Andrew townshend... Landlord Today

I have 16 great tenants at present, we are all on first name terms and get along just fine, but don't we have to be so very careful when vetting prospective tenants, the days of taking a risk with a new tenant are long gone, no room for rotten apples now.

From: Andrew townshend 10 July 2019 09:02 AM

From: Andrew townshend 08 July 2019 19:35 PM

Far too sensible Paul.

From: Andrew townshend 08 July 2019 17:47 PM

None of us like paying tax but not to pay is plane wrong, personally i put as much as possible against profits then pay the tax on time and in full, that way i can hold my head up high and i'm not constantly looking over my shoulder.

From: Andrew townshend 08 July 2019 09:59 AM

Agreed James, but a vote winner for who ? i doubt snow flakes or generation rent would be voting Tory.

From: Andrew townshend 06 July 2019 08:59 AM

Of course we will have to be more selective, if there is the smallest chance that a prospective tenant may turn out to be a bad tenant, or if something doesn't feel right the prospective tenant will have to be rejected, if in doubt leave them to the local council to house .

From: Andrew townshend 05 July 2019 09:28 AM

Agreed, it's not no fault, it's the accelerated eviction process .

From: Andrew townshend 04 July 2019 18:04 PM

Ever the optimist .

From: Andrew townshend 03 July 2019 22:12 PM

Agreed Paul, one good property, with good tenants, is worth 4 bad properties with bad tenants, leave the bad properties and bad tenants with those landlords with funny surnames.

From: Andrew townshend 03 July 2019 22:10 PM

In your dreams!

From: Andrew townshend 03 July 2019 22:05 PM

Paul mate, who are you kidding '' pragmatism among councils'' ??

From: Andrew townshend 03 July 2019 22:04 PM

I had a small back street garage business which earn't good money, I got into BTL instead of a private pension, did not trust the spivs selling them, I sold my business 11 yrs ago at age 54, today I'm a full time hands on landlord, I enjoy what I do, have no regrets, and would recommend it.

From: Andrew townshend 03 July 2019 21:09 PM

Everything you say mate is spot on, but we all know it will never happen, central government (tory or labour) and local government are our enemies , treat them as so, then we won't be disappointed will we.

From: Andrew townshend 03 July 2019 21:00 PM

You are not wrong Paul, but I'm not mortgaged so I do have a bit of an advantage.

From: Andrew townshend 02 July 2019 22:06 PM

I'm totally with Jahan above, I've never taken a hand out and never will, I pay my way and am proud to do so, I hold my head up high.

From: Andrew townshend 02 July 2019 21:49 PM

I hear what you are saying Simon but I'm staying and fighting until such time that I have no option but to get out.

From: Andrew townshend 02 July 2019 21:41 PM

Wouldn't it be nice to pull together rather than pulling apart, problem is the self employed and the public sector workers are a mile apart, the self employed work hard to better themselves, the public sector work as little as possible awaiting their gold plated pension they are bitter and twisted with jealously of anyone that might have made something of themselves through hard work off their own backs, we will always be a mile apart, but i know which side i want to be on.

From: Andrew townshend 02 July 2019 21:30 PM

And so has the Queen, I remember her shaking hands with that murdering scum from the IRA, what sort of country are we becoming ?

From: Andrew townshend 02 July 2019 09:37 AM

IF they did get into power, and IF they got a big enough majority to get this through parliament, all IFS, would house prices fall enough for the snow flakes to buy a property? i doubt it, most will rent for life unless they are lucky enough to be given a property.

From: Andrew townshend 02 July 2019 09:33 AM

So what kind of tenants will they be renting to ? Gold plated ?

From: Andrew townshend 02 July 2019 09:09 AM

Not a chance in hell of that happening, increase rents to cover extra costs, only way.

From: Andrew townshend 28 June 2019 09:25 AM

I agree paul, these types of guarantors are as rare as hens teeth even in good areas.

From: Andrew townshend 26 June 2019 19:41 PM

Waste of time, the tenants always gets away with it.

From: Andrew townshend 26 June 2019 09:57 AM

I think it's fair to say we have all been there, roll your sleeves up and clear the mess up, it's the only way, once you have had this happen a time or 2 you do get hardened to it.

From: Andrew townshend 26 June 2019 09:55 AM

A stab wound to the chest, any deeper could have meant death, and the guy got 6 yrs, out in 3 nodoubt, justice ?

From: Andrew townshend 25 June 2019 09:25 AM

I have never got involved with bed sits however a friend does, he visits once a week, fire doors are always wedged open, which he then closes, he clears up the rubbish and makes sure the bins are put out to be emptied, talk about having to wipe the backsides of these types of tenants.

From: Andrew townshend 24 June 2019 16:16 PM

I have used an independent letting agent in Norwich ( Spencer Ward ) for the past 15 yrs, they have always been fair to both landlord and tenant with their charges, but never the less their charges to me will have to increase, so new tenants will be paying an increased rent, however generally my tenants tend to stay longer, avoid the big national letting agents they are the rip off merchants.

From: Andrew townshend 24 June 2019 16:08 PM

Most tenants don't even read the tenancy agreement or know what's in it, so reading ''how to rent'' won't happen.

From: Andrew townshend 24 June 2019 09:54 AM

I agree totally, get them into court, good on you.

From: Andrew townshend 22 June 2019 17:20 PM

I doubt the tories will gain many votes from tenants though, generation rent would be more likely to be left wing or too lazy to vote at all.

From: Andrew townshend 21 June 2019 08:54 AM

My daughters partner worked on a developer's building site, he fished all sorts of brand new items out of their skips, doors, bathroom and kitchen items, boxes of tiles etc, seems they over order and then skip what they don't use, i'm all for recycling and reusing .

From: Andrew townshend 19 June 2019 10:36 AM

He has had 2 yrs to clear it, 150 miles in this day and age is not that far, there and back and cleared in a day, why did he not do it?

From: Andrew townshend 19 June 2019 09:47 AM

Perfect arrangement, won't happen though.

From: Andrew townshend 19 June 2019 08:22 AM

Good point, I own 17 properties, but only 1 of them is my ''home''.

From: Andrew townshend 18 June 2019 19:54 PM

Why would we take on a tenant who is unlikely to pay his / her rent, would be pure madness wouldn't it.

From: Andrew townshend 18 June 2019 16:51 PM

'' No fault evictions '' no, section 21 is the accelerated eviction process , in 30 yrs as a landlord the only times i have used section 21 is to evict bad non paying tenants as quickly as possible, i would say the percentage of true '' no fault evictions'' would be around 5% the rest being rouge tenant evictions.

From: Andrew townshend 18 June 2019 16:45 PM

I could comment the obvious , but my comment would be removed, so i will keep quite.

From: Andrew townshend 17 June 2019 21:39 PM

''Hard core tenants'' the very tenants good landlords don't want at any price.

From: Andrew townshend 11 June 2019 08:03 AM

And if the tenant refuses, which they have every right to do so, they don't get the tenancy, easy.

From: Andrew townshend 10 June 2019 09:10 AM

And they wounder why we hate them !

From: Andrew townshend 07 June 2019 20:35 PM

Will these schemes pay out in the event of a claim ? I bet they will do their best to wriggle out of claims.

From: Andrew townshend 07 June 2019 09:26 AM

I still will not being accepting UC claimants, as Darryl above says it's no good waiting until the tenant is already in arrears, it is unlikely the UC payment will cover the full rent, and these payments are payed monthly in arrears, no good to me.

From: Andrew townshend 07 June 2019 09:21 AM

'' Clearly designed to shift the cost to landlords '' ? then who ever designed it didn't design it very well did they ? as always it will be the end user that pays .

From: Andrew townshend 06 June 2019 09:37 AM

Once again Paul I agree, makes total sense, and that's why it is unlikely to happen, governments and sense don't go together.

From: Andrew townshend 05 June 2019 09:35 AM

I agree Paul, a much fairer method, but that's what the ''poll tax'' was, and wasn't there a fuss about that one.

From: Andrew townshend 05 June 2019 09:25 AM

Landlords that have over borrowed may have to unload some properties, but there will be many out there with cash in their pockets happy to be buying them

From: Andrew townshend 05 June 2019 09:14 AM

So these fees just disappear do they? they won't be included in the increased rent then? There's a mug born every minute!

From: Andrew townshend 05 June 2019 09:10 AM

4 in 10 ? don't believe that, 1 in 10 possibly.

From: Andrew townshend 05 June 2019 09:06 AM

We are free to pay the council tax ourselves now and include it in the rent, so surely that's exactly what will happen if this new system comes in, atleast the council tax will be paid over to the councils before the tenant does a runner owing a years worth of council tax.

From: Andrew townshend 05 June 2019 09:02 AM

Agree totally, I have many very good long term tenants, I don't want to evict them, why would I ? However I now have to be very careful where new tenants are concerned, A total ban on DSS, under 25s, and single mums, also the old gut feeling, if they don't seem right then no tenancy, I am quite lucky, no shortage of good tenants in East Anglia, just avoid Gt Yarmouth like the plague

From: Andrew townshend 04 June 2019 10:32 AM

I never renew tenancies, we are able to increase rents once every 12 months without a new tenancy agreement, so I see no reason why rent couldn't be reduced the same way if necessary

From: Andrew townshend 03 June 2019 18:05 PM

No rent controls as yet, will worry about them if or when they happen.

From: Andrew townshend 01 June 2019 17:38 PM

Red Ken, i like him, he makes me laugh .

From: Andrew townshend 31 May 2019 21:26 PM

None of my properties require a licence, at present, i have nothing to hide, and have nothing against licencing other than the cost, which of course will be passed onto the tenant by means of increased rent, governments can hit us landlords all they like, it's the tenants that will be paying.

From: Andrew townshend 31 May 2019 21:23 PM

Some with large borrowings may have to sell, but for those of us that own our properties the out look is good, reduced competition, more tenants for less properties and higher rents, i'm not selling, i might even be buying.

From: Andrew townshend 31 May 2019 21:16 PM

I cannot see the problem here, the extra costs incurred by the landlord will simply be factored into an increase in rent, the reduced deposit can be got over by insisting on a suitable guarantor, problems solved.

From: Andrew townshend 31 May 2019 21:09 PM

And most of those white transits come from the local dids caravan sites, but then the dids are above the law, untouchable, wrong isn't it.

From: Andrew townshend 31 May 2019 09:05 AM

Well Paul your comment goes on a bit , as normal, but is certainly spot on, sums up the ever increasing army of scroungers that governments seem to encourage and we have to pay for.

From: Andrew townshend 31 May 2019 07:53 AM

Spot on, agree totally.

From: Andrew townshend 28 May 2019 09:27 AM

Retirees generally make exultant tenants, the only tenants I have ever evicted are the non payers everyone else is welcome to stay as long as they like.

From: Andrew townshend 26 May 2019 21:18 PM

Is this the way BTL will be heading in England ? yes please bring it on.

From: Andrew townshend 24 May 2019 21:06 PM

Not for me thank you, i buy and own out right my investments, sounds old fashioned ? well it's always worked for me.

From: Andrew townshend 24 May 2019 21:02 PM

It's a lovely thought Paul but we all know it won't happen

From: Andrew townshend 23 May 2019 16:55 PM

We won't touch tenants on benefits because we know in 99% of cases there will be problems getting the rent paid, leave these people to the local council to house.

From: Andrew townshend 21 May 2019 17:31 PM

No shortage of good tenants in my neck of the woods at present, however i do take your point as this may not always be the case.

From: Andrew townshend 20 May 2019 19:33 PM

Agreed, we will have to be very careful who we rent to in future

From: Andrew townshend 20 May 2019 17:07 PM

I have several middle aged and older tenants I much prefer them, stay longer, pay their way, keep the gardens nice, you can keep the youngsters, and the young single mums with chips on their shoulders, more trouble than they are worth.

From: Andrew townshend 17 May 2019 09:41 AM

Oh it's April fools day all over again, don't believe a word of it, an MPs pledge ? worthless !!

From: Andrew townshend 14 May 2019 09:05 AM

Steve you are spot on right council and housing officer responsible + building control, if you or i were the freeholder we would already be in prison, stinks doesn't it ?

From: Andrew townshend 10 May 2019 22:12 PM

Local council building control must have approved this cladding and signed it off once completed, maybe they should be paying ??

From: Andrew townshend 10 May 2019 17:07 PM

Agreed, they employ losers because they are the only people they can get, and the losers work for councils because they are the only jobs they can get, so they get on well together, we just have to fight them at every move.

From: Andrew townshend 09 May 2019 19:19 PM

Is it worth getting involved with HMOs seems to me they are more trouble than they are worth, and attract the wrong sort of tenants.

From: Andrew townshend 09 May 2019 09:41 AM

I live in norfolk, all but one of my properties are in norfolk, but not great yarmouth, the place is a hell hole, properties are cheap there but the only tenants you will get are the ones you really don't want, the DSS capital of east anglia !

From: Andrew townshend 08 May 2019 16:45 PM

I have no problem finding good tenants in norfolk.

From: Andrew townshend 08 May 2019 16:36 PM

But will generation rent vote tory? very unlikely, mostly i would say vote either greens or labour

From: Andrew townshend 08 May 2019 16:30 PM

Membership of a landlord assoc is worthwhile even if you only have 1 let property, i'm a member of eastern landlords assoc £70 per year (tax deductible) and worth every penny, they keep us upto date on everything and only a phone call away for advice.

From: Andrew townshend 04 May 2019 17:33 PM

I rather agree with john on this one, they know full well that they are breaking the law, and they understand english when it suits them to do so.

From: Andrew townshend 04 May 2019 16:00 PM

Yes but this is england respect our laws and ways as we do when we visit their countries.

From: Andrew townshend 04 May 2019 12:38 PM

What happens when all us baby boomers are gone and the snowflakes take over the world, could be the end.

From: Andrew townshend 03 May 2019 20:54 PM

Generation rent will always vote labour.

From: Andrew townshend 03 May 2019 17:13 PM

Paul i have not bought into that lie at all, there are properties available for them, but while they don't save and spend their wages like water they are never going to own a property, it's self inflicted .

From: Andrew townshend 03 May 2019 11:06 AM

Very few young people will ever own their own home, unless they are lucky enough to be left one in a will, low wages, zero hours contracts, and of course their excessive life styles of have today pay later attitude rules most of them out of home ownership.

From: Andrew townshend 03 May 2019 10:39 AM

Scotland, not for me thanks, i'll stick to norfolk / suffolk where i'm never more than 30 miles away from my properties.

From: Andrew townshend 02 May 2019 21:12 PM

Yes John, that's good, it's these people that are getting the rest of us a bad name we are all being tared by the same brush, I'm a nice guy, as i'm sure you are, i get on well with my tenants and attend to issues swiftly, often the same day.

From: Andrew townshend 02 May 2019 13:25 PM

FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC !

From: Andrew townshend 02 May 2019 09:19 AM

NATIONALITY !! YET AGAIN

From: Andrew townshend 01 May 2019 11:24 AM

For the life of me i don't understand why anyone would buy a leasehold house.

From: Andrew townshend 30 April 2019 20:00 PM

Yes Paul is spot on honest there, please or offend that's the way it is.

From: Andrew townshend 30 April 2019 09:33 AM

Done correctly BTL is still a good business to be in, 3% extra stamp duty = 3% reduction in price offered, property isn't selling at the moment and sold prices are on the way down, despite all the spiv estate agents desperately trying to talk the market up, as the saying goes '' if their mouths are moving they are lying ''

From: Andrew townshend 30 April 2019 09:28 AM

David, we rarely evict tenants for no reason, why would we? the reason we use section 21 over section 8 is that section 21 is quicker and cheaper when we need to evict a non paying tenant.

From: Andrew townshend 30 April 2019 09:17 AM

We have all been there, we learn by our mistakes .

From: Andrew townshend 29 April 2019 16:28 PM

I can't see this happening, I will still be saying NO DSS leave then to the local council to home

From: Andrew townshend 25 April 2019 09:30 AM

At present none of my properties require a licence, however it's only a matter of time before we will all need licences, i don't have a problem with that, however the cost will ofcourse be passed onto the tenants.

From: Andrew townshend 24 April 2019 09:24 AM

Food deliveries, take aways, that's because millennials either cannot cook or are too bone idle to cook a meal.

From: Andrew townshend 24 April 2019 09:18 AM

I don't mind them switching suppliers, i just wish they would tell me though when they do.

From: Andrew townshend 24 April 2019 09:14 AM

And this also applies to knife crime, but that's another subject.

From: Andrew townshend 23 April 2019 14:48 PM

And again, not british!!

From: Andrew townshend 23 April 2019 14:26 PM

And the remaining 5 - 10 % were ended because the tenant didn't pay the rent.

From: Andrew townshend 23 April 2019 14:22 PM

Oh worse is to come, and when labour get in much much worse, but will this make things better for the tenant? no, tenants will suffer also.

From: Andrew townshend 18 April 2019 10:18 AM

My tenants generally stay a long time, good tenants i look after, their rents will not increase by much, but new tenants will be paying more so as to reimburse me my increase in costs, this how any business works, increased overheads = increased cost to the end user.

From: Andrew townshend 18 April 2019 10:10 AM

No I will stick where I am, I'm 65 drawing my pension, i'm mortgage free and split my income with my wife, keeps us both just below 40% tax, I do my own repairs, clean ups and repaints, works for me, if it ain't broke don't mend it, you can't teach an old dog new tricks .

From: Andrew townshend 16 April 2019 21:51 PM

Governments, whether local or central are corrupt, always have been, always will be, something we all have to live with, but it does leave a nasty taste.

From: Andrew townshend 16 April 2019 09:38 AM

Agreed, i also think anyone wanting to live in London must be nuts.

From: Andrew townshend 16 April 2019 09:23 AM

No real surprise here, if this government didn't do it labour would when they get in at the next G E , only real thing we can do is not to rent to anyone under 25, on benefits or single mums, leave these problem areas to the local council to home.

From: Andrew townshend 16 April 2019 09:20 AM

I'm not surprised by this, we will be forced to use section 8, which will take longer and be more expensive, however when a tenant is evicted with a sec 21 there is no record, with a sec 8 there will be a record to say they were evicted for rent arrears, they will then find it very difficult to find a landlord to take then on, so shot in foot comes to mind.

From: Andrew townshend 15 April 2019 09:54 AM

Can we have a cap on council charges for licences, plumbers and solicitors hourly rates, court fees, etc, whats good for one is good enough for the rest of us

From: Andrew townshend 12 April 2019 08:59 AM

i have several family eastern eu tenants who i find to be good clean hard working and reliable , better than many british tenants I've had over the years. I won't touch Indian tenants though.

From: Andrew townshend 09 April 2019 15:28 PM

Two very british sounding names, that makes a change ! however by the sound of things both are rouges who got what they justly deserve . The general public like to think that all landlords are rouges, but just like car dealers most of us are not rouges, it's the few that get the rest a bad reputation .

From: Andrew townshend 05 April 2019 09:59 AM

Irrelevant as to what the business is, increased overheads are always passed onto the end user.

From: Andrew townshend 04 April 2019 11:12 AM

Landlords getting richer ? no just trying to cover our extra costs, it's the tenants that are being hit by the government.

From: Andrew townshend 04 April 2019 09:14 AM

British ?? of course not, these people getting us a bad name yet again, am i being racist? no just telling as it is i e the truth

From: Andrew townshend 04 April 2019 09:11 AM

Why do a lot of people now lease their cars, they get a new car which they would not otherwise have been able to afford, if it breaks down they phone the leasing company and get a free hire car, and the leasing company pays for the repair as well, then at the end of the lease they get another new car, same goes for their home, so i can see why more people will choose to rent in future, home ownership is dying as the younger generation now tend to rent everything.

From: Andrew townshend 03 April 2019 09:40 AM

The extra agency fees don't bother me, what ever extra it costs me will be divided by 6 and added to the rent, if after 6 month the new tenants are behaving themselves i could then reduce the rent.

From: Andrew townshend 03 April 2019 09:28 AM

Band C by 2030, few of my properties will reach that, but i will be 77 by then, so will i really be bothered, if i'm still here i expect i will put them all in auction and spend the money before i die.

From: Andrew townshend 03 April 2019 09:20 AM

I don't include bills, and other than a cooker i don't furnish , also i don't rent to anyone under 25.

From: Andrew townshend 02 April 2019 21:35 PM

I'm a Norfolk boy, so don't do London at any money, don't even go there if i can help it, I expect we will be in for a hard time if labour get in, just have to suck it and see.

From: Andrew townshend 02 April 2019 16:15 PM

Very true loyalty is a 2 way street i have several very good long term tenants who i value greatly.

From: Andrew townshend 02 April 2019 16:10 PM

All new tenants after 1st june will be paying an increased rent to cover the short fall on deposits held and agents fees charged to landlords, every time they hit the landlord it's the tenant that comes off worst.

From: Andrew townshend 02 April 2019 15:56 PM

Yet another one of those landlords with funny names getting the rest of us a bad name, how long before this comment is removed ?

From: Andrew townshend 02 April 2019 15:47 PM

And that applies to cars as well.

From: Andrew townshend 02 April 2019 09:45 AM

Agreed we press on, pass increased costs onto the tenants, governments, tory or labour aren't going to beat me without a fight.

From: Andrew townshend 31 March 2019 20:40 PM

So some who are operating with too much debt may sell, but who will be buying , first time buyers, or landlords with cash in their pockets ? I suspect the latter .

From: Andrew townshend 28 March 2019 09:38 AM

Agreed, one thing us landlords are very good at, learning from past mistakes !

From: Andrew townshend 27 March 2019 12:45 PM

Wounder if they will rent to the DSS ?

From: Andrew townshend 27 March 2019 09:04 AM

All Mr Osborne has achieved is increased rents and more sleeping in shop doorways, clever man.

From: Andrew townshend 27 March 2019 09:01 AM

I have never bought leasehold, tempted a couple of times until I read the lease terms.

From: Andrew townshend 26 March 2019 17:21 PM

The '' top tips'' are all the things tenants need to be doing, you can lead a horse to water, you cannot make it drink.

From: Andrew townshend 25 March 2019 08:56 AM

I fully expect section 21 will be outlawed before too much longer, a way around it might be to double the rent, wait for the tenants to either get into arrears or leave, there is normally a way

From: Andrew townshend 23 March 2019 08:08 AM

But why aren't the miners in work ? because a union leader and his ignorant members thought they could bring down Mrs Thatcher's government, oh Lady T where you today when we need you the most.

From: Andrew townshend 22 March 2019 14:22 PM

Few yrs ago i went biomass at home, at the end of my 7yrs RHI it will be payed for with a healthy profit, at which point i will take it out, waste of time.

From: Andrew townshend 22 March 2019 12:21 PM

So what do we need in order to conciser renting to benefit claimants ? HB paid direct, no claw back, and a quick cheap method of evicting non paying tenants, isn't going to happen is it, so it's still NO DSS even if it doesn't say that in the ad.

From: Andrew townshend 22 March 2019 09:57 AM

I have 2 properties with 25 yr old boilers still going strong, last month i had to replace a 7 yr old boiler, not built to last now.

From: Andrew townshend 22 March 2019 09:48 AM

So landlords with a nationwide mortgage will suddenly be open to benefit claimants ? little chance of that i think.

From: Andrew townshend 21 March 2019 09:47 AM

Rents rising, it's not landlords getting richer, it's landlords covering extra costs, just wait until the letting fees ban hits home, you've not seen anything yet.

From: Andrew townshend 21 March 2019 09:42 AM

Section 21, the no fault eviction ? no the accelerated eviction process, which is why we use it over section 8 because when we have a none payer we want them P D Q .

From: Andrew townshend 20 March 2019 14:36 PM

I have a detached house built around 1880 solid brick walls, i used to let it to art students, every winter were they moaning about damp, for the last 5 yrs it has been let to a lady in her 50s, rough around the edges, and certainly the sort of lady you would want to argue with, now when ever i walk or drive past in the day time, which i do regularly' the upstairs windows are open, guess what ? NO DAMP OR MOLD ISSUES FOR THE PAST 5 YRS !

From: Andrew townshend 20 March 2019 14:28 PM

Yes, well said Paul, if the truth hurts then so be it !

From: Andrew townshend 20 March 2019 14:12 PM

As you very rightly say returns vary as to how the landlord operates his business, I bought many properties in the early 90s for peanuts, no mortgages, and today I do most of the maintenance jobs myself, so my returns are strong, however for the arm chair landlord with big debt the returns are not so good, and are likely to get worse.

From: Andrew townshend 20 March 2019 10:22 AM

There isn't a council, or councilor, in the land that you can trust, we all know that, so we have no choose but to pay up and pass the cost onto the poor old tenant yet again.

From: Andrew townshend 20 March 2019 10:11 AM

On occasions I have looked at leasehold properties, but on reading the lease have always been put off, when I buy something I own it, so it's freehold for me every time.

From: Andrew townshend 19 March 2019 09:14 AM

As landlords we need good tenants who we can trust to pay the rent, therefore when it comes to our properties we choose the tenants, from past experience we know the ones we don't want leave them to the local council to home

From: Andrew townshend 19 March 2019 09:03 AM

NW landlord, it's not luck at all, it can be done !

From: Andrew townshend 18 March 2019 17:29 PM

I've always bought for cash, best way, no mortgage to pay so the income rolls up quicker ready to buy the next one for cash, cash is king as they say.

From: Andrew townshend 18 March 2019 16:13 PM

I hope his prison cell is up to scratch .

From: Andrew townshend 18 March 2019 15:59 PM

I also tend to agree with the Wilsons, single mums are more trouble than they are worth, constant curry eaters and the filth they leave behind are banned, those on benefits because we all know the problems we are going to have getting the rent paid, we operate a business in order to make a profit, leave these sorts to the local council, their problem, not mine.

From: Andrew townshend 18 March 2019 15:53 PM

Not when you buy and sell through auction, certainly my preferred way, too many dreamers and time wasters out there.

From: Andrew townshend 16 March 2019 11:16 AM

'' preference to warmth and food'' ? alcohol, fags and drugs more like. Paying the housing benefit direct to landlords is not the total answer, 1) because of claw back, 2) because HB is not enough to cover the rent, 3) because it is paid in arrears, and 4) because payment is often stopped without warning or notice to the landlord, sorry but most of us will still be saying no to DSS, leave these people to the council to home, landlords do not operate as a charity to drop outs .

From: Andrew townshend 16 March 2019 11:12 AM

Do we need this ? if tenants pay their rent on time and respect the property, landlords carry out repairs swiftly, we all live happily ever after.

From: Andrew townshend 15 March 2019 09:24 AM

Not a problem, still won't take them.

From: Andrew townshend 15 March 2019 09:16 AM

It's more to do with the irresponsible pet owning tenant than the pet it's self.

From: Andrew townshend 15 March 2019 09:14 AM

Face facts, he isn't going to give us anything, so the only people we can go after are the tenants, and the tenants need to be told exactly why they are having to pay more.

From: Andrew townshend 13 March 2019 08:47 AM

oh i see my comment has been removed, raciest ? or just telling it as it is ? ie the truth hurts some

From: Andrew townshend 12 March 2019 16:53 PM

No 10 Norwich, well I can tell you that a large number of these empty homes are owned by Norwich city council, many of which remain empty for 3 yrs +

From: Andrew townshend 12 March 2019 09:03 AM

In one hand and out the other, £ in will have to increase = poor tenants, we have a clever government don't we ?

From: Andrew townshend 12 March 2019 08:56 AM

So landlords will sell properties and F T B will be buying them ? in your dreams sir. The '' I'm entitled'' generation are too busy spending every penny they earn on flash cars, nights out, holidays and generally living the life of Reilly.

From: Andrew townshend 11 March 2019 15:46 PM

She will struggle to rent another property now.

From: Andrew townshend 11 March 2019 09:22 AM

Owned by a footballer says it all.

From: Andrew townshend 11 March 2019 09:18 AM

There's a very good reason for this, the extra costs being placed on landlords, it always was going to be paid for by the tenant, business costs increase the end user pays.

From: Andrew townshend 11 March 2019 09:15 AM

So is Mr Corbyn going to give us a way to evict non paying tenants quickly and cheaply ? no didn't think so.

From: Andrew townshend 11 March 2019 09:09 AM

Seems you are very unlucky in your area, here in east anglia we have a strong demand for rental properties, I am one of very few landlords around here that will consider pets which might give me an edge, but what will happen when I am no longer allowed to hold an extra deposit ? maybe I shall have to ask for an increased rent from tenants with a pet.

From: Andrew townshend 08 March 2019 11:52 AM

Off road parking where possible, a garden and pets considered yes, furnished and bills included, no.

From: Andrew townshend 08 March 2019 10:10 AM

Personally I wouldn't be interested in short lets, most of my tenants stay a long time, I look after good tenants , a void can be use full for works to be carried out, but my void periods are normally less than a month.

From: Andrew townshend 08 March 2019 10:06 AM

Only half the story, bad landlord, bad house, yes fully agree, but what sort of tenants were they? were they the sort of tenants a good landlord with a good property would welcome ?? i somehow doubt that very much.

From: Andrew townshend 08 March 2019 09:55 AM

They're having a laugh, pay the deposit (max 5 wk rent) and the first months rent, THEN WHAT HAPPENS ?? do they really thing us landlords are that stupid ?

From: Andrew townshend 08 March 2019 09:49 AM

Paul, i like your term '' lefty councils'' but aren't all councils '' lefty'' in the way they work, my local council, Breckland in Norfolk, are strongly Tory controlled, but the way they work can only be described as lefty, councilors and council employees are very anti the self employed and private owned business, they don't like us because we succeed and most of them are life's failures stuck in dull boring jobs.

From: Andrew townshend 07 March 2019 21:48 PM

Just covering our extra costs, doesn't matter what the business it's always the end user that pays, government just too thick to see this !

From: Andrew townshend 07 March 2019 09:14 AM

Biomass ? don't, I fitted one in my home 3 yrs ago, troublesome and the price of pellets have gone through the roof, once my RHI payments end, in around 4 yrs I shall be taking it out.

From: Andrew townshend 06 March 2019 09:29 AM

London ! don't want to go anywhere near the place.

From: Andrew townshend 06 March 2019 09:22 AM

Will they be taking the DSS in their brand new homes ??

From: Andrew townshend 05 March 2019 09:22 AM

O K so we cannot say NO DSS , still won't rent to them, why would I when I know I'm going to have problems getting the rent paid ?

From: Andrew townshend 05 March 2019 09:17 AM

Of course the bubble has burst, property has been over valued for sometime now, we are well overdue a correction in values, this will only hurt those having to sell, it will be good news for the rest of us.

From: Andrew townshend 04 March 2019 09:54 AM

I rent to some immigrant families and find them to be exultant tenants and good people, I do however draw the line at Indians though based past experiences, my properties my chose of tenant.

From: Andrew townshend 04 March 2019 09:48 AM

The '' most vulnerable in society '' are also the riskiest tenants so are best left to councils and housing associations , a private landlord runs a business, not a charity .

From: Andrew townshend 04 March 2019 09:39 AM

one rule for us, another for them

From: Andrew townshend 01 March 2019 13:14 PM

The last sentence, '' at the start of each new tenancy'' then the tenant disables the smoke alarm because every time he burns the toast does the alarm go off, '' you can lead a horse to water, you cannot make it drink '' !

From: Andrew townshend 01 March 2019 09:59 AM

Councils have a problem here, in the main it is the rogue landlords that house the rogue tenants, the council should put closing orders on sub standard accommodation, however if they do so they make the tenants homeless, good landlords with good properties aren't going to take on these rogue tenants so the problem comes to rest with the council, therefore councils are reluctant to take action.

From: Andrew townshend 01 March 2019 09:51 AM

Push business overheads up and it will be the end user that pays in the end.

From: Andrew townshend 26 February 2019 15:00 PM

I'm a member of eastern landlords assoc, they keep us up to date, and are always there to help.

From: Andrew townshend 25 February 2019 09:10 AM

Cash is king, few yrs ago I purchased a house from Barrett that they had taken in part x, I bypassed the estate agents and made a cash offer 20% below the asking price by email direct to Barrett, and completed 2 wks later, bid low they can only say no, and sometimes they say yes.

From: Andrew townshend 25 February 2019 09:02 AM

Wouldn't be for me, thanks all the same.

From: Andrew townshend 22 February 2019 15:40 PM

In the 70s and 80s I had all the suited and booted spivs after me trying to sell me pensions, they promised some amazing returns, too good to be true, getting into BTL was my pension, it allowed me to give up the day job 11 yrs ago (aged 54) , I'm so glad I never got into pensions.

From: Andrew townshend 22 February 2019 15:36 PM

I am all for getting rid of rouge landlords and sub standard homes, but there is a flip side, what will become of the rouge tenants ? I won't house them nor will any other landlord with decent homes so it will be up to councils and housing assocs or shop door ways.

From: Andrew townshend 20 February 2019 09:43 AM

Cheaper property = higher yields, buy with the long term view and long term income.

From: Andrew townshend 19 February 2019 09:13 AM

I rented to a house to art students 25 yrs ago, heating not used (too expensive) windows tightly closed, wet clothes every where, result, damp and mold, oh but they had the cash to go out drinking, partying and smoking, I leave students to others now.

From: Andrew townshend 19 February 2019 09:05 AM

Black bin bags piled high by the back door, tenant too bone idle to put them around the front on bin day, but hey ho my fault he had rats, yep been there, got the tee shirt. these days I regularly check my properties for rubbish build up, some people need their back sides wiped for them, but that's why they are tenants and not home owners.

From: Andrew townshend 18 February 2019 09:33 AM

OH I don't know I think they would come after you and I just the same if we ran our business that way.

From: Andrew townshend 15 February 2019 11:14 AM

Nicely put Paul, and spot on.

From: Andrew townshend 15 February 2019 11:07 AM

I like your comment Paul, summed that sort of tenant up perfectly, just the sort we don't want at any money, leave them to the local council or a housing assoc.

From: Andrew townshend 15 February 2019 11:03 AM

I bought property instead of a private pension, for me it's the income not the capital gain as i have no wish to sell anything.

From: Andrew townshend 14 February 2019 10:34 AM

Landlords that have borrowed too much will likely sell some off to reduce borrowings. Too many people out there seem to think all landlords are mortgaged up to the eye balls, this is not the case many of us own our properties with no borrowings which puts in a much stronger position. Rents will increase to cover our overheads, but it will not happen over night it is likely to happen over the next couple of years as new tenants move in.

From: Andrew townshend 14 February 2019 10:20 AM

Why no mention of the director / owner ? hiding behind a company name again, Mr James Andrew Deus age 55, easy to find on companies house web site, name and shame these rouge landlords for the sake of the rest of us.

From: Andrew townshend 12 February 2019 10:20 AM

I like most of us started from the bottom, I bought my first house for £5k, myself and my girlfriend (now wife) spent a year of weekends there covered in brick dust renovating, friends ?? would visit on a sunday afternoon after the pub and have a good laugh at us, who had the last laugh? would the present GR consider doing the same to get on the home ownership ladder? not on your life.

From: Andrew townshend 11 February 2019 11:01 AM

Agreed, rogue landlords give the rest of us a bad name, however rogue landlords tend to house the rogue tenants we don't want. I would also point out there are many very sub standard council owned houses and flats, try getting councils to carry out repairs to their properties, they don't want to know.

From: Andrew townshend 11 February 2019 10:49 AM

I thought that, but I don't pay too much regard to these articles and the so called '' experts ''

From: Andrew townshend 11 February 2019 10:41 AM

'' the ceepool that London has become'' I would agree there totally, i wouldn't even visit the place on a day out, far less own property there.

From: Andrew townshend 10 February 2019 09:23 AM

Easy answer, don't rent to claimants, leave them to the local council to home.

From: Andrew townshend 08 February 2019 09:24 AM

I do all my accounts myself, it's not rocket science, then send them off to my accountant who checks them and submits them to H M R C, normally all done and agreed by july each year.

From: Andrew townshend 08 February 2019 09:17 AM

Section 21 is not the no fault eviction, it's used because section 8 is not fit for purpose, section 21 gets non paying tenants out quicker, is easier and cheaper, get them out then go for the money claim online to give them a ccj on their records.

From: Andrew townshend 05 February 2019 09:53 AM

Leave housing benefit claimants to the local council to home , their problem, not mine.

From: Andrew townshend 04 February 2019 16:54 PM

Sounds like you have a large portfolio with large over heads, I have 16 properties all bought and paid for with the income split with my wife which keeps us both just below the 40% tax threshold so i guess i can be a bit laid back.

From: Andrew townshend 01 February 2019 13:03 PM

I have many long term tenants some of which are still paying the same rent they were when they moved in, I value good tenants, i generally increase rents on changes of tenants.

From: Andrew townshend 01 February 2019 11:32 AM

I'm one of very few landlords in my area that will consider pets, I do ask for an extra deposit which once the cap comes in I won't be able to, so it looks like I will now be saying no pets.

From: Andrew townshend 01 February 2019 09:17 AM

A cap on fees would have made more sense, the extra costs incurred by landlords will filter through to increased rents, so there will be no winners here .

From: Andrew townshend 31 January 2019 10:36 AM

My existing tenants will be safe as i don't renew tenancy agreements, i roll them over, so no costs there. however i will push up rents for new tenants to cover costs, as you would in any business.

From: Andrew townshend 29 January 2019 09:14 AM

For the life of me i cannot understand why people leave their tax return to the last moment, i start doing mine in April and it is submitted and agreed by July at the latest, job done.

From: Andrew townshend 29 January 2019 09:05 AM

I have some retired tenants, they are great, they look after the garden, paint and decorate and generally look after their home. it's good from their point of view as well, capital released so they can enjoy their retirement and no worries of the state taking their property when they have to go into a home, I think it's an expanding market.

From: Andrew townshend 28 January 2019 09:38 AM

I agree totally, however their is something we can all do to mark the bad tenants, when a tenant leaves owing rent and/or damage issue a money claim online, £60 last time i did it and worth every penny, doubtful you will get any money back but the tenant will earn themselves a ccj which will show up on their credit file for 6 yrs, I have found that satisfying.

From: Andrew townshend 25 January 2019 10:02 AM

comes down to supply and demand, there's strong demand in my area so tenants will have to pay a bit extra or be left out in the cold.

From: Andrew townshend 24 January 2019 15:33 PM

there aren't falling in my area.

From: Andrew townshend 24 January 2019 09:49 AM

Scrap section 21 evictions, he really should think this one through first, it's called the '' no fault eviction'' but how often is that true? most of us use it to get non paying tenants out, simply because it's easier , quicker and cheaper than section 8, it's also beneficial to the tenant, no record of it on their credit history, where as section 8 is a ccj, how many landlords are going to offer a tenancy to some one with a ccj ?

From: Andrew townshend 24 January 2019 09:44 AM

I don't have any properties in licence areas and i don't get involved with HMOs, so i have no experience here, however as others have said i would welcome nationwide licencing just so long as the fees were fair, max £100 for 5yr term.

From: Andrew townshend 23 January 2019 14:05 PM

Council tenants bought their council homes at a discount then re mortgaged up to market value, spent the ''free'' money on flash cars, went bankrupt, reprocessed ex council homes in the auction room for landlords to buy, many people simply have no sense when it comes to money management, that's the way it is.

From: Andrew townshend 23 January 2019 09:17 AM

leaving the EU doesn't worry me, sure we will survive very nicely.

From: Andrew townshend 22 January 2019 16:32 PM

Property is over valued at present, prices are dropping, this time next year i expect there will be deals to be had in the auction rooms

From: Andrew townshend 18 January 2019 08:53 AM

I've never bought leasehold, when i buy something i own it, that goes for property, cars and every thing else.

From: Andrew townshend 18 January 2019 08:49 AM

Well that about sums it up, at the end of the day it will be the tenants that suffer and local councils will have a big increase of homeless people on their patch, these uni educated politicians and civil servants are as thick as sssss--t

From: Andrew townshend 16 January 2019 19:49 PM

There are a growing number of people who now rent not because they cannot afford to buy but because they don't want the hassle of of home ownership, a 40 yr mortgagee around their necks, or the problems of buying and selling every time they move.

From: Andrew townshend 16 January 2019 09:29 AM

Licencing to push up standards, fine, but what about cost, this will in the long run be passed onto the tenant again, increased rents and increase in people sleeping in shop door ways, these people in government and councils just don't have a working brain do they?

From: Andrew townshend 16 January 2019 09:12 AM

But who is going to pay? these fees aren't going to go away, to start with us the landlords, but the extra cost will soon be passed back to the tenant by means of increased rent, and lets face it there is no shortage of tenants out there looking for a home.

From: Andrew townshend 16 January 2019 09:05 AM

Will the insurance pay out in the event of a claim? we all know how insurance companies like to wriggle out of a claim on a technicality.

From: Andrew townshend 15 January 2019 11:16 AM

This boils down to the old joke, ''the council worker leaning on his shovel '', council employees look to do the least amount of work for the most pay, hence the job not getting done.

From: Andrew townshend 15 January 2019 10:02 AM

The properties will still be there, but he's evicting all the tenants.

From: Andrew townshend 15 January 2019 09:43 AM

Yes councils and government do not like us landlords, but aren't they shooting themselves in the foot, all these homeless families will be the council's problem.

From: Andrew townshend 15 January 2019 09:18 AM

Rents will increase mainly due to extra costs and red tape placed on landlords, however i do think house prices will drop but that's only a problem to those that have to sell and have borrowed too much.

From: Andrew townshend 14 January 2019 09:14 AM

A welcome move in the right direction at last, however there is still the difference between the housing benefit payment and the market rent, so i will still be saying no dss.

From: Andrew townshend 14 January 2019 09:07 AM

Why would you rent to a single mum with 9 kids? come on you know you aren't going to get the rent paid, leave these sorts to the council, their problem.

From: Andrew townshend 14 January 2019 09:02 AM

yes hopefully it will push standards up which has to be good, but costs will push rents up which will mean more sleeping in shop door ways, it's a double sided sword

From: Andrew townshend 13 January 2019 21:44 PM

but their origins are not british, and their morals are not british.

From: Andrew townshend 13 January 2019 21:39 PM

yes i think you have a very valid point there.

From: Andrew townshend 13 January 2019 19:35 PM

I'm not tempted by these online agents, i have a very good independent local agent i have used for many yrs now, they know the type of tenants i want, and the types i don't, we work well together.

From: Andrew townshend 11 January 2019 09:38 AM

Have you read all the comments on here Ms Jones ? you are a fool dear.

From: Andrew townshend 10 January 2019 15:38 PM

lyndsey, you might think so, i speak from experience, ( over 30 yrs as a landlord) truth hurts dear ??

From: Andrew townshend 10 January 2019 09:06 AM

i agree, last time i did that it cost me £60 (tax deductible) to do it online, to my way of thinking worth every penny even if you don't get your money, these sort of low life tenants must not be allowed to walk away and get away with it.

From: Andrew townshend 10 January 2019 09:03 AM

I've found over the years that young single mums tend to be the worst offenders here, i'm now very reluctant to rent to them .

From: Andrew townshend 10 January 2019 08:58 AM

These are the kind of tenants i like, I won't rent to anyone under 25, the youngsters are too much trouble.

From: Andrew townshend 09 January 2019 09:39 AM

We have to look out for ourselves, every time the government hit us landlords they are in fact hurting the tenant and the homeless, but they are too thick to see that.

From: Andrew townshend 09 January 2019 09:33 AM

Not for me, I want a deposit, will this mickie mouse insurance pay out in the event of a claim ?

From: Andrew townshend 07 January 2019 08:51 AM

Properties are over valued, and have been for sometime now, look what happened in the late 80s all about to happen again, not a bad thing for us landlords though, a buying opportunity just around the corner and no shortage of tenants, not so good for the spiv estate agents though.

From: Andrew townshend 07 January 2019 08:46 AM

It very much depends where you are as a landlord, i was self employed in the motor trade from 23, i took an instant dislike to the spivs trying to stitch me up with private pensions, so i done a D I Y pension, over 30 yrs i built up a portfolio of 16 properties slowly and all bought for cash, today the income is around 80k, but as they are jointly owned with my wife we are both basic rate tax payers, now aged 65 i enjoy a very comfortable life style with no borrowings, so B T L has worked really well for me, and it can still work well for self employed people looking to provide for themselves in later life, it's not a get rich quick scheme, but the best form of savings account / pension scheme out there.

From: Andrew townshend 06 January 2019 21:05 PM

Look at their name, says it all to me, you can call me racist all you like, but these are the people that get us landlords a bad name, and yes John they should have been jailed.

From: Andrew townshend 04 January 2019 10:52 AM

You can lead a horse to water, you cannot make it drink.

From: Andrew townshend 04 January 2019 10:37 AM

I had a guy once that wanted to pay the deposit in installments, well that wasn't going to work was it, he couldn't understand it when I said no. I've not tried these nil deposit schemes and I'm not about to, sounds like a scam to me.

From: Andrew townshend 04 January 2019 10:32 AM

Would this guy be part of Hargreaves Lansdown the people that sell private pensions ?? well he would like us to believe B T L is dead wouldn't he, so we invest with him, I'll stick with B T L thanks all the same mate.

From: Andrew townshend 03 January 2019 09:31 AM

Why are these people homeless, in 99% of cases they have been evicted, why? because they have not paid their rent, would i rent to some one who has a history of not paying their rent ? no. local council's problem not mine.

From: Andrew townshend 02 January 2019 10:15 AM

The government are hurting the very people they claim to be helping here, increase our costs and red tape = increased rent = more homeless people sleeping in shop door ways. Then government and shelter wounder why most of us say ''NO DSS'', unbelievable aren't they?

From: Andrew townshend 31 December 2018 11:54 AM

The young live the life style, everything on credit, brand new flash car on lease, holidays on the credit card, the only way most of them will ever own a property is if they inherit one.

From: Andrew townshend 28 December 2018 10:19 AM

Extra landlord costs and more red tape will push rents up, same as any other business isn't it? the end user picks up the tab.

From: Andrew townshend 24 December 2018 09:04 AM

We have had since april to do out tax returns, mine is normally in by june, agreed, all done and i know how much tax i'm going to pay in the next year.

From: Andrew townshend 24 December 2018 09:01 AM

The key here is'' long term'' and for ''income'', those that borrow too much and are in it to get rich quick will likely fail.

From: Andrew townshend 21 December 2018 09:43 AM

I'm in east anglia and I've not noticed a mass exit of landlords here.

From: Andrew townshend 21 December 2018 09:39 AM

Are there lots of landlords selling up ? I really don't think so, made be some who cannot make it pay, generally because their borrowings are too high, or because they are not prepared to knuckle down and get their own hands dirty when the need arises .

From: Andrew townshend 19 December 2018 09:50 AM

Most of my properties are let through an agent who i trust totally, i do however ask questions before agreeing to a new tenant. I do get to meet my tenants as I do most of my own repairs, they also have my phone no and email so they are free to contact me direct, it's good for tenants to meet their landlords face to face it makes for a good landlord tenant relationship.

From: Andrew townshend 19 December 2018 09:44 AM

I have, and have had many immigrant tenants and generally find them to be very good tenants, often better than some white british tenants i've had, i'm a bit wary when it comes to indian tenants though as i have had bad experiences with them in the past , but i don't exclude them totally, the only tenants i exclude are those on benefits unless they have a cast iron guarantor. we should not be doing the job of the home office, does a shop keeper ask for a passport before selling goods to some one ? boils down to the same thing.

From: Andrew townshend 19 December 2018 09:35 AM

There is a flip side here, good landlords rent good homes to good tenants, where as rouge landlords rent poor quality homes to rouge tenants, so who will house the rouge tenants? we don't want them at any price. also interesting to see that there are 250,000 sub standard council homes out there.

From: Andrew townshend 18 December 2018 09:18 AM

And another one, the guys name says it all, no respect for the law of our country, they get the rest of use a bad name

From: Andrew townshend 18 December 2018 09:09 AM

Their surnames says it all to me, these people consider themselves to be above the law here, these are the landlords that get the rest of us a bad name.

From: Andrew townshend 17 December 2018 09:37 AM

I think they have further to fall yet, good investment, but not a good idea to borrow heavily to buy now.

From: Andrew townshend 17 December 2018 09:33 AM

Not a bad thing is it, absentee landlords on the decrease.

From: Andrew townshend 17 December 2018 09:30 AM

Sounds like a scam to me, not the way to be investing in property.

From: Andrew townshend 14 December 2018 09:20 AM

Personally i have steered clear of H M O s , good yields, but lot of hassle and generally the wrong kind of tenants for me.

From: Andrew townshend 14 December 2018 09:17 AM

Who wants to be moving home at this time of the year? however having said that i had a property come vacant 3 wks ago and relet it within a wk.

From: Andrew townshend 14 December 2018 09:13 AM

Any increase in costs always ends up with the end user paying, that's business, increased rents, more sleeping in shop door ways, you don't need a degree in economics to see that do you ?

From: Andrew townshend 13 December 2018 09:58 AM

Sorry but their names would have been enough to put me off dealing with them, i don't trust them, end of.

From: Andrew townshend 12 December 2018 12:10 PM

Don't wait, issue the sec 21 and / or sec 8 paper work, show the tenant you mean business and won't be taken for a mug, might be enough to wake them up.

From: Andrew townshend 12 December 2018 11:57 AM

Higher rents and more homeless, really clever move by the government.

From: Andrew townshend 12 December 2018 11:51 AM

I have found to my cost in the past that these acts of good will generally come back and bite you on the back side, leave them to the council to house, the council's problem not ours.

From: Andrew townshend 12 December 2018 11:46 AM

Cannot see agents working for less, so full cost will be passed onto landlords who will increase rents to cover the extra cost, really not rocket science is it.

From: Andrew townshend 11 December 2018 08:50 AM

9 children ! why ? leave that sort to the council to house.

From: Andrew townshend 10 December 2018 09:27 AM

How many council owned homes sit empty not just for months but often for yrs, in norwich we are charged 100% council tax from day one between lets, very unfair.

From: Andrew townshend 07 December 2018 10:05 AM

This year there was an agent in swafham (norfolk) went out of business owing landlords money, there were landlords whinging that they were owed 3 months rent, why would you leave it that long, i know when the rent is due on all of my properties, if the money is not in my bank account within 2 - 3 days i'm asking questions, wouldn't you be knocking on the tenants door to ask if they had paid their rent, if they had i would be telling them not to pay anymore rent to that agent. This agent, a woman, had a bankruptcy history, we check out tenants so why wouldn't we check out an agent before using them?

From: Andrew townshend 07 December 2018 10:01 AM

Taking out a large mortgage in order to become a landlord is the wrong way to do it, i've bought my properties slowly over the past 30yrs for cash, while i was working the rent i was receiving was rolling up ready to buy the next one, today i live off the rent i receive, but there is still a surplus that rolls up to buy more. being a landlord is not a get rich quick scheme, but done correctly works very well.

From: Andrew townshend 07 December 2018 09:44 AM

The name says it all, these are the landlords that get us a bad name, and before the raciest card comes into into play i'm not raciest, i just tell it as it is.

From: Andrew townshend 06 December 2018 09:23 AM

No shortage of tenants in east anglia.

From: Andrew townshend 06 December 2018 09:19 AM

Why is it that the government fails to think these things through, the real people they are hurting here are the tenants and the homeless, can they really not see that??

From: Andrew townshend 05 December 2018 09:52 AM

I also consider tenants with a pet , but when this cap comes in i will have to say NO PETS.

From: Andrew townshend 05 December 2018 09:46 AM

''Poverty should not be allowed to be the basis for discrimination'' BUT RISK IS ! so someone waking up to the reason most of us say no DSS, the cause here is down to local and central government, but they are going to have to come up with something really good here, and i cannot see that happening.

From: Andrew townshend 04 December 2018 09:22 AM

Survival of the fittest then, sort out the men from the boys, has to be good news for us.

From: Andrew townshend 04 December 2018 09:13 AM

I like tenants that stay a long time, as most of mine do, why wouldn't i ? But a fixed 3 yr term would cause problems if we get a rouge tenant, we need a fair, quick and easy way of getting rid of rouge tenants, ain't going to happen through is it ?

From: Andrew townshend 03 December 2018 09:27 AM

rouge landlords tend to rent to rouge tenants that good landlords would not touch, horses for courses you might say.

From: Andrew townshend 30 November 2018 17:28 PM

rents aren't going down in my neck of the woods, i did once in 2008 agree to a rent reduction, in hind sight i wish i hadn't, i should have invited him to leave, i was pleased when he did go, he was a pain.

From: Andrew townshend 30 November 2018 17:18 PM

well james i can hold my head up high here, i am not one of these landlords getting rich from housing benefit payments, cause i don't have any tenants, and won't take any tenants ,claiming housing benefit. I must be the good guy here ?

From: Andrew townshend 28 November 2018 19:36 PM

that's a lovely idea chris, but we all know it will never happen don't we

From: Andrew townshend 28 November 2018 19:27 PM

I live in east anglia, and buy properties within a max 30 mile radius of my home, i do my own maintenance, clean up and decorating between lets, so the north east is not for me, i like to keep a regular eye on my properties and tenants. oh and rents are on there way up, increased overheads and more red tape = increased rent

From: Andrew townshend 28 November 2018 19:18 PM

I will consider pets, small dog or cat, but i require an increased deposit, so what happens when this cap comes on deposits ? either no pets or an increased rent, and as others have said, a pet without permission = eviction asap.

From: Andrew townshend 28 November 2018 19:11 PM

My properties, my choice of tenant, if need be I would be happy to have my say in court on that one.

From: Andrew townshend 27 November 2018 08:57 AM

This is why we are very careful who we rent to and another reason for not taking the DSS they represent too much of a risk

From: Andrew townshend 26 November 2018 10:12 AM

These charges will be built into increased rent, further more landlords and agents will not be holding properties for tenants, it will be a contract race, first to sign and pay their money over gets, lets see how tenants like that one.

From: Andrew townshend 26 November 2018 10:08 AM

We know from past experiences that in 90% of cases where tenants are claiming benefits we are going to have problems getting the rent paid, then we have to go down the eviction route which will cost money and take months, i stick to my policy no DSS and no single mums, my properties, my choice of tenants, end of. leave benefit claimants to councils and housing association.

From: Andrew townshend 26 November 2018 10:00 AM

Don't do student lets, they are a pain, and generally their parents are worse

From: Andrew townshend 23 November 2018 09:27 AM

Yes, and people are stupid enough to pay it for sub standard built homes, more the fool them.

From: Andrew townshend 23 November 2018 09:25 AM

I very rarely get a deposit dispute these days, because i'm very careful when picking tenants, no DSS, and no single mums.

From: Andrew townshend 23 November 2018 09:21 AM

speeding up fault evictions is a nice idea, but face facts it will never happen, so whether the government, councils, or shelter like it or not the policy remains NO DSS , don't take landlords for mugs, we are not, housing benefit tenants = rent arrears, fact.

From: Andrew townshend 22 November 2018 09:52 AM

And they cannot understand why we say no D S S ??

From: Andrew townshend 21 November 2018 09:35 AM

I think we have all had nightmare tenants at one time or another, but we live and learn, i'm very careful who i rent to now, only working tenants and no single mums.

From: Andrew townshend 21 November 2018 09:29 AM

Personally i would not work with councils and i most certainly would not take their homeless in, council's problem not mine, i stick to decent tenants that work for a living.

From: Andrew townshend 19 November 2018 09:17 AM

only cheaper for those that have the money to buy, and the credit history to gain a mortgage, or even want the responsibility of home ownership and the ties that go with it, many find it easier to rent, 1 months notice and they can move where ever their job takes them.

From: Andrew townshend 16 November 2018 10:20 AM

£780 per property, how can they justify that ? still £780 per yr per property increased rent, sorry mr tenant.

From: Andrew townshend 16 November 2018 10:14 AM

Lending slumps, but not every one takes out a mortgage to buy a B T L , where else do we put our cash to get a reasonable income / return, pension schemes? not for me.

From: Andrew townshend 15 November 2018 09:19 AM

Who is JLL ? are they experts with a crystal ball ? no i don't buy it, just some bright sparks opinion .

From: Andrew townshend 15 November 2018 09:14 AM

so this is where people buy a bedroom in a purpose built block to then rent out, no not a good idea.

From: Andrew townshend 15 November 2018 09:11 AM

Mum of 9 on benefits, NO NO NO, i don't do single mums on benefits, past experience, nightmare, leave them to the council to house.

From: Andrew townshend 13 November 2018 10:03 AM

Left it a bit late, 2 months max arrears and sec 21 and / or sec 8 should be issued, don't mess about with tenants like this, i would have knocking on their door every day demanding payment.

From: Andrew townshend 13 November 2018 09:56 AM

i manage yields of around 5 - 6 % in east anglia.

From: Andrew townshend 13 November 2018 09:48 AM

I have some retired tenants, they are brilliant, they pay their rent no problems, keep the gardens well and decorate their homes, in return i keep their rent competitive, after all i don't have void periods .

From: Andrew townshend 13 November 2018 09:45 AM

money claim on line, last time i used it £60, two yrs later this guy had his photo in the local paper opening a pub, i sent the bailiffs round and got a £1000 out of him, i also have the satisfaction in knowing he has a ccj against his name, i think it's worth £60 even if you don't get your money.

From: Andrew townshend 12 November 2018 15:35 PM

perfectly legal to change the locks on a commercial property and give the non paying tenant 14 days to collect their belonging, i have done this on a few occasions, but a criminal offence to do this on a residential property, although i have been tempted. we have to be so careful who we rent to now, no one on benefits without a cast iron guarantor, and no single mums on benefits , leave them to the local council to house, their problem.

From: Andrew townshend 12 November 2018 15:23 PM

Landlord costs increase = rents increasing, not rocket science is it ?

From: Andrew townshend 09 November 2018 09:35 AM

I have no problem with councils going after rouge landlords, i do however have a problem when we are all tared with the same brush, what about all the rouge tenants who pocket their housing benefit payments to spend on alcohol, fags and drugs.

From: Andrew townshend 09 November 2018 09:31 AM

I have 1 property with existing tenants in that will need up grading by april 2020, this will not be easy as it is detached, built late 1800s with solid built walls, the tenants enjoy a low rent and are happy there, once i have up graded it the rent will no longer be cheap, which could well force the tenants to leave, so once again the people the government are hurting here are the tenants. also band C by 2030, Victorian terraced houses ? impossible !

From: Andrew townshend 07 November 2018 09:34 AM

has to be good news for those of us that are staying.

From: Andrew townshend 06 November 2018 09:54 AM

Gt Yarmouth is 30 miles from me, cheap properties, but i have never been tempted to buy there, dreadful area, chances of getting a good tenant there is remote, best left alone.

From: Andrew townshend 05 November 2018 17:10 PM

Not a problem, will just be added onto the rent, tenants will be worse off in the long run.

From: Andrew townshend 05 November 2018 16:59 PM

Nail in the coffin ? i don't see it that way, we only pay C G T if we sell, why do we want to sell? rents are raising, no shortage of good tenants out there, 3% S D L T factor that into the purchase price and the rent, tax relief on mortgage only applies if you have a mortgage and / or are a 40% tax payer.

From: Andrew townshend 05 November 2018 16:55 PM

Never been tempted by an H M O , greater yields, probably, more problems, differently, personally i will leave them to others.

From: Andrew townshend 31 October 2018 09:32 AM

Young people aren't keen on responsibility any more, they like to be free to do their own thing, few get married now, more and more relationship break downs, and world wide job opportunities, so owing a house can be a big problem to them, renting a good property from a good landlord works best for them, one months notice and they are gone onto the next relationship or job, easy.

From: Andrew townshend 31 October 2018 09:21 AM

Driving rouge landlords out has to be good, however the cost of these licences are much higher than the cost to the council providing them, so yes an indirect landlord tax to be passed onto the tenant.

From: Andrew townshend 30 October 2018 10:25 AM

Not just the shortage of properties, but the ever increasing overheads and red tape placed on landlords increases rents.

From: Andrew townshend 30 October 2018 10:17 AM

In the 90s i would meet prospective tenants at the property and go by my gut instinct ' generally got it right, today very careful vetting is a must , get the wrong tenant and evicting them is a nightmare , and is going to get worse.

From: Andrew townshend 30 October 2018 10:14 AM

Personally I don't have a problem with this, I'm not selling, to me an income is better than a lump sum any day.

From: Andrew townshend 30 October 2018 10:06 AM

the people being hurt here are not the landlords, it's the tenants, all increases in overheads are always passed onto the end user, what ever the business.

From: Andrew townshend 29 October 2018 09:26 AM

Hardly news is it, most of us have past experience here, we know that we will have problems getting the rent paid when renting to people on benefits so we don't rent to them, not rocket science is it?

From: Andrew townshend 29 October 2018 09:21 AM

Universal credit is here to stay, they will not pay housing benefit direct to the landlord, so we say NO DSS, don't take us for fools.

From: Andrew townshend 29 October 2018 09:16 AM

I don't have a problem here, maybe we won't all be tared with the same brush then. However it's generally the case that rouge landlords house the rouge tenants, so where will the rouge tenants go, camping in shop door ways? the local council's problem then.

From: Andrew townshend 26 October 2018 10:28 AM

it's the government and the likes of shelter that are fueling rent increases, but it seems they are too thick to see this.

From: Andrew townshend 26 October 2018 10:17 AM

Shelter and the government wounder why most of us say NO DSS, don't these people watch TV, '' can't pay we take it away'' or ''the sheriffs are coming'' most of us have seen and experienced this first hand. No leave the DSS tenants to the councils to home, their problem, not ours.

From: Andrew townshend 22 October 2018 10:48 AM

Look at it from the banks point of view, they want their loans repaid, landlords who let to the DSS type tenants suffer the most when it comes to rent arrears, which in tern means many of them find it difficult to keep up their loan repayments.

From: Andrew townshend 22 October 2018 10:38 AM

I'm not fleeing anywhere, I enjoy a good steady income and see no reason for this to change for me, my properties are all bought and paid for, I do my own repairs, clean ups and decorating, I will however be very careful who I let to now with the 3 yr tenancies, universal credit, and the demise of section 21 certainly no DSS, leave them to councils and housing associations to home, not my problem.

From: Andrew townshend 22 October 2018 10:32 AM

NO DSS ? Can you wonder why most of us say NO DSS, we know we aren't going to get paid if we rent to someone claiming benefits so why would we?

From: Andrew townshend 19 October 2018 09:12 AM

no deposit = increased rent to cover the cost of the clean up when the tenant leaves.

From: Andrew townshend 17 October 2018 09:43 AM

i don't see landlords selling in my area ( east anglia) and rents are increasing here.

From: Andrew townshend 17 October 2018 09:40 AM

you missed out the flash cars on the drip, generation rent cannot buy because they are the '' entitled generation ''.

From: Andrew townshend 17 October 2018 09:37 AM

not wishing to be racist, but look at the names, not british are they.

From: Andrew townshend 16 October 2018 16:12 PM

but would they guarantee the rent for a benefit claimant ? of course not, i bet there is all sorts of small print and get out clauses in their agreements .

From: Andrew townshend 15 October 2018 09:21 AM

i have a gay couple (ladies) in a property, they are as good as gold.

From: Andrew townshend 15 October 2018 09:12 AM

This why most of us now say no DSS, we just know we are unlikely to get paid, so why would we let to them.

From: Andrew townshend 15 October 2018 09:07 AM

but we still have section 8, more expensive, takes longer, but with a section 8 eviction the tenant will earn themselves a ccj on their credit history, now see if you can find a mug landlord to rent to you, looks the shop door way on the high street for the rouge tenants.

From: Andrew townshend 12 October 2018 19:01 PM

Spot on Peter, U C paid direct to tenant, tenant keeps all the money, then people wonder why we say '' NO DSS''.

From: Andrew townshend 11 October 2018 10:04 AM

all this is doing is fueling increased rent to cover extra costs incurred by landlords

From: Andrew townshend 10 October 2018 09:27 AM

oh well section 8 it is then, evicted tenants will then have that record on their credit history, they won't stand a cats chance in hell of finding a landlord prepared to rent to them, shot in foot??

From: Andrew townshend 10 October 2018 09:21 AM

Wasting their breath, mr hammond isn't going to change anything, there's no chance.

From: Andrew townshend 09 October 2018 08:50 AM

Would have made more sense to put a cap on fees, to ban them altogether will mean rent increases to cover the extra costs, in the long term tenants will be paying much more.

From: Andrew townshend 08 October 2018 09:13 AM

I don't have a problem with 3 yr tenancies, but what happens when we get a bad tenant who does not pay? only way would be section 8, expensive, difficult and takes a long time to get them out.

From: Andrew townshend 08 October 2018 09:08 AM

why do landlords '' force'' tenants out at short notice?? simple, 99% of the time because the tenant is not paying the rent, in more than 30 yrs as a landlord i have only ever evicted tenants for one reason, non payment of rent.

From: Andrew townshend 05 October 2018 09:50 AM

as the government continues to put the knife into landlords so will rents continue to increase to cover the extra costs, not rocket science is it?

From: Andrew townshend 05 October 2018 09:44 AM

no not tax relief, just a simple quick way to get non paying tenants out.

From: Andrew townshend 05 October 2018 09:37 AM

NO DSS, leave them to councils to house, not our problem, simple!

From: Andrew townshend 03 October 2018 10:14 AM

over the years i have had some disasters where tenants have decorated themselves, however i will allow tenants to decorate subject to agreeing colours with me first , i have many long term tenants who have decorated to a very good standard, if i do get a bad one now and again i get in and redecorate myself, i'm too mean to pay a decorator when i have the time and can do it myself.

From: Andrew townshend 01 October 2018 16:27 PM

pie in sky, no chance of any of that, we dig in, raise rents and carry on.

From: Andrew townshend 01 October 2018 16:14 PM

i have elderly tenants, there are great, give me the mature tenant over the youngsters any day, in fact i have now made it a rule not to rent to anyone under 25.

From: Andrew townshend 27 September 2018 11:27 AM

wishful thinking, no government is going to do us any faviours, we are public enemy number one, but we are needed to supply homes, in my neck of the woods there are many more tenants chasing homes than homes available, so on wards and upwards , rents increasing together with the homeless in shop door ways.

From: Andrew townshend 27 September 2018 11:14 AM

Mark that's defeatist, i'm sticking with it, yes there are things being put in the way, but we will find ways around them, rents will rocket, bad tenants will not be able to rent, many more homeless sleeping in shop door ways, governments are shooting themselves in the foot but are too thick to see that.

From: Andrew townshend 26 September 2018 09:12 AM

generally a section 21 notice is issued to evict a non paying tenant simply because it is cheaper and quicker than a section 8, ban section 21 and we will have to use section 8, this will also be bad for the tenant because then there will be a record of being evicted for non payment of rent, few if any landlords will touch them then.

From: Andrew townshend 26 September 2018 09:01 AM

What are the chances of corbyn becoming P M in 2022? little and none.

From: Andrew townshend 25 September 2018 09:08 AM

certainly more tenants than properties here in east anglia, don't know about any where else

From: Andrew townshend 24 September 2018 10:24 AM

who's going to build them, where are the bricklayers, carpenters etc, our work force are all nouncers out of uni, fat of use they are.

From: Andrew townshend 21 September 2018 10:23 AM

when i first started btl in the 80s i used to furnish properties, now i only supply a cooker, much easier, tenants take a bit of care of their own items.

From: Andrew townshend 21 September 2018 10:19 AM

you have that wrong, it's not costing landlords a penny more, it's costing tenants £79m.

From: Andrew townshend 21 September 2018 10:15 AM

can't see it working, would the insurance pay out, doubtful, would the tenant keep up with the premiums, in many cases they would not, and as for paying a deposit in installments to the landlord , no, i once had a chap want to do this, needless to say i did not rent the property to him.

From: Andrew townshend 19 September 2018 09:28 AM

personally i've never got involved with HMOs, yes there are some bad ones about in big towns and cities so this crack down is probably a good thing, there is a big but however, HMOs normally house the lower end type of tenant, extra costs for landlords = increased rent for these tenants which will force more out onto the streets sleeping in shop door ways.

From: Andrew townshend 19 September 2018 09:20 AM

the idea behind U C is good, making work pay and getting more into work, but it is increasing the number of street sleepers, i don't accept tenants on benefits, because i know that 90% of the time i'm not going to be paid, i think most landlords out there feel the same way.

From: Andrew townshend 18 September 2018 09:54 AM

i live around 30 miles from G Y , i don't own any properties there, it's a horrible place. tenants have a right to expect a decent safe home, but what is going to happen to the low life tenants, are landlords with nice properties going to rent to them ? i'm not, is the council going to home them? doubtful, more people sleeping in shop doorways then, G Y council needs to be careful here they could be cooking up a big problem for themselves.

From: Andrew townshend 18 September 2018 09:47 AM

that's what we like, good reliable tenants that stay, not so good for agents though.

From: Andrew townshend 17 September 2018 09:10 AM

no shortage of tenants applying to rent property here in east anglia, and the rents are edging up.

From: Andrew townshend 17 September 2018 09:05 AM

wrong, very wrong, but it's prostitution, therefore both parties are guilty of a crime.

From: Andrew townshend 14 September 2018 09:19 AM

maybe it's all the buy to let MPs looking to push rents up, in the long run that's what the government is achieving

From: Andrew townshend 12 September 2018 10:05 AM

the effect of section 24 will be for rents to rise massively, as there are more people than homes out there it will be the tenants problem not the landlord's.

From: Andrew townshend 11 September 2018 09:30 AM

i'm very happy with buy to let, sure the government can put the knife in and twist it, we will simply increase rents to compensate , supply and demand, there's no shortage of tenants out there.

From: Andrew townshend 10 September 2018 10:42 AM

surely after just 1 month's non payment wouldn't you visit the tenant and advise them to pay their rent direct or move the property to another agent, after all it's the agent who has broken the contract. i expect the agent is a limited company so no chance of any money there then

From: Andrew townshend 07 September 2018 09:37 AM

as the added costs to landlords filter through rents will continue to increase, that's how it works with any business isn't it?

From: Andrew townshend 07 September 2018 09:29 AM

i only ever evict non paying tenants, but i use section 21 because it's quicker, easier and cheaper

From: Andrew townshend 06 September 2018 09:11 AM

laughable ! they really think these fees and costs will disappear? get real, they will be passed onto the landlord, then the landlord will increase rents to cover his / her increase in overheads, happens in all businesses, overheads increase the end user pays.

From: Andrew townshend 06 September 2018 09:00 AM

shelter won't like that

From: Andrew townshend 06 September 2018 08:53 AM

b t l should be viewed as a long term investment and has worked really for me, it's not a get rich quick game, those that think it is will fail.

From: Andrew townshend 05 September 2018 09:38 AM

pile on extra cost and red tape, and the result? up go rents again, more homeless sleeping in shop door ways.

From: Andrew townshend 04 September 2018 09:24 AM

they talk of generation rent, it isn't always because they cannot afford to buy, i think it's becoming more and more the case people prefer to rent, no hassle buying and selling, no costly repairs. i am old school, i like to own and pay cash, property, cars etc. is this the start of a price crash as in the early 90s, i hope it is, i'm not bothered by the paper value of my properties and i'm not selling, but i will buy when prices drop.

From: Andrew townshend 31 August 2018 10:53 AM

this has been tried before and failed as i remember.

From: Andrew townshend 30 August 2018 09:06 AM

why are young people not buying houses? because they are not prepared to make the sacrifices, flash new cars on finance, 2 overseas holidays a year, nights out, designer clothes , in their eyes they are entitled, with that attitude they will never own a house, unless they get given one, of course it was easy for us baby boomers, we didn't have to do the overtime at work, or hold down 2 jobs, drive the cheap old banger, spend our holidays working on our old houses, you get nout for nout in this life.

From: Andrew townshend 29 August 2018 09:40 AM

the government hate us, but we will still be here, and every time they stick the knife in up and up rents will go, there is an ever increasing number of people needing a roof over their heads.

From: Andrew townshend 29 August 2018 09:28 AM

they are shooting themselves in the foot, but are too thick to see it, result will be more sleeping in shop doorways, good landlords will still find good tenants, it's the low life eliminate benefit spongers that will loose out and plenty good enough

From: Andrew townshend 28 August 2018 22:33 PM

where's east anglia in relation to the midlands ? because things are still good here

From: Andrew townshend 28 August 2018 09:23 AM

i'm not selling, i'm buying, rents are going up, more tenants out there than properties to rent, has to be good news for the landlord.

From: Andrew townshend 28 August 2018 09:20 AM

the only time i evict a tenant is when they fail to pay, section 21 was quicker and cheaper than section 8, get them out first, then go for the money claim online, might not get the money, but screws their credit rating for the next 6 yrs, worth every penny

From: Andrew townshend 28 August 2018 09:16 AM

long term view and don't run before you can walk, certainly worked well for me no regrets

From: Andrew townshend 24 August 2018 10:19 AM

more likely over mortgaged small time landlords selling to professional landlords with cash in their pockets , still if it's pushing rents up for the rest of us then that's fine by me.

From: Andrew townshend 24 August 2018 10:14 AM

best form of flexible pension out there, without all the blood suckers taking their inflated commissions and fees out of your money.

From: Andrew townshend 23 August 2018 09:46 AM

probably a good idea to keep the day job to start with, i started in my early 30s when i bought my business premises from my landlord, another property came with it. it worked well, i didn't like the idea of private pensions, really did not trust them, so bought up run down properties in the 90s renovated them and rented them, 11 yrs ago sold my business and became a full time landlord, no regrets i love it and earn a good income from it.

From: Andrew townshend 23 August 2018 09:36 AM

spot on steve, i will only consider a housing benefit claimant if they can provide a cast iron guarantor and even then i'm not keen, we are not charities, maybe shelter would like to offer a rent guarantor deal ? mmmmm thought not.

From: Andrew townshend 22 August 2018 09:00 AM

i first got into buy to let in the 80s as such many of my properties owe me peanuts, i'm here to stay.

From: Andrew townshend 21 August 2018 09:00 AM

a home is not a human right no more than a car is, rent controls would need to be seen as fair to all concerned, this government doesn't like us, a labour government would hate us.

From: Andrew townshend 20 August 2018 09:27 AM

comes down to the old saying '' running before you can walk'' far better to grow slowly and steadily than over borrowing and losing the lot, as many have done.

From: Andrew townshend 20 August 2018 09:21 AM

we are going to have to be very selective as to who we rent to, it's one thing being stuck with a bad tenant for 6 months, it's quite another being stuck with them for 3 yrs, the result is going to be more people sleeping in shop door ways

From: Andrew townshend 20 August 2018 09:17 AM

no messing, no changing of minds, no dreamers ,hammer drops, sold.

From: Andrew townshend 17 August 2018 09:17 AM

i'm perfectly happy being a landlord, suits my way of life, i'm not selling, might even be buying, it's not a get rich quick game, it's for the long term.

From: Andrew townshend 15 August 2018 09:37 AM

add a bit on all rents to cover damage, good tenants will be subsidizing bad tenants, not fair? well that's the way government seem to want it, so much for government looking after the tenants interests.

From: Andrew townshend 14 August 2018 10:00 AM

i don't do drugs or druggies in any way shape or form, i found a small cannabis farm in a corner shop couple of yrs ago, removed same day, police not interested - too much bother.

From: Andrew townshend 10 August 2018 09:15 AM

i won't be evicting good tenants.

From: Andrew townshend 10 August 2018 09:09 AM

rents are increasing in east anglia, i don't know about else where, but every thing seems to be pointing to substantial rent increases

From: Andrew townshend 10 August 2018 09:06 AM

i'll stick with east anglia, where i can keep a close personal eye on my properties and tenants

From: Andrew townshend 10 August 2018 09:01 AM

how long after evicting a tenant do you keep their possessions? i had some under a tarpaulin at the bottom of my garden for 3 months before i burnt them.

From: Andrew townshend 09 August 2018 09:37 AM

i have many really good tenants, but do to increased costs being placed on us by local and central government there will be increases.

From: Andrew townshend 09 August 2018 09:32 AM

terraced homes with solid walls , band 'c', sounds near on impossible to me.

From: Andrew townshend 08 August 2018 09:16 AM

all this does is push rents up for the tenant.

From: Andrew townshend 08 August 2018 09:10 AM

no different to the media targeting the second hand car dealers, builders, even solicitors ripping the public off, rise above it, we still have these people queuing up begging us to rent a property to them. for every one bad landlord there are 10+ bad tenants.

From: Andrew townshend 07 August 2018 09:45 AM

when overheads increase the tenants will pay, that's how it works.

From: Andrew townshend 06 August 2018 09:29 AM

make this difficult and expensive will just push up rents still more

From: Andrew townshend 03 August 2018 09:43 AM

it's not the landlord being hit here, it's the tenant, it's the tenant who will have to find the extra cash either by reducing their life style or moving to a cheaper property in a cheaper area, and when you get to the lowest end of the market they will be moving into the shop door way, government's problem, not mine.

From: Andrew townshend 03 August 2018 09:39 AM

depends how you finance your buy to let portfolio, bought for cash from savings and there isn't a problem.

From: Andrew townshend 03 August 2018 09:31 AM

for me a deposit gives me a little protection when it comes to a short fall in rent due, a payment to cover damage is built into the monthly rent, trying to claim from a deposit for damage is a waste of time because tds always comes down on the tenants side.

From: Andrew townshend 02 August 2018 09:22 AM

I think most of us expedience these sort of problems at times which is why we need to be very careful who we let into our properties, a tenant black list would be useful, avoid benefit claimants and don't wait to evict non payers nip it in the bud.

From: Andrew townshend 02 August 2018 09:12 AM

personally i avoid the hmo market, good money in it but a lot of hassle as well

From: Andrew townshend 31 July 2018 08:56 AM

a guaranteed rent and all damage repaired, then just maybe some landlords might consider taking these people on.

From: Andrew townshend 31 July 2018 08:50 AM

how can they justify £780 per property? as this article states though it will of course end up with the tenant paying more rent to cover yet another expense , government ,both local and central, have really got it in for the poor tenant haven't they?

From: Andrew townshend 30 July 2018 09:03 AM

landlords with less than 10 properties and with heavy borrowings may well sell up, but there are no shortage of landlords out there looking to buy, few will be purchased by owner occupiers, so no change really

From: Andrew townshend 27 July 2018 10:47 AM

rents are rising, not to increase profits for landlords, but to cover extra costs and red tape placed upon landlords

From: Andrew townshend 27 July 2018 10:39 AM

will it work ? i have my doubts, i'm going to opt for a bit extra on the rent to cover damage.

From: Andrew townshend 27 July 2018 10:34 AM

sounds to me they are looking for more business, we have little choice here other than to build something into the rent to cover damage at tenancy end, deposits are getting to be a waste of time.

From: Andrew townshend 27 July 2018 10:28 AM

daft question, of course rents are going to increase with the extra costs and red tape placed on landlords, no different to any business or trade, when overheads increase it's the end user that pays

From: Andrew townshend 26 July 2018 08:59 AM

my wife, as joint owner, has an equal share but does nothing when it comes down to our port folio of properties, so it could be argued that she gets more than me out of buy to let.

From: Andrew townshend 25 July 2018 10:43 AM

petru degan, not british then, so are we surprised? what's the chances of him paying this fine? little and none

From: Andrew townshend 23 July 2018 08:51 AM

can't really argue against it, will mean an added cost, which will be passed onto the tenant by means of a rent increase.

From: Andrew townshend 20 July 2018 09:36 AM

if we have to give a 3 yr term then we are going to have to be even more careful who we rent to, which will mean more homeless people sleeping in shop door ways, is this what the government are aiming for?

From: Andrew townshend 20 July 2018 09:32 AM

his properties, his choice. single mums on benefits can be a nightmare, Indians often leave properties dirty and smelly

From: Andrew townshend 20 July 2018 09:23 AM

not a bad thing, let these values bottom out and there will be another buying opportunity, buy to let is not dead, where else do you get a return on your money?

From: Andrew townshend 19 July 2018 09:28 AM

at four score and ten you well deserve to be taking a step back, good properties with good long term tenants will be worth strong money to younger landlords with cash to invest.

From: Andrew townshend 16 July 2018 09:34 AM

what this boils down to is 1) the landlord that has borrowed too much, and 2) the arm chair landlord that sits back and expects the money to roll in without doing anything him / her self, why pay someone to clean up, paint and decorate, or do the garden in between lets, roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, you might just enjoy it and save a lot of cash into the bargain .

From: Andrew townshend 16 July 2018 09:30 AM

surely if you are after capital growth then that's property dealing as opposed to being a landlord, while it's nice to see our properties worth more than we paid for them ,but for me it's the income i am getting from them. i bought a property in lowestoft last year, if i were to put it back up for sale now i would make a capital lose, but why would i want to when i'm getting a good return on the money i put into it, as with share dealing you only make that capital lose or gain when you sell

From: Andrew townshend 16 July 2018 09:21 AM

it's not just the people who cannot buy that rent, but many who don't want to buy, and i expect this will be the way forward now more and more.

From: Andrew townshend 13 July 2018 09:25 AM

we hear a lot about bad landlords and unhappy tenants but these are very much in the minority, i'm pleased to say all my tenants seem happy with me at present, generally the only time i have problems is when i get a none payer , then i'm a basted landlord for evicting them, that doesn't happen much now as i'm much more fussy who i rent to these days.

From: Andrew townshend 13 July 2018 09:22 AM

fred, they are my properties i will choose who i rent to, nothing illegal in that.

From: Andrew townshend 12 July 2018 09:03 AM

landlords that do sell up will likely sell to other landlords, however if there is going to be a shortage of properties to rent then rents will rise and we will be cherry picking the best tenants, more and more homeless on the streets.

From: Andrew townshend 12 July 2018 08:53 AM

i expect it will be much like that old tv program '' yes minister''

From: Andrew townshend 11 July 2018 09:27 AM

good working families yes, but avoid single mums on benefits like the plague.

From: Andrew townshend 11 July 2018 09:24 AM

with the extra red tape and costs of course rents are increasing

From: Andrew townshend 11 July 2018 09:21 AM

i like long term tenants, only problem i can see is that it will take longer to evict bad tenants, we will have to be more fussy as to who we rent to and insist on good guarantors.

From: Andrew townshend 11 July 2018 09:19 AM

we have had some bad pm s over the yrs, but this one takes the prize .

From: Andrew townshend 10 July 2018 09:26 AM

i'll take the cash thank you, good sex is free

From: Andrew townshend 09 July 2018 15:24 PM

i have a simple policy here, anyone that doesn't pay gets a county court action from me, last one i did cost me £60, easy to do online and worth every penny, that screws their credit history up a treat.

From: Andrew townshend 06 July 2018 10:07 AM

i agree with barry above, i don't have a problem here, and lets face facts it's going to happen, what we do need though is a quick way of getting rid of bad tenants. if we want to sell one of our properties the chances are we will sell to another landlord, mortgage provider? well none of mine are mortgaged, but i expect they will just have to modify their terms or stop lending to landlords.

From: Andrew townshend 06 July 2018 09:59 AM

agents, just like landlords and tenants, there are good and bad. and yes as above why not name and shame them?

From: Andrew townshend 05 July 2018 20:39 PM

but why let it get to 7k, nip debt in the bud a s a p, visit tenants, tell them the rent is not being passed on and get them to pay you direct, it's the agent who has broken the contract.

From: Andrew townshend 04 July 2018 09:40 AM

buy to let was my pension scheme, no regrets, allowed me to give up the day job 11 yrs ago at 54

From: Andrew townshend 04 July 2018 09:36 AM

i have no problem with the wish to improve the poor quality end of the rental business, but what then happens to the poor quality tenants, no one's going to rent a nice flat or house to these sort of tenants.

From: Andrew townshend 03 July 2018 09:37 AM

all very well, but what happens when we get a non paying tenant? yes we can go down the section 8 route, but we have to wait until the rent is over due by 8 wks, then we await a court hearing and then we wait for the bailiffs, all expensive as well, section 21 is quicker, cheaper and easier, but we won't be able to use section 21 in the first 3 yrs of a tenancy when this new ruling comes in.

From: Andrew townshend 03 July 2018 09:28 AM

landlord costs increase = rent increase, where's the surprise there ?

From: Andrew townshend 02 July 2018 09:34 AM

i very much like my tenants to stay a long time, however the problem is here when we get a non payer, this will make most of us more careful of who we rent to, and insist on guarantors, so this will not be good for people looking to rent, there's always a sting in the tail with these bright ideas.

From: Andrew townshend 02 July 2018 09:31 AM

you are correct here, however it doesn't bother me, 1) i have no intention of selling anything, the income is much better than a lump of cash in the bank, and 2) the 3% stamp duty is taken into consideration when biding on a property and also when setting the rent level on that property.

From: Andrew townshend 26 June 2018 09:47 AM

so the '' flash with no cash'' who are in debt up to their eye brows are having to sell, but who are buying these properties ?? not first time buyers, but proper landlords that can put their money where their mouths are, so these homes are still owned by landlords and up for rent.

From: Andrew townshend 26 June 2018 09:39 AM

cheap insurance deals are a total waste of time, they are the ones that try their hardest to wriggle out of settling a claim, you get what you pay for.

From: Andrew townshend 25 June 2018 09:20 AM

give me families over young singles any day of the week

From: Andrew townshend 22 June 2018 09:26 AM

From: Andrew townshend 20 June 2018 09:26 AM

we check tenants out, then why not agents? this woman had been made bankrupt 3 yrs ago, would this not have the alarm bells ringing. if any of my rents are more than 2 days late i'm asking questions, you must never ignore debt, nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand.

From: Andrew townshend 19 June 2018 09:58 AM

if we cannot have the security of a deposit then an element will have to be added to the monthly rent to cover short falls and damage, this will be unfair to the many good honest tenants, would be a good idea if labour put their brains into gear before opening their mouths.

From: Andrew townshend 19 June 2018 09:50 AM

when business overheads increase it will always be the end user that pays, a landlord is no different here to a builder, plumber, motor mechanic or any other business

From: Andrew townshend 18 June 2018 10:53 AM

thick student, a masters degree won't do him much good now he has a criminal record, and yes as above - deport him. my accountant gave me valuable advice yrs ago ''don't display wealth boy'' i drive a 14 yr old toyota when visiting properties, not really worth their while scratching that.

From: Andrew townshend 15 June 2018 11:15 AM

has to be a win win situation for us landlords that are left, better choice of tenants, higher rents and a chance to add to our portfolios.

From: Andrew townshend 15 June 2018 11:07 AM

doesn't look good for tenants, but who's to blame there, the big bad landlord ? no the short sighted government.

From: Andrew townshend 15 June 2018 11:01 AM

fair for tenants ? well it will certainly make renting much more expensive for tenants, these fees will not simply disappear in a cloud of dust, they will be passed onto landlords who will in turn pass them back to tenants by means of increased rent.

From: Andrew townshend 13 June 2018 09:20 AM

i no longer let to students for the same reasons, there maybe more money in it, but just not worth the bother, oh and i see mr robinson has his school master hat on again today, how sad.

From: Andrew townshend 12 June 2018 09:28 AM

don't believe a word of it, furthermore the next 12 months will see rents rocket as landlords over heads increase.

From: Andrew townshend 08 June 2018 09:56 AM

i agree strongly with all 3 comments above, all tenants need to be fully checked out every time, total madness not to check every new tenant out very carefully.

From: Andrew townshend 08 June 2018 09:52 AM

the last paragraph says it all, '' landlords face further increases in their costs'' it's not rocket science costs increase = rent increases.

From: Andrew townshend 07 June 2018 09:27 AM

people do sign legal documents without reading them fully or understanding them, then winge when it all goes pear shaped.

From: Andrew townshend 07 June 2018 09:16 AM

safest route is, if in doubt don't rent to them, same as a shop or pub selling alcohol would operate.

From: Andrew townshend 05 June 2018 09:11 AM

no government either tory or labour are going to let landlords off the hook, it just amazes me how short sighted these supposedly intelligent?? people are, rents will rocket, there is no shortage of tenants out there needing homes.

From: Andrew townshend 01 June 2018 10:14 AM

the agent i use is very fair on fees, however no doubt these fees will be passed onto me, and ofcourse i will pass these onto tenants by means of a small increase in monthly rent, i don't foresee any problems here as there is no shortage of tenants in my area

From: Andrew townshend 31 May 2018 09:33 AM

i sometimes wonder how people's brains work, tenants don't pay the rent, then wonder why they get evicted and no other landlord will touch them, then this landlord gets an enforcement notice and ignores it, sweep the problem under the carpet and it will go away?? no these things never go away, they have to be dealt with sooner rather than later.

From: Andrew townshend 29 May 2018 10:30 AM

i don't see the extra 3% stamp duty as a problem, either reduce the offer to buy by 3% or increase the rent to take into account of the extra total purchase price.

From: Andrew townshend 25 May 2018 09:45 AM

i used to manage all mine myself, however over the past 10 yrs as they come vacant i have past management to a trusted small local agent (i still do my own repairs though) i now manage just 3 out of 16 properties, it works well for me, what i would say however avoid the large national chains where you are just a number and the people who are looking after your properties are wet behind the ears boys and girls that like to think they know the lot but in fact know f all.

From: Andrew townshend 24 May 2018 09:00 AM

that's fine, name and shame rogue landlords nationwide, but also name and shame all rogue tenants, there will be 10 times more tenants on the list than landlords

From: Andrew townshend 23 May 2018 10:05 AM

who owns grenfell tower? the council, so therefore the chief housing officer is personally responsible, just as you or i would be if we owned the property, but of course these kind of people are skilled at shifting the blame.

From: Andrew townshend 21 May 2018 09:12 AM

well gary we can thank the short sighted government for this, i'm not selling, but my rents will be increasing to cover the extra costs being imposed on me, so yes at the end of the day it's the tenant that loses out.

From: Andrew townshend 16 May 2018 10:32 AM

surely there is only one way to recoup extra expense, pass it onto the tenant by means of increased rent, there is no shortage of people out there looking to rent a property.

From: Andrew townshend 15 May 2018 09:18 AM

we are a country full of time wasters, dreamers and flash with no cash, this is why more and more properties end up in auctions.

From: Andrew townshend 14 May 2018 08:54 AM

give me a way of getting bad non paying tenants out quickly and cheaply and i will happily give longer tenancies, i might even consider tenants on benefits, but we all know this will not happen, so my policy of 6 month tenancies and no benefit claimants will continue.

From: Andrew townshend 14 May 2018 08:49 AM

governments are intent on sticking the knife in and twisting it, but we will survive, buy to let is an excellent investment, what it is not though is a '' get rich quick game'' . go into it with a long term view, work at it and don't borrow too much and you really cannot fail.

From: Andrew townshend 11 May 2018 09:23 AM

for me first and foremost it's the income, capital growth is a bonus, with house prices now dropping the capital growth will not be there for a few yrs, but you only make a capital loss if you sell, so don't sell.

From: Andrew townshend 09 May 2018 09:04 AM

we all have problem tenants occasionally main rule here though is to check them out first, if in doubt then don't let to them, always issue county court proceedings for money owed, probably won't get the money but you will have the satisfaction of screwing up their credit rating and their chances of renting off another private landlord, also word gets about with tenants, it does no harm for being known for issuing court proceedings.

From: Andrew townshend 09 May 2018 08:56 AM

there will always be the rogue element, whether that be landlords, car mechanics, builders or solicitors, if we had a bad solicitor we would move, so why if a tenant had a bad landlord wouldn't they move, or is the real reason here that they are bad tenants that no other landlord would touch them.

From: Andrew townshend 08 May 2018 09:02 AM

car insurance is high for young drivers, why? because of risk, same applies to the hmo tenant.

From: Andrew townshend 04 May 2018 10:30 AM

there is no ' could' about it is there? letting agent fees will be banned, but they won't go away just passed onto landlords who will have no choice other than to increase rents to cover the extra costs.

From: Andrew townshend 04 May 2018 10:25 AM

hardly the landlord at fault if she or her contractors were refused access .

From: Andrew townshend 03 May 2018 10:07 AM

i'm happy with 6 wks rent held as deposit where the tenant ticks all the boxes, but what about tenants with pets either i won't accept them full stop, or maybe there will be a higher rent charged to a tenant with a pet.

From: Andrew townshend 03 May 2018 10:01 AM

as with any business when overheads increase the end user pays, there's nothing more to be said is there?

From: Andrew townshend 03 May 2018 09:55 AM

what this daft system has achieved is '' if in doubt don't rent to them'' bit counter productive really .

From: Andrew townshend 02 May 2018 09:08 AM

i too feel for my tenants they are all good working people and we get on fine, however as with any business as my overheads rise so does their rents.

From: Andrew townshend 28 April 2018 14:28 PM

you ain't seen nothing yet, just wait until agents fees are past on to landlords and deposits are capped, it's the end user that pays every time, the government is just too short sighted to see this. £1000 per month for a basic 2 bed terraced house? it's coming soon.

From: Andrew townshend 27 April 2018 08:59 AM

when a property becomes available there is no shortage of viewings, or people wanting to rent it, but how many of those people do we want as tenants in our properties, that soon whittles the numbers down

From: Andrew townshend 25 April 2018 09:54 AM

surely it boils down to horses for courses, good working tenants with a good credit history will be looking for good properties from good landlords, on the other hand benefit claimants and those with poor credit histories will be looking for any landlord mug enough to take them in any property. as for pets, i am one of very few landlords in my area that will CONSIDER pets, however if i am not going to be allowed to take a larger deposits this will change , maybe there will have to be 2 rent levels.

From: Andrew townshend 24 April 2018 10:16 AM

i used to manage all mine, now i'm down to 3 that i manage myself, the rest are with an agent, i find it much easier, i'm still hands on though, doing my own repairs and using my own tradesmen when needed.

From: Andrew townshend 20 April 2018 09:27 AM

it's amusing to watch the estate agents out there desperately trying to talk the market up, in my area we have estate agents going bankrupt, don't have much sympathy, most of them are floating on cloud 9 living way beyond their means

From: Andrew townshend 20 April 2018 09:20 AM

go back less than 100 yrs and most people were renting, is it really a good thing for the young to buy, lets face it they need to avoid leasehold properties, that rules out flats, large mortgages if they fall behind , which with a big mortgage today is all too easy, they lose everything, the jobs market is very mobile, offered a better job in another part of the country, give 1 months notice and they are gone, own their own home and they have a problem, lot to be said for renting today for the young.

From: Andrew townshend 20 April 2018 09:14 AM

all speculation by those that think they know the lot, but know f***all. i'm certainly not worried.

From: Andrew townshend 19 April 2018 10:28 AM

well we can pull together or we can pull apart, this government, and labour, have made it very clear we will be pulling apart. the up shot is the homeless street sleepers will increase greatly

From: Andrew townshend 18 April 2018 19:26 PM

well where's the problem, why shouldn't they? look at mr blair he has a massive btl portfolio .

From: Andrew townshend 17 April 2018 09:37 AM

i'm sure the housing officer is right here, personally i have never got into the hmo market, i have a friend who has though, he is round there every week on bin collection day because the tenants are too bone idle to put the bins out, he finds fire doors wedged open and smoke detectors disabled, generally tenants in an hmo are their own worst enemy.

From: Andrew townshend 17 April 2018 09:33 AM

i do think these figures are exaggerated some what, but yes action does need to be taken in some areas, don't forget council and housing assocs though they are not whiter than white here, push for too higher standards though and that will push lower end rents up which will result in more people sleeping rough on the streets

From: Andrew townshend 17 April 2018 09:21 AM

the 3% stamp duty is not really an issue, it just needs to be factored into the purchase price, or the rent, the mortgage tax relief really only affects those that borrow too much, btl is still an excellent investment especially when making provision for ones old age, far better than a private pension

From: Andrew townshend 16 April 2018 08:47 AM

i found a cannabis farm in a shop i let out last yr, lucky i spotted it and there was no damage done, all my properties are local to me, i keep a regular close eye on them.

From: Andrew townshend 13 April 2018 09:23 AM

find this hard to believe, but then i expect those landlords that have borrowed too much wil havel sell.

From: Andrew townshend 12 April 2018 10:52 AM

i don't see the 3% stamp duty as a problem, just factor this in when deciding what to offer / bid if someone else wants to pay more let them.

From: Andrew townshend 10 April 2018 10:03 AM

landlords can only do so much, provide fire extinguishers, fire blankets, ensure wiring is safe, if a tenant is going to set fire to the place there is not much more we can do. and remember the block of flats here were council owned, and as such their responsibility solely, have we seen manslaughter charges brought against housing offeriers here? no, you can just imagine what would have happened had a private landlord owned the property, one law for them, another for us, stinks as normal.

From: Andrew townshend 09 April 2018 09:51 AM

put money into a pension, big fat commision to the spive selling it, annual fees, fees to access it, poor performing investments, then you will need to live to be 110 simply to get the money back you put in, not for me.

From: Andrew townshend 09 April 2018 09:39 AM

i agree terry i issue county court proceedings every time, 1) there is the satisfaction in knowing i have screwed their credit rating up, and 2) sometimes they come into money within 6 yrs, so there is always a chance, i had a guy open a pub up, flashed all over the local paper, i got my money after 4yrs.

From: Andrew townshend 06 April 2018 10:51 AM

just like the landlord of the disgusting and dangerous hmo on last night's program. bad tenants? if 10% of landlords are bad, then 20% of tenants are worse, but we don't get any help there do we?

From: Andrew townshend 06 April 2018 09:49 AM

do we need to compete with housing associations? i would like to study the small print in these insurance policies, would this insurance pay out? or look hard for a get out loop hole.

From: Andrew townshend 05 April 2018 09:14 AM

make it public, personally i would welcome it.

From: Andrew townshend 05 April 2018 09:08 AM

i look forward to it.

From: Andrew townshend 05 April 2018 09:04 AM

sold property prices are falling, in the past when this happens rents generally rise.

From: Andrew townshend 04 April 2018 17:16 PM

i'm very optimistic, but then i do have a bit of an advantage in that my properties are all bought and paid for, i started buying 30 yrs ago, my income exceeds my out going so every so often, when the piggy bank fills up, i buy another property for cash , it's not a get rich quick game, but it's the best pension you could wish for

From: Andrew townshend 04 April 2018 17:14 PM

tory or labour we aren't going to get any tax incentives , they are just going to make life harder and more expensive for all of us, no problem though, the extra expense will be passed onto the tenant.

From: Andrew townshend 04 April 2018 17:03 PM

no big surprise here, no matter what line of business, when overheads increase that increase is always passed onto the end user.

From: Andrew townshend 03 April 2018 09:09 AM

spot on steve, we can see it, why can't the government? i've got 2 that fail, but they are both let, so i have until the tenant leaves or until 2020, one is only just below an e, i have secondary glazing coming for that in a couple of wks, the other one is a g, but i have long term tenants there so i have a couple of yrs at that one

From: Andrew townshend 29 March 2018 09:44 AM

tenants with pets will stand no chance of renting from a private landlord when this cap comes in, young tenants will have to provide a cast iron guarantor, and as for anyone on uc, forget it, they will be sleeping under the fly over. the government really don't think these things through do they? money claims online will be busy to with all those ccj s, and as for anyone with a ccj they will be sleeping under the fly over as well, clever move.

From: Andrew townshend 29 March 2018 09:32 AM

but surely councils and government are shooting themselves in the foot here, there is an ever increasing army of homeless out there, councils cannot house them, when overheads increase it's always the end user that pays.

From: Andrew townshend 28 March 2018 09:53 AM

the only people to get rich here are the spivs in suits selling them, you would need to live to at least 110 to stand any chance of getting your money invested back, isn't this why most of us on here got into property investment, it's why i did 30 yrs ago, it enabled me to give up the day job 10 yrs ago at 54, i've never looked back.

From: Andrew townshend 28 March 2018 09:44 AM

not convinced, when the cap comes in i will be putting a bit on rents to cover any problems further down the line, i fully expect this is what most landlords will be doing, this is how insurance works, the higher the risk the higher the premium .

From: Andrew townshend 27 March 2018 09:54 AM

sorry work shy benefit claimants we don't want you and for good reasons, the ball here is in the government's court make it worth while for us to take benefit claimants, but i'm not holding my breath here

From: Andrew townshend 26 March 2018 11:23 AM

why not, you cannot take it with you, spent and enjoy it, get the timing right and die with nothing, government can't take it then, nor can the leechers waiting to inherit.

From: Andrew townshend 26 March 2018 09:35 AM

for someone in work wanting to climb the promotion ladder renting is probably best as their promotions can take them all over the country, give 1 month's notice and they are on their way. times change, people even rent their car now rather than owning it.

From: Andrew townshend 26 March 2018 09:29 AM

big fuss going on out there regarding the homeless, here is an easy solution to probably 90% of cases, pay housing benefit ellement of u c direct to landlord, for some unknown reason the government refuse to do so, so 90% of landlords refuse to take tenants on benefits, with the remaining 10% being the rouge landlords renting substandard properties to benefit claimants, the solution isn't rocket science is it?

From: Andrew townshend 24 March 2018 09:43 AM

the way i see it there are 2 ways around this, 1) build the extra deposit into extra rent to cover ourselves, 2) in the event of a tenant not paying their last month's rent county court them, we may well not get our money but if we all do this we will screw their credit rating making it very difficult for them to rent another property or get a loan.

From: Andrew townshend 22 March 2018 18:58 PM

yes a good idea, personally i always issue county court proceedings against anyone who owes me money, even if there is little chance of getting paid, easy to do online and not expensive, gives me great satisfaction in knowing i have just screwed their credit rating, also tenants talk to each other, so if you are a soft touch word soon gets about.

From: Andrew townshend 21 March 2018 19:25 PM

a cap on fees would be the best and fairest way for agents, landlords and tenants, the out come will be ,as said in this article, more expense for tenants as the end user always pays .

From: Andrew townshend 21 March 2018 19:13 PM

i expect some of those sleeping in shop door ways might quite like one of these empty rooms

From: Andrew townshend 21 March 2018 19:04 PM

but will this encourage people to take on debt that they will not be able to service either now or in the future, which would end up with their property being reprocessed, them to lose a lot of hard earn cash and make them bankrupt, ultimately back to renting.

From: Andrew townshend 20 March 2018 09:19 AM

there are some bad landlords and let properties out there, but no where near the number labour are saying, as terry above has said tenants are free to move, the simple reason that these living in bad conditions are not moving is that they themselves are bad tenants that no landlord with a good property would rent to.

From: Andrew townshend 19 March 2018 09:26 AM

there are bad landlords out there, and there are a thousand times more bad tenants out there, as our friend terry sullivan says above always push for a ccj against none paying tenants, it's only £60 online (tax deductable) and worth every penny, even though you cannot get blood out of a stone.

From: Andrew townshend 15 March 2018 19:37 PM

well i'm not selling up, i'm buying, less landlords, less properties to rent, can only be good news for us, supply and demand, up go rents, more tenants to choose from, suits me just fine, thank you mr osbourne, if you had a brain you would be dangerous .

From: Andrew townshend 15 March 2018 19:16 PM

where else can you get a decent return on your cash, but then if you haven't got the cash and are going to have to borrow heavily there really is no point. the 3% stamp duty isn't really a problem, just take this into account before making an offer or setting your max bid at auction, i will continue to buy as i accumulate the cash.

From: Andrew townshend 15 March 2018 18:45 PM

depends how you go about it and what you want to achieve, if you are having to borrow heavily then forget it, it's not for you. for me it was a long term cash investment to provide a pension, i bought slowly, and as i could afford it over the past 30yrs, and am still buying as i have the spare cash, has worked really well for me.

From: Andrew townshend 10 March 2018 18:46 PM

generally tenants get on well with me, the only one's that don't are the none payers i evict, however since i've stopped taking benefit claimants i don't have that problem anymore. when you have good tenants look after them, i carry out repairs swiftly generally myself.

From: Andrew townshend 10 March 2018 18:06 PM

as the government makes life more difficult and more expensive for us rents will increase as a result, it's the same as in any business it's the end user that picks up the tab

From: Andrew townshend 10 March 2018 18:00 PM

i look forward to having my say, but they probably won't like what i have to say.

From: Andrew townshend 01 March 2018 10:48 AM

fine if you live that way, or are happy to be an absent landlord, all of my properties are within 15 miles of my home, except one, which is 25 miles from home, i like to visit my properties regularly and carry out my own repairs where possible, i have slowly gained 16 rental properties over the last 30 yrs, no borrowings purchased when i have the spare cash, i'm more interested in yield than a capital gain, some will say i have done it wrong, but i'm an old fashioned boy who likes to own my assets, it works for me.

From: Andrew townshend 01 March 2018 10:44 AM

really what all this means is that landlords will have to be even more careful who we rent to, no benefit claimants, no one under 35, and no single mums, oh won't council housing depts, and social workers have a mountain of problems.

From: Andrew townshend 28 February 2018 09:35 AM

we all know where benefit claimants are concerned we stand a very high chance of not being paid, and this can be even more of a risk where single mums are concerned, u c is only going to make matters worse, maybe we should not put no dss in the advertisement, let them waste their time and ours we don't have to take anyone we don't like the look of, and we don't have to give a reason.

From: Andrew townshend 27 February 2018 09:14 AM

i like tenants that stay a long time, so long as they are paying the rent, when they they don't pay the rent they go, no ifs buts or excuses, section 8 is a waste of time, section 21 gets them out quicker, then issue a county court money order, may not get the money, but i have the satisfaction in knowing they have a ccj against them.

From: Andrew townshend 22 February 2018 07:57 AM

well i won't be mortgaging, i buy mine for cash, the rents come in when there is enough in the pot i buy another one, old fashioned? maybe but it's worked well for me over the last 30 yrs.

From: Andrew townshend 20 February 2018 10:35 AM

licensing will be coming to all of us at some time, i don't altogether object it should rid us of the rogue element who get us all a bad name, however there will be cost involved which no doubt will be high, another excuse to tax the landlord, so up with rents again to cover these costs, the government aren't doing tenants any favours at the end of the day are they?

From: Andrew townshend 20 February 2018 10:31 AM

i aim to attend to problems same day where possible, and it's normally myself that's knocking at the door to put problems right, this goes a long way to keeping good tenants happy

From: Andrew townshend 19 February 2018 16:24 PM

property has been my prefered investment and has paid off really well over the last 30 yrs, you need to be very clever and lucky to make money out of the stock market, and i certainly do not trust these financial advisers. auctions are a good way to buy and sell, but they are not altogether transparent as there are often bids coming off the wall to run the biding up.

From: Andrew townshend 16 February 2018 09:02 AM

if we keep our properties to a reasonable standard and attend to faults quickly, as we should, then surely we have nothing to worry about. there's a cost, but as always this will be passed onto the end user, probably for round figures around £10 wk increase in rent.

From: Andrew townshend 14 February 2018 10:05 AM

link rents to inflation, that's at present a 3% increase every yr, i'm happy with that, if labour get in inflation will go through the roof. landlord bashing? no i don't like it, but i'm not going to roll over and let them win, they normally end up shooting themselves in the foot.

From: Andrew townshend 14 February 2018 09:58 AM

i'm one of very few landlords in my area that will consider pets, a single cat or small dog with an extra deposit, i have found over the yrs that tenants tend to ignore the term no pets, that's if they even bother to read the tenancy docs, so what's the point, alright you could evict them, but that's going to be very expensive and take months, so once again the tenant has got the landlord by the short and curlies, if labour get in in 2022 they are going to be after us landlords but we will just have to wait and see how it all pans out, labour could well end up shooting themselves in the foot.

From: Andrew townshend 14 February 2018 09:50 AM

deserved all he got, had a chance to get the licence, if he had repaired the boiler the tenants would not have had the need to complain and the council would likely not have found out, most landlords operate properly, it's idiot landlords like this one that gets us all a bad name.

From: Andrew townshend 13 February 2018 08:56 AM

the flash with no cash landlords, we know who they are, there the ones that pull up outside their rental properties in their leased range rovers.

From: Andrew townshend 12 February 2018 14:44 PM

landlord licencing fine but no doubt there will be a cost which will be passed onto tenants by way of increased rent. data base for rouge landlords, no problem with that. rent controls would need to be fair and based on similar properties in the area. advice on tenants rights, no problem there. not a ban on upfront fees but a cap on them would be fair. longer term tenancies, fine but only if we can get non payers out more quickly and cheaper. direct communication with landlords, fine. credit score, fine. decorate property, with in reason, and to a good standard.

From: Andrew townshend 02 February 2018 13:35 PM

a cap on letting fees would be a better idea, to ban them all together will simply mean that they will be passed onto landlords who in turn will increase rents to cover their extra expense.

From: Andrew townshend 02 February 2018 13:19 PM

there are many council owned houses that stand empty for yrs, i've purchased some of them when the council finally agree to sell.

From: Andrew townshend 01 February 2018 08:55 AM

''to address the uk shortage of housing'' no to generate a decent return on money same as we do

From: Andrew townshend 01 February 2018 08:47 AM

rogue landlords and unsafe conditions do need sorting out, longer tenancies? fine, but what happens when the tenant stops paying the rent? at present we are looking at a long drawn out process with very expensive court fees, so how about a quick cheap way of getting non paying tenants out? ain't going to happen is it?

From: Andrew townshend 30 January 2018 09:31 AM

we are of course responsible to see that our properties are safe and that boilers are checked every yr, but when you see the filth some tenants live in i would say they are their own worst enemies, from experienced teachers and nurses seem to be among the worst

From: Andrew townshend 25 January 2018 17:59 PM

i am one of very few landlords in my area that will take a pet, within reason, i also allow walls to be painted, but not until i have ok ed the colour, i find generally i get better tenants that stay longer.

From: Andrew townshend 19 January 2018 09:06 AM

£181 wk housing benefit? max in my neck of the woods is £92 for a person over 35.

From: Andrew townshend 19 January 2018 08:50 AM

so basically the ' flash with no cash boys' who have borrowed far too much will be selling, good, should be some cheap properties to be had in the auction room then.

From: Andrew townshend 18 January 2018 09:31 AM

i do not see that as a problem, seems fair enough to me, many councils will find they have problems, the state of some of their properties.

From: Andrew townshend 15 January 2018 08:54 AM

i agree terry, but then we are no different to any other business, when costs increase they are passed onto the end user, there is no shortage of tenants in my area, or come to that any other area of g b

From: Andrew townshend 12 January 2018 10:20 AM

cannot see any letting agents simply reducing their charges, they will pass them onto landlords who will pass them onto tenants by increasing rent, really clever move by government??

From: Andrew townshend 11 January 2018 08:48 AM

a move in the right direction? let's hope so. i have one tenant left on housing benefits who will go over onto u c later this yr, at present i will not consider any new tenants on benefits until i am happy with the way u c pans out, we will have to wait and see.

From: Andrew townshend 09 January 2018 10:03 AM

waste of time having cash in the bank, investment into property seems to be the only way to get a decent return, but to borrow heavily to purchase property investment seems like a mugs game.

From: Andrew townshend 03 January 2018 15:52 PM

interest only = flash with no cash fool

From: Andrew townshend 29 December 2017 22:01 PM

hands on long term property investment has worked really well for me, short time get rich quick it is not.

From: Andrew townshend 28 December 2017 11:13 AM

i have slowly built up my portfolio over the past 25 yrs with no borrowings, i'm still buying, in fact i bought another one just last wk, i think the problem comes when landlords borrow too much.

From: Andrew townshend 14 December 2017 09:27 AM

i'm 64, i was able to give up the day job 10 yrs ago, i enjoy being a landlord and get on well with my tenants, it helps because although most of my properties are let through an agent all tenants are able to contact me direct, also when there is a problem it is me who turns up with my tool box to put things right. i first got into buy to let in the 90s because i had no faith with private pensions or the suits that sold them, i have never looked back.

From: Andrew townshend 14 December 2017 09:20 AM

less rental properties = bigger chose of tenants and increased rents for us landlords that are left, i'm not selling, i may even buy more, after all where else do you put your money to get a return on it ? i expect the landlords that have borrowed too much are the ones that are selling up.

From: Andrew townshend 05 December 2017 08:49 AM

i have made it my policy to always issue a county court summons for unpaid rent or costs involved in repairing damage, it's easy to do online and not expensive, the tenant gets a ccj, i thing it's worth every penny.

From: Andrew townshend 04 December 2017 09:22 AM

when any business over heads increase it's the end user who pays the price, so it follows that rents will increase to cover these additional costs, government really thought this one through didn't they? shot in foot comes to mind.

From: Andrew townshend 01 December 2017 10:23 AM

yes it takes time and hard work for most of us, i started my portfolio in the late 80s as an alternative to the rip off private pensions, run down terraced houses and corner shops out of auctions and renovated, today my portfolio is probabley worth around 2 -3 million, all paid for and earns me a good income, in fact it enabled me to retire from the day job 10 yrs ago aged 54, i'm still hands on though, clearing up the mess some tenants leave behind and repairs as needed. it's not a get rich quick game, but it is well worth it over time.

From: Andrew townshend 16 November 2017 14:25 PM

i am happy to give longer term contracts, but i want something in return, a way of getting non paying tenants out quickly and cheaply, give us that and tenants can have long term contracts.

From: Andrew townshend 15 November 2017 19:58 PM

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