Renting Property in Accrington
 

Anyone know if there are any decent letting agents around Accy and where I might be able to find them?

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Re: Renting Property in Accrington
 

Thompson and Partners have a lettings department.............

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Is there any property in Accy that would be classed as in prime rental areas?

I hear property is quite cheap up there!

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Cheap compared to where you live but not by local wages...

My mum lives up Spring hill, Her house is proabbly worth £40-50K. I'd reckon £20K tops. For someone working in manufacturing on minimum wage as a lot of people are(£15K/year) then its out their price range to pay over £50K for a house. I was lucky and moved in 99 before house prices shot up. I couldn't afford the ouse I live in now even though I have a good job in a highly paid area of expertise.

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For someone on £15 a lot of lenders would lend 4 times salary.

Some lenders will stretch further than that - one lender will go 4.8 times, and other lenders work on disposable income rather than income multiples.

£60k is not out of reach for someone on £15k.

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Cheap property? Afraid you missed the boat. Three years ago you could have bought the Town Hall, if you'd have sold your garage in London, not now!

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But who in there right mind earning 15k would want to get so far into debt?? What if the interest rates go up again? If anybody borrows over 3.5 times there wage they must be crazy!! I certainly wont do it and thats part of the reason I am leaving the UK.

As for letting agencies, I use Rent The House in accy next to argos. If you are on the dole then you are all right, but god help you if you are working and want something half decent, the minimum is about £400 a month!!!

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lf interest rates went up to 15% which they did in the early 90's, you'd be on the street if you'd have borrowed x4 your salary.

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i noticed they snapped up a few properties where rists used to be yet at prices like 150 p/w who can afford that unless the dhss pay it . I d find it annoying to have paid for one them properties though then to find a bunch of youths renting the house next door . On a few occasions ive passed there to see a few lads hanging out a window with the music blasting out .
Im not sure which letting company it is but they have a few places up sandy lane and usually in the region of 60 - 70 per week will try and find out later the name

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It is highly unlikely that interest rates would go that high again. Do you remember that one of the first things the government did when they came into power was to hand over control to the Bank of England?

4x salary is quite normal nowadays, and as I said earlier, you can get more than that from some companies.

Anyway, show me someone who finds their dream house, but to get it they need 4x their salary. Are they going to say "no, I couldn't possibly because it's 4x my salary"?

I think not.

How about "show me the money!"

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im not sure on this it could b incomplete

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Roy puts hand up :)

I'm not playing the big style debt game, I've seen what it does to people when things don't go your way. Especially at this time when house prices are ridiculous!

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Whilst admitedly it's a tempting enough offer to borrow as much as you can get, it is still a risk. The Economy has always been a Boom and Bust rollercoaster ride, even with more power in the hands of the Bank of England.

The national average wage for last year was reported to be 21k.
4x £21,000= £84,000
This is enough to buy a garage in the south east, and badly limits your choices in Hyndburn now, after the massive price increases in the last two years.

l'm lucky, l sold my dingy London shoe box,[bought in the early 90's slump,] eight years later for a 400% profit, before moving back North. l feel sorry for anyone trying to buy for the first time here, were the average wage is certainly not 21k.

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If everyone thought that way, no one would buy a house in the first place!

Unless you are a cash buyer, you are going to have to get into debt somehow. Or rent of course.

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Absolutely right.

I bought my house for just under £80k in 1999.

Now it's worth over £200k.

We stretched our income at the time, but with pay rises etc, it becomes easier to meet the repayments

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Of course you're going to have to get into debt. A mortgage is a debt, after all. But Garinda is right, there is a world of difference between borrowing 4 x salary and paying 5% interest and paying 15% interest. I no longer have a mortgage (thank God) but when I was paying one, interest rates went up to 14%. It made a great deal of difference to my budgeting. Okay, so you can make sacrifices, give up smoking (if you do), give up drinking, etc. However it's hard to give up those other expensive little habits like eating, wearing shoes, and travelling to work. There can also come a point where life is so joyless than it's hardly worth it, dream house or not.

The point is, to get into MANAGEABLE debt, not something which is going to cripple you for years to come.

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So many of my friends split up, directly or indirectly because of over stretching themselves in the boom of the mid 80's, because of their desire to have the dream house. Negative equity arose because of the ever present fluctuations in the interest rates. This meant they had to live together for years after they wanted to move out and on. Nightmare.

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I have had enquiries in the past where someone was earning £20k and wanted a mortgage for £160k.

That is stretching things a little too far.

When I recommend a mortgage, I make it clear what the repayments are going to be, what they will be when the offer period ends, and the effect of an increase in interest rates. This information is also provided on the Key Facts Illustration that has to be provided.

They are required to sign the letter to signify acceptance of my recommendation and agreement. If there is anything that they do not agree with, it gets changed (it hasn't happened yet, as I am a fantastic adviser!).

So it's not really me that drives the income multiple, it is my job to try and get the best deal for the amount of money they need. If they can't get the amount they need, I let them know before any more work is done.



(Oh, and the bit about the fantastic adviser. This was on a feedback questionnaire that one of my clients completed recently, so it must be true!!!)

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You are far better off if you can rent privately;2 of my work colleagues have been stung recently by referral fees and viewing fees for rented properties up with agencies;£50 a go,no guarantee you will get the house.

My landlord is absolutely fab;he actually takes an interest in the house and will come round at the drop of a hat if you call him.Can't see that happening with agencies.

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Sometimes you can strike lucky with a landlord, and it looks like you have done so, lindsay.

Other landlords are complete w****rs - I had the misfortune to know one once. It's times like that you wish an agency were looking after it

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Renting is a hit and miss thing really. My sister rented a house from a company in Clayton and has been there a year, now some company from Liverpool have bought the house and now want her out of it so she is looking again. And with 4 kids and being on her own it isn't the easiest of things to do.

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at prices like 150 p/w who can afford that unless the dhss pay it . [/QUOTE]

Housing Benefit [DHSS dont pay for Housing, the Gov't does through local Councils] have an absolute limit of £60 and £65 per week [couples, families, vulnerable] in the private rented sector locally. Single people it is most likely a maximum of £45 and for under 25s less again. There are very few single person flats in the borough and those forced to live in family accomodation still are only entitled to single persons allowance. Homelessness, mainly due to broken families, is 3 times greater than the supply of Council Houses.

All those people paying and £80 and £90+ are having to pay a 'top up' out of the reminder of their benefits. HB pay full rent on RSL properties only. The private rented sector is bigger that the Council Housing Sector for rented accomodation. RSLs make up the other 20%. In reality there are no Council Houses left [the turnover is so low that if you are on the waiting list, your unlikely to get one] except voids.

Many landlords coudn't give a toss about their tenants or the neighbours.

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You're right about the landlords Graham. You only have to look at Hood St and Horne St to see that. I live on Derby St and the house next door to mine is owned by a fella who rents it out. Each time his tenants vacate he has to come in and do a massive clean up re-vamp operation. He was moaning about it about 12 months ago to me. I told him that if he ever called round to check on his tenants, he would see the state that the house was in and that it's no use moaning to me when he lets his property out to a bunch of reprobates. The tenants at the moment seem a tad nicer than the usual crew. At the back of my house are 3 properties on Whalley Rd I think they are rented out by Magenta. The neighbours directly across the back alley have been there for 3 months and have never put out their rubbish for collection. Their yard is awash with black bin bags and rubbish. Maybe when we have a rat problem they will then be forced to clean up their act.

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I sympathise with you Lettie. I don't live too far away from you and have similar problems with my next door neighbours. They don't bother with the wheelie bin they just chuck it out onto the street as and when. They are loud, rude and annoying. We just keep making complaints both to the council and the landlord as and when problems occur. It worked once (they got evicted), but a new lot moved in. Landlords just don't care as long as they get their cash.:(

The previous tenants were also responsible for us getting a mouse problem - the council will charge you about a tenner every two weeks to get rid of something that someone else has enticed to the area.:mad:

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Well I'll try get it cleaned up Lettie. See what enforcement order we can get from EH. Whats your house number and I'll call around, or give us a call.

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Cheers Graham, I'm ringing EH on monday morning. One of my neighbours says he's already rung them, but the last time this happened they didn't do anything until several of us had phoned. I haven't seen a wheelie bin in this yard either. The present occupants didn't live there when the bins were delivered. I'll contact EH on Monday morning and let you know how it goes. Thanks...:)

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my house was just valued at £65.000 an its only a 2 up 2 down with a kitchen extention

instead of paying even more money for a house that is bigger i may sell up and rent a council house with a back and front garden at the tax payers expense as although the council wont help me with my mortgage £35 a week they would gladly pay upto £90 for me to rent a propperty

the best part is after a few years i will have the right to buy and have enough cash from the sale of my house to buy the council property outright on the right to buy scheme for next to nothing

ahh the irony

pesonaly i dont think anyone should have the right to buy a council house especialy those who get their huge discounts because they paid rent for it for 10 years but havnt realy becasue they claimed housing benefits and only bothered to get a job so they could buy the house at a bargain price then sell it a few years later and make more than 20 grand proffit

if you can qualify for a mortgage you should buy a house and let the council property go to those who cant and also those who need accomodation

anyway thats another debate but i am seriously thinking of screwing the system just liek everyone else has lol

i highly doubt i will though :D

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TO LETTIE. Let us know what happened at EH. You'll have to speak to Lee Haworth. Any difficulties, tell him you told me.

LANDLORDS: There needs to a big shake up of policy. The softly softly business approach is failing. Some limited powers are now statute. Its a3 pronged attack. On the tenants who wont behave [ASB legilsation and new EH leg.]. Secondly Regulation and enforcement of landlords [not enough is being done in HBC within the law] and thirdly, increasing supply of rented accomodation through responsible RSLs. Ambitously to set up with RSLs neighbourhood housing co-ops run by residents in partnership with RSLS. HBC, RSLs and ELEVATE are not pulling their finger out on this one.

HOUSING BENEFIT

DHSS dont pay for Housing, the Gov't does through local Councils. Housing Benefit is paid from govt and Councils adminster it. DHSS have nothing to do with it.

Housing Benefit have an absolute limit of £60 and £65 per week [couples, families, vulnerable] in the private rented sector locally. Single people it is most likely a maximum of £45 and for under 25s less again. There are very few single person flats in the borough and those forced to live in family accomodation still are only entitled to single persons allowance. Homelessness, mainly due to broken families, is 3 times greater than the supply of Council Houses.

All those people paying and £80 and £90+ per week are having to pay a 'top up' out of the reminder of their benefits. Housing Benefit pay full rent on RSL properties only.

The private rented sector is 40% of market, Council Housing Sectoris just under 40%. RSLs make up the other 20%. In reality there are no Council Houses left [the turnover is so low that if you are on the waiting list, your unlikely to get one] except voids.

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if I was being perverse, then I would like to see the govt extend Right to Buy [on the same terms] to tenants living private rented accomodation.

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Like other people have, l would like to thank Graham for having the guts to come on here, unlike others.
Your perspective has been interesting, and your personal concern admirable.
lf l had a baby, you wouldn't have to kiss it, you'd already have my vote if l was in your ward.

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Housing Benefit [DHSS dont pay for Housing, the Gov't does through local Councils] have an absolute limit of £60 and £65 per week [couples, families, vulnerable] in the private rented sector locally. Single people it is most likely a maximum of £45 and for under 25s less again. There are very few single person flats in the borough and those forced to live in family accomodation still are only entitled to single persons allowance. Homelessness, mainly due to broken families, is 3 times greater than the supply of Council Houses.

All those people paying and £80 and £90+ are having to pay a 'top up' out of the reminder of their benefits. HB pay full rent on RSL properties only. The private rented sector is bigger that the Council Housing Sector for rented accomodation. RSLs make up the other 20%. In reality there are no Council Houses left [the turnover is so low that if you are on the waiting list, your unlikely to get one] except voids.

Many landlords coudn't give a toss about their tenants or the neighbours.[/QUOTE

How is it then that a bunch of dossers managed to get one of the houses on the old rists site as i remember seeing then up for rent a few times at 150p/w and cant see people like that being willing to use there dole to live in a nicer house

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RSLs dont charge that much and arent in that £150pw market, therefore it must be a private rent. That means a £65 ceiling family rent, the rest is their problem. I guess somehow, through a combination of several dole cheques [but living together will sqeeze that unless they are dependents, elderly family or kids eg], work [which would knock out the benefits] and foreigners they find the cash.

If anyone is illegally claiming, or you suspect then ring up Housing Benefit Fraud at HBC right way, no hesitation. They have are very active in persuant of dodgers and work with DHSS. Not many fiddle but those that do are an absolute disgrace to themselves and everyone else. Plenty more sponge and its about time the govt had a crackdown.

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That would kill off the buy to let market in a stroke.

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I reported a few cases when I was working there, but nothing was done about it because it wasn't worth their while.

I didn't bother after that, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone else from reporting things.

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Thompson & Partners, Blackburn Rd Acc and Eafield & Maple Blackburn Rd Acc - trust me I work in Housing Advice.

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you know your stuff