Richlist

If you try to extract the cost of a professional clean from an outgoing tenant who is determined to argue your claim is totally without merit and the deposit protection people become involved YOU are very likely to find yourself seriously out of pocket. I've had some very robust negotiations with ex tenants of mine over deductions and what Ive learned is to keep it professional, business like and always be prepared to compromise. Do let us know how you get on please.

I think I now understand the situation. You are a landlord who doesn't live locally. You are expecting your outgoing tenant to leave the property in a condition that is totally ready for a new tenant to move in......and that's completely unrealistic. I have never had a tenant move out where there wasn't something to repair, fix, renew, replace, clean, prepare or improve etc. You are relying on the integrity of a check out clerk who may have an unrealistic standards and there is no substitute for eyeballing a problem. Your location is not your tenants problem. If I were your tenants I'd argue my case robustly. You are going to need to get people in anyway.....at your cost..... * You are going to need an electrical survey before reletting....can't you ask the electrician to fit a battery and a couple of lightbulbs.....it'll take 5 minutes. * Surely you are going to need a handyman to at least confirm the details of the Legionella advice sheet before reletting so you don't need a separate visit. Letting property from a distance doesn't mean your tenants pick up all your costs just because you can't go and fix a few things.

I don't think there is any legal requirement to clean the property 'professionally' at check out. Even if your tenancy agreement requires it, it's likely to be an unfair contract clause. The tenant is required to leave the property clean and tidy and no doubt that's what they believe they have done. Just because your check out clerk has a different standard to your tenant doesnt mean they are right and your tenant is wrong, different people have different standards. I always ask myself how bad is it and what's it gonna take to put it right. If the answer is not much I don't persue the tenant. If the tenant has been a good one during their tenancy neither would I be so miserly as to charge them what is likely to be less than £10 for a couple of light bulbs and a battery.

Well I'm guessing this sort of issue (pests, vermin, unwanted furry or crawly visitors.... doesn't happen very often). Agents with hundreds of tenants probably see it from time to time......someone like me with a few properties has seen it a couple of times in 20 years. Bed bugs seem quite common. I've had mice/ rats in flats but have had council pest controlling sort it out......even though there were gaps in the building (exterior wooden cladding) through which they gained access. I've had more trouble with human pests (tenants) than anything else so it's not something high on my list of problem areas. I'd probably pay to get wasp nest removed.....can't imagine it's gonna be very expensive.

Thats a really interesting question.....which is more difficult to answer than you might imagine. If the garden was say 2 acres in size then a wasp nest wouldn't cause much of a problem but if the garden was 30 ft square then it would. So, my take is that almost anything that interfers with the tenants ability to enjoy the property e.g......broken fence letting wild animals into garden, bird stuck down chimney, rats or mice in the property etc are the landlords responsibility to fix. Don't know if it's covered by insurance, or if council pest control will sort it for you. If the property is leasehold then it would be covered by service charges normally.

I'm horrified...... You don't know how the new tenant will perform and you are considering committing yourself to a 2 year fixed term. Neither of you will be able to part company until the end of the fixed term. Sounds like absolute madness to me. Why does the tenant want this ? Why are you considering accepting this request ? What is there about the normal 6 or 12 month AST that doesn't cut the mustard for you ? What's wrong with a 12 month AST and a break clause at 6 months......if the tenant lasts 12 months and is acceptable you could give him another 12 month AST, with a break clause. I wouldn't want to be lumbered with an unacceptable tenant for 2 years.......that's the risk......how are you intending to mitigate that risk ? Than there is the question of restrictions to letting terms from freeholder, mortgage lender and insurers that you will need to check.

Seems all property purchase by Ltd co is subject to 3% sdlt surcharge.

I can't answer your question, I'd suggest you check with your tax office or an accountant. However, I do have a few points: * You haven't said what you intend to do with the property once held by the Ltd co. * You will need to pay to form a Limited Company. * If you are going to raise a Ltd co mortgage, be aware that interest rates are higher for a Ltd co. * The Ltd co will need to pay legal fees and SDLT when buying your property. * The Ltd co will need to pay corporation tax on any rental income, in addition you will need to pay income tax on any money you take out other than dividends .

This is scandalous, the organisation responsible for regulations & certification have already lost control. If you don't report these issues they will never be corrected and electrical checks will be a joke.

It might be worth talking with any lettings agents you might know to find out who they are using and to enquire if they are getting the same feedback ie new consumer unit required. Where's Grampa ? What's his experience ?

So, can I assume that before the Council fitted the new roller door there was a minimum 300mm gap ? If that is the case then the responsibility for fixing it is clearly with the Council. Perhaps they can lower the frame or make the opening narrower, but no matter, it's up to them to fix it asap or sooner.

This is getting even more bizarre ......surely if one gets a failure they are entitled to know why and what needs to happen to put the matter right ? How can you possibly fix a problem if you don't know what the problem is. CoR......do you know what has caused the failure ?

I find it's sometimes a bit difficult reading your posts. I have to filter out the sarcasm, satire, irony, bias, witticism and humour before I can really understand where you actually are. If I read your last post right......you have got a positive result.....quickly and at no cost. Door being removed, new gas cert at council expense, job done.

Don't forget there is usually more than one local councillor.....contact all of them and ask for an urgent response or it will be a week before they get back to you.

In your shoes I'd already be briefing my solicitor and taking his advice. On the basis that I would be thinking I am 100% correct, haven't done anything wrong, have contacted everyone that needs to be alerted and ultimately I won't be paying the bill.

But they will both have insurance for such eventualities.

If the cause of failure is too many bends.....why did it not fail during the previous 11 years....2009 - 2019 ? Would the failure, more likely be, as a result of modification to the storage cupboard doors carried out by the Council ?

Here is my opinion...... If the existing boiler and flue installation passed the annual gas safety cert' checks every year up until now......it's reasonable to assume that provided the rules haven't changed, the cause of the failure is due to work carried out by the Council to the bin storage doors. This is not something that requires a phone call and a 'leave it with you to sort out' type of issue. It needs action by the Council NOW. Get back on the blower......make clear you expect action within 24 hours, put it all in writing, be prepared to get your solicitor involved to follow up. It's urgent.

I don't understand why you guys have a problem. The Gov' come along, give you a stamp duty holiday, a reduction in VAT, discounted meals in August, defer your tax payments until January 2021, offer you the best savings rates available and a grant of up to £5K for energy savings and all you can find to do is moan, whinge and complain. Next you'll be telling me that you are Labour supporters. Life could be so much worse.

I suspect we will see this in England. The pandemic is not over.....although large sections of the country think it is or are indifferent. A 2nd wave is more likely than not and the authorities are not going to be in any better position to help people made homeless.......so it makes good sense. If I were in Government I'd support it although it could potentially cause me personally a lot of grief. Most of us landlords have learnt to roll with the punches. Keep smiling.....gyms open from today.

That's easy........it'll last until we get the 2nd wave of CV19 and everyone will be back in lockdown. I reckon that'll be before the end of October.......so you might have about 3 months max. I was accused of being to optimistic and upbeat earlier today !

Putting a job out to tender and receiving quotes doesn't mean picking the cheapest is necessarily the best route. Managing agents will often deal with a number of different leasehold property groups and build up a working relationship with contractors on whom they can rely based on the quality and timings of their previous jobs. The whole idea of having a group of people to organise and oversee work to leasehold property is so that individuals dont have to do it themselves. Having fellow leaseholders appointed as directors who take day to day decisions on costs should ensure money is not wasted resulting in higher than necessary service charges. We had someone like yourself who wanted to get very heavily involved by analysing the breakdown of costs for maintenance & service charges and it was a total and utter pain. The time, effort and cost of providing that info, answering unending questions and having the directors integrity questioned was not welcomed. Probably the best way to effect change is to become a director yourself.

It's very difficult to give you a detailed reply because we haven't seen your lease. There are are rules that the freeholders needs to follow, they should get comparative prices for all works but the lease may give details on what specifically is required.....depends on the wording. If you live abroad you will struggle to get much info. I think company rules permit you to view all documents but, at their registered office & by prior appointment....so you are already at a disadvantage. If directors are appointed from the leaseholders I assume there will be a regular AGM .....although even that doesn't have to be every year.....again living abroad puts you at a disadvantage. If there is a professional managing agent involved they should be well versed in buildings maintenance & housing and company law. Read your lease......at least 3 times....they are not easy reading. Find out about the last agm.....ask to see the minutes. They won't like sending you anything overseas. From that you can put a picture together on how the set up should look and compare it to where it actually is. Beware some leasehold set ups are incredibly complex and will take a while to understand.

I assume your property is leasehold. Everything the leaseholders & freeholders can do, how, when and under what circumstances is contained in your lease. You may find the management company can make a charge for providing you with copies. Sometimes you have a right to view documents at their premises by appointment. First thing to do is read your lease. As a leaseholder you should receive annual accounts to show how the service charges are made up.

My day keeps getting worse !