Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveinGermany
I don't know, affordable housing is apparently difficult to come by as it is in UK so we're led to believe, won't this just inflame the problem ? If the Landlords/property leasers have to pay 500 Quid every five years (for renewal, or am I reading it wrong ?) It's not hard to guess where they'll be getting their money back from is it !
Added to that because they're Council authorised this appears to be "Carte Blanche" for the underhanded ones to demand ridiculous rents as the people looking to rent have nowhere else to turn to for housing, as only Landlords with the required paperwork (from the Council) are available to prospective Tenants.
It appears to be a fly by night grab a quick "Buck" enterprise to me! All the safety aspects are good but who's paying & who's gaining from the checks will they be independents local firms or Council subsidiaries/sponsored ? I'm sorry but it seems as though the Council are trying to fill their Coffers via officialdom. Remember I'm an outsider looking in & that's how it looks from here.
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Dave I appreciate that you are an outsider looking in. In Hyndburn at the current time, there are approx 2000 empty properties and many properties that are rented out by private landlords that are not for purpose. As you can appreciate the landlords who are not concerned about looking after the buildings they own, has a very detrimental effect on anyone who is an owner occupier (or a landlord who does look after their property) in the area. In many areas of the borough houses prices have fallen because of the poor state the rented property is in (and the fact that some landlords couldn't care less about who the tenants are, provided they are getting their rent). A lot of tenants in private rented accommodation get all, or part of their rent paid by way of Housing Benefit and as I said before so long as thy are getting their rent the landlords are not bothered about the state their houses are in. Last year I was contacted by one of the residents of Church ward (who had ben made redundant), he was behind with his rent because his claim for Housing Benefit had not been sorted out. His landlord was threatening to enter the property, whilst he was out and change the locks - dumping his families belongings out in the street. Whilst this action would have been illegal it could quite easily have happened. The rent on this house was £100 per week, none of the gas fires (or the central heating was working) they had to use electric fires and an oil filled radiator and the roof was leaking. It is to try to eradicate landlords like this that the scheme is being implemented.
The scheme will be administered by HBC and will only cover the running costs. It certainly is not being implemented to 'grab a quick buck' it is making use of relatively new government legislation designed to combat the problems of bad landlords- many of whom bought houses at auction, never having been anywhere near the borough, but thinking they could rent them out and they would make a quick profit.