Bad landlords and other stuff

[Weehen]

I have just received a FOCUS through the letterbox.

The fight to save the Post Office, admirable but we have to face it, governement and I include ALL parties, don't give a stuff about whether you can collect your pension with little stress or suffer agonies as you try to post a letter of more than one page in an envelope of the allowed dimensions etc. Government made up their minds yonks ago to turn WH Smith into the nearest thing to a Post Office we will have.

Then we have 'anti social landlords' - what are they rude, don't they speak to you or something??? Then 'bad landlords' supported by the BNP apparently. What is a bad landlord? If they mean lazy ones who do not see to maintenance etc it is easily solved - as most things are.

Note To Council:_ DO NOT PAY HOUSING BENEFIT ON SUB STANDARD ACCOMMODATION!
Problem solved I'd say!

The Hospital issue well I am amazed that they can just shut down departments willy nilly. We should get back to the old ways with small cottage hospitals, easily accessed and easy for family to visit instead of these dirty and out of they way monstrosities. Fight them on this, though the little devil on my shoulder is just as depressed about this as about Post Offices. They will do what they want, when they want and who ever told us we had a say anyway?

[Col.Kurtz]

Originally Posted by Weehen

Note To Council:_ DO NOT PAY HOUSING BENEFIT ON SUB STANDARD ACCOMMODATION!
Problem solved I'd say!

Sounds good to me, but then I'm not a councillor.

[fatgit]

The Bad Landlords issue is about several things :
Landlords that don't keep properties to a decent standard
Landlords that don't care who they rent to, or what their tenants get up to

Many tenants in the private rental sector are too scared to complain if their landlord fails to keep the property in a good state of repair. Many of the bad landlords will threaten and harass tenants that make any complaints, and not many people know their rights, or are too frightened to state those rights.

Having been in a property where the landlord continually failed to repair serious faults, I know what this is like. In the end, we had to bring in the council inspectors on two occasions.
Each time, the inspector made a list of the work needed, and placed a time limit on the repairs. After that deadline passed, and the work had not been done, they were given another 28 day, then another 21 days, and then fined ~£4000 (on both occasions), and THEN they did the work.

The other issues, surrounding anti-social behaviour of tenants, is made worse by the fact that some landlords don't care what's happening, as long as the rent is paid.
Again, having lived next door to heavy drinkers for several years, who were smashing windows, fighting, screaming and shouting until the early hours of the morning, I know how it affects you - especially when the landlord doesn't care.

Selective Licensing of Landlords will require landlords to register, and pay a license fee, in order to rent properties with that area, more or less the same as they do now for HMO's (Houses of Multiple Occupancy).
The landlords will have a legal obligation (as far as I understand it), to keep the property in good repair, and ensure that their tenants are not causing anti-social behavioour.
The council will then have additional powers to act in cases where the License is breached.
I may be slightly incorrect on some of the above, but it's pretty close.
Currently, the tenant has to report the landlords failure to remedy issues, and then go through a prolonged, stressful process. Licensing removes that burden from the tenant, and puts it on to the landlord - surely a good thing.

Simply stopping the Housing Benefit to bad landlords is not the answer.
I took legal advice regarding having Housing Benefit to my landlord held back until repairs were done, and was told that yes, I was within my rights to do so, but then the landlord was within HIS rights to apply to have me evicted for non-payment of rent.
You shouldn't penalise decent tenants because their landlord is bad.

How any councillor can support landlords that leave tenants to live in damp, dangerous properties, or allow drug dealers, thieves etc to continue living in a property, I will never know.


As for the hospital and Post Offices, we simply cannot sit back and let the Government and Hospital Trust's walk all over us. If we don't protest, complain, and campaign to keep our services open, then they will assume everybody is happy with everything that is happening, and I don't know about you, but I'm definitely not happy.

[terrywit]

rented housing which is poorly maintained with "a hole" tennats?

Now I'am sure none of the councils housing stock is like that ?

[fatgit]

Originally Posted by terrywit

rented housing which is poorly maintained with "a hole" tennats?

Now I'am sure none of the councils housing stock is like that ?

Apart from the odd house purchased under the Vacant Property Initiative, which are then done up and sold, and the CPO'd properties for demolition, Burnley Borough Council don't own houses any more, and certainly don't rent them - the entire operation was sold / handed over (I'm not sure of the details) to Calico, who are independent of the Council.

[Weehen]

Apart from the odd house purchased under the Vacant Property Initiative, which are then done up and sold, and the CPO'd properties for demolition, Burnley Borough Council don't own houses any more, and certainly don't rent them - the entire operation was sold / handed over (I'm not sure of the details) to Calico, who are independent of the Council.

Wrong, do a land registry search on some of the boarded up properties keeping Burnley Wood supressed. There is a good chance they will come back owned by the council.

'Independent of the council' made me giggle.

[terrywit]

not a burnley boy!

round here (hull) largest council estates in europe? c/w some of worst housing