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OTHER GUIDES & TIPS

Council urging private landlords to offer longest-possible tenancies

Private landlords, tenants and letting agents are being asked to give their views on a Labour council’s tenancy strategy in London. 

The draft sets out how Enfield council encourages all landlords  and letting agencies to support its vision for high standards for all tenancies in the borough, so that residents live as healthily, safely, and securely as possible.

The draft strategy supports the council’s social housing residents to have lifetime tenancies, offering fixed term tenancies only in exceptional circumstances for a proposed minimum of 10 years. 

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It also encourages private landlords to consider longer term tenancies.

The main objectives are that residents have a clear understanding of their tenancy; lifetime tenancies are the preferred option, residents can stay in their homes for as long as it remains suitable for them and if a tenancy does end, residents are supported to avoid homelessness.

The council says its vision is to end homelessness in the borough and will work with all landlords in the borough to fulfil their responsibilities under the Homeless Reduction Act 2017 to prevent homelessness.

Councillor Gina Needs, cabinet member for housing, says: “Our aim is to enable residents to stay in their homes, feel settled and build strong, sustainable communities. We want our residents to live in homes that are appropriate to their needs and will continue to address housing need and actively prevent homelessness in the borough.”

The closing date for completion of the questionnaire is Thursday 11 November at 11.59pm. 

Click here to see the consultation. 

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    As a landlord I don’t really understand the concept of lifetime tenancies and why we need them. My reason for this is that I want tenants to be in my houses for as long as I wish to rent the houses out. All I want from them is to pay there rent on time, look after the property and report justifiable problems with the property so I can get a minor problem fixed before it turns into a major problem. Nothing else. If they do this they can stay in as long as they want. So the length of their tenancy is up to them. If they don’t then I need them out as I am not a charity and I have bills to pay. No landlord wants to stand a property empty. Empty property equals no income. But as soon as they’re out I need to put somebody else in. At the moment my longest tenant has been in 11 years my second longest tenant has been in 9 years. I must be doing something right as I have no rent arrears at the moment even through Covid-19 the rent was sometimes late but I was notified it would be late.

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    Like Stehen, my tenants stay as long as they want. In 20 years I have only ended one tenancy so in my view this longer tenancies debate is a red herring.

    Like many other LLs, the length of my tenancies is determined by mortgage holders who won't allow anything over 12 months.

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    This is a concept the powers that be seem unable to grasp. No landlord wants to get rid of a tenant who pays the rent and looks after the property, unless he wishes to dispose of the property. This must be left as an option for the landlord as with any investment circumstances change and sometimes it is necessary to sell an investment.
    I certainly do not want to return to the lifetime renancy situation which will only cause a return to the Rachman era with intimidation etc employed to get a tenant out so the property can be sold

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    Stephen, that is very well put and I expect almost all landlords would agree wholeheartedly with you. But as with all human activity, there are going to be those on either side that spoil the game by their antisocial behaviour and the law is about protecting innocent parties. At the moment the law tends to favour tenants over landlords and the direction of travel is to see housing as a human right rather than as a service, and renting as a permanent lifestyle when in fact rental needs come in all shapes and sizes from temporary accommodation for a contractor working a job during the week or someone needing a place until they have somewhere permanent, to those who choose to settle down permanently in their accommodation rather than buying their own home as one family did recently.
    Personally I think that for most people, unless they are moving around regularly, renting should be a short to medium term option until they are ready to get their own place. Sadly, with the way house prices have rocketed in recent years, this option is becoming more and more difficult to achieve for people on lower incomes.

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    Peter I agree with everything you have said. But in my experience some people prefer to rent than to buy. They don’t want any stress and like the comfort of been able to ring somebody up when there’s a problem and pass it onto them to sort out.

     
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    I concur with all the above. Its just a very basic commonsense concept that the powers that be cannot seem to grasp.

    I have been in this business since 1991. Longest serving tenant 17 years- gone into supported housing a few years ago through age and choice. Current longest in place tenant been in since 2005. More than a dozen tenants with me at moment that are at 12 and 13 years and lots of tenants with me presently at 5 and 6 years.

    These people have no fear for their security of tenure- pay the rent, look after the propertty and be right with me (including reporting issues asap so i can get them dealt with)- thats all I ask. I dont look to interfere in their lives or look to be their life coach.

    I have done a number of evictions over 30 years but this is when a tenant has become totally untenantlike and wont address it haven been given many opportunities (mainly not paying the rent, trashing the property and ducking me). I dont feel I have been unreasonable on that seeing as Im the one that ends up with all the grief of a multi thousand bill for repair and rent loss whilst these get rehoused with impunity.

    I've sold 2 properties- one to another landlord with tenants left in situ, and one when the tenants have vacated this year. Whenever a property turns over now I look at possibly selling. I've had enough basically so rationalizing down rather than a full exit. Doesn't help the rentsl supply/demand ratio and i sympathise but my hands been forced for self preservation. Justcanother example of the powers that be making situations they're looking to address worse as they have been very successful at over recent years

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    Tenants that pay on time and look after the property can stay as long as they like, so where's the problem ?

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    These do gooders want to protect rogue tenants at the expense of everyone else, especially decent tenants!

     
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    labor/libdim councillor?

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    I've been renting out for over 20 years and only had to get rid of one tenant, currently one of my
    tenants is in their 14th year in a property. It suits them and I'm happy. They get a less than market rent because they've been there so long and look after the property well so I'm happy not to increase the usual market rate (but I do increase, just a smaller amount). Win-win all round I'd say.

    There's no need to long-term tenancy agreements, a tenant will stay as long as they're happy with the service you're providing or until you can evict them if they're cr*p tenants.

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