Renting is fucking shit isn't it?

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Yeah, we have a flat we let out to a foreign company who have railway (I think) workers over here from Italy. We didn't buy it to let, fuck we didn't buy it at all - it was a gift from my father in law (who is, indeed, a rich Tory voter). I hate having it, and I want to sell it. But while it's rented to people who actually don't want to buy I can at least feel not utterly shit about it. 

We use a company to deal with it, and have already turned down their 'offer' to increase rent above inflation. And we have insisted all appropriate repairs/maintenance are done quickly, even at additional cost.

It, somewhat, mitigates my guilt. 

 

Edit: also I'm a cunt. Fuck all to do with the above though.

Edited May 6, 2022 by ReturnOfTheMack

[Keith Houchen]

4 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

And therein lies one of the (many) issues with renting that most people who harp on about the fucking property ladder miss. You're constantly living in fear when you rent.

Yep. Every time I see the landlord is calling me my anxiety goes through the fucking roof. Even though logically he probably wouldn’t evict us because he’d have to totally do up the flat before renting it out and it would cost him thousands. When I got ill and went on benefits I told him I needed him to write to the DWP to confirm I was the tenant and they’d release the the housing benefit. Took him six months to do it and made out I hadn’t told him. My bathroom light is still full of water after he tinkered upstairs and flooded the bathroom, then claimed he didn’t know about it until I told him he did it. 
So yeah, logically he wouldn’t evict me because I don’t ask for anything and pay rent on time.
Now my partner has an autism diagnosis, she has been told it adds a layer of protection from private landlords so I will look into that. I can’t truly imagine how anxious you and the family must be feeling, it’s so shit and I really hope you get a good result. 

[69MeDon]

"If the peasants do not apply great force, the power of the landlords, built up over thousands of years, can never be uprooted."

It really isn't about this good landlord and this bad landlord. Landlordism itself is the problem and this problem can really only be solved in one way, which I will not detail here because there are probably rules about that sort of thing, but there are many texts I could recommend that are free to download and read.

[Devon Malcolm]

10 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said:

Now my partner has an autism diagnosis, she has been told it adds a layer of protection from private landlords so I will look into that. I can’t truly imagine how anxious you and the family must be feeling, it’s so shit and I really hope you get a good result. 

Cheers mate. Obviously, my kids both have autism diagnoses and they have a link worker from social services who helps with all kinds of stuff and he all but said if the landlord or estate agent tries anything he's going to be on them, which has provided a bit of relief. My anxiety disorder ain't listening though.

[SuperBacon]

@Devon Malcolm Sorry to hear you've been given a Section 21 as well. I'm sure you've taken advice, and I know it's not the greatest thing in the world, but the fact that they can't make you leave without an actual eviction notice, and the fact that could take months, I hope allows you a bit of breathing space until you find something else.

That, or you knock off the neighbour?

1 hour ago, Keith Houchen said:

Yep. Every time I see the landlord is calling me my anxiety goes through the fucking roof.

Same, but with their emails. The fear I feel when I see an email come through from them. Makes me feel sick just thinking about it. Sorry you go through that.

When all the noise started from underneath me, I told them that EVERY communication would have to be through email so that there is a record. I also copy in someone from the London Renters Union every time as well, even though I don't really have to. 

God, what a shitty country this is.

@PunkStep mate, all those football shirts are my house deposit for the future

 

[Tommy!]

4 hours ago, organizedkaos said:

do student lets where you have to worry less about the quality of the place

I worked for a property management company for a while looking after student blocks that had been repossessed by banks and the struggle we had with some convincing them to spend money on them was unbelievable. One didn't even want to install WiFi in 2014. 

It became a catch 22, they were a dump so they were where anyone who had been kicked out elsewhere ended up mid term, then the place gets treated like shit so they are less likely to spend money on it. So next year even more of the intake trash the place and so on until it stopped getting bookings when the uni interest dropped or small student blocks outstripped them and they sold it on for the capital. 

That said I heard some great stories. This one lad was subletting after his visa run out, so hid in the room while staff were around 8 - 8 and went out at night. Apparently he'd even been using a quality street tin as a makeshift toilet, I mean who would do that! 

Edit: some landlords were doing it regularly too, finding where was a hot uni, buying cheap property and rinsing it when demand for beds was high. Then as soon as well set up places started turning up they would dump it or let the bank take it and repeat elsewhere with another shell set up. 

Edited May 6, 2022 by Tommy!

[quote the raven]

10 minutes ago, Tommy! said:

I worked for a property management company for a while looking after student blocks that had been repossessed by banks and the struggle we had with some convincing them to spend money on them was unbelievable. One didn't even want to install WiFi in 2014. 

It became a catch 22, they were a dump so they were where anyone who had been kicked out elsewhere ended up mid term, then the place gets treated like shit so they are less likely to spend money on it. So next year even more of the intake trash the place and so on until it stopped getting bookings when the uni interest dropped or small student blocks outstripped them and they sold it on for the capital. 

That said I heard some great stories. This one lad was subletting after his visa run out, so hid in the room while staff were around 8 - 8 and went out at night. Apparently he'd even been using a quality street tin as a makeshift toilet, I mean who would do that! 

Edit: some landlords were doing it regularly too, finding where was a hot uni, buying cheap property and rinsing it when demand for beds was high. Then as soon as well set up places started turning up they would dump it or let the bank take it and repeat elsewhere with another shell set up. 

As i said above alot of the older owners openly said to me "fuck em they are only students" if you tried to counter it "they will only wreck it anyway"  In canterbury however they started to build some really nice accommodation which opened the eyes of the renters at the shit holes they where being shown.   

[Devon Malcolm]

1 hour ago, SuperBacon said:

@Devon Malcolm Sorry to hear you've been given a Section 21 as well. I'm sure you've taken advice, and I know it's not the greatest thing in the world, but the fact that they can't make you leave without an actual eviction notice, and the fact that could take months, I hope allows you a bit of breathing space until you find something else.

That, or you knock off the neighbour?

She's got a VERY large boyfriend so might not work out too well for me.

But thanks, yeah, I'm keeping the landlord updated with where we are and he's been quite pleasant about it so far so I'm doing all the right things and continuing to view stuff.

[Jonny Vegas]

12 hours ago, Tommy! said:

To keep it for when I need to move back I've been renting out my house for 6 years (I'm a cunt I know) and have never agreed with the agents when they proposed putting the rent up every year at renewal.

It's not a business to me, granted, but my mortgage rate has been lower than an ants ball bag so why do it, yet the agent still suggest it every year. 

I have a work colleague who is in a similar situation. She bought a flat when she moved out of her Mum's and when her Mum died a number of years ago she moved back into her Mum's but didn't want to sell her flat as her plan was to retire back into the flat where there's less maintenance required as she gets older.

She was telling me last week that the letting agent she uses have been pestering her for 18 months constantly to increase the rent but she's had the same tenant for years and refuses to do so because she knows what would be a minor benefit for her would be a major issue for her tenant.

The estate agents are pushing it as being beneficial for her but all they care about is their %. They don't care if her tenant can't pay the rent as there will be someone else who can.

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

My first home was via a Housing Association. They were shocking. New build flats (9 in a block) no end of problems, didn’t install the right connections to even get Sky installed when they were signed off (this was back in 2009). They never fixed issues, the two top flats had windows which weren’t sealed properly so massive issues with water running down walls and damp, bathrooms which had issues with plumbing. Lots of issues.

On top of that, our service charges went up 200% after two years. They couldn’t explain why, breakdown gave ridiculous fees like £10k for stairwell decorating which must have cost about £100 in materials and was a 2 day job for one person. when we moved out we had to sell through them only at 30% less if the value of the market rate of the privately owned block which meant we struggled with getting a deposit together for our next move. TLDR: Housing Associations are also scum.
 

 What shocks me is why no political party isn’t willing to do more. We know why Tories won’t do it, but where are the alternative parties in this? Surely a scheme to help renters move into their own homes would be a vote winner? Or higher taxes on anyone who owns more then 2 properties they don’t live in. And why is no-one not promoting replenishing council houses?

Where I live now we’ve seen multiple sites knocked down to be replaced with new housing but so called “affordable housing” is at least 25% of market rates. And also mortgages need to be obtainable. To spend £1000+ On rent means you can afford a £600 mortgage. There must be something that can be offered to help people on to the ladder. Every scheme I’ve seen in the last decade or so has failed.

[westlondonmist]

In 2008 me and my girlfriend were looking for a new flat as we now both had perm jobs and could afford to get out of our shitty studio flat. We found a 1 bedroom in our price range in a nice area, I had to work late so couldn't view it and my gf went to view it and the estate agent said she couldn't. I could go by myself but she had to be accompanied by me. We didn't rent the flat or go back to the estate agent. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

4 minutes ago, westlondonmist said:

In 2008 me and my girlfriend were looking for a new flat as we now both had perm jobs and could afford to get out of our shitty studio flat. We found a 1 bedroom in our price range in a nice area, I had to work late so couldn't view it and my gf went to view it and the estate agent said she couldn't. I could go by myself but she had to be accompanied by me. We didn't rent the flat or go back to the estate agent. 

What’s the issue? Back then woman were not allowed to vote let alone make any important decisions like choosing where to live. 

Definitely creepy though that. 

[Jonny Vegas]

5 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

On top of that, our service charges went up 200% after two years. They couldn’t explain why, breakdown gave ridiculous fees like £10k for stairwell decorating which must have cost about £100 in materials and was a 2 day job for one person. when we moved out we had to sell through them only at 30% less if the value of the market rate of the privately owned block which meant we struggled with getting a deposit together for our next move. TLDR: Housing Associations are also scum.

I used to live in a house in a newer build estate (built 2000 ish) covered by "factors", namely Speirs Gumley.

It wasnt a fancy place at all and most of the communal areas were run down due to in typical new build fashion the whole place having been thrown up with the cheapest materials available to the developers.

Speirs Gumley charged £3000 for about 200 bricks to be layed on top of an existing communal wall, which looked absolutely ridiculous and was done by a cowboy who turned up on the day he was to start and chapped my door asking did I know where he was to do the job.

They used to charge £400 a quarter for "inspection of the playpark". A shitty little mini roundabout with two of those horse type things with a big spring under them. 

In the 9 years I lived there I didn't see anyone inspecting it even once and no repairs or maintenance ever got carried out on it. 

Whether housing association or privately owned/rented, factors are just a way for people to contractually funnel your money to their friends companies.

[Rossman]

Work with a lad in his mid 20s who rented his first property two doors down from where we work for convenience mainly. We live in South Lincolnshire so prices are relatively cheap. He pays £600 for a 2 bed 1980s built semi-detached house.

He should have really had someone to go with him to take a look. He was living with a 60 year old woman who was very noisy, so just wanted to get out. The problems with the house, the letting agents said would be sorted and the place would have a good clean.

When he moved in, I don't think the place had even been touched with a j-cloth. I went to have a look when he got the keys and there were two roasting trays in the oven covered in months old grease. The bedroom ceiling is coming down. Where the plasterboard sheet is screwed to the ceiling joist that's just come away and the sheet is hanging down. When you open one of the kitchen cupboards there is a big hole that leads to the outside. I imagine there would have been a vent there and that's just been left bare. He's now got birds in his loft. They must be getting in through the roof somehow.

He sent the letting agent a snagging list when he moved in. The only thing that got sorted was trimming the 20 foot bushes outside which they said they would do before he moved in. He had to wait a few months for that to happen. The other one was sorting the windows so they actually lock. You could close the window and put it into the lock position. But you could push the window and it would open a few inches. That one they had to do something about because it invalidated his house insurance.

Letting agents, estate agents. They're all fucking shit.

I sold my house in 2020. Estate agent had it on Rightmove for months. 1000s of views on the website. Equated to one physical viewing. Luckily that one person liked it so much they bought the house. 

Edited May 7, 2022 by Rossman

[Devon Malcolm]

Just went to do a viewing. Stood outside and waited. Got a call 2 minutes after it was supposed to start saying it wasn't going ahead because the estate agent didn't have the keys. Swore, went to Morrison's and bought a big chocolate pudding, and came home.