with you that it is unfair on the good tenants, but given market forces and tenant demands for my properties, I believe it is a fairer method all round than my bearing the cost, selling up and making around 50 joint tenants homeless. Of course the fairest thing would be for the rent dodgers to pay up and the next fairest thing would be for them to leave quickly and quietly but these rogues are not in the business of acting fairly and many of their supporters are too stupid to recognise how unfairly they are behaving.

From: Robert Brown 01 October 2020 09:58 AM

Prices won't fall long term unless the population falls, especially with the short life span of new build cardboard clad flats.

From: Robert Brown 01 October 2020 09:01 AM

Watch them go bust when market conditions change again.

From: Robert Brown 01 October 2020 08:59 AM

Totally agree. Even the accredited tradesmen admitted the last green deal scheme was a scam as they paid the scheme £300 for leads and hiked the price to cover this. End user always pays.

From: Robert Brown 01 October 2020 08:57 AM

Landlords tend to meet much more of the Generation Rent than any other sector does and in my extensive experience in dealing with them I think Andrew is 100% correct. I even had one young couple ask to be released from the remainder of their lease to move in with Mum and Dad to save a deposit. I readily agreed only to discover they put their returned deposit down on a new car on a lease contract costing most of the monthly rent saved.

From: Robert Brown 30 September 2020 19:12 PM

After a totally unjustified delay! Australia can get rent dodgers out in two weeks. We need the same so properties can be let to more deserving tenants willing and able to pay their way.

From: Robert Brown 30 September 2020 13:30 PM

With the debacle in high density student accommodation, demand for normal properties is going through the roof for landlords who can tolerate snobby parents and frequent redecorating. I wish I had some void flats as I could increase the current rents quite significantly.

From: Robert Brown 30 September 2020 09:03 AM

Seb If you had been paying attention, or understood what other posters were saying (I know that can be difficult sometimes with some posters) you would have learned that many legal remedies are currently not available - which is why many landlords are so infuriated. In the long term, hopefully, most obligations will be met and the defaulters will regret not taking advantage of any offers to move out early and limit such obligations. In case you have forgotten already, I fortunately am not experiencing any issues with rent defaulters but that doesn't disqualify me from expressing my concern for fellow landlords and showing my disgust for those tenants unwilling to minimise any potential loss to their landlords by leaving promptly as soon as they can no longer afford to pay their rents or other obligations.

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 22:52 PM

Totally agree with cutting cloth - which is why tenants unable to afford their rent - a legal obligation - should immediately vacate properties no longer being paid for. In my experience every landlord would be sympathetic enough not to pursue them for any unpaid unexpired period of lease or even notice period. Companies cutting dividends usually suffer drops in share price as investors exercise their right to pursue other potentially more profitable investments. By accepting landlords' generous offers to leave without having to settle future obligations, tenants can reciprocate this generosity by allowing landlords to pursue more profitable tenants. Pretty similar outcome to that available to stock market investors - can't see why anyone with any common sense would object to landlords being able to do this, or support tenants being able to deprive landlords of such a basic right!

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 22:18 PM

Ssb I haven't a clue what you're on about but during my long and successful period of education I was taught to investigate anything important that I didn't understand until I could make sense of it. However I was also taught not to waste time on trivialities not meriting further investigation so please don't take the trouble of enlightening me on what your post is supposed to mean.

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 22:07 PM

Mark I haven't a clue what point you're making - but then, that isn't that unusual and I suspect I am not alone. You're not related to Jeremy Corbyn by any chance?

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 22:00 PM

Andrew You probably could afford to buy a Rolls Royce but the reason you can is because you won't. If the price of everything was reduced to the level that everyone could afford it, what would be the point of anyone putting in any effort? That is why Communism failed.

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 19:23 PM

Seb The guy who first said. "bah humbug" ended up repenting his actions and words! We can but hope!

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 15:20 PM

Seb Yet again my response has ended up in the wrong reply (above). Looks like you might be getting to me - but don't count on it!

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 15:18 PM

Seb As I have said before, one doesn't need to have suffered personally to complain about or highlight iniquities. I am disgusted by the support given to the feckless, reckless and hopeless at the expense of the decent, prudent and responsible. I am amazed anyone would think otherwise - assuming they have the appropriate apparatus (to think at all).

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 15:16 PM

Andrew At least you get to see them being evicted within an hour of being made aware of the problems. If only real life were like that! I'm also not allowed to watch such programmes and since my wife cut back on going out to the shops, gum etc. I'm finding opportunities to catch up on such programmes pretty limited - but probably better for my blood pressure!

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 14:59 PM

It seems some posts are disappearing from this platform. Anyone else noticed that too?

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 14:46 PM

An even easier solution is "don't stay in a property you can't afford". Such rent dodgers are being totally selfish as they are not only defrauding their landlord, they are preventing more deserving tenants from renting this home and since market rents include a premium to cover the risk of such defaults, they are also defrauding other decent rent paying tenants due to their selfishness, fecklessness, indolence and/or intransigence in not moving out promptly to make the property available for others.

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 14:37 PM

Jon I think he's right. You were totally right to get the ccj against the first tenant to show you weren't bluffing but it might have been better to warn them to play ball and point out the benefits of avoiding a ccj for the second tenant by co-operating with you. The problem with many tenants in such a position is that they close their eyes to reality and wouldn't act rationally so making the second ccj inevitable. There are no easy answers, which is exactly how the anti-landlord groups ( including government) wants it, so no change is likely soon and not until the housing shortage gets much worse but even then it would mean them understanding cause and effect.

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 10:57 AM

Jacob There is a real business opportunity for a group who would combine brain and brawn to (quite legally) "engage with" rent dodgers and spell out their various options so that they see that voluntarily vacating your property without delay is "best all round" - no violence or even threats of violence (although the tenants may misinterpret things as a threat of violence! I would be happy to provide the brain and perhaps someone like Seb could provide the brawn ( he certainly couldn't provide the brain!). Seriously I do believe there is an opportunity for such a service as no one wins in the long run with the current methods. My concern with using current unofficial and unregulated providers of such services is that they verge on or cross over into criminality and using them would leave me vulnerable to both the service providers and those receiving their "advice".

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 10:47 AM

Market forces prevail. There only need to be enough or more people able to afford higher prices or rent for the best properties to be snapped up. The doomsayers will be proven wrong yet again.

From: Robert Brown 29 September 2020 09:24 AM

In your case, two punches are better than one. BTW I am definitely not poor - haven't been for many years and don't expect to ever be poor again, despite the efforts of various Governments and defenders of rent dodgers and others.

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 21:44 PM

Seb I had replied earlier but it ended up in the wrong place (like some of the more recently joined posters). Anyway you'll find my reply in a reply to the post above. Hope you can find it more easily than you can find any common sense in most of your posts!

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 19:42 PM

Andrew Having an equally enjoyable and cozy afternoon/evening in Scotland. I've now got over any annoyance or outrage to some posts from various ill-informed posters and moved on to enjoying our various exchanges. I'll continue to enjoy them as long as it remains harmless, coupled with a nagging thought that there are some real undeserving victims on both sides. My main nightmare is if my IQ and bank balance ever got confused with that of some of our fellow posters! Thanks for all your likes - much appreciated!

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 19:37 PM

Seb. We don't just provide bricks and mortar for the tenants to build the properties. We provide fully functioning homes, often fully furnished. Your analogy is down to your usual standard!

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 16:42 PM

Pointing out unfairness and inequities is not the sole right of those who suffer them. Others should support them whenever such things are identified. That applies equally to landlords being taxed on revenue instead of profit, being forced to continue to provide services to non-payers etc. ( unlike any other business) and to deserving Universal Credit claimants who do not have enough to live on due to the system being overwhelmed by the feckless and work-shy.

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 16:38 PM

Fair point (for once!). My posts should all be assumed to begin with "in my experience" but then everyone should only speak from experience - although that would severely limit the number of posters and posts on this platform!

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 16:31 PM

Seb The world has far too many people who are consuming our resources much too quickly. The green protesters have a valid point but they aren't doing enough to solve the problem. They need to gather closely together in their millions, not just a few thousand at a time when demonstrating or holding up the traffic, if they are going to have any effect on saving the planet! The students seem to be showing them how it should be done. I forgot to add them to my list of non-contributors but they seem to have realised their status as such and agreed to self-inoculation of the Chinese virus ( title courtesy of Donald Trump - talking of non-contributors reminded me of him!).

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 16:26 PM

There are also reports of around 1/3 of food bought being thrown away, which would explain a lot of the 80 million versus 60 million figures. Interesting to see what clothing sales tell us about the ethnic styles and quantities of clothing sold? That might be more reliable evidence of a hidden immigrant population - unless they stay hidden and naked!

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 16:10 PM

Seb This was meant to be a response to. Seb's post of 14.45 today but seems to have ended up in the wrong place ( a bit like some of our anti-landlord posters!). It's totally justified to complain about unfairness, even if it doesn't affect one personally. The pressure on the small % of landlords who are suffering from the government-sponsored rent dodgers (egged on by Shelter etc.) must be intolerable. Had I been 29 years later in starting to build my portfolio I would be worried sick. I've worked long and hard to be "successful" and planned carefully but I do admit to having benefitted hugely from the rise in property prices over the last 40 odd years since I first became a home owner and from the SNP sponsored increases in rents over the last few years. That doesn't disqualify me from campaigning against iniquities when I see them. Incidentally I am amused by the outcries from those initially forced not to work after 23 March about potentially being forced to live on Universal Credit - which led to the over generous furlough scheme ( although full time landlords were and still are excluded). I do hope one consequence of this pandemic is an overhaul of the benefits system so that those who deserve and need help get enough of it, but those who don't deserve it or fraudulently spend benefits meant for rent get their comeuppance - but I don't think that will happen unfortunately and the furloughed fortunate will revert to complaining about paying to support those in need.

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 15:54 PM

Seb I have set my portfolio up so that I actually own a very small portion of it ( around £1 million equity) with the majority of it already in the names of my grown up children - to minimise inheritance and capital gains tax whilst continuing to benefit from the entire rental stream. I'll never get out of the PRS and the current debacle with high density student accommodation has led to unprecedented demand from students desperate to get into normal domestic accommodation, so I personally continue to feel optimistic about the future of my portfolio but that doesn't mean I don't support or sympathise with fellow landlords trapped with rent dodging scum, apparently supported and lauded by some of the contributors to this platform.

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 14:11 PM

Even by your figures 97% of us aren't lying in claiming full rents are still being received. That doesn't make the current unfairness acceptable.

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 11:09 AM

There are still plenty of solvent potential tenants looking for better properties so only the lower quality properties will be difficult to re-let other than to undesirable tenants.

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 11:07 AM

I'm certainly not in support of society or companies having to support anyone who hasn't contributed or isn't contributing! The world has far too many people as it is. Perhaps the Chinese could make a virus that targets the non producers - the old, infirm, those living in overcrowded and insanitary conditions, those too stupid to obey social distancing etc. Wonder if such a virus could be made and how successful it would achieve these objectives?

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 11:00 AM

Rate caps on energy has been a great success (sarcasm or irony for those who can't recognise it!). Energy is capped at around £300 more for the feckless than sensible customers can get by shopping around. Rent caps would be the same. History shows rent controls don't work and only market forces prevail in the medium to longer term.

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 10:55 AM

There are lots the two above can't see or understand!

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 09:14 AM

Yet again, lack of business acumen, Seb. Lost income and costs affect the same side of the balance sheet!

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 09:12 AM

Surely every tax payer has such a duty of care - not only to HMRC but also to our fellow tax payers - and even to non tax payers? However your grasp of business is so poor that you don't understand the principle of needing to maximise income to ensure expenditure can be afforded. You also don't grasp irony!

From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 09:01 AM

I have used Gumtree quite successfully in the past, along with newsagents' windows. However I did find out that my rents were lower than market rents a couple of years ago when I contacted an LA. £900 tenant find fee gave me an extra £6000 annual rental, so I will test them out every couple of years just to make sure that I am not inadvertently causing problems for fellow landlords by not charging the full market rents. I also owe HMRC the same duty of care to maximise my rental revenue, profit and consequently my tax liability.

From: Robert Brown 24 September 2020 22:16 PM

Seb Would you complain if someone could hijack any increase in their value but you still had to bear any risk of loss, insurance costs etc.? Despite being told countless times, you haven't grasped the inequality of landlords being forced to continue to provide a service that is no longer being paid for, with no right to limit their losses to those already accrued and to offer that same service to an alternative paying customer.

From: Robert Brown 24 September 2020 22:09 PM

Seb Your comments are getting even more crass - but then you have been practising pretty hard recently to reach your current level!

From: Robert Brown 24 September 2020 22:04 PM

Seb Who' getting personal now? You were complaining about personal attacks only yesterday and now you're indulging in them.

From: Robert Brown 24 September 2020 22:00 PM

Let me answer for Paul Why should we be concerned about anything that is in your 2nd paragraph? Come to think about it, why should we be bothered about any of your posts? They show a distinct lack of grasp of reality and experience of being a landlord.

From: Robert Brown 24 September 2020 21:47 PM

Seb I think the Government is quite good at debt collecting but if not, the debt is shared among all tax payers instead of one innocent landlord having to suffer the entire loss.

From: Robert Brown 24 September 2020 21:44 PM

Mediation is a good idea. How about using "Getusboysin.com". They are great at discussing the alternative outcomes to an early orderly departure to rent dodgers.

From: Robert Brown 23 September 2020 09:50 AM

Another useless article. The average sold properties are not the same properties as the average rental properties, which tend to be at the lower end of the market and give far higher yields than is suggested here.

From: Robert Brown 23 September 2020 09:02 AM

Seb The clue is in the title of this article! By using a loan to pay rent arrears, tenants can avoid eviction, illegal or eventual - the main difference is in the length of time taken to achieve it.

From: Robert Brown 22 September 2020 22:42 PM

Margaret Thatcher brought in the much fairer Community Charge but the lefties called it the Poll Tax and hoodwinked the majority into thinking it was unfair. Another non existent but much vilified "Bedroom Tax" was the perfectly justified removal of the Spare Room Subsidy which wrongly subsidised social tenants to stay in houses larger than needed and preventing families from moving out of more cramped accommodation. Two examples where fairer systems were successfully vilified by the loony lefties and harmed the more deserving sections of the population.

From: Robert Brown 22 September 2020 22:36 PM

Seb As is often the case, I have no idea what points you are trying to make! I was stating facts, not expressing any opinion or "moaning" as you have accused me of in the past.

From: Robert Brown 22 September 2020 22:22 PM

Not accessing any available loans should be grounds for immediate eviction and classed as making themselves deliberately homeless - so no help from the Council.

From: Robert Brown 22 September 2020 22:19 PM

No - but I think you have the wrong platform. I do believe landlords may need agents to assist them in regaining possession of their properties by persuading rent dodgers to leave promptly without any need to use the legal means now more difficult to access.

From: Robert Brown 22 September 2020 22:15 PM

Landlords do need more help now to ensure successful evictions - but I suspect that such help might persuade defaulters into deciding to leave voluntarily!

From: Robert Brown 22 September 2020 14:22 PM

Get up to date! Council tax is already doubled for properties left empty long term - even when they have been bought by new owners who are bringing them back up to habitable standards - which acts as a disincentive to people buying them to improve them and is also reflected in higher rents for new occupiers. Only the local council wins with this crazy rule that you support but didn't know already existed. PS. Why on earth give special treatment to prisoners? Surely their properties could be used by the homeless whilst they are getting free board and lodging at tax payers expense?

From: Robert Brown 22 September 2020 14:17 PM

I do hope this article is true and the rent dodgers get to hear about these probably totally justified if illegal evictions. Why isn't Shelter publicising this? They're usually so good at doing things that end up helping landlords!

From: Robert Brown 22 September 2020 14:09 PM

Every other business can rightly discriminate against people who can't pay - so can landlords if they do so properly. No business says "no poor people" but that is usually their totally justified business model.

From: Robert Brown 21 September 2020 08:54 AM

Michael Totally agree with everything you say! Just take comfort that you know that you are paying your way and making a positive contribution to society, even if not all those enjoying its benefits are fully deserving of them. I find that remembering that makes me feel better, especially when the internet is down or slow and I can't monitor in real time the several hundred pounds per day that my net worth is growing through rental income and increasing property values. Whilst I have no first hand experience, I suspect those non contributors are usually unhappy and dissatisfied with their lot as evidenced by the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs in a vain attempt to find self respect and the pride which comes with success - or even just with putting in the effort required in the pursuit of success.

From: Robert Brown 20 September 2020 22:31 PM

Mark Your mask has totally slipped - showing pure bare faced jealousy! No one in a free country will ever be able to dictate to an owner of any property who should have the use of it. That principle will endure whether the property is a car, bed, house or anything else. Generations before us fought and died for this principle which you clearly despise because you're jealous of those more enterprising and successful than you - a common leftie trait!

From: Robert Brown 20 September 2020 19:49 PM

Mark What it does do is give him the right to decide who he'll allow to live in his property - and no loony lefties can take that away from him, no matter what self-defeating schemes they may dream up. Market forces should always dictate who has the right to a property - the highest bidder or the most suitable candidate, if the owner decides to use other criteria - but that is very unlikely to include the receipt of benefits and cannot be made to do so in a free democratic state. Incidentally very few rental properties are grotty when the tenants move in and the condition on tenants vacating does unfortunately often match the socio economic standing of the tenants. The payment of rent only four weeks in arrears is not the main reason why most landlords will always operate a no DSS policy. The main reason is the poor condition that properties are returned in by the more indolent and feckless members of our society.

From: Robert Brown 20 September 2020 16:58 PM

Totally agree with both above. Rents must be paid monthly in advance with guarantors checked out and maximum deposits taken. Nothing will change with this ruling - just a waste of time for both parties which could easily have been avoided by using common sense.

From: Robert Brown 18 September 2020 09:08 AM

Homes need paid for - whether buying or renting. Paying for a home should be top priority and both purchased and rented homes should be within the means of the occupiers. If means change, then inevitably homes must change to match such changes in affordability. No one else, - banks, building societies, housing associations or private landlords - should be asked to subsidise anyone defaulting on a mortgage or rental agreement. However loans should be made available to cover arrears already built up but can't cover shortfalls indefinitely and if the longer term prospects are still bleak then occupiers must accept they'll need to move out and should do so promptly before their unpaid debts escalate totally out of control.

From: Robert Brown 18 September 2020 09:01 AM

That is exactly why it's every landlord's duty to use the law to maximum extent and get ccj where tenants blatantly withhold rent and refuse to vacate as soon as they realise that they can't afford to meet their contractual obligations which they freely entered into. Only then will such tenants understand the hidden costs of reneging on legally binding agreements.

From: Robert Brown 17 September 2020 19:45 PM

Price controls just don't work. Look at the energy price cap - around £300 per annum higher than that available to those with the common sense to shop around. The big energy companies capped tariffs are all right on the cap limit and no sensible consumer would countenance paying so much. The same has happened in the student accommodation market where the extortionate rents of the cardboard clad high rise purpose built ghettos have led to owners of student flats being able to charge similar rents. Any interference with market forces will just lead to higher rents in normal rental properties unless they are at the slum end of the market.

From: Robert Brown 17 September 2020 15:55 PM

Seb Thanks for your support. I shall do so but I am a bit short of time. Counting £250k pa rental income is so time consuming! You clearly have much more free time than I have - wonder why?

From: Robert Brown 16 September 2020 09:18 AM

Rents went up by about 33% as soon as the new loony SNP legislation came into force in December 2017. Many fewer long-term homes are available as many became Airbnb. Landlords can usually pick and choose as many tenants chase each property. The new legislation has not helped the typical decent tenants but has allowed landlords to avoid the dross - hence fewer problems - but nothing to do with landlords using velvet gloves. Incidentally rent arrears is still a valid reason for eviction in Scotland and with no "no fault" evictions, landlords are alert to finding out why tenants are looking for accommodation with landlord references and solvent guarantors typically required.

From: Robert Brown 16 September 2020 09:11 AM

Paul You may well be right,but that is because most landlords don't bother to pursue rent dodgers as they should. Andrew said a few days ago that doing so actually protects other landlords and I agree. It's our duty to send a strong message out to those who deliberately defraud us whilst being sympathetic to those genuine cases who seek to minimise their debts and our potential loss by agreeing to move out of our properties as soon as they know they will be unable to continue to meet their contractual obligations.

From: Robert Brown 15 September 2020 18:21 PM

This article shouldn't have the word "renters" in it as renters pay rent and don't need to fear eviction. Rent dodgers however should remain fearful of eviction as it will eventually happen along with ccj debts accruing 8% statutory interest and trashed credit ratings. Far better to lobby Government for loans to honour their legal and moral obligations than simply seek to delay justice and comeuppance which will eventually happen.

From: Robert Brown 15 September 2020 12:46 PM

Hugh Did the tenant move out?

From: Robert Brown 14 September 2020 19:34 PM

Great idea! Tenants need told they will pay 8% interest on a ccj, plus trashed credit ratings - so should go for any such loans available.

From: Robert Brown 14 September 2020 09:11 AM

Everyone needs to go for ccj's every time tenants take the p**s. Genuine hardship cases should be treated sympathetically if they move out promptly. Deliberate squatters and rent dodgers should be pursued mercilessly to protect decent deserving tenants.

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2020 18:53 PM

David If the defaulting tenant was upfront right away and left the property in good condition then I would give them the benefit of the doubt and write off a month's rent maximum. If they think, like Mark W, that they have a God given right to defraud me then they would need all of God's help because I would throw everything at them! Why do these loonies think the latter is the best course of action, when the tenants are going to have their credit ratings trashed and still eventually end up being evicted?

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2020 18:47 PM

Excellent answer Paul!

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2020 18:42 PM

Peter That's like saying members of a criminal gang are exploiting each other! It might true in some county lines drug couriers but criminals usually know exactly what they're getting into, tenant or landlord alike. The article also specifically mentioned that the abuse of the accomplices was evidently due to their being illegal immigrants - who clearly couldn't be accommodated by any law abiding landlord. The guy is not a typical landlord any more than a getaway driver is a typical motorist!

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2020 11:28 AM

Great question! Does anyone have the answer during this time when landlords' normal rights are curtailed so unfairly?

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2020 11:23 AM

No lower rents have been necessary or given in my properties and there are still several groups after every available quality property.

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2020 10:04 AM

It's so simple. Government should genuine cases enough to pay their rents and assist landlords in removing the shirkers so making properties available for more deserving decent tenants. Why do "charities" prioritise rent dodgers and rogue tenants over decent tenants who are desperate for decent homes?

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2020 10:02 AM

Sue Don't trust the LA to try hard unless they have a huge incentive to do so. Whilst customers can and do take umbrage and may make irrational decisions to cease a business relationship, I have never had a supplier do so. Give the LA an ultimatum - fix it by a deadline of your choosing or you WILL get legal - and make sure you have all your ducks in a row to move as soon as your deadline passes - and ensure your LA knows that is what you're doing, so he knows you're not bluffing. It should be relatively easy for the LA to source YOU a better property for the six months or so that the tenant can stay put - and the LA should foot the bill to avoid being sued.

From: Robert Brown 10 September 2020 20:17 PM

I'm not good enough at maths or accountancy to work out my yield but I risked (or invested) £6000 deposit in buying a £60,000 flat which I rented out trouble free for the same £600 per month ( and only one change of tenant) for about 15 years. The last 10 years has seen the rent grow to over £1300 per month and it's now worth about four times what I paid for it. I utilised the early healthy capital growth to remortgage and put the released funds as a 10% deposit on other flats. I now have a £4 million portfolio with over £3 million equity and around £250,000 gross annual rent. You could argue that yield is all from the initial £6000 investment - so that's a yield of over 4000 %. Like I said my maths and accountancy knowledge isn't good enough to work it out. All I know is I have always been wealthier than any accountant I have used for the last 20 years. My message is: Invest for the long term and the yields will always grow as so many people want it all now - fancy cars, holidays, costa lot coffees etc. They will never be wealthy but the more astute and patient investors will continue to prosper by surfing on their indolence and ignorance.

From: Robert Brown 10 September 2020 20:04 PM

As I said to you in a similar reply a few weeks ago, the landlord is not a charity. You seemed to think that rent arrears didn't count as a debt but the solution is for the government to lend defaulters the rent arrears so that they can stay and meet their contractual obligations.

From: Robert Brown 10 September 2020 09:41 AM

Mark Speaking from 3 years experience of the loony SNP legislation, one unexpected consequence is that rents very quickly rose by a third for the best properties due to both sides losing the certainty of minimum length tenancies. A second was the rise of Airbnb and reduced availability of long-term homes to rent. A third was the fact that all joint tenants were trapped in a tenancy unless there was unanimous agreement by all joint tenants to end the tenancy. I could go on - but the bottom line is all of the above harmed tenants but usually benefited landlords. Other measures mooted by the loony lefties such as rent controls will also have harmful effects for tenants as rents will always be put up as much as possible as often as possible whereas currently landlords tend to keep rents stable for good tenants for several years and often for the entire tenancy.

From: Robert Brown 09 September 2020 19:34 PM

Mark The vast majority of tenants are satisfied with their landlords and the properties they rent - hence the nearly 4 year length of tenancy in what might be regarded as a pretty transient population. Given the vast majority of landlords own only one or two properties, it follows that the vast majority of "good" landlords are those you insultingly call "mom and pop" landlords. However I suspect I am wasting my time in trying to put a logical argument or plain facts to you. You mentioned some time ago you would prefer a Tesco landlord. Such landlords build cardboard clad high rise properties such as many students now have to endure and their rents are at the highest level and go up as much as possible year after year. By contrast, most small (average) landlords only put up rents at the change of tenancies or when tenants are causing problems or unexpected expense.

From: Robert Brown 09 September 2020 19:25 PM

Jo Jo ( or Mark/Seb) Where has any landlord on this site asked for a bailout? We are asking for our tenants who need help to get it so they can meet their obligations and stay in the home we provide for them in exchange for rent paid promptly and in full. As Emma points out, the problem is that currently, unlike every other supplier, we can't simply limit our losses by refusing to continue to supply a service no longer being paid for. If you have been paying attention you would already have identified this key difference and understood why the current situation is so unfair, both to landlords and to decent tenants who can't get the homes being occupied by rent defaulters.

From: Robert Brown 09 September 2020 12:40 PM

Totally agree! The honest tenants and landlords are subsidising the rogues in both camps and the loony lefties are too dim to see that - or don't care as the "cause" is more important than the effect. What really bugs me is the Tories apparently falling into line with this leftie claptrap. I think Paul B could be right about the end objective being the elimination of landlords and the emergence of huge corporate landlords owned by their major donors. Good luck to tenants if they end up being housed in cardboard clad high rise ghettos such as many students are now.

From: Robert Brown 09 September 2020 09:59 AM

Of course they are! 80% of gross pay is probably nearer 90% of net pay and no travel costs or several costa lot coffees, lunch, after work drinks etc. Furlough was a good idea but much too generous for those claiming it and too many people not qualifying - especially the more entrepreneurial who had recently set up businesses. I am NOT saying landlords should have been helped directly but tenants should have been helped to avoid rent arrears and problem tenants should have been evicted with maximum ease and speed.

From: Robert Brown 09 September 2020 09:06 AM

The Tories are proving to be better friends to rogue tenants than Corbyn! The solution is so simple. Government should lend the rent money to those tenants who need it and allow fast eviction of all problem tenants who make the lives of neighbours and landlords a misery.

From: Robert Brown 09 September 2020 09:00 AM

Are they serious? The deposit is the only thing that tenants are potentially putting at risk. I will not ever consider tenants not willing or able to save two months deposit and put it up as evidence that they can save and will take care of my property. Two months deposit is still allowed in Scotland - but for how long?

From: Robert Brown 08 September 2020 09:05 AM

No chance of tenants with any history of rent problems ever being able to rent decent accommodation again. Is that really what the loony lefties want - or don't they care?

From: Robert Brown 08 September 2020 09:02 AM

Housing is a lifetime requirement and therefore a long-term investment. Those with the financial acumen, resources and resilience will continue to prosper despite what others may predict and hope for. Thank goodness for those too scared and too poor to invest. It makes it easier for those who will brave a potentially short term rough ride for a pretty safe long term gain.

From: Robert Brown 07 September 2020 10:52 AM

Despite what you're hoping for, most tenants are continuing to meet their contractual obligations and the seller's market of the PRS continues for all but the worst properties with the worst tenants - which most astute landlords avoid as much as possible.

From: Robert Brown 07 September 2020 10:44 AM

In any business the money is the objective. We look after customers because they make us money. When they cost us money we no longer want to deal with them. For tenants, that means eviction!

From: Robert Brown 05 September 2020 09:51 AM

Seb You're an idiot! Tell me where I am complaining or whining? My gross rental income has increased by around £50k in the last 3 years due to the loony SNP legislation. Of course increased rents are a pitfall - for the tenants! Everything that the loonies try to do to harm landlords ends up harming tenants. I am pointing out the pitfalls of attacking landlords with ill thought out policies but I am certainly not complaining about the consequences for landlords which have meant a big increase in my gross and a more modest but welcome increase in my net income. As for not understanding why the length of the rental term normally affects the rental rate, it shows a total lack of business understanding and you should not be wasting our time with your ignorant posts. I'm quite happy to be a wealthy landlord and have never said otherwise. I would never invest in depreciating items like cars, solar panels etc. I leave those for the less financially astute. How are they doing for you incidentally? PS. If the local traffic is a bit too slow, try playing on the motorway!

From: Robert Brown 05 September 2020 09:27 AM

Seb I am NOT complaining. I have benefited hugely from the increased rents that market forces have pushed my way since the December 2017 legislation came into force. I was merely pointing out the pitfalls of forcing landlords, who have to commit to long term investments, to accept all future tenants on a short term basis - which will inevitably reflect short term rental rates. Don't think you could lease a car on the same daily rate for 28 days as for 28 .months. The same market forces apply to property rents, as proven in Scotland over the last 33 months. As ever, loony lefties end up hurting those they claim to support - but as long as their loony ideas get adopted they don't care.

From: Robert Brown 04 September 2020 22:28 PM

In Scotland all tenants can give 28 days notice at any time, putting extra letting agent costs and hassle on landlords. Result is that rents for the best and highest demand properties have risen by 33% to compensate for the lack of security which landlords now face. Buying a property is a long term commitment for grown ups only. If immature tenants don't want any commitment then it comes at a cost. No benefit is without cost - simple market forces economics.

From: Robert Brown 04 September 2020 14:05 PM

Seb Stop wasting everyone's time on semantics. We're trying to run businesses with no support from anyone else. We're grown ups and not looking for favours or hand-outs - just a level playing field where the rules don't change in mid match. If you haven't anything better to do with your time try playing with the traffic!

From: Robert Brown 04 September 2020 13:54 PM

Many of these "vulnerable" tenants are obese - so they could divert some of their expensive junk food spending to pay their rent. Healthy food is far cheaper but many of them can't even cook. The solution is so simple - lend deserving tenants rent money - evict the con artists fast and house more deserving tenants who are blocked from decent homes by these rent dodgers.

From: Robert Brown 04 September 2020 09:49 AM

Sorry Seb. My moan about having to take the time and trouble to chase up people who won't keep to our agreement is still valid - as well as moans about losing money due to some people genuinely unable to pay due to unexpected change in circumstances - whom I won't pursue with ccj's.

From: Robert Brown 03 September 2020 22:32 PM

I agree with Andrew. With a name and occupation like that it shouldn't be too difficult to trace him.

From: Robert Brown 03 September 2020 22:28 PM

Then all HMG needs to do is to pay the rent directly to the landlords and recover it from tenants over time. Landlords and courts could then focus on evictions for anti social reasons etc. - helping everyone except the problem tenants who usually also make problem neighbours.

From: Robert Brown 02 September 2020 17:48 PM

Seb. It will be a richly deserved ccj if they are too feckless and lazy to take the help on offer. I would hesitate to punish cases of genuine undeserved hardship but would enjoy punishing the feckless who didn't apply for such loans and thus sentence them to at least six years of poor credit ratings and corresponding inability to rent decent accommodation from clued up landlords. If they didn't clear their debts to me, including 8% interest then I would happily renew the ccj and their six year poor credit ratings would start all over again. Revenge served cold tastes all the sweeter!

From: Robert Brown 02 September 2020 17:41 PM

Never thought I would say so - but take a lesson from the SNP's tenant loan scheme! Landlords don't need help if it's given where it's needed - to tenants in financial difficulties. However such a move needs to go hand in hand with helping chuck out anti social tenants, deliberate rent dodgers etc. There are too many decent tenants stuck in sub standard accommodation to protect the feckless and anti social at the expense of the decent!

From: Robert Brown 02 September 2020 10:11 AM

Some common sense from the SNP? Some could be forgiven for thinking a Holyrood election was due next May! I just wish they would stop talking about the non existent Bedroom tax! This was a perfectly justified removal of the spare room subsidy which subsidised social housing tenants to remain in larger homes which they should have vacated to allow families in cramped accommodation to have more suitable accommodation. However credit to the SNP where it's due, although 1 right decision out of about 999 is hardly a pass mark - even if they do get to correct their own homework currently!

From: Robert Brown 02 September 2020 10:05 AM

David E. Landlords don't evict model tenants. People like you are model tenants' worst enemies as your ill-informed propaganda just helps rent dodgers defraud decent landlords and prevent decent properties from being let to decent tenants. Rogue landlords have their own highly effective ways of ensuring rents are up to date as the feckless rent dodgers you protect will eventually learn when they are eventually evicted and no sensible landlord will touch them - but the rogue landlords will be happy to do so, confident that they will learn the error of their ways - and the ccj will live with them for the next six years - probably longer if they continue to renege on their financial obligations.

From: Robert Brown 27 August 2020 22:19 PM

Paul Surely the real solution is to abandon the loony moves to ban E and F rated properties from being rented? I have NEVER had any tenant ask for or query an EPC rating. This is yet another waste of public money and a sop to the greens who think jerry built "energy efficient" shacks are greener than solid Victorian properties which will significantly outlast them. How much energy is expended in building new builds and disposing of their rubble within the next 50 years?

From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 22:15 PM

Cut off in mid flow? Hopefully permanently?

From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 18:25 PM

David E. Landlords don't kick out model tenants. They want them to stay long term. Idiots like you support the dross who prevent other decent tenants from getting into better properties.

From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 16:55 PM

Thanks Adrian. I wouldn't have wanted to see you among his idiot supporters!

From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 16:51 PM

Adrian It looks as if you liked the idiot's initial post objecting to the idea of help for tenants by helping landlords. Did you mean to do so?

From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 13:24 PM

Totally agree, Andrew. Quick answer to question: It doesn't!

From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 10:07 AM

If the government helped the tenants by paying their rents then landlords wouldn't need help. Don't you think big business has been helped too when their staff are furloughed? Why should landlord businesses be denied help when multi national companies have had help?

From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 10:05 AM

You're an idiot. Any help would let tenants have better security. Any businessman knows that the best way for the business to prosper is to look after the customers. Leftie idiots don't realise how customer and supplier interests usually co-incide.

From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 10:02 AM

Sorry to hear about your situation in detail Paul. I agree with everything you say and your desire to get out. I would point your real life situation out to any leftie that would listen - but that will be none!

From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 09:02 AM

Paul I don't totally agree. With less than 50% ltv and interest cover of at least 4 times, landlords with several properties have probably enough of a spread to be reasonably safe. The % of rent arrears is actually relatively low and the"crisis" being claimed by the loony left is grossly overstated. In my case, I would have to sacrifice at least £60k of gross rental income to save £20k of mortgage interest - and suffer a substantial CGT bill into the bargain. I'm very happy with the ltv and net yields I achieve currently and have no intention in becoming mortgage free.

From: Robert Brown 25 August 2020 22:59 PM

David Try the Dorchester. I've heard it's very popular with Union bosses - and they're famous for their freebies!

From: Robert Brown 25 August 2020 15:24 PM

David W. Are you too dim to realise that rent arrears is already a debt? Rest assured those rent dodging tenants will be aware of that soon enough when they are (eventually) given a ccj - and that will cost them far more than the statutory 8% interest - in trashed credit ratings, black listed from all decent properties, forced to rent slum properties from the tiny minority of rogue landlords whom all decent landlords and tenants despise - and who have their own very effective ways of dealing with rent arrears! But for the loony left, only their philosophy counts - and the inevitable harm done is simply collateral damage - and blamed on anyone but them.

From: Robert Brown 25 August 2020 15:04 PM

Andrew The problem is the Tories know that landlords are very unlikely NOT to vote Tory, so they can ignore our voices and needs. Everyone seems to be cozying up to the younger generation - even M&S - and the young are no more likely to buy there as they are to vote Tory. In Scotland, it's even worse as the SNP know full well that landlords are too financially savvy to vote for them - hence they are even more anti landlord than any of the others. Unfortunately their tenant supporters are too dim to realise the harm done by anti PRS legislation - reducing the availability of rental properties and increasing rents through market forces.

From: Robert Brown 25 August 2020 14:56 PM

David Lester. If you're calling me a parasite you're just as stupid as The other landlord bashers who have crawled out from under their stones recently. I have worked very hard and taken many risks to provide quality homes for around 50 people. The first £40,000 of annual rental income goes on the minimum costs of maintaining these homes along with periodic capital expenditure on new fixtures and fittings. Finally 41% of the remaining rental income goes out on Income Tax - so after a lifetime of working hard I continue to be a valuable contributor to the community and economy. All I am asking from tenants is a reciprocal contribution from tenants which they have signed a legally binding contract to make. How could I be called a parasite for requesting any rent dodgers to move out so that a more deserving tenant can move in? CORRECTION. I forgot to take into account the marginal rate of 61% paid on over £40k of the joint income of my wife and me. On checking, we paid over £100k income tax last year. Rent dodgers don't just defraud landlords. They defraud the tax payer too!

From: Robert Brown 25 August 2020 12:55 PM

Pay your way or go away.

From: Robert Brown 25 August 2020 10:18 AM

Government should pay the rent and convert the arrears into a loan to be repaid by tenants - with 8% interest - problem solved.

From: Robert Brown 25 August 2020 10:18 AM

Seb Change the record!

From: Robert Brown 24 August 2020 13:20 PM

Mark. Please pay attention! The court system is currently suspended meaning feckless rogues are squatting in homes which could otherwise be let to decent tenants willing and able to pay their way. Why would any right thinking person protect a feckless rent dodger at the expense of a decent hard working family? Over the last few months there has been huge support for most of society - except landlords - and many jobs available in supermarkets etc. for those willing to work.

From: Robert Brown 24 August 2020 13:10 PM

Please don't encourage him. His posts are a waste of time and he doesn't understand the real consequences of all the anti landlord sentiment and behavior which actually harms the most vulnerable tenants the most - like all loony leftie philosophies do in practice - but their supporters are too thick to see that.

From: Robert Brown 24 August 2020 13:03 PM

My rents are all up to date but I have always been careful in tenant selection - not through discrimination but through choosing better properties which are in high demand and command top rents.

From: Robert Brown 24 August 2020 12:58 PM

Reality is shown in the above posts. Landlords will no longer be prepared to take a punt on potentially vulnerable tenants - so the Landlord bashers are actually harming the most vulnerable tenants even more than before. I feel sorry for such tenants but I'm not running a charity and the so- called charities are only worsening the prospects of those they claim to help. THAT is the reality of the effect of current misguided actions of Government.

From: Robert Brown 24 August 2020 12:56 PM

Andrew Given his previous posts I doubt he's mature enough to remember the 90's!

From: Robert Brown 23 August 2020 17:20 PM

As I have said above, such resilience can come through volume and ensuring the portfolio can only be afforded by solvent tenants with solvent guarantors, preferably with several sharing joint and several liability. In the days of high interest rates, the interest cover was much less and the risk much higher, but the compensation was high capital growth which could be remortgaged to provide deposits for further properties. Currently mortgage companies want interest cover of 125 to 150%. I think that is too risky but I'm comfortable with interest cover of above 300% ( I currently have about 1200%) and with mortgages of up to 50%, which is twice what I currently have. Being panicked into selling up simply to reduce gearing is foolish without carefully considering all the other factors in the mix- CGT, IHT, Interest cover, number of enquiries for every vacant property, alternative rental streams from HMO, Student lets, Airbnb, furnished holiday lets etc. We have many weapons in our armoury if we know how to use them and when to use each one to best effect.

From: Robert Brown 22 August 2020 00:22 AM

Paul/Andrew There are two considerations with leverage/ gearing. One is the % of equity in a portfolio and the other is the multiple of interest cover from the rent. My families' portfolio has about £1 million debt and £3 million equity, so 25% gearing, which I consider low risk and selling 25% of the portfolio would leave the other properties unencumbered if it weren't for CGT! On the other hand, the interest payable on the £1 million mortgage is currently under £20,000 and the interest cover is around 12 times at £250,000 per annum. However, selling 25% of the portfolio would lose around £60,000 in rental income and only save £20,000 in mortgage interest. I'm comfortable with the risk level of my borrowing and interest rates would have to go up to around 8%, or rent defaults go to over 30% before I would consider divestment of any of the portfolio. Having put the majority of the portfolio, and all of its debt, into the names of my grown up children to avoid IHT, I think we're in the PRS for the long term, even with the SNP loony legislation but I welcome any move by other landlords to sell up and let market forces continue to drive up rents for the best properties. I'm not interested in adding more properties or going downmarket into low income or DSS tenant territory which is where most of the risk and hassle is and will continue to harm landlords in that market sector.

From: Robert Brown 22 August 2020 00:07 AM

Paul I actually bought quite a few of them in my grown up children's names so no CGT and very manageable IHT implications for me. I continue to manage them and enjoy their after tax profits but only have very modest btl mortgages on the flats which are in my children's names, with my own properties being mortgage free. I don't want a Lamborghini or bigger boat, car or house and can live very well on the after tax profits. My fear would be some sort of wealth tax that would seriously damage my cash flow and potentially force some property divestment or further giving away of assets.

From: Robert Brown 18 August 2020 23:04 PM

Paul The loony SNP legislation has actually helped rents grow from £1500 per month in 2016 to £2100 in 2020 and I typically have 10 to 15 groups wanting to rent. The secret is to get the new tenants signed up in February and paying from 1st June or earlier, knowing that they will leave as soon as they can, often in early May in final year. 2nd and 3rd year students will pay throughout the summer as they don't want to risk losing my flats which are all very near the University and kept in pristine condition. I have never had to go to court as the threat of court action and peer pressure on joint and several liability from all guarantors is enough to ensure no rent arrears or unexpected repair bills. My "professional" tenants, on the other hand, are much less reliable, even with guarantors in place and my only eviction was of a DSS tenant - so never again! I can tolerate snobbery and demanding parents provided it's matched with top level rents paid on time every month.

From: Robert Brown 18 August 2020 22:44 PM

I have yields of 10% plus from students in Glasgow's G12 West End. I agree about the snobbish parents but at least they are scared about their credit ratings and always fold and pay up if their offspring fail to pay rent or trash the property. Incidentally the basic premise of this article is totally flawed in that the average property is not the same value of property which is rented out for the average rent as they are in totally different markets. In St Andrews KY16 the average rent of around£1250 is achieved from a property worth around £200k or even lower which is much less than the average property purchase price of around £370k which could get around £3000 per month. In Glasgow G12 West End a rent of over £2000 per month can be achieved from a property worth £200k to £250k - so between 10 and 12% yields.

From: Robert Brown 18 August 2020 22:09 PM

Andrew I agree - now - but in the 80's buying my first btl flat for £60k with a 90% mortgage was the best move I ever made and over the next few years I remortgaged using the growth in property prices to buy a few more without having to put in any more of my own money. That £6k has grown to over £3 million in equity with £250k gross rental per annum. Sadly those opportunities no longer seem to exist although auction properties are still an opportunity for those willing to put in the effort and take a punt.

From: Robert Brown 17 August 2020 08:57 AM

Paul No Scottish landlords with decent properties are at all worried about any prospect of rent controls. The only properties under threat are the slums which only the dreg tenants would consider and no self respecting landlord would buy. This is a non threat whilst there is a shortage of decent properties and a surfeit of demand from potentially acceptable tenants.

From: Robert Brown 16 August 2020 19:30 PM

I don't think btl was ever on the way down apart from overheated areas and will continue to be a good investment. However Landlords won't buy any overpriced new builds, leaving them for naive first time buyers etc. taking on unaffordable mortgages.

From: Robert Brown 14 August 2020 10:00 AM

No deposit - no chance of being my tenants. Grow up and save up and show landlords that you can be trusted.

From: Robert Brown 13 August 2020 13:30 PM

No DSS would have been a cheaper and more reliable method to achieve this!

From: Robert Brown 06 August 2020 11:44 AM

As well as being totally misguided, you're years out of date as the DHSS split into NHS and DSS years ago. We still won't take DSS claimants as there are plenty of hard working more reliable tenants available but we'll now have to waste everyone's time in sifting them out. Like every leftie initiative it will be counter productive to the people they think they are supporting. Decent hard working tenants will still get the priority they deserve but they might have to wait a bit longer whilst we sort through the dross that we can't just ignore now.

From: Robert Brown 06 August 2020 11:41 AM

The tax dodgers will dodge the register like everything else.

From: Robert Brown 06 August 2020 09:24 AM

I agree. Rents for the best properties are still rising thanks to Shelter etc. and principally to the SNP in Scotland. According to their 50-50 policy the next article here will talk about rents falling faster!

From: Robert Brown 06 August 2020 09:22 AM

But it's better than just slapping more rules and costs on decent landlords - which are ignored by the rogues anyway.

From: Robert Brown 05 August 2020 11:28 AM

Totally agree. I wasted £200 on a Green Deal "consultant" and the quotes I got from "approved contractors" were much higher than local highly reputable contractors. It's a pity that successive generations never learn from the mistakes of their predecessors but they seem to think that 30 years' less life experience is an advantage! Incidentally I have NEVER had any tenants pay any attention to the EPC which is another waste of time and money.

From: Robert Brown 05 August 2020 11:26 AM

Totally agree with both your posts above. In Scotland I have had one flat's market rent go up from £750 per month ( in 2000 to 2007) to £1250 in 2010 and to £2100 since the SNP loony legislation came into force in December 2017. Sincere thanks to SNP, Shelter et al.

From: Robert Brown 04 August 2020 15:49 PM

I bought premium bonds with the delayed tax payments and won £1 million on each bond - then I woke up - but I still have six months of chances to come using this interest free money. Sometimes dreams can come true???

From: Robert Brown 31 July 2020 14:53 PM

I'm pretty sure that isn't how the landlord would have given the property to the sitting tenants!

From: Robert Brown 31 July 2020 14:09 PM

Yesterday the article warned about lower rents. At least with a 50-50 hedging bet they'll be right more often than a stopped clock - but not any more useful as an indicator to be relied upon!

From: Robert Brown 31 July 2020 14:06 PM

This is why rents won't plummet as Airbnb is a real alternative for most high quality properties.

From: Robert Brown 30 July 2020 10:11 AM

I'm laughing too - but there is a germ of a good idea in this. Government should guarantee all unpaid rents whilst ensuring landlords can evict for all other reasons promptly and easily - thus improving life for all neighbours and landlords whilst ensuring poverty isn't a prime cause of homelessness. It would be down to government to pursue rent arrears with the same vigour as income tax and other tax arrears. A win win for everyone except those who deliberately avoid paying when they can well afford to do so.

From: Robert Brown 24 July 2020 10:06 AM

Another tax on decent landlords and tenants. Rogue landlords will ignore it and rogue tenants still won't leave until forced out - acting on Council advice when staying put and causing misery to neighbours and landlords alike! Making eviction quick and simple is the easiest way to improve the lot of all decent landlords and tenants, not more bureaucracy and licence fees!

From: Robert Brown 24 July 2020 09:59 AM

Crazy idea! It will reduce the number of house moves even more than SDLT does and people will stay put in their starter homes for much longer, thus impacting even more on first time buyers. Why not remove the tax free CGT element and increase all CGT to match that already paid on sale of investment properties? Currently shareholder speculators are treated much better than landlords who provide homes for those who can't or won't buy their own.

From: Robert Brown 24 July 2020 09:19 AM

I've never been asked about the EPC from any tenant - ever! There are many things much higher priority than the EPC ratings, especially in older quirkier properties - which tenants love to rent. I bet there was nothing questionable about Grenfell's EPC rating and the cladding probably"improved" it!

From: Robert Brown 21 July 2020 19:48 PM

Landlords already pay higher CGT (28%) than stock market speculators and only get one tax free allowance no matter how many years they have owned the property. Happy to see fairness by all investors paying the same CGT, which will mean tax hikes for all other investors if they are to match the CGT paid by landlords.

From: Robert Brown 16 July 2020 16:10 PM

There shouldn't be any disputes over rent to resolve. Unpaid rent is due and not paying it and remaining in the property is theft. The Police should "resolve" this by charging the thief - simples!

From: Robert Brown 15 July 2020 11:21 AM

Is it discrimination for a mortgage company to decide on the basis of affordability, credit rating etc.? Of course not! No DSS is just a shorthand for credit worthy solvent tenants only. I say No Smokers which is almost the same as No DSS. The ban on No DSS just wastes everyone's time and doesn't help DSS tenants get better properties that they can't afford anyway. My practices won't change.

From: Robert Brown 15 July 2020 10:38 AM

How has any nationalisation ever worked out for anyone other than its workshy employees? Capitalism can work for everyone as the customers still have a choice of provider. The better then customer, the better the choice!

From: Robert Brown 13 July 2020 14:43 PM

Sorry - did I miss something? I didn't see Paul say he was going to demolish any properties thus adding to homelessness. He will sell to someone who hasn't been feckless enough not to save the necessary deposit to get on the property ladder. Perhaps your lack of understanding of this is why you're still a tenant and contributing to your landlord's wealth?

From: Robert Brown 13 July 2020 14:38 PM

I agree. It's the new timeshare scam just waiting on the gullible investors, having already fooled the gullible politicians. Such tower block ghettos are also ideal virus incubators - just look at Melbourne!

From: Robert Brown 13 July 2020 10:14 AM

Landlords are always happy to work with good responsible tenants, but such tenants will already be trying to work with their landlords. It's those who ignore the situation - or their landlords' attempts to work with them - who should rightly be worried - but their evictions will still be a long way off unless they cause the property to be repossessed.

From: Robert Brown 13 July 2020 10:06 AM

Lefties are never happy! If the BTL penalty were increased they would initially be happy until they saw that it led to higher rents.

From: Robert Brown 13 July 2020 10:02 AM

Remember the £2000 car scrappage scheme? New car prices rose, often by over £2000. Market forces always win over government interference or assistance.

From: Robert Brown 09 July 2020 09:15 AM

Surely it's the occupiers ( tenants) who will benefit from such insulation? It's unlikely to be totally cost free for landlords and will be unlikely to affect the price realised on selling.

From: Robert Brown 09 July 2020 09:13 AM

Most landlords will be happy to waive the rest of the lease if tenants can't afford to pay their way. Why should landlords or the taxpayer take the hit once it's obvious that staying put is no longer affordable?

From: Robert Brown 07 July 2020 11:42 AM

Most landlords are far better friends of most tenants than Shelter who only protect the rogues who deserve eviction and prevent decent tenants from getting decent homes from decent landlords. Landlords don't want to evict good tenants - only those causing misery to their neighbours and landlords - but Shelter staff don't have to live beside or rely on payment from such rogue tenants - so why would they ever need to take a balanced view and do what is best for the wider population of tenants?

From: Robert Brown 06 July 2020 20:20 PM

The potentially - and usually - fully returned deposit is NOT a cost of rental, unless the tenants know full well that they won't return the property in good order. Everything done to "help" tenants seems to have the opposite effect, preventing decent tenants from getting good affordable housing as rogue tenants are protected from prompt eviction and the financial consequences of their careless and feckless lifestyles.

From: Robert Brown 06 July 2020 20:07 PM

Don't expect any truth from Shelter! Pity they don't advise tenants on how to avoid eventual eviction - don't p*ss off your landlord! Shelter can delay but not avoid evictions for rent arrears and all they end up doing in harming decent landlords and tenants.

From: Robert Brown 06 July 2020 09:01 AM

I agree with Andrew. Don't let them stay beyond their initial lease period but wait until they have left before telling them why you did so just in case they get difficult. It's called revenge eviction - which is now much more difficult in Scotland - but in the end every eviction is a revenge one - and a source of consolation for the landlord.

From: Robert Brown 04 July 2020 14:18 PM

Excellent post Michael! The CGT penalty is particularly cruel to older landlords trying to implement an exit strategy. Stock market investors can get over £11000 capital gains tax free every year but we can't roll up any unused GGT exemptions to reduce our much higher 28% tax bill if we want to sell up.

From: Robert Brown 03 July 2020 13:41 PM

Smart meters - especially the first generation - are a waste of money. They don't save the customer any money - just let the original supplier read them remotely, which is a facility lost whenever the utility provider changes.

From: Robert Brown 03 July 2020 13:30 PM

Guidance for dealing with rent arrears: 1. Talk to tenants and agree short term repayment plan or accept their request to leave your property before the end of the lease period with the deposit going towards unpaid rent. 2. Suggest they seek financial support elsewhere as we're neither banks nor charities and tell them you will alert their guarantors shortly if 1 above not satisfactory - or immediately regret not insisting on guarantors. 3. Give notice that you will get a ccj against them and their guarantors. 4. Warn them you are considering eviction. 5. Keep promises made in 3 and 4 above. 6. Expect to be out of pocket for quite a considerable time.

From: Robert Brown 03 July 2020 13:22 PM

Market forces will always prevail. Good times ahead for landlords, especially those who have escaped any downside recently and keep rents unchanged so that their decent tenants will probably be enjoying below market rents - so for once a win - win for decent landlords and tenants, a win for other landlords who can increase rents for new tenants and a lose for rent dodgers. A rare case of justice in the PRS!

From: Robert Brown 02 July 2020 09:30 AM

Good news - but public sector employees who have sat at home on full pay for 4 months should now work 50 hour weeks for the next year to make up the time off and deal with the backlog - however don't hold your breath! Landlords should be very wary of new tenants from now on to ensure they aren't inheriting another landlord's problem. Perhaps Shelter can help the homeless? After all, is that not what they claim to do - or do they only bash decent landlords and by extension decent tenants?

From: Robert Brown 02 July 2020 09:25 AM

Water testing is actually in force in places with Legionella risk assessments which should be updated every two years!

From: Robert Brown 01 July 2020 17:45 PM

I'm buying premium bonds with this interest free money and will sell them in January if I need to do so but will otherwise hang on to them with the tiny chance of winning big. What idiot is claiming we risk paying double in January? We would simply be paying the same amount but in one payment instead of two.

From: Robert Brown 29 June 2020 13:53 PM

Paul It's the norm in Glasgow student flats and any questions or doubts see me move on to the next group wanting the flat. Having said that, many think that they are only guarantors for their own offspring and while my standard letter does spell it out and suggests that they seek independent legal advice, I've never had a refusal when the alternative is not getting my flats. Perhaps with cheaper lower quality properties, market forces don't make this so easy but I have never been tempted by lower quality properties or the resulting tenants.

From: Robert Brown 26 June 2020 15:41 PM

Both say £460.35 million.

From: Robert Brown 26 June 2020 15:33 PM

A level playing field would be a good start but unlikely with any potential government in this country in the foreseeable future. Massive homelessness and soaring rents are the only way we'll get landlords' rights properly protected.

From: Robert Brown 26 June 2020 15:31 PM

Fire Brigade management are not blameless either. I recently enquired if regulations had changed regarding provision of emergency lighting as I had heard a rumour to this effect. I was pointed to a load of government gobble degook publications and when I asked them to confirm that I wouldn't need this if my last formal inspection hadn't highlighted it as a requirement I was told not to rely on this as it was my responsibility to ensure that I followed all relevant guidelines etc. I was pointed to a retired senior fire official to provide customised fire safety advice for £100. I decided to spend the £100 on installing potentially unnecessary emergency lighting instead!

From: Robert Brown 26 June 2020 15:28 PM

That's what consultants do.... borrow your watch and charge you for telling you the time..... but it will only be an estimate based on easily verifiable evidence that won't be verified......and only given when you've signed their contract and multiple page disclaimer.

From: Robert Brown 26 June 2020 15:21 PM

Totally agree! I've found most self employed tradesmen only too willing to work in empty properties but those working for the larger firms are only too happy to take tax payers' handouts - and as for Councils closing everything possible for as long as possible......... Who would ever have thought that fly tipping would increase when dumps were closed? ????

From: Robert Brown 26 June 2020 15:15 PM

Any research by Shelter will be biased rubbish. Apparently there are lots of jobs available picking fruit that worried tenants could take - but why bother when landlords are powerless to pursue their legal rights? Will the folly of not insisting on large deposits be recognised? Don't hold your breath!

From: Robert Brown 26 June 2020 15:09 PM

I'm fairly relaxed so long as I have four solvent middle class guarantors sharing joint and several liability and who value a good credit rating. I've never had to get to court with the mere threat of a ccj being enough to get any arrears settled or rents paid to end of the lease, when Scotland's landlords and tenants could still agree on a mutually acceptable lease period. Our biggest threat currently is all joint tenants agreeing to up sticks on 28 days notice if the snowflake lecturers stay scared of face to face teaching.

From: Robert Brown 24 June 2020 12:03 PM

It should be tenants' own number one responsibility to look after their safety. Coronavirus only survives for 2 or 3 days so all they need to do is to wait for this time after getting the keys. Alternatively if they want then they can get 3 days rent free in return for a 10% increase in normal rental rates. Everything is eventually paid for by the end user.

From: Robert Brown 23 June 2020 09:52 AM

Gearing at a sensible percentage is an excellent way to grow equity in normal times but I would be a bit nervous about being overextended currently. Perhaps Shelter would help out landlords who need it to protect tenants from being made homeless?

From: Robert Brown 23 June 2020 09:46 AM

Someone has to suffer an unexpected and undeserved loss in these circumstances. Why is it always the assumption that the tenant is more deserving of sympathy,flexibility and understanding than the landlord? The tenant's maximum exposure is the rent due until the end of the contract. The landlord could be exposed to bankruptcy, especially if he has multiple properties and multiple tenants reneging on their contractual obligations. The tenants should have solvent guarantors to help them out. The landlord will normally have only lenders or bankers who have shareholders' interests to protect as their primary responsibility.

From: Robert Brown 22 June 2020 11:39 AM

Property owners who trusted the appropriate building standards authorities to do their jobs properly should not have to foot the bill but will probably end up doing so. To make matters worse, those incompetent officials who are to blame are still in their overpaid jobs looking forward to an undeserved final salary pension - and would have been on full salary for the last three months whilst doing little or no productive work!

From: Robert Brown 19 June 2020 13:51 PM

Surely recent events have shown the folly of low deposits? If tenants could start with 2 months deposit down and pay an extra 10% rent towards an increased deposit, then they would have three months deposit after 10 months renting and 4.5 months deposit after 2 years renting. That way tenants would be much better placed to weather any unexpected drop in future income, build up a useful nest egg and demonstrate fiscal responsibility to landlords. At the moment, everyone is relying on the fiscal responsibility of the landlords to avoid early repossession by lenders. It's time for a level playing field!

From: Robert Brown 18 June 2020 11:12 AM

By "country" I assume you mean England and not UK? I have NEVER experienced rental falls in Scotland and that was before the SNP's contributions caused the recent 33% increase in rents achieved for the best properties. I do NOT expect anything other than sustained healthy rent increases in Scotland over the foreseeable future.

From: Robert Brown 18 June 2020 11:02 AM

Investing in the stock market gives tax fee dividends of £2000 and gains of £11000 or so per annum but I prefer property instead of trusting the red braces brigade.

From: Robert Brown 17 June 2020 15:41 PM

We understand that this is not free money but a potentially expensive option to be avoided where possible. Many other borrowers are less astute.

From: Robert Brown 17 June 2020 15:37 PM

I suggest that real reason is that home owners plan ahead better and get their priorities right. Many tenants only live for today, don't save, buy clothes, cars and holidays they can't afford along with too many costalot coffees and expensive hospitality. In fact the lockdown should have saved many of them a fortune!

From: Robert Brown 17 June 2020 15:24 PM

Don't forget they'll be paying 28% CGT whereas someone investing in the stock markets could have made about £150,000 capital gains tax free along with about £80,000 dividends tax free during the same period.

From: Robert Brown 17 June 2020 15:09 PM

Glasgow is winning thanks to the SNP loony legislation banning tenants and landlords from agreeing a mutually acceptable length of lease, restricting rent increases to once a year etc. Result is rents are up 33% for the best properties compared to 2016 and landlords can pick and choose their tenants. Rents always go up annually whereas before it tended to be only when tenants left unless they were tenants we didn't want to keep. As usual, decent tenants and landlords bear the brunt of legislation that only protects rogue tenants and is ignored by rogue landlords.

From: Robert Brown 17 June 2020 14:54 PM

Don't agree with you this time Andrew. Doing the same as millions of others is unlikely to get you noticed. You might even win £1 million, courtesy of the taxman by buying Premium Bonds.

From: Robert Brown 13 June 2020 18:12 PM

Put it into Premium Bonds for 6 months. Any winnings are a double bonus as they're tax free AND you're using money that would otherwise have gone to the taxman by 31 July.

From: Robert Brown 13 June 2020 18:09 PM

Why not? If the tenant is willing to pay more then the landlord is entitled to charge more. It's capitalism and market forces in action.

From: Robert Brown 11 June 2020 12:58 PM

Andrew The key word is little!

From: Robert Brown 09 June 2020 17:34 PM

Rents have shot up since the SNP crazy legislation in December 2017 banned tenants and landlords from agreeing fixed term leases and allowed tenants to leave any time on 28 days notice. Results include no one being able to plan ahead, schedule routine maintenance, offer Airbnb rents to tourists to subsidise student term time rents etc. In fact, no positive results for tenants but around 33% increase in rents achieved by landlords due to market forces prevailing as they always do.

From: Robert Brown 09 June 2020 17:32 PM

Great Suggestion Paul.

From: Robert Brown 03 June 2020 09:06 AM

Honouring the rental agreement is treating everyone fairly. Anything else disadvantages one party to the agreement.

From: Robert Brown 03 June 2020 08:59 AM

Well said Matthew! Indeed Students often rely on the additional protection afforded by deeming their term time homes as their "principal or only home" instead of the additional protection which landlords would have if they were regarded as short- term furnished lettings as is the case for self catering holiday accommodation. As usual, students and their parents want it both ways.

From: Robert Brown 27 May 2020 13:44 PM

Andrew Totally agree - always amused by their designer gear and the parents' posh cars on lease or pcp, which they couldn't afford to buy outright. On a brighter note, in Scotland students may often have dustman or road sweeper parents and buck the trend. About the only successful (but unaffordable moving forward) SNP policy has been no tuition fees for Scottish students, allowing more modest students to attend University AND afford my rents!

From: Robert Brown 27 May 2020 11:31 AM

Groups of professionals will be the preference over students for the better properties, forcing them into the dross or purpose built student ghettos. Investors should go for better standard properties which can be marketed to various groups of flat sharers until students disabuse themselves of any illusion that they are a preferred or privileged group. Purpose built student accommodation, where investors "buy" a room should be avoided as they are very like the bygone timeshare properties, with no easy resale options, escalating maintenance charges and no option to avoid the increasingly unattractive student market.

From: Robert Brown 27 May 2020 09:13 AM

Paul Most solvent middle class guarantors pay up to avoid having their credit rating trashed and claim they were unaware of their errant offspring's misbehaviour. I've never had to take them to court, and with several guarantors with joint and several liability, peer pressure on the defaulting party's guarantor is virtually guaranteed to succeed.

From: Robert Brown 26 May 2020 22:48 PM

Solvent middle class guarantors are the only thing that makes letting to students worth while, although I am often amused by being looked down on by snobbish parents with a net worth a fraction of mine.

From: Robert Brown 26 May 2020 18:26 PM

They will be left with the dross properties that they deserve with parents like you showing them exactly how NOT to behave when entrusted with six figure assets! I often have around 15 to 20 groups wanting to rent my properties, which are all kept in pristine condition with no voids apart from this spring. All have since been relet without any rent reductions to professionals, so less choice for the students when they re-emerge from having fled home in March.

From: Robert Brown 26 May 2020 16:13 PM

The SNP "model agreement" in Scotland runs to nearly 40 pages with the same again of explanatory notes. I have read it and am pretty conversant with it as I am bound by its terms. I'm happy to advise any tenants who can't or don't read it, but I doubt Google can provide such advice.

From: Robert Brown 26 May 2020 13:32 PM

Councils are asking for a come and go policy. We do the coming and when asked to reciprocate, they do the going!

From: Robert Brown 26 May 2020 13:23 PM

I am now actively avoiding students where I have a choice, which is currently always. Students will find their actions will come back to bite them, especially in Scotland where many left with 28 days notice in mid March, as allowed by the loony SNP legislation of December 2017. Some even had the gall to ask for the 28 days notice to be waived!

From: Robert Brown 26 May 2020 13:21 PM

I don't think Google has a copy of my tenancy agreements. Tenants should check these first and if still unclear ask their landlord. In fact they should ask their landlord in any case otherwise they might find out what happens as a result of failure to communicate or adhere to the terms of their agreement. In my experience agreements are most needed when there isn't agreement.

From: Robert Brown 25 May 2020 09:08 AM

I don't understand why I am expected to undertake these additional responsibilities. Why not ask the under-worked council employees enjoying full pay to do this whilst they're still being paid but not doing their normal jobs? On second thoughts, I'll do this if they all volunteer to pick fruit etc.

From: Robert Brown 21 May 2020 13:08 PM

Michael Thanks for the info. I gave up a fast track career in London in the early 70's to return to a more modest but better quality of life in Scotland. I've often wondered "what if" but from what you describe I made the right decision to return to Scotland, even if the SNP are screwing umpteen thousands more income tax from higher earning tax payers, threatening to bankrupt us with independence, no fixed term leases, limited rent increases etc.

From: Robert Brown 19 May 2020 19:02 PM

In my experience, middle class guarantors pay up before legal action to protect their credit ratings and often claim they were unaware of their errant offspring defaulting on the legally binding tenancy agreement. I inform them as soon as I smell trouble and have never had to take legal action when I have solvent guarantors.

From: Robert Brown 19 May 2020 11:02 AM

So btl interest rates will fall - another win opportunity for brave solvent landlords.

From: Robert Brown 18 May 2020 18:00 PM

The difference is the lower purchase price is a permanent saving but the potentially lower rent is a temporary reduction in yield and will improve over time, as will the property values due to market forces once things begin to normalise. Buying now or soon is a win win for solvent investors with the cash or 50% plus deposits. I have always bought when most are selling and have turned a £6000 deposit into around £3 million of equity and £250k gross annual rental income over a period of 22 years. I can afford to take a risk in the current climate and may well do so.

From: Robert Brown 18 May 2020 17:55 PM

Seb 2) Legal every time. I've tried moral and flexibility and it's never reciprocated - so now always legal action if any requirement to protect my interests.

From: Robert Brown 18 May 2020 17:46 PM

Agreed. To avoid the ban on NO DSS, I always state No Smokers. It's almost the same thing and is quite legal and justifiable, although Shelter are probably on the case!

From: Robert Brown 15 May 2020 12:00 PM

David I did caveat my comment to be about the best properties in specific areas, price bands etc. which in my experience are the first to be taken. Inferior properties might have to reduce rents or purchase prices due to affordability issues.

From: Robert Brown 14 May 2020 11:39 AM

Pent up demand will lead to higher rents and purchase prices for the best properties. Landlords will win out of this - just reward for all we have done and the risks we have taken. Sebastian will be so pleased for all of us!

From: Robert Brown 14 May 2020 09:40 AM

Totally agree. There are plenty of decent tenants out there - no need to tolerate the rent dodgers who are stopping decent tenants from getting better homes - something Shelter, Seb etc. can't grasp.

From: Robert Brown 13 May 2020 21:00 PM

Sebastian If you took the trouble to read our posts you would learn that we DO support decent tenants in trouble. Your problem, along with Shelter etc. is that you want us to support the dregs who stay in our properties without paying and thus deprive decent tenants and families of renting decent homes from decent landlords.

From: Robert Brown 13 May 2020 20:38 PM

If Corbyn was PM this could have happened! Boris might not be perfect but think of the alternatives..........

From: Robert Brown 13 May 2020 09:19 AM

I smell jealousy from you Ray? I think you need to learn a bit about real life (as well as how to spell properly). Many of us have built our portfolio on hard graft and sacrifice. However people like you will never accept that risk and effort should reap reward - but I don't care what you think or wish for as I shall never be poor again and my conscience is clear.

From: Robert Brown 12 May 2020 20:14 PM

Tell them all they won't be allowed to stay after the lease end date if the rent is even a penny in arrears then. The other two can then use peer pressure on the furloughed guy or make up any shortfall. Come to think of it, just put them out anyway and make sure that they know why.

From: Robert Brown 12 May 2020 12:28 PM

I am a fan of Landlord Action and the Channel 5 programme where at least some tenants stealing free accommodation eventually get their comeuppance. We need more Pauls to help more Landlords.

From: Robert Brown 12 May 2020 12:23 PM

I would say you can definitely now do so but I would still have done so anyway last week. The problem is that most people can't understand shades of grey and black and white is too blunt an instrument in many cases.

From: Robert Brown 11 May 2020 10:23 AM

And only 2500 complaints to TPO, with 2/3 upheld. Just another vote seeking load of propaganda from Labour.

From: Robert Brown 11 May 2020 10:17 AM

2500 complaints is miniscule out of millions of tenancies - doesn't sound like an industry rife with exploitation and victimisation etc. Maybe Shelter can disband itself and give its millions to hard pressed landlords and tenants?

From: Robert Brown 11 May 2020 10:13 AM

Estate Agents should be on the High Streets, and on the motorways etc. - lying in the fast lane!

From: Robert Brown 07 May 2020 18:52 PM

Surprised any Council has anyone still working to implement this - but it's probably that they're not at work to stop it happening anyway.

From: Robert Brown 06 May 2020 11:34 AM

Sebastian I don't think Courts ever sell tickets, but some cases would be worth paying to see, although the opponent is unlikely to turn up and put up a fight. I think the Romans had the right idea. Pity it got too cold for them up here!

From: Robert Brown 06 May 2020 11:28 AM

Since the SNP abolished the right of Scottish Landlords and tenants to agree on a mutually suitable fixed term lease, landlords have been blighted by tenants upping and leaving on a whim at 28 days notice, with no right for the landlords to end the tenancy on a no fault basis. Many students simply left their flats in early March and many of these flats will stay empty until September or later if the snowflake University staff plead unsafe working conditions. This scheme does nothing for landlords who no longer have tenants and little for those who do but again the SNP manage to grab favourable but misleading headlines!

From: Robert Brown 06 May 2020 11:16 AM

Mark Not sure what you're putting in between? I think you believe speculation is a bad word? It's simply a synonym for "risk" and those of us who took the risk to provide homes for the feckless, reckless and hopeless now richly deserve the reward that justly follows well-researched risk!

From: Robert Brown 01 May 2020 19:56 PM

That is one agency added to my "never use" file. She has as much idea of how to gain customer confidence as Ryanair's O'Leary!

From: Robert Brown 29 April 2020 10:22 AM

I would definitely pull out and cut your losses. If things get clearer over the summer there will probably be opportunities to get back on an even keel then but the downside of not pulling out is probably more than the cash you'll lose in pulling out, given you haven't yet exchanged contracts.

From: Robert Brown 27 April 2020 18:30 PM

Don't insult the journalists. They might dream up scare stories about Landlords not providing PPE for all tenants!

From: Robert Brown 24 April 2020 12:29 PM

So what ARE tenants going to spend the money saved on lunches and holidays? Don't see why the wealth of the landlord affects the legal obligation to pay the AGREED levels of rent?

From: Robert Brown 23 April 2020 09:02 AM

Why not just give the support directly to those landlords that are affected to ensure that it actually gets directly to where it's needed?

From: Robert Brown 23 April 2020 08:59 AM

A decline of -12% means an increase of 12%. Journalists should learn basic mathematics and the grammatical effect of a double negative!

From: Robert Brown 23 April 2020 08:56 AM

Perhaps we could use Agents like canaries in mines - checking out if properties are safe. If they live, it's safe for others. If they die it's still a win for mankind.

From: Robert Brown 21 April 2020 15:52 PM

Tenants refusing to allow vital safety checks, especially in flats, should be fined as they're putting other occupants' lives at risk - unless these checks are largely a waste of landlords' money - like many other schemes only applying to rental properties. How many owner occupied properties have gas explosions or CO- related deaths in the average year? What Covid-19 checks will be dreamt up for us in the coming months?

From: Robert Brown 21 April 2020 15:49 PM

He'll have changed before he gets the letter!

From: Robert Brown 21 April 2020 15:42 PM

I would have thought that one lesson from the current crisis is the need for much better proof of affordability by prospective tenants and one way to demonstrate that is to have saved a substantial deposit. Deposits can help both landlords and tenants as they could be drawn on in current circumstances to protect Landlords' cash flow whilst protecting tenants' homes. Snake oil " no deposit " schemes will only make money for their salesmen, protect no one and cast doubt on the tenants' financial acumen, capability to manage their finances properly and commitment to look after our property. My mantra continues to be " no deposit, no tenancy".

From: Robert Brown 17 April 2020 22:22 PM

I agree Andrew. Mind you, I must be one of the highest paid cleaners in the UK! I try to remember that when up to my armpits - never fails to cheer me up then.

From: Robert Brown 16 April 2020 13:17 PM

I agree. I was laughed at by people for spending New Year and Easter holidays etc. dressed in my painting clothes, lugging rubble bags etc. I don't need to do that anymore and could now afford far more holidays than I have either time or inclination to take.

From: Robert Brown 16 April 2020 13:11 PM

Paul. Pity a lot of them were conceived about 30 years ago - but if they hadn't been, we wouldn't have had such demand to rent our properties!

From: Robert Brown 16 April 2020 13:06 PM

Buying opportunities for the bravest in the months to come. Carpe Diem!

From: Robert Brown 16 April 2020 09:08 AM

I hope students have real problems finding accommodation when they eventually come back cap in hand - for two reasons. 1. Revenge. 2. Market forces will push up rents. They will find it will end up being a Zero Sum Game with landlords recouping current losses through higher rents later this year.

From: Robert Brown 15 April 2020 13:49 PM

SS. If your son's loan doesn't cover his outgoings, the assumption is the parents can afford to act as guarantors, not rely on the landlords to take the hit. I put 3 kids through University but planned ahead by buying flats for which their flatmates covered the mortgage. Solvent parents moaning about rents should plan ahead whilst kids are still at school instead of moaning about the people who showed more foresight than them, probably by not having fancy cars, foreign holidays etc. I gave all of that up for about 20 years but I'm certainty not giving them up now just because some parents don't want to observe their parental duties now when they are most needed by their offspring.

From: Robert Brown 15 April 2020 13:40 PM

Rely on the lenders - to look after their own interests - and stuff everyone else!

From: Robert Brown 15 April 2020 13:28 PM

Our Council has closed the local schools, libraries, recycling centres etc. and slashed bin collection frequencies. Will they give me back the money they're charging me for services they're not providing? I'm still providing student properties. Why should I not be paid for something I am providing when Councils still get paid for many things that they are not providing?Are Universities cutting their fees for the Summer terms?

From: Robert Brown 14 April 2020 10:35 AM

They're saving a fortune on Costalot coffees, pub booze and restaurants whilst getting 80% of their pay for doing nothing. They'll get refunds on their cancelled foreign holidays. Why can't they still afford their rents?

From: Robert Brown 14 April 2020 10:29 AM

I think 2021 will be fine, but perhaps with a slow start

From: Robert Brown 11 April 2020 17:55 PM

Where the market hasn't been turbo charged before, I think 2021 will see losses reversed in both the property and the stock market, but there will be fantastic buying opportunities in both markets in the next six months or so.

From: Robert Brown 11 April 2020 17:51 PM

Market forces will ensure property values and rents recover pretty quickly in 2021. Any dip is a buying opportunity for properties and shares.

From: Robert Brown 10 April 2020 20:17 PM

Take Andrew's advice. Get heavy with him right away and he'll pay up as he will still be able to afford it. However tell him to get out at a time that suits you - maybe not right now - but as soon you're confident of getting a new tenant with no void period. Make sure he knows exactly why you're doing this. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

From: Robert Brown 08 April 2020 09:03 AM

Security works both ways, like all sensible agreements.

From: Robert Brown 07 April 2020 09:10 AM

Gosh! A sensible article!

From: Robert Brown 07 April 2020 09:08 AM

The key point is "honest conversation". I'd be happy to help tenants in genuine need but many are trying it on. After all of this is over the whole topic of deposits needs to be looked at sensibly. It should be there for mutual protection, so 3 months rent holiday expectations should be matched by 3 months deposit as protection in case of default. It also gives both parties some extra assurance that the rent is affordable in normal times and can be used as security in hard times. The banks and mortgage lenders want security from landlords who should have similar security from tenants. Of course Shelter could put their money up for this instead of the adverts currently on the TV.

From: Robert Brown 03 April 2020 09:20 AM

Tenants are no different from owner occupiers. Use common sense and wash hands. Not the landlord's job to do anything that any normal sensible people should be doing for themselves . Tenants keep banging on about our properties being their homes. They need to take responsibility for their own health and our properties, just like any other adult.

From: Robert Brown 02 April 2020 13:09 PM

Some common sense in this document. Surely not issued by Government?

From: Robert Brown 02 April 2020 09:32 AM

Why advise delay where the move can be made safely? Leaving properties deliberately empty just adds to a shortage of homes. SNP join Labour in wanting everyone to get paid but do no work and pay no rent!

From: Robert Brown 02 April 2020 09:31 AM

They might dig you up and go through your pockets! Nothing would surprise me with that loony party just now and as a miner's son it pains me to say that.

From: Robert Brown 30 March 2020 16:54 PM

These buy to rent and purpose built cardboard cladded student accommodation will be shown to be the new timeshares, as I predicted some months ago.

From: Robert Brown 28 March 2020 08:12 AM

Same with me, although Scotland hasn't had the volatility of English markets.

From: Robert Brown 27 March 2020 18:43 PM

In normal circumstances the clue should be in the question. Agreement means exactly that. Unpaid rent should be theft. If we had such security in normal times we could afford to show more forbearance now. Bigger deposits would also be a help to tenants experiencing unexpected difficulty at any time. This won't be the only crisis in most tenants' lifetime.

From: Robert Brown 27 March 2020 18:41 PM

Sam Please explain how to be successful in getting unpaid rent back from defaulters. In 23 years I have never managed it, but I have over time developed a survival instinct that has protected me from repeating the experience very often. I am happy to allow a rent deferment to match the deposit and take a risk on the property being left in good condition, but like most "reforms", small deposits are not in the tenants' best interests.

From: Robert Brown 26 March 2020 22:44 PM

Andrew There might be a lot of cardboard boxes with vacant possession after all this. Who knows? Perhaps our DSS benefits bill will be slashed and paying the debts incurred for all the money getting thrown at the employed and self employed will actually be affordable?

From: Robert Brown 26 March 2020 22:33 PM

If the Government is helping self employed people earning up to £50k, it should also help landlords caught in this kind of dilemma but don't hold your breath! I really can't see what is so risky about allowing families to move their own stuff between properties. I accept we can't expect others to take that risk for us. However we need to remember most people have a mild illness and are able to be back at work in two weeks, so there should be a growing immune workforce as time goes on.

From: Robert Brown 26 March 2020 22:24 PM

If there is a housing shortage, it's crazy to force landlords to keep properties empty. The SNP obviously don't think there is a housing shortage as they have banned Scottish construction workers from working, even where they could do so safely.The UK Government seems to be trying to get a sensible balance.

From: Robert Brown 26 March 2020 22:18 PM

I don't see why we can't have the situation where the tenants with the biggest deposits get first choice of the best flats. After all, better flats attract higher rents so it makes sense for tenants to prove they can afford them even if things get tough.

From: Robert Brown 26 March 2020 21:56 PM

We need bigger deposits all round - for buyers and for renters - then there is something to fall back on for everyone.

From: Robert Brown 26 March 2020 21:51 PM

That is why small deposits are a crazy idea.

From: Robert Brown 26 March 2020 21:49 PM

Perhaps people will realise that the deposit is actually there for everyone's protection? Low deposits help no-one. Wonder how the snake oil zero deposit salesmen will cope with the demand for them to keep their unaffordable promises?

From: Robert Brown 26 March 2020 21:46 PM

Daniela Did you not implore us to be sympathetic very recently? With some tenants, no good turn goes unpunished. We need to push for larger deposits to safeguard everyone in future.

From: Robert Brown 25 March 2020 19:43 PM

Totally agree with your first sentence! The flat can't be dismantled and shipped to other areas of demand for the summer. Its overheads need paid for 12 months a year. A University education, even at a lower tier one, has to be paid for. It's supposed to be an investment unless it's for a media studies degree etc. Look at the long term like landlords have to do and weather the current storm.

From: Robert Brown 25 March 2020 19:39 PM

Ditch the students and go for professionals for the next year if you can get them earlier. You're not a charity and it's first come first served. It's actually worse in Scotland where they're able to leave any time on 28 days notice. I'm going to focus on professionals from now on and the students will not have enough accommodation in September.

From: Robert Brown 25 March 2020 19:32 PM

In Scotland there are no leases and many students are leaving now with no notice. I hope there aren't enough flats for them when they come back! Presumably University lecturers are still being paid for doing nothing instead of just a little?

From: Robert Brown 25 March 2020 09:23 AM

The idiot Greens leader also wants to allow tenants to leave without notice. After all this is over we need to move to longer deposits to safeguard everyone.

From: Robert Brown 25 March 2020 09:20 AM

Jamie. Remember to wash your hands if you use a tissue to wipe your tears.

From: Robert Brown 24 March 2020 08:58 AM

Surely Shelter would act as Guarantors if Barclays asked them?

From: Robert Brown 24 March 2020 08:54 AM

Daniella. I wish I had your faith! In my experience a rental payment delayed is a rental payment lost.

From: Robert Brown 23 March 2020 20:19 PM

Well said David From a £6000 deposit on a £60000 flat about 23 years ago, rented out at £600 per month then and around £1300now, by remortgaging and ploughing the latte drinkers' rents into further properties, I've built up a £4 million portfolio with around £3 million equity and gross monthly rents of over £20,000. A big thank you to all those spending on pcp cars, fancy holidays and lots of lattes. I now also take fancy holidays and buy nice cars - but all paid as I get them.

From: Robert Brown 23 March 2020 20:15 PM

Most people recover within 2 weeks, so why is everyone looking to be rent free for 3 MONTHS?

From: Robert Brown 23 March 2020 10:29 AM

Pity we haven't got three months deposit to fall back on, then we could offer a three month rent freeze with the deposit built back up again over the next few months. TDS etc. need to give us access to the deposits they're earning interest on while we're expected to see our income stop completely. Boris hasn't said anything to support landlords, just banning evictions for three months.

From: Robert Brown 23 March 2020 10:26 AM

Tenants should get the help they deserve. Decent tenants should be helped but not the hopeless feckless and reckless! Pity there isn't a 3 months deposit as a safety net! Perhaps a 5 week rent holiday should be the norm?

From: Robert Brown 20 March 2020 09:01 AM

If your mortgage balances your rent you're not making any income!

From: Robert Brown 19 March 2020 12:33 PM

Make up all rent shortfalls to landlords. That is all it takes. Up to HMG to recover arrears if it can. Why bankrupt landlords?

From: Robert Brown 19 March 2020 09:05 AM

Fine if the deposit covered three months rent.As ye reap.

From: Robert Brown 18 March 2020 12:32 PM

The next bang will be when they hit the floor!

From: Robert Brown 17 March 2020 12:55 PM

Let's see how the figures are at the end of March and April?

From: Robert Brown 17 March 2020 12:53 PM

Perhaps they could sell their fancy cars? Oh...hang on... it's on pcp! Most tenants self isolating will save a fortune on costalot coffees, booze etc. That combined with cancelling their Easter and Summer breaks should go a long way to paying the rent.

From: Robert Brown 17 March 2020 12:52 PM

Throughout history, people have been widowed, lost jobs etc. and been evicted. The only difference now is the potential scale of the problem but the principle remains the same. If the welfare state can't help enough, why does it fall at the feet of private landlords to plug the gap?

From: Robert Brown 17 March 2020 10:21 AM

I doubt that Mark is a landlord at all!

From: Robert Brown 17 March 2020 10:14 AM

Nil deposit means nil chance of becoming my tenant. Things are fairer when decent solvent tenants can rent decent properties. Allowing insolvent feckless tenants to stay put and prevent decent tenants from renting from decent landlords is what is most unfair in the current rental market. All do gooder ideas only make things worse for decent landlords and tenants.

From: Robert Brown 13 March 2020 10:09 AM

Zero deposit means zero chance of becoming my tenants. Next more financially responsible tenants please!

From: Robert Brown 12 March 2020 10:55 AM

Don't pay - don't stay! We're not charities. Try Shelter. They claim to be a charity.

From: Robert Brown 12 March 2020 10:45 AM

Perhaps Shelter will act as Guarantor for tenants who want to keep pets instead of saving towards the 5% deposit needed to become an owner occupier? Perhaps Shelter will do something - anything - helpful for tenants? Perhaps I'll win £150 millions on the Eurolottery? More likely and I don't even buy its tickets!

From: Robert Brown 04 March 2020 14:04 PM

The sad thing is that the "greenies" mostly don't actually understand what is "green". Most Victorian or Georgian properties will outlive the modern "greener" properties several times over, thus saving on high energy consumption activities such as transporting construction materials and labour, manufacturing bricks, steel, concrete, glass, insulation etc. as well as avoiding cutting down atmosphere-cleaning trees. It's the same perverse logic, based on ignorance, which vilifies nuclear electricity generation and 70 mpg Category 6 diesel engines whilst advocating an impossibly swift move to electric vehicles which only push the pollution and fossil fuel consumption back to the power stations, with a significant loss of energy in the transmission and storage processes. These are probably the same people who think Shelter helps the homeless!

From: Robert Brown 28 February 2020 21:51 PM

There really only needs to be one rule for tenant safety. Tenants should act like responsible adults and use their common sense. Are we going to see house builders held responsible for ensuring that owner occupiers are kept safe years after moving in - or are owner occupiers rightly regarded as more responsible adults who don't need or want a nanny state?

From: Robert Brown 27 February 2020 10:27 AM

Pets are money Hoovers. I thought tenants were pleading poverty and condemned to rent as they can't afford to save up the 5% deposit to buy? Tip: Ditch the dog, cast out the cat, flush away the goldfish. Also avoid pcp car contracts, costalot coffees, fancy holidays and designer clothes. Gradually the necessary deposit will accumulate.

From: Robert Brown 26 February 2020 13:56 PM

Another pressure on decent landlords and tenants! If house buyers can make an informed decision to buy a lower efficiency home, why deny tenants the same opportunity? How many cardboard boxes have the necessary epc rating?

From: Robert Brown 26 February 2020 13:39 PM

You're missing the key point! It shouldn't be beyond someone of integrity and reasonable intelligence to manage the process of finding and keeping good tenants. Instead of everyone vilifying all involved in PRS, it should be recognised the added complexities only work against decent tenants and landlords alike, providing undeserved protection to rogue tenants and ignored by rogue landlords.

From: Robert Brown 26 February 2020 13:36 PM

Surprised it's not a lot more!

From: Robert Brown 21 February 2020 16:50 PM

Michael I think you are probably underestimating the returns in Scotland currently. A nice flat in Glasgow West End with an HMO licence for 5 students can get £30,000 per annum rent and be bought for around £300k, so yielding around 10% gross. With many Scottish landlords wanting out, it's also pretty much of a buyer's market currently. Thanks SNP - glad most of your supporters are too thick to see the consequences of your so-called progressive policies!

From: Robert Brown 19 February 2020 14:42 PM

The main disadvantage to prospective tenants is not the added cost of no-deposit schemes, compared to the almost zero cost (loss of potential interest earned) of normal deposits for responsible tenants entitled to the full deposit being returned. It's the question marks that resorting to such extra cost measures plants in the minds of landlords. Are these tenants actually destitute, financially illiterate or simply not responsible enough to ensure that the property will be returned in good condition at the end of the tenancy? In all cases, however, the answer is the same. Avoid such tenants and opt for tenants who have been able to save up the modest deposit and first month's rent required to be regarded as financially responsible and thus a safer bet to merit consideration as a tenant.

From: Robert Brown 19 February 2020 14:32 PM

Landlords need to spread their risk - but what if multiple properties all have rogue tenants advised by Shelter and the Council to stay put, even if they haven't paid rent for months? Rent evasion should be a criminal offence, not a civil matter, then Landlords might feel a bit more secure.

From: Robert Brown 19 February 2020 11:46 AM

What a stupid question! An investment costing 10 times annual earnings with the capability to bankrupt a highly leveraged investor? Nah! Don't bother forward planning - what could possibly go wrong? Surely politicians of every colour will recognise the importance of your investment in other people's homes and ensure you're well looked after by the tax system etc.? Hang on! With thinking like this I could either write for this lot or get a senior job in politics! I think I will go for a lie down until these thoughts pass!

From: Robert Brown 19 February 2020 11:43 AM

In most cases the tenants end up paying for any increase in Landlords' costs, which is as it should be. Where the landlord can't recoup the extra costs then the short term rental market will provide higher returns. This reduces the amount of homes available to rent and leads to higher rents through normal market forces. Look at the 30% increase in rents in Scotland since the SNP introduced its crazy new PRs legislation in December 2017. Only the rent dodging rogue tenants win out of such anti decent tenant legislation, but it seems most SNP supporters are too thick to see what has happened and understand why. England should take note and not repeat these mistakes. Similar crazy legislation in Ireland, now repealed, has led to the rise of the loony lefty IRA/Sinn Fein terrorists potentially toppling the two centre ground parties.

From: Robert Brown 18 February 2020 17:46 PM

DW. Decent tenants can stay as long as they want to. No business turns away paying customers or pays for alternative customers to replace good customers who want to continue giving their custom. What people like you fail to see is that you're actually stopping decent tenants from getting homes by protecting wasters who stop paying rent and deprive the landlords of the rent they are entitled to charge and deprive other tenants of decent homes.

From: Robert Brown 18 February 2020 17:32 PM

If you take them to court at least they will have a ccj against them and other landlords will be warned not to rent to them.

From: Robert Brown 17 February 2020 09:16 AM

Over two thirds of the Scottish Parliament are anti landlord, but so far everything that they have done has proven to be anti tenant! I could live with linking future rent rises to wage increases, but after suffering frozen rents from 1998 until 2016, the recent 30% rent increases due to market forces have simply redressed the balance.

From: Robert Brown 17 February 2020 09:12 AM

There was definitely no virus in my properties when current tenants moved in. Why should I therefore have any "role" to play or any "risk" to manage?

From: Robert Brown 14 February 2020 17:22 PM

I heard on the radio that this type of investment will be the next timeshare with individual investors having no control over maintenance charges, poorly built properties which don't need to conform with normal residential building standards, no easy exit mechanism for investors etc. It concluded that normal btl investments were still better even with everything that has been thrown at landlords!

From: Robert Brown 14 February 2020 17:18 PM

Welsh rents will soar like they have done in Scotland after fixed term leases were abolished by the SNP in December 2017, who also build unfit for purpose hospitals, bridges,ferries and poorly performing schools whilst clamouring for independence which would leave us with a £13 billions annual budget deficit!

From: Robert Brown 12 February 2020 11:57 AM

Good to see recognition that this costs all tenants real money whereas standard deposits being withheld either in part or in full only cost tenants who have not returned the property in an acceptable condition. What is not covered is the doubt placed in Landlords' minds by tenants who are not confident that they will take proper care of the property ( and thus have their full deposit returned) or who cannot afford the deposit and thus are more likely to incur rent arrears. In my view, no deposit schemes only benefit the organisations making money out of them at the expense of poorly advised tenants.

From: Robert Brown 11 February 2020 10:54 AM

Perhaps the Councils will act as guarantor for these tenants - and pay the rent upfront along with a sensible size of deposit? Perhaps the Tory Government - with a genuine housing shortage to deal with, and no need to worry about GR votes for nearly 5 years - will make rent evasion (after 2 months arrears) illegal? Perhaps Shelter will start acting in the interests of decent tenants and landlords, instead of encouraging scum to stay put without paying rent and depriving decent tenants of decent homes from decent landlords? Perhaps I should think about joining the real world again - but the thoughts were nice while they lasted!

From: Robert Brown 07 February 2020 16:36 PM

Perhaps Shelter, GR, and assorted lefties will turn their attention on Airbnb etc. and the tax advantages currently given to the short term let market who cause havoc in many residential areas as well as removing homes from the longer term rental availability. They might even realise that decent landlords are not their enemy and focus on rogue landlords AND rogue tenants who deprive decent tenants of decent homes due to following Shelter's advice not to leave a property - for which they're not paying rent - until all legal avenues (and the landlord) are exhausted! However, I won't hold my breath!

From: Robert Brown 07 February 2020 16:28 PM

Totally agree! What the government forgets os that over a third of this (Income Tax, NI and VAT) will end up back in its pocket whereas many owner occupiers don't maintain their properties as well landlords and if they do then DIY and cash in hand jobs will definitely reduce the tax take compared to landlord- initiated works.

From: Robert Brown 05 February 2020 14:56 PM

This is not a saving, simply a reduction in the potential remedy available to a landlord if the property is not returned in good order. Indeed market forces will dictate that rents will rise to cover such shortfalls which will place an extra burden on responsible tenants whilst letting the feckless and reckless off with a further £163 that should rightly belong to the landlord. Shelter shafting decent tenants yet again!

From: Robert Brown 05 February 2020 14:50 PM

Thanks SNP - but then delay is what you excel at, whether it's in delaying the opening of new children's hospitals already years late, suspending the building of double-budget ferries or failing to meet statutory A&E and operations waiting times etc. etc.

From: Robert Brown 05 February 2020 12:01 PM

This is destroying residential areas in Edinburgh in a way that student rentals never did. Abolish the £7500 tax free rents and council tax exemption from short term rentals and give the incentives to landlords providing long term homes instead.

From: Robert Brown 03 February 2020 10:03 AM

40% of readers have missed the deadline - didn't realise such a high % of readers were tenants - but thanks anyway on behalf of HMRC for the £100 donations.

From: Robert Brown 03 February 2020 09:55 AM

I'm reasonably confident in them until about a year before the next election, then they'll jump back on the anti landlord band wagon, especially if they have to out-idiot Rebecca Long-way-down in chasing tenant votes.

From: Robert Brown 30 January 2020 10:30 AM

Most landlords are sensible and would never support the SNP loonies. Tenants, on the other hand........... I don't ever expect any help from the SNP who will always chase the populist votes and going after landlords suits their long term objectives.

From: Robert Brown 30 January 2020 09:38 AM

Of course you can pay a lower rent! Just rent an inferior property. BTW, my offer to rent to you is now withdrawn. Next please!

From: Robert Brown 29 January 2020 17:33 PM

Good post Andrew, but the dedicated housing tribunals now in Scotland are every bit as ineffective as everything else that the SNP gets involved with.

From: Robert Brown 29 January 2020 13:37 PM

The rules should not be broken by either party - but sanctions don't seem to ever be applied against rogue tenants - only against hapless landlords.

From: Robert Brown 29 January 2020 13:34 PM

This is malicious damage. The rogue tenant should be jailed and made to pay compensation out of the benefits undoubtedly being claimed.

From: Robert Brown 28 January 2020 13:55 PM

I don't think it would apply to lodgers,but how could I have several properties as my main residence at the same time? Surely that is the only time that tenants would counter as lodgers? Totally agree about the SNP! Looking forward to forthcoming trial in Edinburgh in March, but can't comment further on that just now!

From: Robert Brown 27 January 2020 11:04 AM

Not surprised. The only guidance from the SNP is to vote for independence and not worry about the £13 billions deficit as the rich Scots will pick up the bill! The sad fact is that 45% believe them, probably including all those who will be put out of PRS properties deemed too draughty by the loony new legislation.

From: Robert Brown 27 January 2020 10:53 AM

Opposite was claimed just last week!

From: Robert Brown 27 January 2020 10:48 AM

Given that many landlords have several properties this probably means that the number of rental properties put up for sale won't be much more than the long term average. Another article pretending to give lots of data but telling us nothing useful!

From: Robert Brown 23 January 2020 10:42 AM

In Scotland, an HMO licence is needed to let to 3 or more unrelated adults, even in a 3 or 4 bedroom property. This costs over £1900 for the first 3 year licence and over £900 for subsequent 3 year periods, in addition to costly alterations like fire doors, mains smoke alarms and emergency lighting. On the upside, the yields can easily exceed 8% and there are usually 3 or more solvent guarantors who are more concerned about credit ratings, honouring agreements etc. than their often pretty feckless offspring. Another bonus is that no single tenant can end the lease without all tenants agreeing, so void periods also tend not to happen for the better properties. I now only have such HMO properties, having converted other flats into 3 or 4 bed HMO's and seen rents treble over the last 10 years as a result of the demand for such HMO properties among students with solvent guarantors.

From: Robert Brown 23 January 2020 10:40 AM

There was talk of rent pressure zones where tribunals could limit rent increases but they are mainly in areas where no sane landlord would buy or decent tenants want to live. They are probably a perfect example of being careful what you wish for as they are destined to become even more deprived and properties even further in disrepair as they have no chance of any gentrification or even normalisation. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if the SNP were to go ahead with them and show case them as a success, along with our failing schools, hospitals, shipyards, railways and everything else that they clamoured to control and wrest from Westminster's slightly more sane control.

From: Robert Brown 22 January 2020 18:13 PM

There are no rent controls in Scotland currently, although the SNP- supporting Labour MSP, Monica Lennon was pushing for them until it was pointed out that this would mean all rents would increase by as much as possible as often as allowed. She can't be a proper SNP supporter as it seems she actually listened. However currently we can't increase rents more than once a year, which means most of us now DO increase them annually, whereas before we tended to wait until decent tenants had left and only increased them for bad tenants to get the message across during the lease.

From: Robert Brown 22 January 2020 12:06 PM

Tenants need to take some responsibility for their own safety. Are mortgage suppliers going to be forced to put CO alarms etc. in those properties for which they have provided mortgages?

From: Robert Brown 20 January 2020 09:17 AM

Gosh! The % of non readers has now risen to 11% - they're possibly later risers than the literate majority.

From: Robert Brown 17 January 2020 10:11 AM

Scotland now has this and it's a shambles, like everything that the SNP touches. It can now take over a year to get rid of tenants, leaving the landlord without a year's rent but with a year's worth of costs to pay. Rent dodging should be a criminal offence with mandatory eviction after two months arrears and then the problem will disappear.

From: Robert Brown 17 January 2020 10:06 AM

It seems that 4% of the respondents to this survey are equally well qualified - or can't read - probably both.

From: Robert Brown 16 January 2020 13:19 PM

I would have thought living in a cardboard box would cause more health problems than a privately rented home. Shelter's war on landlords will force more of its supporters into boxes as landlords get increasingly demonised by the real enemies of tenants.

From: Robert Brown 15 January 2020 14:01 PM

Totally agree. Internal fire doors are invariably wedged open and I must admit I do have some sympathy with the tenants as they're a pain in the neck to open every time you want to go in or out of a room. Until there is some electrical connection broken every time a fire is open which stops the heating etc. from working, no frequency of inspection will ensure that internal fire doors are kept closed.

From: Robert Brown 10 January 2020 13:29 PM

1st time I've ever agreed with the SNP, but no doubt they'll still manage to screw it up.

From: Robert Brown 10 January 2020 13:14 PM

I agree totally. Most students would rather be in the (cheaper) conventional flats we provide, usually in the heart of a real community, than live in cramped purpose built student ghettos with wooden frameworks and compressed cardboard walls etc. - which don't have to conform to "residential building standards" (like the Bolton multi storey building which was engulfed in flames recently) at much higher rents. The only benefit of the purpose built ghettos is to demonstrate the excellent value for money of conventional flats where students can learn some real life skills - like holding noisy parties, going into arrears with utilities, dodging paying TV licences, getting chased by Councils because the can't be bothered to fill in the Student Council Tax exemption forms easily available online etc. etc. Come to think of it, most of them are tailor made for a career in politics!

From: Robert Brown 07 January 2020 10:58 AM

Agreed Daniela - on most points. However the only time I have had rat or mice infestations ( other than an isolated short visit) is when tenants keep the property like a tip. Vermin are social creatures and tend to like living with like. Clean properties don't tend to have rodent infestations.

From: Robert Brown 02 January 2020 13:37 PM

Bad news for those nice residential areas now blighted by multiple Airbnb properties including many parts of Edinburgh. To rub salt in, owners of such properties are often exempt from council tax and business rates, with many earning up to £7500 tax free. Why be so generous to Airbnb landlords whilst those providing homes are vilified?

From: Robert Brown 31 December 2019 10:49 AM

Make deliberate withholding of rent or remaining in a rental property after accruing more than 2 months' rent arrears criminal offences. It's just plain theft after all. Put Shelter in the dock too as accomplices. Then the current legislation can be amended as rent arrears can be kept under control. Why would any decent tenants object to this? After all it would free up properties being hogged by Shelter-backed freeloaders for decent tenants to occupy.

From: Robert Brown 31 December 2019 09:45 AM

No deposit means no lease in my properties. Next more financially responsible prospective tenant please. Teach the snowflakes to save for things worth having and they might even end up with a big enough deposit to buy their property! These no deposit schemes only benefit the people providing the chargeable service. Good tenants can easily get their full deposit returned to help build the deposit needed for purchase, with the only cost being loss of 0.00000001% interest, usually less than one costalot coffee.

From: Robert Brown 30 December 2019 10:38 AM

Government should be asking why there is a shortage of homes to rent and reversing their anti landlord and thus anti tenant legislation. If there is a shortage of any commodity then common sense illustrates that incentives emerge to counter the shortage. In the absence of government involvement the market will react by enabling higher prices to be charged and paid - hence the increase in rents and possibly signs that this is tempting some landlords back into buying mode, but this is a fragile change easily reversed if the government continues to act against its suppliers and consumers. If any of them had ever had real jobs they would know this already.

From: Robert Brown 30 December 2019 10:30 AM

The initial capital costs - purchase, stamp duty, new fixtures and fittings, furniture etc. can be subtracted from sale proceeds to reduce CGT on any eventual sale, thus gaining 18% or 28% tax relief at point of sale. Agreed, income tax relief on the initial cost of provision would usually be better for most tax payers, but that was never the situation, although the 10% wear and tear allowance did allow such capital costs to be slowly recouped over many years.

From: Robert Brown 27 December 2019 11:35 AM

Free safety advice to tenants. Use common sense and act like grown ups!

From: Robert Brown 23 December 2019 10:23 AM

So 14% of LA's don't think rents will rise and 39% don't think demand will increase in 2020! What parts of the disillusionment expressed by landlords do they not see or hear? Have they been educated at the Corbyn School of Communication and Listening?

From: Robert Brown 23 December 2019 10:20 AM

Rents will inevitably increase hurting good tenants whom landlords are happy to keep long term. Everything seems to be designed to protect rogue tenants and rogue landlords (who have their own highly effective means of evicting tenants).

From: Robert Brown 20 December 2019 11:39 AM

Ian I tried to sell a property when "good" tenants were still in it but it was a nightmare. No cooperation during viewings regarding keeping the flat clean and tidy, giving viewers some space and privacy to look around properly, indicating that they would not move out without a struggle etc. Offers received once the flat was empty, cleaned and refurbished were nearly 20% higher than the joke offers from potential rogue landlords who were the only interested parties with sitting tenants. Vacant possession is essential to allow landlords to maximise return on investment on selling.

From: Robert Brown 17 December 2019 13:25 PM

Same message to Boris as in the posts in the neighbouring article. Support your prs landlords and they will deliver. Go against them and suffer the consequences.

From: Robert Brown 13 December 2019 10:48 AM

Boris needs to look at how rents have soared in Scotland since the loony December 2017 outlawed fixed term tenancies and the reversals forced on the lefty government in Eire when their PRs almost collapsed. No need now to chase the tenant vote but a real need to support decent landlords willing and able to provide more decent good value homes for those unable or unwilling to put their own money into providing for themselves.

From: Robert Brown 13 December 2019 10:45 AM

Surely it should be relatively easy to trace the tenant and prosecute him, but I guess there won't be as much effort put into this as is put into prosecuting landlords or motorists.

From: Robert Brown 11 December 2019 12:07 PM

I don't condone this landlord flouting safety regulations but the Council's actions were just as bad. Some senior officials should be fired over this but I doubt if there will be any repercussions at all. I think its so unfair that individuals trying to run businesses have to risk bankruptcy to fight the crazy decisions of public body officials who can then use public money to defend their decisions with zero risk to their own finances and probably zero risk of any sanctions at all.

From: Robert Brown 11 December 2019 12:04 PM

Tenant fee ban puts extra costs on to landlords - so passed on to tenants who complain. What a surprise! They should note their costs haven't gone up - just changed in shape but that would require some financial common sense - sadly lacking in most costalot coffee buyers (aka tenants).

From: Robert Brown 09 December 2019 10:33 AM

"Report anything to the council". Surely it should be report anything you feel is illegal, unsafe etc.? York Council is going to be very busy after giving such advice to Generation Rent and their barrack room lawyers, Feckless, Reckless and Hopeless!

From: Robert Brown 03 December 2019 09:35 AM

These 10 tips are all under the control of the tenants, not the landlords, which seems to prove the point that it's tenant lifestyle that is the main cause of damp and mould. I have had two cases of mould in two flats which have each had about 20 tenants over the years but no mould problem with the other 18 or so tenants occupying the same properties. Nothing has changed in the basic condition of the properties. The only change has been the way the tenants have kept the property heated and ventilated ( or not).

From: Robert Brown 03 December 2019 09:29 AM

The logic here is flawed. It assumes no landlords have previously voted for the party who won these seats last election and all will vote for the runner up party with no other voters changing their votes. Even if this happened, 55 Conservative seats would change and 39 Labour seats would also change hands, along with 30 others so the overall effect would be pretty inconclusive, just like this article!

From: Robert Brown 03 December 2019 09:13 AM

Why not take action first only against the "head tenant" who was charging these sub tenants, almost certainly against the terms of the lease and probably without the knowledge or approval of the landlord? Arguably, frequent inspections would identify this problem, but we would then be accused of not leaving the tenant in peace.

From: Robert Brown 29 November 2019 19:50 PM

No deposit, no chance of renting any of my properties. It shows two alarming symptoms. Firstly doubtful if the prospective tenants place enough emphasis on financial prudence by not prioritising saving a deposit and ensuring rent is affordable and paid promptly. Secondly it shows a lack of willing to take responsibility and pay for any damage etc. caused during the tenancy. Either symptom is fatal in my opinion.

From: Robert Brown 28 November 2019 13:11 PM

I have never taken out contents insurance, whether as a very young renter or in over 40 years as an owner occupier. I regard insurance as protection against catastrophe, loss of my home, car, third party liability etc. I have the means to replace all my furniture etc. in the event of fire, flood etc. I have probably saved over £20,000 by not having contents insurance and opting for very high voluntary excesses on home and car insurance policies. I currently pay under £500 per annum to insure 2 expensive homes, worth over£1 million and 2 cars which cost around £40k new 3 years ago. I trawl all comparison sites and some companies' own web sites and consistently under cut renewal premiums by around 25% by spending around 30 minutes online. By comparison, properties on block insurance policies seem to go up by 5% to 10% every year which I seem powerless to influence.

From: Robert Brown 28 November 2019 10:53 AM

The other side of this survey is that 30.19% ( nearly a third) ARE considering selling up in the next year. That hardly shows overwhelming confidence and would be a disaster for the many decent tenants who won't be able to buy any of these properties that might come on the market. A very one sided article from the mob living off the deposit interest that used to go to landlords!

From: Robert Brown 25 November 2019 11:15 AM

We all want rid of dodgy landlords who can undercut the majority of decent landlords. That is apart from the dodgy tenants who can't rent anywhere else as decent landlords want to give priority to decent tenants. Are Corbyn and McDonnell going to let out the many spare rooms in Nos 10 and 11, along with their current homes which will become vacant if they get elected? Fortunately we're very unlikely to see how this would pan out for real.

From: Robert Brown 25 November 2019 11:07 AM

Just because we're sticking with it doesn't mean we have confidence in the Scottish PRS! It's just that we have realised that anti landlord legislation now in place in Scotland has helped rents to grow faster than ever before but "confident" is not what we are.

From: Robert Brown 25 November 2019 10:03 AM

Like most suggestions from people in power with no experience, it won't work. However it might flag up to the new landlord that there are issues with how the tenant left the old property! Another anti-tenant policy like encouraging landlords to apply inflation increases every opportunity!

From: Robert Brown 25 November 2019 10:00 AM

Presumably some tenants read this too? If so, hopefully the experience of some Scottish Landlords enjoying 30% greater rental incomes since the SNP "reformed" the Scottish PRS in December 2017 might make them think again. I really believe those English landlords with the courage and the means to stick it out will reap rewards no matter what any colour of government throws at them. The losers will be the most vulnerable, whether landlords or tenants.

From: Robert Brown 22 November 2019 11:41 AM

We need 300,000 more homes per annum. Policies causing an 11% drop in btl acquisitions is hardly the way to provide more homes!

From: Robert Brown 21 November 2019 10:16 AM

So if the tenants aren't out of pocket when moving rental properties, it stands to reason that the landlord will be out of pocket until the deposit is transferred. Otherwise landlords will be unable to hang on to deposits to check the condition in which the property has been left. Again this means that landlords are out of pocket in getting compensated for properties left in poor condition. A poorly thought out policy - again!

From: Robert Brown 21 November 2019 10:14 AM

I wonder how much developers will be fined for building student residences with wooden frames and cardboard cladding? I bet £0 as they are apparently perfectly legal! I also bet they didn't tell the students or their parents about their building standards.

From: Robert Brown 18 November 2019 09:25 AM

Interesting that the SNP anti landlord legislation has resulted in Scottish rents rising at nearly double the UK average. My own experience is that this is an underestimate as my rents have gone up by around a third since the December 2017 legislation removed the right of both landlords and tenants to agree to a fixed term lease fair to both parties. Anti landlord measures always end up being anti tenant measures too. The bright side for English landlords is that any moves against landlords will result in fewer rental properties and significantly higher rents for those who stick it out.

From: Robert Brown 15 November 2019 14:00 PM

Interesting that the SNP anti landlord legislation has resulted in Scottish rents rising at nearly double the UK average. My own experience is that this is an underestimate as my rents have gone up by around a third since the December 2017 legislation removed the right of both landlords and tenants to agree to a fixed term lease fair to both parties. Anti landlord measures always end up being anti tenant measures too. The bright side for English landlords is that any moves against landlords will result in fewer rental properties and significantly higher rents for those who stick it out.

From: Robert Brown 15 November 2019 13:56 PM

Tom is right. There has been an unwelcome move recently to missives not being exchanged promptly and increasingly being exchanged just before the entry date - so no longer a much better system than South of the Border.

From: Robert Brown 08 November 2019 23:12 PM

I don't insure contents and have probably saved more than the replacement cost of my contents over the past 40 odd years that I have had house contents. I also have a £500 excess on my car insurance as I would never make a claim for a small loss. Insurance is good to avoid huge or life changing losses but too expensive to insulate against minor losses or inconveniences. Similarly most life insurance policies for older debt free property owners are a poor investment. Statistically it's a better bet to invest the premiums to provide the kind of pay out that such insurance policies might eventually pay out.

From: Robert Brown 08 November 2019 23:06 PM

Paul Add to your adjectives "reckless, hopeless and poorly educated". In the 13 years I spent in primary, secondary and tertiary education I never encountered the word "gotten" following "has". It just goes to show that not all Russell Group Universities deserve that accolade. Affordability has many more sides than just purchase to income ratios. I built up a property portfolio in the teeth of 15% mortgage rates and rents remaining unchanged for around 15 years or more. However small investments in a vacuum flask for hot drinks, Tupperware for packed lunches, a cheap fourth hand car and a tent allowed me to service my loans and avoid starvation and enjoy healthy holidays. The Snowflakes could still do likewise but I doubt many will do so.

From: Robert Brown 08 November 2019 22:52 PM

Guess what? Under the yoke of the SNP "government" Scotland already insists ALL landlords are registered. It's not that expensive per property but on checking the website, many properties are still rented out without the landlords being registered. It's very easy to check online, but does any Council or other official ever do so? I doubt it, but come any disaster involving an unregistered flat all decent landlords will be hit by more onerous legislation and rogue landlords will continue to flout the law.

From: Robert Brown 08 November 2019 22:38 PM

What a great idea! But why aren't the tenants responsible for their own utility bills anyway?

From: Robert Brown 06 November 2019 17:01 PM

I heard a radio programme recently saying this was the "next timeshare" and an investor rip off waiting to unfold due to the poor construction standards, potentially high ongoing maintenance costs and possible short life span of many of these developments. The investment expert warned private investors to stay clear and invest in traditional flats in University cities with a proven track record of student demand and a simple exit mechanism through resale to new buyers. Another programme suggested these buildings could still have Grenfell type cladding fitted quite legally as they are not classed as permanent dwellings.

From: Robert Brown 03 November 2019 14:02 PM

Many "emergency calls" could be dealt with as routine maintenance if tenants reported issues promptly before they needed an "emergency call". I wonder how the number of tenant evacuations compares to owner occupier evacuations for the same period? I suspect tenant percentages will be much higher.

From: Robert Brown 03 November 2019 13:53 PM

No deposit means no chance of renting any of my properties. Tenants need to get their priorities right and show landlords they can be financially responsible. Sacrificing 1 week's rent instead of saving up 4 to 6 weeks' rent as a refundable deposit is a mug's game and shows poor financial acumen.

From: Robert Brown 31 October 2019 21:39 PM

This is NOT free! It's paid for out of the interest confiscated from landlords who used to be able to earn interest on the deposits held by them, which now get held by expensive quangos dreaming up ways to spend money which rightfully belongs to the landlords.

From: Robert Brown 31 October 2019 21:31 PM

At the time of reading this, 100% of 778 readers back this move, but how many will contribute to the crowd funding appeal?

From: Robert Brown 28 October 2019 10:12 AM

Airbnb should be ashamed of themselves. As well as conniving with fraudsters and other law breakers, destroying the peace and quiet of many residential neighbourhoods, they are putting innocent property owners at risk of bankruptcy if their insurers refused to pay out in the event of airbnb subtenants causing a fire etc. This tenant should be jailed and Airbnb fined several millions to make them take their responsibilities more seriously.

From: Robert Brown 28 October 2019 10:09 AM

I agree. 8% yields achievable in good Glasgow West End properties. Another article in this group shows Scotland averaging 5.8% yields, ahead of the other three home nations, due principally to the SNP loony legislation which prevents fixed term tenancy agreements and makes it very difficult to get rid of nuisance tenants. Fewer properties to rent has pushed up rents significantly in Scotland over the last two years or so.

From: Robert Brown 18 October 2019 12:03 PM

The message is clear. Generation rent should buy a vacuum flask for cheap coffees, avoid fancy holidays and pcp cars and they too can become better off, but they had also better buy a tool kit and learn some basic diy and other money saving skills - then they can join the grown ups!

From: Robert Brown 18 October 2019 11:54 AM

These courses are not free. They are funded out of the interest on deposits which landlords used to be able to earn until the new totally unnecessary deposit schemes became law. Our lost deposits interest also funds a number of high salaries carrying out a totally unnecessary function which as this evidence shows has not eliminated disputes due to landlords trying to recoup the costs incurred when tenants leave properties needing substantial cleaning and refurbishment.

From: Robert Brown 15 October 2019 15:44 PM

We have had this in Scotland since December 2017 and getting rid of tenants who cause problems is now a nightmare. Two avenues still open to landlords are that tenants must move out if the landlord wants to sell or undertake major refurbishment. The first means that the property is no longer available for rent and the latter means that the rent charged is much higher. The latter also means we now postpone refurbishment as a potential means of getting rid of undesirable tenants so good tenants don't get their homes routinely upgraded as we did before. BTW market rents are now much higher and availability of properties much more restricted than before. No good news here for tenants but does the loony SNP care?

From: Robert Brown 14 October 2019 10:28 AM

This is the guy who is responsible for the draconian Scottish HMO legislation which demands expensive alterations and licensing costs before more than 2 unrelated adults can share a flat, irrespective of the number of bedrooms. Incidentally this legislation still doesn't apply to the flat where the two tenants died as it only applies for more than 2 tenants. This man has cost decent law abiding Scottish landlords and tenants a fortune whilst he continues to flout the law. He should have been jailed again!

From: Robert Brown 11 October 2019 11:00 AM

Kenneth. I think your logic is back to front. Investors in btr properties are only interested in them as investment vehicles (probably among many other investments) whereas small private landlords are keen to keep good tenants happy and their properties in good repair as each represents a significant proportion of their income and net worth.

From: Robert Brown 11 October 2019 10:52 AM

The real solution is more local authority housing so hard working private tenants paying their own way don't need to live alongside feckless benefit claimants and private landlords don't need to risk renting to them.

From: Robert Brown 11 October 2019 10:43 AM

This is a non story. Much longer periods need analysed to get the real picture. Scottish rents seem to have gone down £6 in the last quarter, but this is after a 250% rise over the last six years due to SNP anti tenant legislation. Other areas may have similar short term corrections but the longer term trend is upwards.

From: Robert Brown 11 October 2019 10:40 AM

A better headline would be that over 200 tenants can't be bothered to reclaim their deposits. These are securely held by a third party, not illegally retained by the landlord. I am often amazed how long some tenants take to reply to a simple email "agreeing" to my proposal to repay their deposit in full. If they are too feckless to ask for their own money back how can they be trusted to keep properties clean and tidy?

From: Robert Brown 11 October 2019 09:32 AM

Lower demand from landlords means better deals for those who stick with it.

From: Robert Brown 20 September 2019 09:00 AM

Fewer properties but not fewer tenants means higher demand means higher rents. Grateful thanks to SNP, Shelter etc. - the Landlords' friends.

From: Robert Brown 20 September 2019 08:58 AM

Just another symptom of the SNP war on landlords adversely affecting tenants as more Edinburgh landlords focus solely on more lucrative less risky short term rentals. UK Government should learn from problems in Scotland and Ireland but they won't.

From: Robert Brown 20 September 2019 08:56 AM

First time I've ever agreed with Generation Rent! Next step will be thinking Shelter helps the homeless! Nah.... That would be really stretching it.

From: Robert Brown 19 September 2019 09:18 AM

Gosh! Who would have thought that some benefit claimers couldn't be trusted to manage their money properly? However it's still no DSS for me no matter what other "incentives or good news" accompanies them. Enough hard working tenants around to keep me happy thanks to the growing shortage rental properties.

From: Robert Brown 18 September 2019 09:04 AM

I got so fed up with disputes over cleaning etc. that I then did it professionally and got the incoming tenants to confirm it had been done professionally and commit to use the same professional cleaners to bring the property back up to standard at their expense when they left. They know that the return of their deposit will at very least be delayed if they don't comply and I no longer have to do or pay for the cleaning.

From: Robert Brown 17 September 2019 10:00 AM

Too much of a risk to encourage more loony policies. A lot of the potential loony supporters can't be bothered to vote but give them really loony policies and they just might get out of bed! Alex Salmond (currently awaiting criminal trial) managed to get a lot of Scottish loonies voting for the first time in 2014. Throughout the UK there are many such dormant loonies who shouldn't be woken up.

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2019 21:02 PM

There are over 2 million private landlords but only a few hundred thousand labour party members and even fewer members of the other parties. We should all join ALL the parties and thus have a big say in who is elected to be leader, who is selected as candidates and by attending conference, influence the future manifestos. Think outside the (cardboard) box! After all, that's how Corbyn got elected leader. The Daily Telegraph even suggested their readers should join the Labour Party and vote for him, as they mistakenly thought he would cause the Labour vote to collapse at the last General Election.

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2019 15:33 PM

Everyone should fill in this survey. It's geared to getting support for monthly online tax returns with tax deducted at source by banks or letting agents - very dangerous if unchallenged!

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2019 15:17 PM

Why wait for two years? If we're bringing a sub standard property back into every day use we should get the same incentive.

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2019 15:12 PM

I get really annoyed about how BTL landlords pay far higher CGT than any other investors who can take their tax free gains every year. We should be able to roll up the unclaimed annual CGT allowances and set them against any eventual longer term gain. Our tax system favours those who take a short term view of investment and penalises those providing long term homes for those who won't or can't afford to buy their own homes.

From: Robert Brown 11 September 2019 10:03 AM

Your comments might apply where you are but they are not universal. Many local authorities apply much stricter rules but these drive up rents and discourage rogue landlords and tenants.

From: Robert Brown 10 September 2019 15:00 PM

Sorry Paul. Don't agree. Students usually make excellent tenants of relatively upmarket properties and as 4 unrelated sharers also avoid rtb issues. Only additional construction issues are fire doors as everything else like mains smoke alarms, annual PAT tests etc. make the property safer. Students renting down market properties are no worse than other down market tenants but such properties and tenants are best avoided.

From: Robert Brown 10 September 2019 14:56 PM

An HMO flat let to 4 students with 4 solvent guarantors on a joint and several liability basis is a much lower risk option than letting to a single household and gives much better yields with zero voids with properly planning. Regulations are mainly common sense safety things but tend to dissuade the rogues and those unable to understand some simple rules and fill in a couple of forms.

From: Robert Brown 10 September 2019 12:36 PM

Pity it's the council tax payer who will foot the bill and not the incompetent council pen pusher.

From: Robert Brown 10 September 2019 08:57 AM

Student HMO flats offer high yields and several solvent guarantors to spread the risk. I now focus entirely on this market.

From: Robert Brown 10 September 2019 08:54 AM

The Councillors and Officials should have to pay all the associated legal costs of this debacle but of course they'll get off scot free, keep their jobs and leave the council tax payers to pick up the tab!

From: Robert Brown 09 September 2019 13:40 PM

So there will be a boom in big cardboard boxes over 6.11 sq metres as the smaller rooms are deemed uninhabitable. Another loony idea to remove the availability of otherwise perfectly good rooms for occupation by those who can't afford anything better.

From: Robert Brown 09 September 2019 13:37 PM

PRS tenants should be even more worried than BTL landlords as they'll be made homeless. Who is going to lend these tenants the money to buy our properties, even if they're a "steal"? Like most loony leftie ideas, this will be totally counter productive, affecting every home owner ( as prices plummet due to the huge numbers of btl properties put up for sale). There will be NO winners if this crazy idea becomes a reality.

From: Robert Brown 09 September 2019 13:30 PM

Presumably the lights will all go out unless it's windy when it's dark? They'll still need conventional or nuclear power stations to keep the lights on on dark calm nights, so this is just yet more virtue signalling hypocrisy.

From: Robert Brown 06 September 2019 10:58 AM

Maybe they'll eventually turn them into the fatted calf? But that would mean planning ahead!

From: Robert Brown 05 September 2019 16:55 PM

If keeping pets is renters' number 1 priority, no wonder they can't save for a deposit to buy their own homes! Get priorities right - no pets, no costa lot coffees, no fancy (leased) cars, no foreign holidays - then deposit funds will grow surprisingly quickly. Keep a self-indulgent indolent lifestyle and keep renting - simples!

From: Robert Brown 05 September 2019 09:34 AM

This loony legislation has just recently led to a massive shortage of accommodation for Edinburgh Festival visitors as Student accommodation, usually available for the Festival, couldn't be advertised early enough as the sitting tenants now only need to give 4 weeks notice. The result is that Landlords need to recoup higher rents from the longer term tenants as the short term rentals couldn't be relied upon this summer. The SNP were warned about this but ignored it as they ignore all common sense financial arguments.

From: Robert Brown 28 August 2019 16:58 PM

Life insurance might cost a 25 year old upwards of £10 per month. That's almost 4 costa lot coffees. No wonder the uptake is low among GR. After all, insuring their profligate lifestyles must come before insuring their lives!

From: Robert Brown 27 August 2019 09:50 AM

A big thank you to the SNP for scaring off many prospective and previous landlords and thus reducing the competition and availability of rental properties. Market forces have therefore caused rents to soar for the best properties over the last 2 to 3 years, after staying almost static for the previous 15 years. Thanks Nicola - but I'll still never vote for you and your loony policies!

From: Robert Brown 27 August 2019 09:47 AM

Posted twice in error but seems impossible to remove second post!

From: Robert Brown 27 August 2019 09:36 AM

I agree with both posts. Decent landlords and tenants have always had good relationships as it's in both their interests. Both type of rogues ignore all the rules, so more regulation helps no one except the self interested "experts" who want to make self-management too complex for the average landlord.

From: Robert Brown 27 August 2019 09:32 AM

Zero Deposit means Zero chance of renting my properties. Pay your way if you want to stay.

From: Robert Brown 23 August 2019 09:27 AM

Yields if 8% are relatively easy to achieve in parts of Glasgow since the SNP prt legislation wounded some landlords and most decent tenants, potentially mortally in some cases. Corbyn will get better yields for surviving English landlords if he's ever voted in.

From: Robert Brown 21 August 2019 13:53 PM

I keep the full £14400 and pay most ongoing costs monthly out of that month's rental income. Periodic refurbishment is budgeted for. That's the best way to maximise cash flow. Surprised any savvy landlords would fall for such expensive scams.

From: Robert Brown 21 August 2019 13:38 PM

In Scotland we are now limited to one rental increase per annum after 3 months ' notice, so I now definitely increase rents annually by as much as the market will bear, whereas before I tended to do so only at tenant change overs. Another case of SNP hurting decent tenants with their crazy legislation that helps no one except the rogues on both sides of the fence.

From: Robert Brown 16 August 2019 10:31 AM

I agree but my main concern is that tenants who can't afford the deposit can't afford the rent. Alternatively they're not prepared to ensure that they take sufficient care of my property to justify full deposit return. Either way my response will be"next please".

From: Robert Brown 16 August 2019 10:23 AM

So 17 out of 15000 landlords flouted the law, which is less than 0.1%, meaning over 99.9% met their obligations. I haven't yet dealt with 1000 tenants but I have certainly had more than 1 tenant acting irresponsibly and illegally. I wonder what % of tenants act equally responsibly in meeting their obligations?

From: Robert Brown 16 August 2019 10:12 AM

Why force experienced landlords to attend an expensive course? We can read. Send us the course material and let us sit an online exam. If we pass, give us accreditation.BTW make the accreditation valid throughout the UK so we're not forced to pay over and over with different local authority schemes.

From: Robert Brown 15 August 2019 10:06 AM

I'm sorry but I have had more issues with tenants introduced by LA's than with tenants that I have interviewed and spoken with their property-owning guarantors. The only solution is to jail rogue tenants for theft ( of rent ) and any criminal damage. I accept people can get into unexpected financial difficulties but if they refuse to leave once two months in arrears with no means or intention of paying future rental payments then that is theft - deliberately and permanently depriving the landlord of rent legally due. Shelter and Councils are also implicated in assisting an offender by advising rent defaulters to stay put until forcibly evicted.

From: Robert Brown 15 August 2019 10:00 AM

Landlords would only contribute to homelessness if they deliberately kept their properties unoccupied, which is the direct opposite of what we want to do. We therefore contribute to reducing homelessness, unlike Shelter, BBC, politicians etc. However GR won't understand the simplicity of such logic.

From: Robert Brown 15 August 2019 09:11 AM

More nanny state stuff! I have lost count of how many tenant change overs I have done and there has never been any need for the tenants to be stressed. If I could trust outgoing tenants more or if there were easily applied significant sanctions then I wouldn't need to be stressed either. Actually I'm no longer stressed or surprised on hand over day, just sometimes annoyed at the lack of maturity and consideration shown by a minority of outgoing tenants.

From: Robert Brown 14 August 2019 10:16 AM

Are Landlords now going to be fined because Tenants won't mop up after showers, dry clothes outside and open the windows? Mould isn't spontaneous or inevitable. It needs damp conditions to thrive and can be easily avoided or eliminated. I can usually predict when I am going to have remedial work to do to eliminate mould by observing how tenants live, particularly whether they have the windows open whenever conditions permit. The same property can be handed back in totally different states depending on the tenants. Don't blame the Landlords!

From: Robert Brown 13 August 2019 15:25 PM

Grown ups pay much more in stamp duty on every move. Renters are getting a bargain!

From: Robert Brown 13 August 2019 12:37 PM

Highest yields are achieved when you don't pay a percentage to a third party.

From: Robert Brown 13 August 2019 12:35 PM

Totally agree. Banning us from stating this only wastes everyone's time. I always put "No Smokers" and that tends to be almost the same thing nowadays, so that is a possible work around.

From: Robert Brown 12 August 2019 19:28 PM

Totally agree. In Glasgow I had to spend £4k on fire doors, alarms etc. so I could rent a. 4 bed flat to 4 people, and pay £1900 for a licence and £900 every 3 years thereafter. Crazy!

From: Robert Brown 08 August 2019 18:42 PM

The SNP were warned of the consequences of not exempting student properties from the crazy prt legislation. This year many students had to take on new flats from 1st June because the final year students left on 31 May or earlier and landlords with nice properties could dictate the entry (but not leaving) dates. Many therefore were paying for two flats for 28 days in June if they hadn't given notice in time. Fixed lease terms are ideal for students and the prt "freedoms" do them no favours. Of course the SNP can't understand the economics of this or they wouldn't be advocating independence, which would be an even bigger economic disaster!

From: Robert Brown 08 August 2019 11:01 AM

The SNP were warned of the consequences of not exempting student properties from the crazy prt legislation. This year many students had to take on new flats from 1st June because the final year students left on 31 May or earlier and landlords with nice properties could dictate the entry (but not leaving) dates. Many therefore were paying for two flats for 28 days in June if they hadn't given notice in time. Fixed lease terms are ideal for students and the prt "freedoms" do them no favours. Of course the SNP can't understand the economics of this or they wouldn't be advocating independence, which would be an even bigger economic disaster!

From: Robert Brown 08 August 2019 10:59 AM

If the affordability ratio is 2.5, then even London at 3.3 is eminently affordable. Looks like time for all rents to rise or landlords will lose their reputations as those responsible for the continuing impoverishment of Generation Rent. Of course pcp car loans, costalot coffees and unaffordable lifestyles have nothing to do with affordability!

From: Robert Brown 08 August 2019 10:51 AM

If the affordability ratio is 2.5, then even London at 3.3 is eminently affordable. Looks like time for all rents to rise or landlords will lose their reputations as those responsible for the continuing impoverishment of Generation Rent. Of course pcp car loans, costalot coffees and unaffordable lifestyles have nothing to do with affordability!

From: Robert Brown 08 August 2019 10:51 AM

Manchester Council could get 3 or 4 properties for the £200k it's already got in fines and house 3 or 4 families.

From: Robert Brown 07 August 2019 11:18 AM

What happened to using common sense? If you don't like the look (or smell) of a property then rent another one!

From: Robert Brown 06 August 2019 10:27 AM

I don't agree with MP's claiming rent when they have another property within commuting distance of their place of "work" but quite happy for them to have btl income from further afield. After all, one of the biggest problems with MP's is general lack of real life experience in jobs, business, unemployment, homelessness etc. In fact, the only real life experience some have had is the inside of a prison cell!

From: Robert Brown 06 August 2019 10:23 AM

Accreditation should be granted on passing a test. There should be no need to attend a council- run course to be accredited. Rogue landlords will still ignore this putting the law abiding majority at a further disadvantage.

From: Robert Brown 05 August 2019 10:06 AM

Totally agree. When do rent defaulters who fraudulently claim housing benefit but don't pay their landlords get fined or jailed?

From: Robert Brown 05 August 2019 10:01 AM

The question should include the cost of aro. Everyone would accept free advance rental payments but not at the exorbitant costs probably associated with such schemes. Given costs such as mortgage payments, factors' fees and ongoing maintenance costs don't get paid annually, it makes sense to match the frequency of incomings and outgoings to even out cash flow.

From: Robert Brown 05 August 2019 09:58 AM

I agree. The only cost to decent tenants in lodging a deposit is the loss of interest. Once a tenant has moved 5 times he has lost the equivalent of the new 5 week deposit using these rip off schemes. I would never rent to someone who couldn't afford or get organised enough to save the normal deposit or who didn't intend to ensure they merited full deposit refund.

From: Robert Brown 02 August 2019 20:13 PM

Nick Duncan. I get the point. Someone wants me to spend money on something neither I nor my tenants need. I too have over 20 years' experience as a LL, building up a £4 million portfolio from an initial £10k deposit on a £60k flat, rented out for £600 per month (which stayed the same for about 12 years but is now £1440 due to SNP anti tenant legislation). During this time I have developed a tenant arrival/departure check list backed up by photos and signed by both parties. No disputes, no arguments, properties are handed back in more or less the same condition or the tenants pay for cleaning, refurbishment, repairs etc. I would rather budget a couple of hundred to fix or restore things than give it to a third party to record things, counting spoons etc.

From: Robert Brown 01 August 2019 22:47 PM

The condition of the property at the start and end of each tenancy is much more important than counting knives and plates. Landlords can easily do all of this themselves with a smart phone and email. No need to employ anyone at OUR expense.

From: Robert Brown 01 August 2019 11:36 AM

The beauty of this is ALL landlords can put up rents, even if they don't have additional costs due to the abolition of tenant fees. Perhaps the Tories and SNP are actually on the Landlords' side after all? If so, imagine how much market rents would rise under Corbyn? On second thoughts.......

From: Robert Brown 01 August 2019 11:30 AM

I'll lend you our SNP lot. They'll soon chase away many landlords and let you have a sellers' market. BTW the deal is that you keep them. It's a gift, not a loan!

From: Robert Brown 31 July 2019 13:19 PM

Andrew I'm also not planning to sell up, but if I were, I might spend a lot on vintage wine and non vintage women and then squander the rest! 😃

From: Robert Brown 29 July 2019 22:30 PM

These are probably the same people who think a broken clock is statistically more accurate than one running 5 minutes slow since it's totally accurate twice a day.

From: Robert Brown 29 July 2019 22:26 PM

This article forgets about the loss of the £40000 lettings relief, which means an additional CGT bill of nearly £12k in addition to the loss of 9 months relief from April 2020. Another fact not mentioned is that the capital gain is added to income which puts any basic income tax payer with a gain of around £40k or less into the higher tax bracket. I wish these writers would give the complete picture and not miss out important chunks of the impact of this sly tax grab.

From: Robert Brown 26 July 2019 10:36 AM

Lots of students move into their new pads in late August, which must distort the numbers massively.

From: Robert Brown 26 July 2019 10:24 AM

At last! An article that recognises that Landlords need their interests protected too, otherwise there will be unintended consequences. No need for a crystal ball. Scottish Landlords have had their right to determine the length of tenancies removed for over 18 months now, resulting in shorter (not longer) tenancies, unexpected voids and higher LA costs, some landlords selling up and thus large hikes in rents for the best properties ( up by around 40% compared to pre 2017 levels).

From: Robert Brown 26 July 2019 10:21 AM

Can't afford the deposit, can't afford the rent. Why forfeit one week's rent when you'll get back your full deposit if you behave yourself? Only someone with less sense than money would think this a good deal!

From: Robert Brown 23 July 2019 12:25 PM

Since the SNP's crazy new PRS legislation in December 2017, which abolished tenant fees and allowed them to leave on 28 days notice at any time, we have seen much shorter tenancies and had to pay higher LA fees more often - so much for their stated aim of letting tenants feel more secure in a long term home! The only saving grace is that now we're using LA's more and having a higher turnover of tenants, our rents have gone up much more much faster as the LA's have kept an eye on what the market will bear. Like all SNP policies it has backfired on the tenants. The same will happen shortly in England.

From: Robert Brown 19 July 2019 10:54 AM

The Darian Scheme was a very bad deal for Scotland and possibly caused much of the emigration which enriched the wider world and disadvantaged the remaining Scots. RBS is/was a global company which happened to have its brass plate in Scotland. This bail out was in the interests of banking world wide and of no direct subsidy to the Scottish people. The Barnett formula simply says that every part of the UK should be supported in proportion to its population, which I think is perfectly fair. Personally I would have preferred to see the four original nations cease to have any unique identity after the Acts of Union, like we no longer differentiate at the level of Mercia, Anglia, Wessex, Northumbria, Dalriada, Fife etc. which all used to be separate kingdoms. The French have the right approach where formerly independent regions are now simply Departments of France. Like them we should have one national government and one national team etc.

From: Robert Brown 18 July 2019 23:04 PM

Clr Corkey thinks it's ok for tenant councillors to protect their interests but would ban landlord councillors from protecting landlord interests. Why should I be surprised?

From: Robert Brown 17 July 2019 11:31 AM

I am no fan of the SNP but racist comments like this are fertile recruiting ammunition for them. Many Scots run British companies, pay English taxes and help improve the quality of the gene pool in England. The UK's richest man has made much of his fortune through Scottish based industries.

From: Robert Brown 17 July 2019 11:26 AM

I would go along with a compulsory exam to ensure landlords knew what they need to do, but not having to sit in a room or undertake an online course that goes at the speed of the slowest on the uptake - been on too many of these when I was an employee!

From: Robert Brown 17 July 2019 11:21 AM

This article explains when you need to make a payment by 31 July. This has been the case for as long as I can remember.

From: Robert Brown 17 July 2019 11:16 AM

The only technology we need is Word ( to produce documents and check lists), Online banking and Excel to ensure we don't go bust (despite the Government's best efforts) and the Internet to keep our knowledge up to date. We don't need fancy apps or scam merchants selling high tech snake oil.

From: Robert Brown 17 July 2019 11:13 AM

The biggest risk to tenants' health is their lifestyle. Smoking, poor diets, drying clothes indoors, not opening the windows and generally relatively inactive and indolent lifestyles. This is my experience over 20 plus years as a landlord.

From: Robert Brown 15 July 2019 09:22 AM

Airbnb, here we come! Higher rents and no problem repossessions. No brainer unless the Governments get a grip!

From: Robert Brown 15 July 2019 09:17 AM

Don't force landlords to attend useless courses. Give them a written test first and only attend a course if they fail.

From: Robert Brown 03 July 2019 15:37 PM

Not surprised. This guy can't even count up to 4, claiming he had only two ovens when pictured in front of the four ovens in his kitchen. He must have taken pr advice from Ed Miliband. He'll be eating bacon rolls next!

From: Robert Brown 01 July 2019 22:08 PM

The SNP war on landlords has led to massive increases in rents for the most sought after properties. UK Government should take note and English landlords take heart.

From: Robert Brown 01 July 2019 22:00 PM

When I was young, suspended meant hung. While that might be too harsh, a suspended sentence for a £50k fraud is far too light. Make the fraudsters repay the cash with punitive interest, like the rest of us have to do if we break current lending rules with banks etc.

From: Robert Brown 01 July 2019 18:09 PM

Mould and damp are usually caused by tenants' life styles, not mopping up after showers, drying clothes indoors, not opening windows or keeping properties adequately heated and ventilated. Faulty fire alarms should be reported, firstly to the landlords and if no luck then to council. Ignoring issues only makes them worse but many tenants do nothing other than moan and landlords get blamed for not fixing things that they know nothing about.

From: Robert Brown 27 June 2019 10:05 AM

Why not get the applicants to bring their own up to date Experian and another Credit Reference Agency report with them on their first viewing? No report - no viewing. Simple, and no need for landlords to waste their time and money.

From: Robert Brown 27 June 2019 10:00 AM

This is shocking but when will rogue tenants be fined for the misery they cause?

From: Robert Brown 27 June 2019 08:57 AM

Shelter and Councils advise tenants to stay put and not pay rent until evicted currently.

From: Robert Brown 21 June 2019 10:07 AM

So the police asked the landlord to take action! Unbelievable! Jail the scum for years!

From: Robert Brown 21 June 2019 09:17 AM

I've often despaired at the amount of waste in builders' skips - nearly full pieces of plaster board, brand new insulation panels, lengths of wood etc. Instead of Councils banning us from taking stuff away from their tips, they should be encouraging us to put excess materials carefully in easily accessible parts of their facility for others to take as required. IKEA are quite good at this, along with some B&Q outlets.

From: Robert Brown 19 June 2019 10:27 AM

Why didn't he let the property and make a tenant do it? I always make tenants responsible for keeping gardens tidy, windows clean and promptly reporting anything needing my attention. He can obviously afford the fine when he's turned away much more in potential rental income over the period. For once I'm on the. Council's side.

From: Robert Brown 19 June 2019 10:21 AM

This will just drive more landlords into moving to short term rentals and take thousands of homes out of the market. Councils will then need to house the homeless in the newly expanded short term rental sector, with no long term security of tenure and much higher rents charged. Governments need to understand that it's no point controlling the cost of something if that action makes the thing unavailable. The SNP did this in Scotland by abolishing hospital car park charges. It's now impossible to get parked at hospitals after about 8.00 am as local workers are hogging the free spaces for 10 hours a day. Affordable market rates balance supply and demand. Anything else just distorts the market and adversely affects those who need the things being interfered with.

From: Robert Brown 19 June 2019 10:15 AM

If wealth were evenly distributed, it would no longer be wealth. Look at the failure of Communism in the former Eastern bloc, Venezuela etc. The prospect of wealth drives hard work, enterprise and provides greater quality job opportunities. Equality can only be a race to the bottom.

From: Robert Brown 18 June 2019 15:07 PM

The current SNP war on landlords is really hurting the good tenants, who were always welcome to stay as long as they liked. Availability of good properties has plummeted, rents up 30% for the best properties, with up to 17 viewers begging to get them The SNP's latest wheeze is to push for rent controls, which will push more landlords into the short term rental arena and further reduce the availability of long term rentals. What the SNP and their loony pals in Shelter, Labour, Greens etc. are actually doing is REDUCING the chances of decent tenants getting long term homes. Such legislation only helps the rogue tenants, but that has long been the only group who might need "help" from Shelter and need any form of compulsion in the property letting market.

From: Robert Brown 18 June 2019 15:02 PM

Doesn't surprise me that the SNP government fails to recognise common sense when it sees it. However this still wouldn't persuade me to let to non working benefit scroungers.

From: Robert Brown 18 June 2019 10:04 AM

So we can't save our poorest no hopers time by saying No DSS. If we say No Smokers that's nearly the same thing and also stops the few working smokers from wasting everyone's time as well. Result!

From: Robert Brown 12 June 2019 17:07 PM

How can you legally avoid lodging Security Deposits with one of the designated organisations?

From: Robert Brown 12 June 2019 15:34 PM

Paul You talk a lot of sense but you forget that the source of the rental surge in Scotland is due to the SNP having abolished AST, so the landlord has NO say in when the tenancy ends, only the tenant can decide (unless they breach the terms of the Scottish Government drafted private rental tenancy (PRT) agreement. That is why many landlords have sold up or moved to holiday rentals. Incidentally the normal holiday rental market has also been screwed up by this legislation as many student flats in Edinburgh, St Andrews, Aberdeen etc. were used as holiday rentals over the summer, but these can't be advertised until the landlord is certain that the current tenants are leaving, and they only need to give 28 days notice. Another feature is landlords are now insisting next academic session's tenants sign up from 1st June, so depriving tourist areas of much needed short term rental accommodation and forcing students to pay over the summer for properties they don't want to occupy. Indeed the only way the SNP could screw things up worse would be by persuading 50.0001% of the Scottish electorate to vote for independence and they only need around 200,000 voters from September 2014 to switch in order to do so. Perhaps the English Brexiteers will nudge them over the line? What a coup that would be, not sending £350m a week to the EU AND saving the £14 billion or so subsidy sent to Scotland as it doesn't have enough Income Tax Payers paying a marginal rate of up to 61% ( and many believe UK Income Tax doesn't go above 45% !). Perhaps Nigel and Nicola have more in common than they imagine? A marriage made in Heaven, probably with Corbyn as the Church Minister!

From: Robert Brown 11 June 2019 22:58 PM

What a surprise? The SNP screw landlords by taking away their right to determine when a tenancy ends, landlords sell up, tenants can't find enough properties, rents go up due to market forces and greater risks borne by landlords - so what next? Rent controls make remaining landlords either sell up or move to short term holiday rentals. Thousands now clamour for the Council to home them. Huge shortage of temporary accommodation pushes up short term rental rates and former long term landlords offer their short term rentals to house the homeless, but at several times what they were getting for the same properties which used to be available for long term rentals. SNP should be careful what they wish for!

From: Robert Brown 11 June 2019 17:00 PM

Surely this can be done by the tenant simply printing off his Experian report and letting the landlord seeit?

From: Robert Brown 10 June 2019 09:07 AM

I agree. If a tenant can't or won't put his own money at risk to guarantee he will respect my properties ( and get all his money back) then I don't want him as a tenant.

From: Robert Brown 07 June 2019 14:05 PM

Landlords might think about selling, but won't unload at crazy low prices unless in real trouble. We're not lemmings!

From: Robert Brown 05 June 2019 10:47 AM

Why not do something really radical. Abolish Council Tax and charge every user 150% of the cost of the services provided, schools, bins, roads etc. The extra 50% would pay for those who genuinely couldn't afford the full 150% charge and every user could choose which School, which bin emptying company etc. to use. Council employees could compete with private sector managers for the jobs.

From: Robert Brown 05 June 2019 10:18 AM

I think these statistics are misleading as a Glasgow flat costing around £200,000 would command a rent of around £800 per month, so taking over20 years to pay back. An entry level flat costing under £130000 would probably only rent for around £500 per month, again taking over 20 years. These two statistics don't apply to the same properties as the purchase price and rental averages are based on completely different samples. Another example of sloppy journalism here.

From: Robert Brown 04 June 2019 16:03 PM

I can't understand why tenants would chose to lose one week's rent plus £26 per annum when the current deposit schemes cost them nothing, apart from a miniscule amount of lost interest. I would regard this as a potential black mark for any tenants wanting to use this scheme and veer towards tenants who are sufficiently organised to have a proper deposit and put this up as a guarantee that they will look after my properties properly in order to justify full return of their own money.

From: Robert Brown 03 June 2019 13:15 PM

Fewer rental properties means higher rents for those landlords who stick it out. Maybe the Tories are still the Landlords' friend after all, while pretending to support the tenants? Perhaps they got together with their very good friends in the SNP to establish how to compensate us for the tax robbery instigated by six-jobs Osborne? Perhaps I'm losing my mind with all the recent landlord -friendly actions by all parties throughout the UK?

From: Robert Brown 31 May 2019 08:56 AM

What a surprise! The final consumer (tenant) always ends up paying as no supplier is running a charity. If MP's had to have real jobs for 10 or 20 years before ruining ( not a typo) the country they might actually make a success of running it!

From: Robert Brown 30 May 2019 09:11 AM

I wonder if the rent-free listed building she lives in is energy efficient, or given she doesn't pay the bills, she won't be too bothered. If it were a PRs property on the other hand.......

From: Robert Brown 29 May 2019 13:21 PM

If Landlords providing homes are forced to pay more tax, why should the short term rental landlords be let off the hook, with £7500 tax free, no checks on fire safety, no "fit and proper" checks etc and potentially free from Council Tax if run as a separate small business.

From: Robert Brown 29 May 2019 09:36 AM

Short term rentals are destroying some residential neighbourhoods and harming properly regulated and safe hospitality businesses. Instead of giving them tax free £7500 they should have additional commercial property taxes imposed to fund proper scrutiny of their safety and compliance with all appropriate rules, including paying the appropriate income tax , commercial mortgage , insurance and local authority rates, instead of masquerading as normal domestic dwellings.

From: Robert Brown 28 May 2019 09:09 AM

If you can't afford a deposit - you can't afford the rent. If you won't risk your own money as assurance you'll respect my property - you won't be allowed to rent my property. Try the Council.

From: Robert Brown 28 May 2019 09:02 AM

Licensing landlords could get rid of the rogues if properly policed and Proceeds of Crime legislation applied to unlicensed rogue landlords. One benefit of the Glasgow HMO 3 year licence is that rents have trebled in the last 12 years since this came into force, and licensed flats are definitely safer, with annual safety checks, fire doors etc.

From: Robert Brown 24 May 2019 20:39 PM

Grateful thanks to the SNP for frightening away many landlords with their crazy December 2017 PRs legislation., allowing tenants to dictate when they leave. Market forces have since caused rents to soar with one flat now getting £2100 per month (about 10% yield) compared to £1500 just 2 years ago, others now getting £1500 compared to £900, again about 10% yield now, or 300% yield based on my original £6000 10% deposit about 20 years ago.

From: Robert Brown 24 May 2019 20:26 PM

If a tenant can't afford the deposit, why believe they'll be able to afford the rent?

From: Robert Brown 24 May 2019 20:18 PM

Property bonds - the new timeshare? You pay real money but don't actually own a real physical asset, although your investment yield will be reduced by maintenance costs over which you have no control.

From: Robert Brown 24 May 2019 20:17 PM

John. If the Welsh Government follow the SNP lunatic letting legislation, you can look forward to rents trebling over the following 5 years, as I have found after 15 years of rental stagnation, although reasonable capital growth occurred then which has now stalled.

From: Robert Brown 22 May 2019 18:39 PM

In total agreement with this post Paul. See what avoiding hyperbole and putting a cogent well reasoned argument can achieve? 😊

From: Robert Brown 22 May 2019 10:10 AM

Paul How is asking property owners to use their equity to prevent the general tax payer funding their care robbery? Surely the robbery is this equity being left untouched to benefit their descendants, whilst the hapless tax payer gets nothing back for having looked after the inheritors' parents in their hours of need?

From: Robert Brown 21 May 2019 15:29 PM

What about sentencing the rent defaulter to do enough unpaid work until he has worked off his debt? I trust the publicity of this case will prevent the rent dodger from defrauding more landlords.

From: Robert Brown 21 May 2019 15:10 PM

Why should Benefit claimants be insulated from the financial realities? Most WORKING people can't afford £1100 per month rent so what makes those on benefits feel entitled to rent expensive properties? I can't afford to fly first class and accept I need to go economy. Do I feel second class? No because I feel self respect for living within my means, paying my own way and contributing to society. If I had to take hand outs then I might feel second class, but would I have any right to feel equal to those who were working hard and helping to keep me? I don't think so!

From: Robert Brown 21 May 2019 15:06 PM

I totally agree but I am locked into the Scottish buy to let market with a huge CGT bill if I sold up. However the SNP war on landlords has hit tenants hard with one flat that 10 years ago got £700 per month now getting £2100 per month, with 17 groups viewing it recently. After about 15 years of reasonable capital growth but minimal rental increases, capital growth has stalled due to the huge LBTT (our stamp duty) bills but the shortage of rental properties has caused rents for the best properties to soar. I can't stand the SNP but love how well their loony policies have helped their most sworn enemies, the private landlords. I bet most of Generation Rent will still blindly vote for them oblivious to the real reasons why they can't get on the housing ladder.

From: Robert Brown 21 May 2019 14:54 PM

Paul I agree that fracking should be encouraged and renewables subjected to rigorous scrutiny, but man made climate change is a proven fact. It's a pity that the Greens don't understand enough science to realise that nuclear power and fracked hydrocarbons are actually greener than current renewable technologies.

From: Robert Brown 21 May 2019 14:44 PM

So if two chasing defines a shortage, how do you define 17 as I had recently?

From: Robert Brown 09 May 2019 09:44 AM

So it's illegal for the landlord to enter his own properties without the tenants' permission. What about tenants staying on without landlords' permission and not paying rent?

From: Robert Brown 09 May 2019 09:40 AM

This is illegal so the Council officials and Councillors should be jailed, like they threaten to do to landlords.

From: Robert Brown 09 May 2019 09:17 AM

Whilst having no sympathy for rogue landlords or tenants, I think this guy is being treated very harshly as it could have been quite dangerous to get heavy with these criminal tenants. How about jailing tenants who continue to occupy properties they reuse to pay rent on?

From: Robert Brown 09 May 2019 09:13 AM

It looks like different areas have different levels of availability or shortage of properties. In the SNP Socialist Republic of Scotland I recently had 17 groups chasing one flat and the rent is 250% of what is was between 5 and 20 years ago. I believe this is proof that screwing Landlords leads to hiked rents and shortage of rental properties.

From: Robert Brown 08 May 2019 13:16 PM

Sincere thanks to the SNP loonies for causing Glasgow room rent rates to be second only to London. A flat I bought nearly 20 years ago for under £60000 with a £6000 deposit now generates £1500 per month, so a yield of 300% on my initial investment. For the first 15 years the rent stayed at £600 per month, but the SNP's war on both landlords and tenants has helped rents to soar in recent years.

From: Robert Brown 03 May 2019 18:17 PM

Rents in Scotland have soared since the SNP war on landlords chased many out of the market causing a shortage in available properties and thus higher rents. However Landlords can no longer control how long tenants can stay or when they leave, with many student properties now empty from late May to early September as landlords can't insist on 12 months lease, hence rents have gone up as only 9 to 10 months rent to cover 12 months costs.

From: Robert Brown 02 May 2019 18:36 PM

In Scotland the SNP war on landlords has led to an upsurge on airbnb, so the SNP now plan to regulate it instead of recognising why this problem arose. Priceless!

From: Robert Brown 29 April 2019 09:33 AM

This is done by big business which is what the Tories are comfortable with. No party supports the small landlords, so this growth, along with grey built student ghettos is no surprise.

From: Robert Brown 29 April 2019 09:25 AM

This should be classed as criminal damage and the tenants prosecuted. Similarly rent arrears after 2 months should be theft. Perhaps Shelter will refund the landlord out of its resources collected in the pretence of providing homes?

From: Robert Brown 29 April 2019 09:21 AM

Why on earth did Osborne give £7500 tax relief to airbnb resident landlords whilst removing mortgage tax relief from genuine landlords providing real homes? Airbnb also causes problems with neighbours and undercuts genuine hotels which need fire regulations etc and provide local jobs.

From: Robert Brown 25 April 2019 10:33 AM

As I have said on previous articles, saying No DSS saves everyone time, hassle and embarrassment. Not being able to say so simply wastes everyone's time and puts even more pressure on benefits claimants as they will no longer have a quick and easy way to establish which properties they can rent.

From: Robert Brown 25 April 2019 10:28 AM

I don't disagree with accreditation provided it can be achieved by passing a written exam and not require or be awarded for attending a mickey mouse, egg sucking, costly course.

From: Robert Brown 25 April 2019 10:18 AM

Landlords shouldn't be afraid of licensing schemes but the most annoying thing is that councils don't go after the unlicensed rogues, even when they're reported to them. Rents do go up to reflect better properties but why should landlords fear that?

From: Robert Brown 24 April 2019 09:16 AM

There are more tenants than landlords and landlords are unlikely to vote Corbyn so both parties will chase tenant votes and stuff landlords.

From: Robert Brown 16 April 2019 09:25 AM

You might have noticed 55.3% of Scots who voted were against independence. Only around 1.6 million out of over 5 million Scots swallowed the SNP lies, unlike the 17 million duped into voting for the"easiest deal in history" promised by UKIP and the right wing tories.

From: Robert Brown 15 April 2019 18:28 PM

Watch them soar once S21abolished. After the new PRS legislation came in Scotland in December 2017 rents soared due to shortage of rental properties. Now the loony lefties are calling for rent caps instead of admitting the real reasons for such rent increases.

From: Robert Brown 15 April 2019 18:17 PM

In Scotland the onus is on the Landlord to establish (and have a written declaration) that unrelated adults are in a relationship before more than 2 unrelated adults can share a non HMO property. All the arguments about right to privacy, presumption of innocence etc. have been tried and failed.

From: Robert Brown 03 April 2019 13:09 PM

LLs don't need LAs to give outgoing tenants an incentive to find new tenants. I've often done this and tied the (modest) incentive in with the old tenant giving extensive notice, new tenant moving in on the day the other one moves out, leaving the flat ready for immediate occupation etc.

From: Robert Brown 03 April 2019 12:49 PM

The wording of this survey question is stupid. Governments should do more to make homes energy efficient but NOT by simply passing the buck on to landlords. I agree with Paul that buyers are unlikely to consider the EPC ratings and neither do tenants in my experience.

From: Robert Brown 03 April 2019 12:42 PM

If a tenant can't afford the deposit, it doesn't bode well for being able to pay the rent regularly without any problems.

From: Robert Brown 02 April 2019 10:26 AM

I usually agree with your posts but cannot accept any denial of our responsibility for climate change. I don't however support the drives to renewables and demonising gas and diesel consumers. Nuclear power is the best way forward for sustainable controllable power generation and can't understand the greens' opposition to this zero emission power source.

From: Robert Brown 01 April 2019 19:05 PM

I don't believe these figures. A&E would be even busier if they are anything like the figures claimed. Most problems are of the tenants' own making in not fixing minor issues and not adequately heating and ventilating properties.

From: Robert Brown 01 April 2019 17:45 PM

Mop up after baths or showers. Don't dry clothes inside and keep properties well heated and ventilated - hey presto - no damp or mould!

From: Robert Brown 20 March 2019 10:36 AM

In Glasgow, a 3 year HMO licence for 4 sharing costs over £1900 and over £900 every three years thereafter. Rents achieved for 4 bed HMO properties have risen from around £1500 per month to over £2000 in the last 2-3 years - thanks to the SNP's 2017 anti landlord legislation and the Council's high licensing charges. Tenants however still think these loony lefties are on their side!

From: Robert Brown 20 March 2019 10:35 AM

I usually sand and varnish the floor boards. I also avoid families but sometimes nature takes its course, resulting in broken beds, stained walls and furniture. Perhaps single beds are the way ahead?

From: Robert Brown 19 March 2019 10:19 AM

I started with 90% ltv mortgages and exploited gearing to grow my portfolio pretty quickly and now have about £1 million outstanding on a portfolio of £3 to £4 million. Using only cash would have been much less effective, especially with mortgage rates under 2% for much of the last 10 years and gross yields between 7 and 10%.

From: Robert Brown 19 March 2019 10:12 AM

Short term rental landlords get much better income tax and council tax treatment than landlords providing homes. Crazy!

From: Robert Brown 19 March 2019 09:56 AM

Only the most undesirable tenants would move into a property with existing problems. Most problems are caused by tenants' life styles. I have a clause in my leases about adequate heating and ventilation, which prevents damp and mould. Another clause is about promptly reporting problems for early resolution.

From: Robert Brown 19 March 2019 09:53 AM

This is ridiculous. Much of employment law hinges on ludicrous technicalities and now it's spreading into property law.

From: Robert Brown 19 March 2019 09:45 AM

The Wilsons would sell to sitting tenants if they wanted to buy at the market price. Surely the tenants should be thanking the Wilsons for letting them stay in a nice house that otherwise they couldn't afford. Perhaps Shelter could lend them the cash and avoid them needing to leave?

From: Robert Brown 19 March 2019 09:39 AM

I agree. He let his arrogance take control and did a lot of harm to landlords who can't afford to sell up and retire. The SNP has ensured tenants now rule up here and Fergus has helped ensure our loony legislation will head south very soon. Typical BBC bias! The Channel 5 programme is much more balanced.

From: Robert Brown 19 March 2019 09:34 AM

I don't think it has a good enough EPC rating so could only be owner occupied. I wonder if only eating beef makes any other insulation unnecessary?

From: Robert Brown 15 March 2019 12:10 PM

Another loony lefty touchy feely load of nonsense. Agree totally with Andrew. Pay rent- get loved. Don't pay rent - get evicted. Simples.

From: Robert Brown 15 March 2019 10:38 AM

We should all now book appointments to view any mansions advertised on Zoopla as they clearly don't believe affordability is a consideration in deciding where to live. I think there's a big house at the top of the Mall that's unoccupied quite a lot, and an even bigger one in Windsor - but not sure about the EPC's.

From: Robert Brown 15 March 2019 10:33 AM

Totally agree. This ban only wastes everyone's time and will demoralise DSS tenants facing multiple rejections whereas before they knew what properties to avoid. Now they'll not know what decent properties might have been available to them. Like all loony lefty ideas this is another race to the bottom.

From: Robert Brown 15 March 2019 10:26 AM

Insurers should trawl short let sites and charge huge additional premiums on this too lightly taxed group of landlords, especially since proper home-providing landlords are taxed into oblivion and charged higher insurance premiums and mortgage rates.

From: Robert Brown 14 March 2019 19:19 PM

The problem with all such schemes is they add to the costs of decent landlords and thus tenants, but rogues will ignore them. Councils should be forced to use all the revenue to go after rogue landlords and fine them so licence fees can be kept very low. An unintended consequence of licenced properties is many btl mortgages are not available for any properties needing a licence from the LA.

From: Robert Brown 28 February 2019 10:31 AM

This question is a bit like "Are you still beating up your wife?". The question should be " Should it be down to us etc.?" Not the "Is it...... "

From: Robert Brown 27 February 2019 11:31 AM

I have grown a £12000 deposit on a £50000 flat to approaching £3 million equity in a £4 million portfolio over 20 years. In the early days I did this by continually remortgaging based on growing property values to get the deposit for a further property. Pensions can't possibly have the leverage effect that property offers, although with slower capital growths and reduced tax reliefs, highly leveraged portfolios are much riskier in the current anti prs environment.

From: Robert Brown 25 February 2019 11:31 AM

A lot of cash sales are for properties which wouldn't get a mortgage and are heavily discounted, so skewing the statistics. It's a bit like highlighting the fact that more than half of all workers earn under the average wage, because some earn so much more thus skewing the figures.

From: Robert Brown 25 February 2019 10:52 AM

By Scottish they mean Edinburgh where airbnb is a scourge in many residential areas. Glasgow has introduced licences for short term rentals in flats but not houses which is missing the point a bit. Insurance companies should be trawling online adverts and penalising clients who breach their policy terms. Osborne's idiotic £7500 rent a room tax break has also allowed short term landlords to evade tax as they will mostly claim they take in less than this. Many of these properties are also exempt from Council Tax whereas landlords providing homes are liable for paying this during void periods.

From: Robert Brown 25 February 2019 10:44 AM

The Scottish Landlords' Association is also very helpful but sadly had no effect on the December 2017 legislation which removed the right to no fault eviction and fixed term leases from Scottish landlords. Now someone has set up a petition on 38 degrees calling for Scottish rent controls, completely missing the reasons why rents have soared due a shortage of rental properties with many landlords selling up.

From: Robert Brown 25 February 2019 10:31 AM

Not when there is a shortage of good quality rental properties. Poor quality landlords might suffer but not those who have several prospective tenants after their properties.

From: Robert Brown 15 February 2019 11:28 AM

Smoke and CO alarms are only required because tenants can't be trusted to act responsibly. Avoidance beats detection so: 1. Don't risk setting fire to my property by NOT smoking, making chips when drunk, lighting candles or anything else. 2. Ensure everything is switched off when not in use. 3. Remember you'll be homeless if you disregard 1 and 2.

From: Robert Brown 15 February 2019 09:01 AM

No doubt we'll soon be inundated with messages of gratitude from GR for taking this risk off their shoulders.

From: Robert Brown 12 February 2019 12:15 PM

Well, pulses, lentils and other budgie foods favoured by GR are cheap, although a major fire hazard during digestion!

From: Robert Brown 11 February 2019 14:25 PM

Surely this article is disagreeing with the first article on how unaffordable London rents are claimed to be?

From: Robert Brown 11 February 2019 10:35 AM

Whilst I hate rogue landlords, surely most sub standard properties are still better than cardboard boxes?

From: Robert Brown 11 February 2019 10:33 AM

This article assumes only 1 wage earner per property. In my early renting days we lived (frugally) on my salary and saved my wife's entire salary towards the mandatory 10% deposit on our first home which was an hour's travel from work. With cheap 100% mortgages becoming more available, purchasing a property is not beyond those GR types who are paying high rents, but perhaps not in the bright lights whilst running leased cars and drinking £3 coffees. They can even get £7500 pa tax free from their spare room towards the mortgage.

From: Robert Brown 11 February 2019 10:29 AM

I record everything on a spreadsheet as it happens so it's done by mid April and in mid January get the 8 or 10 numbers from it to copy directly into my online tax return. It's easy enough to work out what tax reliefs are available without paying an accountant. However this January the online system suggested my repairs etc were too high, so HMRC prefer us to pay more tax rather than keep our properties well maintained!

From: Robert Brown 08 February 2019 10:37 AM

Paul. If you're using your real name, sharing your ideas on how you'll evade various laws and persuade tenants to comply could come back to bite you. A tenant with evidence of your law breaking could become a life long rent free boarder!

From: Robert Brown 08 February 2019 10:03 AM

Or create a simple spreadsheet to do this and more, and save £24 every year.

From: Robert Brown 07 February 2019 22:31 PM

Disgruntled neighbours can help authorities target those abusing the scheme and dodging taxes. Airbnb is a scourge, hurting the homeless, the proper hospitality industry, neighbours and tax paying landlords - and often putting the guests' safety at risk due to lack of adequate fire safety, hygiene training etc.

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 22:23 PM

I would rather pay the £2k HMO licence and pocket the extra £600 per month that I can now get due to a shortage of HMO properties. I would also report anyone renting to 3 or more adults without an HMO licence and believe most local landlords would also do so to protect their exclusivity and livelihoods.

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 21:01 PM

The one sane thing Glasgow City Council has done is to have mandatory licences for airbnb in city tenements, not that all airbnb landlords will comply! Why they get a £7500 tax free income is beyond me when those providing permanent homes get taxed on turnover.

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 15:14 PM

Paul. Be careful! I argued that I couldn't pry to confirm if 4 tenants were actually 2 couples but was warned I (not they) risked criminal prosecution if they weren't able to prove to a court that they were couples. They would only be prosecuted if they committed perjury, not for duping me into thinking they were couples.

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 15:00 PM

Paul The crazy thing is that allowing 3 unrelated adults to occupy any 3 room flat would allow around 20,000 students to occupy under 7000 flats instead of 10,000 - releasing over 3000 for occupation by others, including families. However the SNP "government" and local council are currently "consulting" on the "overprovision" of HMO properties when all the evidence is of underprovision!

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 14:49 PM

Funnily enough, I am actually quite happy with the consequences of the SNP in that my rents on a 4 bed flat let to 4 students (with a mandatory HMO licence for 3 or more) having risen from £1500 to £2100 per month over the last 2 years, with £2250 in the pipeline for this June onwards. Lots of LLs have sold up, so I had 17 groups chasing 1 flat last June because of SNP policies. The major risk is tenants leaving in May when graduating but new tenants not wanting in until September. Having high quality well positioned properties mitigates against this but marginal properties could be in trouble come May this year.

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 13:04 PM

I agree. I would never again try to sell a property without immediate vacant possession. I have since bought a property with tenants in situ and got it for about 85% of market value because the landlord was in danger of repossession. I was lucky and could wait until my value- reducing tenants could be got rid of at the end of the lease. I had offered them one of my other flats if they co-operated and were astonished that I didn't regard co-operating to include keeping the flat as a tip when viewings were scheduled!

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 12:52 PM

Glasgow's various universities and colleges provide this service free to registered landlords. Possibly many other cities do likewise?

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 09:53 AM

I have tried to sell with sitting tenants but they do nothing to help present the property well. After about 8 months of trying, I let the lease lapse and got a much higher offer within a week of presenting the property as it should have been presented all along. As always, tenants have only themselves to blame if landlords choose to sell with vacant possession to the widest market available.

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 09:50 AM

I would say this is very late data rather than the latest data. Scottish landlords have known this for over a year, ever since the SNP's war on landlords removed our right to set fixed term tenancies and allowed tenants to leave any time on 4 weeks' notice. Larger properties can't be let to more than 2 unrelated adults unless a licence costing around £2000 for the first 3 years is obtained. This also needs costly alterations and annual checks, hence over 10% rises. If the rest of the UK wants evidence of the effects of loony anti landlord legislation, it's in this article.

From: Robert Brown 06 February 2019 09:43 AM

I agree with everything said above, but as someone who spent 3 years of my early childhood with my parents living in one room as a sub tenant while on a council house waiting list I feel for the decent tenants denied homes hogged by rent dodgers defrauding the HB or UC systems. Why does Shelter not prioritise the decent homeless or over crowded over the feckless rent dodgers?

From: Robert Brown 04 February 2019 10:22 AM

Great idea Paul! First people to contact are the parents of the SNP First Minister (current female one - not her predecessor now facing various sexual harassment charges). Her parents still reside in the ex Council house they bought at a discount while she lives in a multi million town house mansion courtesy of the tax payer and National Trust.

From: Robert Brown 01 February 2019 17:43 PM

Another biased headline! It should read "Tenants might face inflation or cost based rent increases, but many won't as landlords decide to absorb these to keep good tenants" Somehow the truth makes less interesting headlines!

From: Robert Brown 01 February 2019 16:46 PM

So far, 710 people have viewed this, 73% say they support this petition but only 58 people have actually signed it! Come on, if you support it, sign it!

From: Robert Brown 01 February 2019 11:34 AM

If tenants can afford pets, they can afford to pay any necessary insurance against damage. Being a pet owner is not a disability, religion, race, sexual orientation etc - so discrimination against pet owners refusing to take full responsibility for them is not only legal but justified.

From: Robert Brown 01 February 2019 11:29 AM

There was another article a few days ago stating landlords got over £17 billions in "tax relief". If 50% of landlords pay 20% tax and 50% pay 40% tax, this means landlords have incurred annual expenses of around £50 billions in non capital expenditure as well as around £1 trillion in capital investment, all to provide homes for those who can't or won't afford to buy.

From: Robert Brown 01 February 2019 11:23 AM

In Scotland, 3 bedroom properties and bigger cannot be let to more than 2 unrelated adults unless the landlord gets an HMO licence which costs around £2000 for the first 3 years, along with expensive alterations etc. Allowing 3 adults to share any 3 bed property could reduce the cost per occupant by 33% and also save landlords thousands on unnecessary expense on licence fees.

From: Robert Brown 01 February 2019 11:08 AM

The key point in this article is decent tenants get rewarded with stable rents and long term occupation of good properties. Why then does Shelter etc want to deny decent tenants such opportunities by preventing landlords from getting rid of rogue tenants so their properties can be made available for the decent majority of tenants?

From: Robert Brown 01 February 2019 11:00 AM

Only recently there was an article on rents rising, which is my recent experience. The most telling point in this article is landlords want to keep decent tenants and so tend to keep rents the same. Why then does everyone want to deny decent tenants good properties by making it so difficult to get rid of rogue tenants? Shelter and the Corbunists are the biggest culprits in this crazy policy against decent tenants and landlords. .

From: Robert Brown 01 February 2019 10:55 AM

Since the average tax rate was probably around 30%, another way of presenting this info was that landlord paid almost £60 billions in revenue expenditure in providing homes for those who couldn't or wouldn't buy their own. This figure is probably an underestimate, given the proportion of properties own outright and ignores the actual capital investment made by landlords, which probably exceeds £1 trillion.

From: Robert Brown 31 January 2019 16:23 PM

Since the average tax rate was probably around 30%, another way of presenting this info was that landlord paid almost £60 billions in revenue expenditure in providing homes for those who couldn't or wouldn't buy their own. This figure is probably an underestimate, given the proportion of properties own outright and ignores the actual ca

From: Robert Brown 31 January 2019 16:21 PM

I get the figures ready between April and June but only submit them and pay the tax due in mid January. Incidentally I noticed that the HMRC system queried the level of my outgoings this year, although they were well in line with previous years' figures. Perhaps HMRC would prefer us to not maintain our properties so that we would pay more tax?

From: Robert Brown 31 January 2019 16:12 PM

Aren't you breaking the law by not depositing the deposit with a registered scheme? Not criticising, just interested in any legal way to avoid using these tenant-friendly schemes?

From: Robert Brown 31 January 2019 13:23 PM

In many blocks it's the owner occupiers who refuse to pay for common repairs, not the private landlords who want to present properties as pristine as possible to maximise rent values.

From: Robert Brown 23 January 2019 18:52 PM

About the only sensible thing the SNP have done in Scotland is to ban RTB so any remaining social housing cannot be sold to anyone, even at full market value. I suspect Thatcher's motivation was that Councils wouldn't evict strikers for rent arrears but banks wound for mortgage arrears.

From: Robert Brown 23 January 2019 18:47 PM

High enough fines could make this self funding (like parking fines etc.) but it's an easy life for most council employees who blame "austerity and cut backs" every time they fail to do what we're paying them for.

From: Robert Brown 23 January 2019 12:53 PM

In Scotland the Council doesn't even remind you when your licence is due to expire and seems to do nothing to track down rogue landlords. I had an unlicensed landlord in the same block who refused to pay his share of common repairs but the council don't seem interested. However, if I forgot to renew my licence........Good landlords are like drivers - easy pickings, but the rogues still get away with it every time!

From: Robert Brown 23 January 2019 12:49 PM

Reply to John: I have done well with property values growing strongly between 1998 and 2008, but minimal growth since. By contrast, rents remained pretty static until about 2014 but have grown by 50 to 70% since 2014. Both these things are largely due to the exodus of landlords who are afraid of weathering the storm created by the SNP which makes Osborne's attacks on the prs seem lightweight in comparison.

From: Robert Brown 11 January 2019 13:45 PM

I don't disagree but shudder at the thought of any alternative government's potential treatment of landlords. Look at the harm the SNP have done to landlords and tenants in Scotland!

From: Robert Brown 09 January 2019 09:29 AM

Northern England might be OK but beware of risking the wrath of the SNP by being a landlord in Scotland!

From: Robert Brown 08 January 2019 16:35 PM

These schemes miss the main point. Good tenants get back every penny of their deposit. Why trust any tenant who prefers the certainty of losing this insurance premium to the responsibility of taking care of our properties and putting their own money at risk? Yes another misguided plan to molly coddle the feckless and prevent them from taking responsibility for their own actions.

From: Robert Brown 08 January 2019 14:57 PM

Scottish prices seem to be holding up or even increasing in popular areas, despite SNP attempts to bankrupt the whole country with free University education for EU students, free prescriptions etc. Thank God for the Westminster subsidies under the Barnet formula!

From: Robert Brown 08 January 2019 14:50 PM

Rents are going up faster than inflation because so many landlords have sold up due to SNP attacks on landlords even exceeding those by Westminster, including 4% penalty on stamp duty and 41% income tax on earrings over around £44k and 61% marginal tax rate on incomes just over £100k. No one mentions the years when rents didn't go up at, between around 1988 and 2012, despite property costs more than doubling during this period.

From: Robert Brown 08 January 2019 14:44 PM

I'm sorry but I really don't know who or what David Price is blaming for homelessness. Please enlighten me.

From: Robert Brown 04 January 2019 22:36 PM

I can't understand why Westminster targets landlords who provide homes, taxing them on "income" they haven't actually earned by withdrawing mortgage tax relief, yet giving airbnb landlords £7500 tax free income as a reward for harming residential areas, removing homes from the market and screwing up genuine hotel businesses who pay taxes and employ staff.

From: Robert Brown 04 January 2019 11:16 AM

I would prefer taking all their money to providing free b&b. Wish this we're done more often.

From: Robert Brown 03 January 2019 17:53 PM

I have grown a £12000 initial deposit on a £48000 flat which generated £600 per month gross rent 20 years ago into over £2 million equity in a £3 million portfolio generating over £20000 per month gross rent. I doubt many stock market investors could claim to have turned £12000 into £2 million over the last 20 years and have £20k per month dividends. As long as we can get gearing through cheap mortgages I believe btl will beat the stock market. My worst investment was an Equitable Life pension scheme, so I'm done with"balanced" portfolio planning!

From: Robert Brown 03 January 2019 17:43 PM

Wow! Something done by Glasgow City Council that I approve of? I wish Edinburgh and Holyrood - and Westminster- would also act to control the scourge which removes quality homes from the market, gives £7500 tax free income to owner occupiers and free Council Tax relief to the rest, while normal landlords have to pay tax on earnings they haven't had!

From: Robert Brown 31 December 2018 18:18 PM

The clear advantages to landlords are so clear they're invisible! I predict many student tenants will leave at the end of May as they only need to give 28 days notice and many flats will remain empty over the summer vacation whereas we used to be able to get 12 month leases but can no longer insist on any minimum term.

From: Robert Brown 28 December 2018 15:41 PM

We saved our deposit by living on only one salary, not having Costa coffees, holidays and running a very old car. Come to think of it, that's also how we saved our first btl deposit whilst paying up to. 15% mortgage interest. IMHO property is no less affordable than it was in the 70's and 80's - just priorities and ambitions have changed with reluctance to make any sacrifices.

From: Robert Brown 28 December 2018 08:55 AM

I do my accounts early but don't submit them until mid January and pay the tax during the same log on. No point in giving HMRC information too early and inviting an enquiry when they've nothing better to do with their time.

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