Reality bites: One landlord’s real-life experiences of tenants with pets

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A landlady who’s hosted a veritable menagerie of animals in rental properties over the years says she’s so fed up with the resulting mess and damage that she won’t take any more tenants with pets.

She’s had problems with virtually every pet she’s agreed to home: one tenant kept a cat locked in the bedroom that caused extensive damage to a carpet and wallpaper, while another family kept a dog in the conservatory leaving a big clean-up job and bill when they moved out: the window sill was chewed, poo was ingrained in the door, while the floor was warped and soaked with urine.

The landlady, who is reluctant to reveal her identity for fear of reprisals, reports that cockatiels have pecked wallpaper off a bedroom and even fish have created huge bills, she explains: “The tenant managed to break a large fish tank, smashing water and fish all over the laminate flooring, wrecking the floor.

“I’ve also had problems with a tortoise that chewed the woodwork and skirting boards!”

Her comments follow the news that Adur & Worthing Councils have launched a new dog training scheme for homeless people to prove they can make responsible tenants.

“I’m a pet-lover and have dogs and cats,” she tells LandlordZONE. “But while I feel very sorry for any homeless person with a dog or other pet, I’m sick of the damage caused and filth left by tenants with pets who say they’ll look after properties.

“I’ve probably spent thousands of pounds over the years paying for repairs that pets have caused to carpets and walls.”

She adds: “If they introduce a bill to force landlords to take tenants with pets, I’ll have to put the rent up, maybe by £25 a month per pet to cover additional wear and tear.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Reality bites: One landlord’s real-life experiences of tenants with pets | LandlordZONE.

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BREAKING: EPC upgrade proposals for rented homes are ‘unrealistic’ says trade body

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The government has been warned that its plans to improve energy efficiency within English and Welsh privately rented homes are unrealistic as it seeks to enforce a ‘one size fits all’ policy.

It plans to force all landlords to ensure their rented homes reach an EPC ‘C’ grade or above by 2028 regardless of their age, condition or size.

The government also wants to set a £10,000 per property price cap; set a requirement for landlords to install ‘fabric first’ measures; as well as requirements on letting agents and online property platforms to only advertise and let properties compliant with the rules.

“Forcing tighter restrictions on landlords, without sustained financial support, is too ambitious and will not be achieved,” says ARLA Propertymark.

“A key concern from members is that the target is unrealistic, and it is impractical to improve many properties based on the construction type and age.

“For instance, Wales has the oldest private rented dwelling stock in the UK, with 43 per cent built before 1919. Furthermore, too large a proportion of existing privately rented stock requires significant improvements to meet the C rating, which would reduce the amount of housing stock available to rent.”

One size fits all?

The trade body is, instead, calling on the government to implement changes incrementally.

Ministers have said the recently-extended Green Homes Grant that pays for two thirds of a property’s upgrade costs to a maximum of £5,000 will help but ARLA says it ends too early (31^st March 2022), particularly given the financial strain many landlords have been under during Covid.

ARLA also says listed buildings and those within conservation areas within the PRS present unique challenges that should be tackled separately, rather than being included in the current ‘one size fits all approach’

The government is now analysing the feedback after the consultation closed last week.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – BREAKING: EPC upgrade proposals for rented homes are ‘unrealistic’ says trade body | LandlordZONE.

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54-year-old landlord reported to rogue database for flat in Barclays bank vault

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A rogue landlord who let out a former bank vault as an illegal and dangerous flat has been fined and banned for failing to apply for a license and breaking a council prohibition order.

Anthony Roy Roe, 54, of Lower Armour Road in Tilehurst, Reading, has now been convicted at Croydon Crown Court and added to the Mayor of London’s rogue landlord database.

Croydon Council also hopes to add him to the national rogue landlord database.

The court heard that Roe’s tenant first contacted council officers about unsafe outdoor stairs with missing steps in February 2019.

When they visited the basement flat – a converted vault in a former Barclays bank branch – inspectors found there was no fire escape route except through the kitchen, a lack of natural light because there were no windows in the living room or bedroom, and no natural ventilation.

Unfit to live in

The flat, in Station Parade, Sanderstead (pictured), was classed as unfit to live in and the council issued a prohibition order.

But officers found it was still being rented out after Roe’s appeal was dismissed in August that year. He was convicted in his absence of breaking the order and failing to license the property through the landlord licensing scheme, ordered to pay a £2,640 fine for breaking the prohibition order, the council’s full costs of £6,624, and a £170 victim surcharge.

Councillor Jane Avis (pictured), cabinet member for homes and gateway services, says: “This flat wasn’t just an unsuitable place to live, it was an illegal and potentially lethal firetrap, so I’m glad the tenant flagged her concerns to us.”

Croydon’s scheme, set up in 2015 to raise housing standards in the private rented sector, expired last autumn and the council has applied to MHCLG for permission to renew it.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – 54-year-old landlord reported to rogue database for flat in Barclays bank vault | LandlordZONE.

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Are you a Mortgage Prisoner?

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A Mortgage Prisoner is someone who cannot switch to another product or to a new lender for their residential mortgage, despite being up to date with their payments. They could be stuck with a lender exploiting them with a high interest rate and not allowing them to take up more advantageous rates.

The post Are you a Mortgage Prisoner? appeared first on Property118.

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Are you a Mortgage Prisoner?

admin    Uncategorized    

A Mortgage Prisoner is someone who cannot switch to another product or to a new lender for their residential mortgage, despite being up to date with their payments. They could be stuck with a lender exploiting them with a high interest rate and not allowing them to take up more advantageous rates.

The post Are you a Mortgage Prisoner? appeared first on Property118.

View Full Article: Are you a Mortgage Prisoner?

Death of a separated joint tenant during pandemic?

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Hello All, The rented property was originally let around five years ago to a married couple – great tenants and never had any issues with them.

During mid-2020, their relationship broke down and the husband left the matrimonial home.

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