The UK rental market is shit!

[Mikael]

I have just completed my third home in under two years and so far the experience has been costly, time consuming and at times pissed me right off.
What is it about some (not all) landlords and letting agencies that they care so little about tenants and see them only as cash cows to milk?!
Why are building standards so pour?
Why does no one insulate and sound proof properly in this country?

Since moving down to England I have stayed in:

1. A room in a house share to get me started as it was furnished.
This was a positive experience but after a year it was time to find my own place

2. Flat with letting agents doing the introduction (taking their full fee... of course) and dealing directly with the landlord
This got off to promising start, I was happy dealing with the landlord. The property was unfurnished except it had all the white goods. So I started getting settled in. Unfortunately come winter I discovered we had a mould problem with water getting into the walls from the outside and the penetrating from the cavity into the property
Long story short the landlord put in place plans to carry out work (due to happen this month sometime) and I fought back the mould with bleach, ventilating well and running up very high energy bill to keep the property warm
Fed up with this situation I started looking again.

3. I found another property, which again was very promising. I have spent the bank weekend doing all the hard moving in and white goods are on order. However, since moving in have found that the landlords have not done anything to maintain the walls (needs re-painting) or the the wall to wall carpets* (need replacing). Worse still through contacts I have now managed to learn that the old tenants were only in the property for 6 to 8 months before leaving because of problems with the property. The toilet plumbing has been done badly and gets blocked easily and walls are thin so neighbours are easily heard. Not that it has happened yet but I have been told that the next door neightbours (adjacent to the bedroom) like to party till early hours even during the week. From what I understand the letting agents are well aware of these problems as well some others I have not bothered to list.


So the letting agents could have told me of these problems but they choose not to.....
I assume I have little recourse in this situation?


* I hate wall to wall carpets but its hard to find properties not afflicted with these dust loving nightmares in the UK

[divechick]

I have just completed my third home in under two years and so far the experience has been costly, time consuming and at times pissed me right off.
What is it about some (not all) landlords and letting agencies that they care so little about tenants and see them only as cash cows to milk?!
Why are building standards so pour?
Why does no one insulate and sound proof properly in this country?

Since moving down to England I have stayed in:

1. A room in a house share to get me started as it was furnished.
This was a positive experience but after a year it was time to find my own place

2. Flat with letting agents doing the introduction (taking their full fee... of course) and dealing directly with the landlord
This got off to promising start, I was happy dealing with the landlord. The property was unfurnished except it had all the white goods. So I started getting settled in. Unfortunately come winter I discovered we had a mould problem with water getting into the walls from the outside and the penetrating from the cavity into the property
Long story short the landlord put in place plans to carry out work (due to happen this month sometime) and I fought back the mould with bleach, ventilating well and running up very high energy bill to keep the property warm
Fed up with this situation I started looking again.

3. I found another property, which again was very promising. I have spent the bank weekend doing all the hard moving in and white goods are on order. However, since moving in have found that the landlords have not done anything to maintain the walls (needs re-painting) or the the wall to wall carpets* (need replacing). Worse still through contacts I have now managed to learn that the old tenants were only in the property for 6 to 8 months before leaving because of problems with the property. The toilet plumbing has been done badly and gets blocked easily and walls are thin so neighbours are easily heard. Not that it has happened yet but I have been told that the next door neightbours (adjacent to the bedroom) like to party till early hours even during the week. From what I understand the letting agents are well aware of these problems as well some others I have not bothered to list.


So the letting agents could have told me of these problems but they choose not to.....
I assume I have little recourse in this situation?


* I hate wall to wall carpets but its hard to find properties not afflicted with these dust loving nightmares in the UK

I feel your pain. In fairness to our present landlords they leave us alone and we leave them alone. I did, however, end up complaining to the environmental health authority when one of our previous landlords houses was riddled with black mould. The landlords had gone off for a month or so to their other home in Portugal and refused to take notice of my complaints other than to suggest I "got my husband to open the upper window and leave it on the latch....". They reacted darned quickly when the environmental health guys came to visit though.

[Mark Chase]

I feel your pain. In fairness to our present landlords they leave us alone and we leave them alone. I did, however, end up complaining to the environmental health authority when one of our previous landlords houses was riddled with black mould. The landlords had gone off for a month or so to their other home in Portugal and refused to take notice of my complaints other than to suggest I "got my husband to open the upper window and leave it on the latch....". They reacted darned quickly when the environmental health guys came to visit though.

Couldn't you do what a home owner would do and just clean it with an antimould product?

[Chrisch]

Couldn't you do what a home owner would do and just clean it with an antimould product?

We could have but it isn't our property. When are you coming round to service my car for me?

[cazyoung]

I have just completed my third home in under two years and so far the experience has been costly, time consuming and at times pissed me right off.
What is it about some (not all) landlords and letting agencies that they care so little about tenants and see them only as cash cows to milk?!
Why are building standards so pour?
Why does no one insulate and sound proof properly in this country?

Since moving down to England I have stayed in:

1. A room in a house share to get me started as it was furnished.
This was a positive experience but after a year it was time to find my own place

2. Flat with letting agents doing the introduction (taking their full fee... of course) and dealing directly with the landlord
This got off to promising start, I was happy dealing with the landlord. The property was unfurnished except it had all the white goods. So I started getting settled in. Unfortunately come winter I discovered we had a mould problem with water getting into the walls from the outside and the penetrating from the cavity into the property
Long story short the landlord put in place plans to carry out work (due to happen this month sometime) and I fought back the mould with bleach, ventilating well and running up very high energy bill to keep the property warm
Fed up with this situation I started looking again.

3. I found another property, which again was very promising. I have spent the bank weekend doing all the hard moving in and white goods are on order. However, since moving in have found that the landlords have not done anything to maintain the walls (needs re-painting) or the the wall to wall carpets* (need replacing). Worse still through contacts I have now managed to learn that the old tenants were only in the property for 6 to 8 months before leaving because of problems with the property. The toilet plumbing has been done badly and gets blocked easily and walls are thin so neighbours are easily heard. Not that it has happened yet but I have been told that the next door neightbours (adjacent to the bedroom) like to party till early hours even during the week. From what I understand the letting agents are well aware of these problems as well some others I have not bothered to list.


So the letting agents could have told me of these problems but they choose not to.....
I assume I have little recourse in this situation?


* I hate wall to wall carpets but its hard to find properties not afflicted with these dust loving nightmares in the UK

Could you not have allowed the landlord to do the remedial work in property 2 and stayed if it was right in all other respects? As a landlord myself I have the letting agents manage the flat for me. If the tenant reports a problem it is sorted ASAP BUT the tenant has to tell the agents and sadly I have had a succession of tenants who have not bothered with quite large issues
1. Water coming through the ceiling due to dislodged tile I had to have ceiling repaired and a new carpet after that one.

2. Tenants (just moved out) not telling agents the seal around the bath with shower above it had failed. I am now going to have to strip the bathroom out entirely as water has damaged underlying plaster=tiles loose and wall wet, replace the floor as water is under it. Replace carpet in entrance hall as water has leaked via hot water cupboard into hall. I cannot recover anything from the deposit for this damage as it is deemed fair wear and tear.

A few years ago I had a fruitloop couple who not only did not pay the rent but also trashed it when it was let fully furnished. I lost a lot of money then as all the furniture had to be disposed of, carpets replaced and redecorated before it could be let again albeit unfurnished.

I am probably going to sell it as the flat is more trouble than it is worth and I do not get a lot of rental from it. I bought it off plan before I married and it the plummeted into negative equity but now I will get a reasonable sum if it goes.

[Mikael]

Could you not have allowed the landlord to do the remedial work in property 2 and stayed if it was right in all other respects?

Something I did consider but in the end choose not to do.

From the start the communication with the landlord was good and he was very good at sorting things. I also tried to do my bit and look after the property well. The mould issue however has dragged on and I really don't think he's taken it as seriously as he should. I am no expert but if I was in his shoes I would be far more concern as ultimately it could effect the value of his investment. My suspicion is that he in part does not want to admit to himself that he cold have hefty and costly problem to resolve. He is too blase about it with a "that's no problem really attitude.

I first reported the problem around Christmas time and since then the mould appeared in 3 separate rooms. Furthermore mould appeared around three windows in three different rooms due another source. The landlord had technician come and replace the rubber gaskets and adjust the cams on the windows which solved that problem. To prevent the penetrative damp the external building faults need to be identified and repaired. As mine was the top floor flat this means scaffolding needs to go up. The management committee is planning to put up scaffolding for routine maintenance around this time of year so the landlord to save money said he would wait on this. An argument I can understand but one that left with me dealing with the situation even longer. I recently heard the landlord tell his handy man that the mould in the kitchen should be fixable by tiling over it..... the handy man corrected him. I also believe that this not the first instance of mould from what others have said, not that the landlord has ever admitted to it.

There is a whole lot more background but in short I decided I would leave as I could see the mould and associated problems potentially continuing for a long time. I also feel I lost trust in the landlord.

[Chrisch]

... I have the letting agents manage the flat for me. If the tenant reports a problem it is sorted ASAP BUT the tenant has to tell the agents and sadly I have had a succession of tenants who have not bothered with quite large issues ..

Or are the letting agents not telling you? It is in their interests to churn the tenants as they get more fees that way. If, like a lot of amateur landlords you let the letting agents handle the repairs they get even more money on that as well.

I have never ever had a trouble free relationship with letting agents. I was friends with the boss of one agency and got on really well with him but one of his staff was a total arse and we ended up shouting at one another. I've rented from one where the staff member we dealt with was lovely but her boss was an arse. As a general rule never ever trust them as they lie about everything and remember they see you - the owner - as a mark to be milked just as much as the tenants.

Most landlords also do not question the short hold tenancy agreement and assume it is the law or something - it is not. It was introduced by the Tories to create the churn for the service sector and make life shit for tenants. You can make any agreement you want with your customers.

Housing makes this country so shitty for so many people. It is disgraceful. Driven by greed and whipped up by the gutter press (particularly the Telegraph). Bring on the house price crash!!

[Doomanic]

Err, no thanks. I actually have some equity built up now after the last one. It’s slightly less depressing knowing the pile of bricks I’ll still be paying for when I retire is actually worth more than I owe. For now.

[Chrisch]

Err, no thanks. I actually have some equity built up now after the last one. It’s slightly less depressing knowing the pile of bricks I’ll still be paying for when I retire is actually worth more than I owe. For now.

Don't worry the massive currency crash when the UK leaves the EU will inflate the debt away like it did in the 1970s. Your property will be worth a million pounds and a new (electric) Ford Focus will be £345,972.84

[graham_hk]

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