amateur Posted October 20, 2022 Report Share Posted October 20, 2022 My wife has been renting out her old family house for some 20 years, since her parents died, with no problems and only 3 tenants over those years. The local council have now decided that all landlords in their area have to be licensed, at a cost of £780, and, to add insult to injury, as part of the licensing process, my wife has had to apply for a DBS certificate, another £18. As near as dammit £800 to continue doing what she has done with no complaint for the past 20 years. Money-grabbing ******** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted October 20, 2022 Report Share Posted October 20, 2022 Gets rid of a lot of slumlords. We were at the mercy of one for 3 months a dreadful time but we didn't have anywhere else to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discobob Posted October 20, 2022 Report Share Posted October 20, 2022 but the fact is that this extra cost will have to be factored into the rent - causing rent increases for the tenants. Is it an annual fee or one off?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted October 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2022 2 minutes ago, henry d said: Gets rid of a lot of slumlords. We were at the mercy of one for 3 months a dreadful time but we didn't have anywhere else to go. I could understand that if the area that her house was in were anything other than a nice suburban street of well-kept 3 bed semis 5 minutes ago, discobob said: but the fact is that this extra cost will have to be factored into the rent - causing rent increases for the tenants. Is it an annual fee or one off?? Dunno yet - the council is being extremely obscure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12gauge82 Posted October 20, 2022 Report Share Posted October 20, 2022 2 hours ago, henry d said: Gets rid of a lot of slumlords. We were at the mercy of one for 3 months a dreadful time but we didn't have anywhere else to go. The slumlords will simply find a way to continue what they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddoakley Posted October 20, 2022 Report Share Posted October 20, 2022 In Wales we have to be licensed and registered with "Rent smart Wales" - 2 separate applications and 2 separate fees annually. I've not looked for a while but there was talk of doing away with section 21 notices. That's the notice (period varies) that you have to give a tenant if you just want them to move out- if you want to sell, if you just want someone else in there, if you decide for any reason at all that yoh just don't want to renew the tenancy. So in essence you have to rely on the tenant moving out or breaching the terms of the AST and then taking them to court to eventually get them out. Ludicrous. Being a landlord isn't easy these days. Edd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted October 20, 2022 Report Share Posted October 20, 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, amateur said: My wife has been renting out her old family house for some 20 years, since her parents died, with no problems and only 3 tenants over those years. The local council have now decided that all landlords in their area have to be licensed, at a cost of £780, and, to add insult to injury, as part of the licensing process, my wife has had to apply for a DBS certificate, another £18. As near as dammit £800 to continue doing what she has done with no complaint for the past 20 years. Money-grabbing ******** So, I’ve been hit with a selective license twice. The online process took a day and needed detailed floor plans. Drove me mad. I wrote to complain - same tenant 9 years and said we’d have to pass the whole cost on, which we did. It also triggered us being reminded to review the rent which we’d forgotten about. Massively counterproductive. It’s another indirect tax where all the political parties promise not to put up income tax but every other tax goes up and new inventive ones are created. Edit And here’s the kicker. I only found out one of our properties had fallen into a trial licensing area (previously it was HMOs only) when someone walked in with a property in the same road as ours and having been sued by their tenants who were tapped up by some ambulance chasers - if you need a licence and don’t have one, you can’t collect rent, and if you have collected rent then the tenants can come at you via a whole new industry of claims chasers and reclaim that rent. Deep joy. Edited October 20, 2022 by Mungler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted October 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 9 hours ago, Mungler said: So, I’ve been hit with a selective license twice. The online process took a day and needed detailed floor plans. Drove me mad. I wrote to complain - same tenant 9 years and said we’d have to pass the whole cost on, which we did. It also triggered us being reminded to review the rent which we’d forgotten about. Massively counterproductive. It’s another indirect tax where all the political parties promise not to put up income tax but every other tax goes up and new inventive ones are created. Edit And here’s the kicker. I only found out one of our properties had fallen into a trial licensing area (previously it was HMOs only) when someone walked in with a property in the same road as ours and having been sued by their tenants who were tapped up by some ambulance chasers - if you need a licence and don’t have one, you can’t collect rent, and if you have collected rent then the tenants can come at you via a whole new industry of claims chasers and reclaim that rent. Deep joy. Fortunately (?) our agent is on the ball and had warned us that the council were about to do this. How much detail did the floor plans have to have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 36 minutes ago, amateur said: Fortunately (?) our agent is on the ball and had warned us that the council were about to do this. How much detail did the floor plans have to have? They wanted the square footage of every room, and I mean every room. We regularly use a ‘plan man’ at work and it was easier to send him in and pay a couple of hundred quid to get it done properly and have a full floor plan on file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted October 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 13 minutes ago, Mungler said: They wanted the square footage of every room, and I mean every room. We regularly use a ‘plan man’ at work and it was easier to send him in and pay a couple of hundred quid to get it done properly and have a full floor plan on file. Oh, this just gets better, thanks. Our tenants are in for a shock at rent review time. And to think that we held off two increases during the time of the plague. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 10 minutes ago, amateur said: Oh, this just gets better, thanks. Our tenants are in for a shock at rent review time. And to think that we held off two increases during the time of the plague. Ditto. We’ve still held back on the increase because we want to keep the tenants and we fixed rates for 5 years last year. I remember talking to my business partner at the time about fixing for 10 years - ah but who knows what the world will look like in 5 years let alone 10 years eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryman Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 Council’s come up with these laws for landlord’s only to end up putting people who are in a position to do buy to let right off the idea, the biggest problem is that the council’s have no property’s for people to live in so it’s a negative situation all round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 9 minutes ago, countryman said: Council’s come up with these laws for landlord’s only to end up putting people who are in a position to do buy to let right off the idea, the biggest problem is that the council’s have no property’s for people to live in so it’s a negative situation all round. Spot on another unthought out council money grab! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remimax Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 38 minutes ago, countryman said: Council’s come up with these laws for landlord’s only to end up putting people who are in a position to do buy to let right off the idea, the biggest problem is that the council’s have no property’s for people to live in so it’s a negative situation all round. Spot on, most of the landlords i do EICRs for are selling up as each property becomes vacant ,had enough of the bull****. section 21 gone and they can have pets ,you have to put it in writing why you will not allow it. had one landlord sent me a facebook pic,tennants had a shetland pony in the garden,tea time the little girl was sat on its back watching pepper pig in the living room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgreco Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 11 hours ago, amateur said: Fortunately (?) our agent is on the ball and had warned us that the council were about to do this. How much detail did the floor plans have to have? I have just had to apply for 3 selective licences in Newcastle, I drew out the floor plans by hand and put the dimensions on. I then wrote “not to scale” these were accepted by the council good luck Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 10 hours ago, Remimax said: Spot on, most of the landlords i do EICRs for are selling up as each property becomes vacant ,had enough of the ********. I've been doing this for a few years now, just not worth the hassle anymore 😒 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 (edited) On 20/10/2022 at 17:45, 12gauge82 said: The slumlords will simply find a way to continue what they do. This ^^^ 100% Edited October 21, 2022 by Vince Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbie to this Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 This isn't about slumlords. This is just another Tax, being dressed up as something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 33 minutes ago, Newbie to this said: This isn't about slumlords. This is just another Tax, being dressed up as something else. Property based taxes are a government favourite because of the physical glue - you can bounce money round legal entities, jurisdictions and markets with the press of a button, not properly though. Stick £250k on the stock market for your retirement and pension and you’re fiscally responsible. Now try using £250k to buy some investment buy to let properties - now you’re the biggest tax target and responsible for the housing crisis etc etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rim Fire Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 Got rid of two of my houses but still got two thinking of getting rid of another one because of the landlord's license we have had in Wales for some time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 (edited) Down here in Cornwall there are hundreds of 'illegal' ie unregistered AirBnBs. Many are DIY conversions of outbuildings, attic rooms, extensions etc with no proper safety inspections or certification. Same in London with the boom in sheds with beds. All cash in hand and no rent book. That's why there needs to be licencing but like with guns it's only the honest ones that are inconvenienced Edited October 22, 2022 by Vince Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingdragon Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 I'm in Wales and I'm licensed and the exam was quite easy. My view on the the regs etc is that it forces you to keep your property in good order. Before licensing I looked at the property and said would I be happy for any of my boys to live in it and therefore kept it up too scratch and also keeping it saleable. My current tenant used to own the house but domestic situations etc , she ended up renting. I took her on and was happy as she was on benefits and that was brilliant when covid struck and people couldn't work, my rent still kept coming in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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