Bad Landlords

Us Landlords do come under a lot of criticism most unjustified but recently I came across some cases, which do not enhance the reputation of us Landlords

BOND:

This is a deposit scheme, which is run by the Council it is for people who need to rent but cannot afford a deposit. The Council guarantee the Landlord any reparation when the tenant leaves i.e. a Deposit. When renting everyone has to pay a deposit which by law has to be deposited into something like the Deposit Protection Scheme.. Yet what better guarantee then having the Council on board well according to many Estate Agents and Landlords NO? It seems people on a BOND are seen as being on Benefit and we all no Landlords do not like people on Benefit. This sometimes is expected, as there have been incidents when people on Benefit do not pay their rent. Yet I have several Tenants on Benefit and most have their Housing Benefit paid direct to me convenient for them and I am guaranteed the rent.  As for the Bond I have one tenant who used this system many years ago and he now works and has never been late with his rent. One person went rent a property that was £650 p.c.m but had to find £2000 up front. HOW CAN SOMEONE WHO HAS VERY LITTLE INCOME AFFORD THIS? In my time as a landlord I have only had one problem Tenant and that was a woman, she spent her housing benefit in the pub. I complained to the Council and the Police that this was surely fraud, they said no and continued to pay. She left owing 4 months rent

END OF LETTING AGREEMENT

Some times it the landlord with one house who can be the problem recent a young women with 3 children came to me telling me that her landlady had given her 2 months notice as she wanted to sell the house. She had nowhere to go and because she could not get her deposit till she vacated she could not afford to rent somewhere else. She had a caring mother took her in; she was a good tenant always paying her rent. It now transpires that the property next to her was sold and the rent was increased to substantially for a small 3-bedroom house so we are told. It seems that the Landlady no longer wants to sell now instead she is renting for a substantial increase, one must ask the question did she know about the rent increase?

CHANGED THEIR MIND

Another case was how a Family rented a property paid the deposit loaded up a lorry arrived at the property only to be told by the company they had rented to some else

Bad Tenants are a real pain and the law needs to change so us landlords can evict easier BUT also bad Landlords are a pain as well. Surely when you rent a property both the Landlord and Tenant have a duty of care to each other if not a moral one

Martin Clarke Landlord Sittingbourne