Rogue Landlord Encounters

[KevinH]

Has anyone had encounters with rogue landlords?
I will tell my short story (and keep it as short as possible)

I had a call a few weeks back from a landlord to sort out an issue with an immersion heater following an "incident".

It seemed an emergency so I arrived that afternoon and the tenant, a middle aged Eastern European lady, let me in and explained (as best she could) that the landlord had fitted a plugtop to the immersion heater on the day she moved in to give hot water.

When I looked in the airing cupboard, I found an unrecognisable big black blob of melted mess that used to be a plug and socket where the 20A DP should have been. (Wanted to attached a pic, but it says the file is too large). After having a quick scan around the property, I noticed the tell tale signs of a rogue landlord. A pendant hanging from the ceiling supported by the cables, a cracked socket, no smoke alarms, and my favourite, a 3036 Re Wirable fuseboard. Not an RCD in sight!

I got straight on the phone to the landlord and explained the situation, of what had to be done, and completely unfazed, his reply was "can you just get the hot water back on and I will pay you cash", to which I replied "I can't do it today, I will have to return tomorrow".......

Ok, so I lied! I never had any intention of returning, as I have come across these type of landlords before who cut corners, totally ignore the safety of tenants and risk of a fire, and of course expect everything done for pennies...often not paying at all. I have not got the time of day for them!

Suffice to say that I informed Electrical Safety Roundtable, politely advised the tenant to find another landlord, blocked his number from my phone and walked away.

Should I feel guilty for leaving the lady with no hot water? How are these landlords getting away with it?

 

[DPG]

There will always be good and bad in all walks of life. That includes landlords, tennants, electricians, plumbers, etc etc. Such is life unfortunately - a small percentage of people will just never give a damn.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Sometimes its just lack of knowledge , I went to a flat during lockdown similar to the OP a landlord had attempted to fit a new immersion heater element themselves and fit a cheapo plastic timer for the tenant. The switch was the old 20a original switch that they took the old original 1.5 flex to then added a new cheapo timeClock but then took a 0.5mm 2c flex to the immersion from the timer.
they called me as the The timer clock and 0.5 flex had completed melted into a crispy black mess.
On inspection the cheap time clock was only rated at 5A and we all know 0.5 flex won't hold up to the 3K draw of a heating element.
The landlord didn't have this knowledge , even with the best intentions

 

[timhoward]

Having a card reader and ability to send payment links helps a lot in these situations, ok you lose a percentage, but for smaller jobs for rogue landlords the moneys in the bank and you can crack on.
(If I'd been paid up front I would have probably been willing to fit an isolator, the installation met the regs when installed and I'd only be changing an accessory.)

 

[KevinH]

I was tempted to do as timhoward mentioned to get the water heating up again, but you know when you get a bad vibe for a bad landlord and a job you don't want to be associated with.
I have a card reader, but that's no good when the landlord isn't on site and says he will "drop the cash off tomorrow" because his card isn't working.... Oh yes of course he will!!

 

[DefyG]

There will always be good and bad in all walks of life. That includes landlords, tennants, electricians, plumbers, etc etc.

Agreed! went to do some work (un-related to EICR) for a landlord, the day before new tenants moving in and she then produced an EICR previously carried out.
It was littered with C3's but whilst working there had noticed exposed singularly insulated cables, lack of earth bond to water service, broken light fittings/accessories, incorrect ratings of OCD to name a few, but it was declared 'Satisfactory'!

I pointed out the issues that I thought should be C2's and suggested she take it up with the original inspector especially at the 11th hour!
The landlord in this case I felt not a rogue and wanting to do 'everything by the book' but oblivious to the shortfalls I found in the EICR because it had been declared Satisfactory!

 

[LukeD]

Rouge landlords are my "project " in life .I currently rent and our landlord is a greedy lawyer that does what ever she can to distance herself from "the law" .All illegals mainly doing work for cash in hand . 11 min EICR's , She lies all the time and blames her "team" .I remind her that in court ... its her that will be stood in the dock and Ive given her enough info to say she should have carried out a lot more due diligence and show some respect . When i am faced with a bad landlord .I dont hold back.I inform the tenant of their rights and the law and I also inform the landlord and tell them what I think of them. MANY seem to have come from the same "backgrounds" So think of that what you will !!! People say you cannot Stereotype , But YOU REALLY CAN !! Now I also noticed the councils dont really care or act . I have the LOndon Fire service coming next week to do a report on our alarms/detectors , They do this for free , but £50 to the Fire charity means they will put their report in writing AICO have also done a report saying in no uncertain terms that the fitter did not fit them to their specs . They are 2 inches from a corner . A basic smoke capsule test shows the corner really affects the smoke pattern when it rises and Curls away from the detector .

Years ago ... I would be stood in a Friends Plumbing shop in North London very close to Golders Green And "landlords " with 30-50 tiny flats etc (Most illegal) would offer £50 for each Gorgi cert . Now some of the guys would look at it as a HUGE income , cash . Some would start arguing with these scum landlords and tell them to FO . But what was VERY obvious , The council did NOT want to investigate . They get away with it because we are a pathetic nation who are worried about holding up our laws etc etc just in case the "Racism or religious " allegation is used against the authorities AND THEY DO > And the Councils are Just too lazy .

 

[Rockingit]

Agree with all the sentiments above but for some balance.... not ALL LL's are like this. I've ended up doing a partial rewire on a place purely because my EICR C3's didn't 'sit well with him' even though they were entirely reasonable to ignore, and in the process of relocating the CU 12" inside a kitchen cabinet (perfectly good condition existing RCBO unit apart from being plastic) I mentioned I'd need to patch up a small knock-out hole in the cover which is no longer needed and he asked to just get a new CU. I'm so far up to around £5k on labour and materials that he could legitimately have turned a blind eye to.

 

[KevinH]

Slightly going off landlords, It always amazes me that these EICR "inspectors" have the audacity to cut so many corners during an inspection. I understand that time is money and all that, but how do some of them sleep at night.
And how don't they get found out?

I would be worried if my signature was on the certificate of something claiming that an installation is safe for continued use where it clearly isn't. What if the worst were to happen following the inspection? Isn't an electricians livelihood worth more than a quick £50 knock off report??

 

[Rockingit]

Slightly going off landlords, It always amazes me that these EICR "inspectors" have the audacity to cut so many corners during an inspection. I understand that time is money and all that, but how do some of them sleep at night.
And how don't they get found out?

I would be worried if my signature was on the certificate of something claiming that an installation is safe for continued use where it clearly isn't. What if the worst were to happen following the inspection? Isn't an electricians livelihood worth more than a quick £50 knock off report??

Well, logically that will happen. Sadly it will come to pass that a tenant somewhere will get injured or electrocuted and then the questions will get asked, and a certificate will be found, then the signature that's on it.... then the blame game will start.

You only have to look at Grenfell to know that was a problem waiting to happen, that everybody knew about, where nobody wanted to actually do anything about it because profit was being made, until it couldn't be ignored any more.

 

[davesparks]

. MANY seem to have come from the same "backgrounds" So think of that what you will !!! People say you cannot Stereotype , But YOU REALLY CAN !!

I completely agree, the vast majority of bad landlords I have dealt with are the stereotypical old, former city worker, jaguar driver who spend the money they should be using to repair the properties on their golf club membership.

 

[littlespark]

Are you saying ALL landlords are bad, or ALL bad landlords come from same stock?


As mentioned previously in the thread.... there are indeed some very good landlords along with the very bad ones.
And equally, there are some very bad tenants and very good tenants. You CANNOT stereotype. That is a slippery slope to lots of words ending in "....ism"

I believe one of our own forum sparks is also a landlord, and i bet we have members who rent the house they live in.... Don't hear much griping from those people.

There will be individual cases of a "bad" landlord, or indeed, a "bad" tenant.... and that is why there is safety checks, licensing systems and rental agreements in place... to protect the good of both sides

 

[Rockingit]

Are you saying ALL landlords are bad, or ALL bad landlords come from same stock?


As mentioned previously in the thread.... there are indeed some very good landlords along with the very bad ones.
And equally, there are some very bad tenants and very good tenants. You CANNOT stereotype. That is a slippery slope to lots of words ending in "....ism"

I believe one of our own forum sparks is also a landlord, and i bet we have members who rent the house they live in.... Don't hear much griping from those people.

There will be individual cases of a "bad" landlord, or indeed, a "bad" tenant.... and that is why there is safety checks, licensing systems and rental agreements in place... to protect the good of both sides

We're a Landlord and frankly we'd be embarrased to have tenants in anything other than a 100% property!

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Quite fortunate that in Bath where most of my work is the council if they get sent the information on a dodgy landlord and dangerous property can and do act quite swiftly. They have a polciy now where by if a property is dangerous they can get court orders preventing any eviction and get the work done and billed to landlord or a charging order on property.
They have really upped the game.
Likewise most of the agents in Bath are also quite good now. you will always have landlords moaning and cutting corners but i do think the days of them getting away with it are numbered around here.
BANES council wrote to most if not all the air bnb hosts recently asking them to check the mortage, insurances etc as they will shortly be starting a new process of inspecting them unannounced. They cant actually legislate against them at moment so finding other ways to sort it all out. they basically want to clamp down as its vastly reducing the number of normal rentals in Bath pushing rents up.
They will be going in with fire brigade, building control etc to inspect just like an hmo and if they find something amiss will make an example. talking to a councillor about the scheme, she said they have even considered letting mortage companies know that the property is no longer owner occupied or being used for short term lets as they may then call the mortage in for repayment.

 

[davesparks]

BANES council wrote to most if not all the air bnb hosts recently asking them to check the mortage, insurances etc as they will shortly be starting a new process of inspecting them unannounced. They cant actually legislate against them at moment so finding other ways to sort it all out. they basically want to clamp down as its vastly reducing the number of normal rentals in Bath pushing rents up.
They will be going in with fire brigade, building control etc to inspect just like an hmo and if they find something amiss will make an example. talking to a councillor about the scheme, she said they have even considered letting mortage companies know that the property is no longer owner occupied or being used for short term lets as they may then call the mortage in for repayment.

That sounds ridiculous to me. If landlords are moving from private rentals to air bnb style short lets then going in guns-blazing like that is not going to help. Those landlords are more likely to sell up or leave the property vacant than go back to private rental.

If they want to stop landlords leaving the private rental sector then they need to address the things which are causing the landlords to leave, not penalise them for leaving it.

 

[davesparks]

and i bet we have members who rent the house they live in.... Don't hear much griping from those people.

I am one of those members, I rent the house I live in.

The only reason you don't hear me griping is I don't particularly want to be banned from the forum.

 

[davesparks]

When i am faced with a bad landlord .I dont hold back.I inform the tenant of their rights and the law and I also inform the landlord and tell them what I think of them.

Be careful handing out such advice to tenants unless you are 100% sure of what you are doing.

If after you have spoken to them the tenants start kicking up a fuss they may well get evicted as a result of it.

 

[Dave OCD]

I am one of those members, I rent the house I live in.

The only reason you don't hear me griping is I don't particularly want to be banned from the forum.

I'm a tenant too, and it's probably my biggest regret that we didn't get a mortgage sorted out many many years ago, but so be it.
We're currently halfway through a 3 year tenancy, very nice house with a garage etc and we keep it immaculate but certainly paying enough for it ! And the owners who I thought I knew well and have done a lot of work for at their own house over many years have told me they intend to sell at the end of this tenancy as they're 'getting old'. It's an awful feeling as we'll have all the hassle of finding yet another home coupled with all the moving and organising that goes with it , just need a lottery win really.

 

[davesparks]

I'm a tenant too, and it's probably my biggest regret that we didn't get a mortgage sorted out many many years ago, but so be it.
We're currently halfway through a 3 year tenancy, very nice house with a garage etc and we keep it immaculate but certainly paying enough for it ! And the owners who I thought I knew well and have done a lot of work for at their own house over many years have told me they intend to sell at the end of this tenancy as they're 'getting old'. It's an awful feeling as we'll have all the hassle of finding yet another home coupled with all the moving and organising that goes with it , just need a lottery win really.

You have my sympathies.

My landlord lives less than 15mins away from me yet it has not even had the basic decency to introduce itself to me! An absoloutely disgusting lack of manners on it's part.

 

[littlespark]

Why you address your landlord as “it” but not as a “land-them”??

 

[davesparks]

Why you address your landlord as “it” but not as a “land-them”??

It is indeed an it for, as with all landlords, it is not human.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Being a Landlord I like to think the tenants in our house's are happy with what they have, EICR every change of tenancy or even every two years, just in case, never know what has gone on in the property over any time period no matter how reasonable the tenants are, in reality I find there are more rouge tenants than landlords.

Case in point: asked recently to check a property for a charity that the tenant complained the RCD kept tripping, new Volvo in the drive, tenant with very long nails and very expensive make up, children on new iPhones (more up to date than mine) and sky television, I made an excuse and left.

 

[davesparks]

Case in point: asked recently to check a property for a charity that the tenant complained the RCD kept tripping, new Volvo in the drive, tenant with very long nails and very expensive make up, children on new iPhones (more up to date than mine) and sky television, I made an excuse and left.

Why leave? How does the tenants material possessions affect you as a contractor for the landlord?

 

[LukeD]

Be careful handing out such advice to tenants unless you are 100% sure of what you are doing.

If after you have spoken to them the tenants start kicking up a fuss they may well get evicted as a result of it.

Like a 9 year tenancy with not one gas check or a EICR .They are 100% leaving UK in october .They had no idea of the laws. My advice to them and the landlord was this ..... YOU dont pay a penny rent to the greedy AH . And dont think about trying to evict them etc etc . You could easily end up in Jail. But the moment they hit the airport , they will report him

 

[davesparks]

My advice to them and the landlord was this ..... YOU dont pay a penny rent to the greedy AH .

So you are on the side of the landlord?

This is very poor advice if you claim to be on the side if the tenant!

Withholding rent just puts the tenant in breach of contract.

If you were truly in support if the tenant you would be advising them to take proper legal action which would result in a court awarding the tenant remuneration from the landlord equal to many months rent.

 

[pirate]

I have many years experience as a landlord and as a landlords' agent. I always kept my rental properties as near to perfect as possible, and I have never had a complaint from a tenant. it's not difficult to be a good landlord, but it can cost a bit, however the cost is not relevant when a tenant's safety is concerned.
My landlord clients (nearly) all were good people and took my advice on safety and improvements. Maybe I was lucky due to the location of most of the properties and the "calibre" of my clients, but the fact that they came to me to manage all the paperwork rather than running off a dodgy "lease" themselves meant that they were keen to stay within the law in all aspects.
On the other hand, when I inspected properties of those "dodgy" and non-registered landlords, the lack of maintenance and care was obvious at a glance. As always, there are those who do care, and those who just take the money and run. My point is simply that it's not really correct to tar all landlords (or tenants) with the same brush.

 

[LukeD]

So you are on the side of the landlord?

This is very poor advice if you claim to be on the side if the tenant!

Withholding rent just puts the tenant in breach of contract.

If you were truly in support if the tenant you would be advising them to take proper legal action which would result in a court awarding the tenant remuneration from the landlord equal to many months rent.

Read it again...they are leaving in October .What could a landlord do ? 2 months notice , then 3-5 months .Thats if its all legal

He really would not want to be going near a court !! He cheated and put their safety at risk. He deserves to lose the rent . And should be reported on the day they leave .he needs sorting out

 

[Rockingit]

Read it again...they are leaving in October .What could a landlord do ? 2 months notice , then 3-5 months .Thats if its all legal

He really would not want to be going near a court !! He cheated and put their safety at risk. He deserves to lose the rent . And should be reported on the day they leave .he needs sorting out

Then what you’ll find is that the LL has a case simply to withhold the deposit! I get that this is an emotive subject but you really need to stick to your field of expertise - we all do in everything - otherwise something will come unstuck.

 

[Rockingit]

Echoing what others have said about this being a two-way street, years ago I had the contract on several postcode areas for a large lettings agent to do all their serviced work. The number of times I’d get called out for the simplest of things that were well within the capabilities and responsibilities of the tenants to resolve was unreal - replacing PP3’s in smoke alarms was such a common thing I kept bulk stock of them in the van. So the LL ends up with a £100 bill for the 30secs to change a £2 battery that requires no skills whatsoever!! The attitude of the tenant was literally ‘screw them, don’t care’.

However, this country has a major problem with housing stock and that has to be realised - it used to be the case that you finished studies/training, got a job, saved up and bought a house. But the gap between income, mortgage ratios and house prices just makes that impossible for so many. Basic maths says a couple each earning £30k gives a combined income of £60, for a four times mortgage (if they can get one….) makes £240k. Which is significantly short of a majority of house prices in a lot of areas. So instead they’re forced to rent a place for £1k+ on which the LL has mortgage repayments of £500 - it’s an ever decreasing circle for the tenant. That’s simplistic, I know, but neatly sums up the problem.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Why leave? How does the tenants material possessions affect you as a contractor for the landlord?

The tenants material possessions affect my perspective with them living in a house owned by a Charity rent free.

 

[pirate]

Echoing what others have said about this being a two-way street, years ago I had the contract on several postcode areas for a large lettings agent to do all their serviced work. The number of times I’d get called out for the simplest of things that were well within the capabilities and responsibilities of the tenants to resolve was unreal - replacing PP3’s in smoke alarms was such a common thing I kept bulk stock of them in the van. So the LL ends up with a £100 bill for the 30secs to change a £2 battery that requires no skills whatsoever!! The attitude of the tenant was literally ‘screw them, don’t care’.

However, this country has a major problem with housing stock and that has to be realised - it used to be the case that you finished studies/training, got a job, saved up and bought a house. But the gap between income, mortgage ratios and house prices just makes that impossible for so many. Basic maths says a couple each earning £30k gives a combined income of £60, for a four times mortgage (if they can get one….) makes £240k. Which is significantly short of a majority of house prices in a lot of areas. So instead they’re forced to rent a place for £1k+ on which the LL has mortgage repayments of £500 - it’s an ever decreasing circle for the tenant. That’s simplistic, I know, but neatly sums up the problem.

Some good points there, for sure. However the rental market is going through considerable upheaval with many private sector landlords leaving the sector due to numerous legislative changes, thus the stock of available houses is dwindling. It's fine for the person who inherits a flat and sticks it on AirBnB, collects the cash and lives a happy life. Not so good when the proper landlord has to get through registration, electrical and gas safety, fire and smoke alarms, ISITEE, legionella risk assessment and of course there isn't the same mortgage relief as previously and there is the extra stamp duty too. etc. Many do, of course, but these hurdles are seen as burdensome and expensive for many rogues, so they just don't bother.
It's a huge debate, but I'm just going to --- that AirBnB and their like have skewed and screwed the rental market not just in the UK but in other countries too, and I can't see things getting any better.

 

[LukeD]

Then what you’ll find is that the LL has a case simply to withhold the deposit! I get that this is an emotive subject but you really need to stick to your field of expertise - we all do in everything - otherwise something will come unstuck.

Thats not even protected ...again...stay on the same page . The landlord is going to ROYALLY screwed . And deserves to be .

 

[Rockingit]

Thats not even protected ...again...stay on the same page . The landlord is going to ROYALLY screwed . And deserves to be .

Luke, slightly combative reply here? A) This is new information and B) still doesn’t really change the narrative - I’d suggest that the only advice you should be giving is simply to get advice, otherwise you’re putting yourself in the firing line at the same time as acting as judge and jury based on armchair warrior law. Which isn’t to say that the whole situation doesn’t sound like it stinks from top to toe.

 

[davesparks]

Read it again...they are leaving in October .What could a landlord do ? 2 months notice , then 3-5 months .Thats if its all legal

He can start legal action which can result in them being prevented from leaving the country.

He really would not want to be going near a court !! He cheated and put their safety at risk.

That is a seperate issue, non-payment of rent is an issue that the landlord can take action against the tenant for.
Safety failings are seperate issue that the tenant can take action against the landlord for.

He deserves to lose the rent .

That's not your decision to make.

And should be reported on the day they leave .he needs sorting out

Anything which needs to be reported should be done in a timely manner. Deliberately waiting until the day they leave will again harm the tenants case in this matter.

 

[davesparks]

Thats not even protected ...again...stay on the same page . The landlord is going to ROYALLY screwed . And deserves to be .

There is a clear cut procedure in place for dealing with an unprotected deposit, the tenant simply needs to follow due process and can be awarded up to 3 months rent (possibly more).

Of course if they going in to this with your aggressive and combative attitude it will again harm their case and help the landlord to fight back.

 

[LukeD]

There is a clear cut procedure in place for dealing with an unprotected deposit, the tenant simply needs to follow due process and can be awarded up to 3 months rent (possibly more).

Of course if they going in to this with your aggressive and combative attitude it will again harm their case and help the landlord to fight back.

They walk away with more than £10k.... he expects this as rent from now till they leave . His hard luck . Game set and match . And he can go and get the money from them if he wants ..trouble is where they are going , he wont be coming back in one piece !! And no Dave,... they can leave the country any time .The law is very different when it comes to civil matters

 

[davesparks]

I have never had a complaint from a tenant.

Of course not, tenants don't complain because we know that complaints = eviction.

 

[littlespark]

Of course not, tenants don't complain because we know that complaints = eviction.

Not always.

A good landlord will listen to tenants, or not have complaints in the first place


We’re going round in circles, with half of us saying landlords are evil, and the other half…. Who have real life experience of being a landlord, saying otherwise…..

And refusing to pay rent because something hasn’t been done is the the same misled mentality of turning up with a couple of pals and baseball bats at the door of a customer who hasn’t paid you.
There are official ways to do things, that doesn’t involve breaking the law yourself.

 

[LukeD]

Not always.

A good landlord will listen to tenants, or not have complaints in the first place


We’re going round in circles, with half of us saying landlords are evil, and the other half…. Who have real life experience of being a landlord, saying otherwise…..

And refusing to pay rent because something hasn’t been done is the the same misled mentality of turning up with a couple of pals and baseball bats at the door of a customer who hasn’t paid you.
There are official ways to do things, that doesn’t involve breaking the law yourself.

And those methods take time and money .Life is too short .Sometimes you just have to play dirty .Especially when there is zero they can do abou it . This country is a mess due to the last 25 years housing crisis . Greed and lack of concern from councils

 

[littlespark]

All landlords….. All councils?

I’m not going to ask what you think of all traffic wardens, all MPs or all tv and radio presenters of the 1980’s

 

[DPG]

There have been some wild sweeping comments on this thread.

With the state of some EICRs recently some people might say all electricians are cowboys. I'm sure you wouldnt agree with that though.

It's not good getting angry and letting emotion win over sense.

For disclosure, I have been a landlord for around 15 years. My tennants have never had any issue that haven't been sorted promptly. On the other hand I had one lot of bad tennants to deal with.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Landlords are people as well, they just want paying for a service they provide, they have invested in a property and offered it to others to live in, if you truly believe your LL is a rouge, move.

 

[James]

Its Often not an easy decision to make.
For instance, I have a family member who is renting a house for him, his wife and 2 children (one of which is seriously special needs)

The state of the house is poor but not terrible
they have been trying for weeks to get a faulty tap fixed but no assistance so far, constantly leaking onto the counter then onto the floor where they are mopping it up regularly.

the electrics are a mess, whole house is on a single 30mA rcd that has been bypassed by 2 loops of cable from intake to output.

Obviously as I am not within a part P scheme, i have not disconnected the loops to see if the rcd is faulty or if there is a genuine fault but my "expert visual analysis" leads me to suspect a fault with the house wiring.

If I were to write up an EICR for the property it would be marked as UNSATISFACTORY.
they have no recent gas cert, no electrical cert, however the the landlord has made it clear that any troubles with the legal side of things will lead to the house being sold.
they cant afford to move so are therefore Fooked or other word that sounds a little like it.

Its not easy for people renting, some landlords are just not doing what is required of them.
I understand that some landlords are also having trouble with tenants so its not all one way, a proper legal structure that regulates landlords and tenants would possibly be a step forward but all the bad ones would avoid registering.

 

[LukeD]

Its Often not an easy decision to make.
For instance, I have a family member who is renting a house for him, his wife and 2 children (one of which is seriously special needs)

The state of the house is poor but not terrible
they have been trying for weeks to get a faulty tap fixed but no assistance so far, constantly leaking onto the counter then onto the floor where they are mopping it up regularly.

the electrics are a mess, whole house is on a single 30mA rcd that has been bypassed by 2 loops of cable from intake to output.

Obviously as I am not within a part P scheme, i have not disconnected the loops to see if the rcd is faulty or if there is a genuine fault but my "expert visual analysis" leads me to suspect a fault with the house wiring.

If I were to write up an EICR for the property it would be marked as UNSATISFACTORY.
they have no recent gas cert, no electrical cert, however the the landlord has made it clear that any troubles with the legal side of things will lead to the house being sold.
they cant afford to move so are therefore Fooked or other word that sounds a little like it.

Its not easy for people renting, some landlords are just not doing what is required of them.
I understand that some landlords are also having trouble with tenants so its not all one way, a proper legal structure that regulates landlords and tenants would possibly be a step forward but all the bad ones would avoid registering.

And it will be getting worse ..... Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire .

 

[davesparks]

Its Often not an easy decision to make.
For instance, I have a family member who is renting a house for him, his wife and 2 children (one of which is seriously special needs)

The state of the house is poor but not terrible
they have been trying for weeks to get a faulty tap fixed but no assistance so far, constantly leaking onto the counter then onto the floor where they are mopping it up regularly.

the electrics are a mess, whole house is on a single 30mA rcd that has been bypassed by 2 loops of cable from intake to output.

Obviously as I am not within a part P scheme, i have not disconnected the loops to see if the rcd is faulty or if there is a genuine fault but my "expert visual analysis" leads me to suspect a fault with the house wiring.

If I were to write up an EICR for the property it would be marked as UNSATISFACTORY.
they have no recent gas cert, no electrical cert, however the the landlord has made it clear that any troubles with the legal side of things will lead to the house being sold.
they cant afford to move so are therefore Fooked or other word that sounds a little like it.

Its not easy for people renting, some landlords are just not doing what is required of them.
I understand that some landlords are also having trouble with tenants so its not all one way, a proper legal structure that regulates landlords and tenants would possibly be a step forward but all the bad ones would avoid registering.

Have they/you spoken to shelter about this?

They may be able to offer some help and advice.

If they are within the fixed term of their tenancy then it may be that any sale of the house just transfers the tenancy to a new landlord and doesn't result in their having to move.
There's a lot of if's but's and maybe's to it all so proper advice is needed.

 

[James]

the only advice given to them is that they should take the landlord to task with it, however they wont do anything until the tenant has made all reasonable attempts to sort it.
if they made attempts to sort it, they would be homeless.

the charity's and the advice from the council is both the same,
if you are homeless, We will house you in a B and B until a permanent solution is found.

however, how would you like to be causing a stink that makes you homeless on the promise that you will be sheltered in a hotel room until suitable accommodation is found when you have been on the waiting list for suitable accommodation for 9 years and nothing has been found?

Its easy to provide advice but tough to receive and act on it.

not knocking the good advice given but pointing out the flaws in the "system"

p.s. I have a plan to help them but need to spend another couple of years saving the capital to do it.

 

[brianmoooore]

Obviously as I am not within a part P scheme, i have not disconnected the loops to see if the rcd is faulty or if there is .....

No requirement to be a member of a scam to test the installation, or produce an EICR. Scam membership only needed if you replace the whole CU.

 

[davesparks]

the charity's and the advice from the council is both the same,
if you are homeless, We will house you in a B and B until a permanent solution is found.

I hadn't realised shelter would be quite as helpless as the council.

I didn't suggest speaking council as I'm well aware of how little they can actually do.

You are probably already aware, but the council will only put them into emergency housing if they are actually evicted with the whole court order + bailiffs circus.
If they leave before proper eviction occurs then they would be deemed as 'voluntarily homeless' and therfore not eligible for emergency housing from the council.

however, how would you like to be causing a stink that makes you homeless on the promise that you will be sheltered in a hotel room until suitable accommodation is found when you have been on the waiting list for suitable accommodation for 9 years and nothing has been found?

I wouldnt, and they do have my sympathy.
I do realise how lucky I am that the flat I rent is habitable and isn't old enough to have deteriorated much.
The only repair I've had to do is to the kitchen sink waste after it finally failed when the landlord ignored the cracks in it for 6 months.

p.s. I have a plan to help them but need to spend another couple of years saving the capital to do it.

That's brilliant to hear, the world needs more people like you!

 

[Mike Johnson]

A leaking top, good grief, get off your butt and do something about it your self.

 

[James]

A leaking top, good grief, get off your butt and do something about it your self.

I get what you’re saying,
however, every penny I spend fixing his landlords property is a penny lost towards helping them get there own home.