Bad Landlords Be Warned
All landlords fear bad tenants. A bad tenancy can be a lengthy nightmare scenario causing stress, financial loss and lots of hassle.
But it can indeed work both ways. There are plenty of bad landlords out there too.
Just this week I was reading about a landlord who had been fined £162,000 after 18 people were crammed into an illegal and poorly converted four bedroom flat in London.
It wasn’t just the cramped conditions it was also his disregard for safety regulations such as smoke alarms, boiler checks and fire exits.
He was charging up to £800 a month per person and raking in £15,000 a week. This is one that certainly falls into the bad landlord category.
At Express Property Services we always check and reference tenants thoroughly.
But a step before that we always ensure that the landlords we work with are professional, responsible and fair. Otherwise we won’t work with them.
In nearly 30 years in the letting business I’ve come to realise that just as many problems come with a bad landlord as that accompany a bad tenant.
I want to focus my energy and attention on ensuring good landlords and tenants have smooth and mutually beneficial lets rather than constantly dealing with problems caused by a property owner’s disregard of their obligations.
Local authorities across London and the UK are beginning to really crack down on rogue landlords and so they should. The fines will get bigger and bigger and the message to people trying to dodge the law is clear: the authorities are gunning for you.
Everyone has a right to a decent home and not to be exploited.
Thankfully all of the landlords we are currently working with respect this right, otherwise we wouldn’t be working with them and vice versa.
At the end of the day we never forget that lettings is a people business. In my experience good landlords attract and retain good tenants which ultimately makes good business sense.
Thanks for reading and if you have any lettings or landlord related questions please feel free to contact me.
Mark
