Richlist

The issue for councils is that council tax pays for police, fire service and other essential workers etc. So without that income you can only imagine the chaos that would result.

Anyone is free to drop the television company, producers or journalists a note offering a story. You never know you might get lucky.

If i were in your shoes I'd let him take me to court ie call his bluff. From your post I can see you have tried to get the issue fixed and I'd write out the timeline with dates so the court can see the action you've taken and the request made of the freeholder. Tenants are not entitled to any benefit more than an owner occupier would have just by virtue of paying rent. Your tenant can wait like every body else has to until the freeholders gets around to fixing the issue.

I think the lockdown will be switched off and back on a number of times throughout the year. The purpose of the lockdown is to keep the numbers of those affected at a manageable level for the NHS. They know they can't permanently fix anything until an anti virus, in quantity, becomes available. That means some people will be able to return to work......almost definitely with extra safety rules. Nevertheless, they will be able to earn an income for periods throughout the year. I don't think there is much you can do other than hope that your tenants will receive enough income from a combination of Gov assistance and sporadic work in order to pay some/all of the rent.

Yes, a worrying time for anyone in business, large or small. Forward planning is essential, review your finances, assess the risks, contingency planning etc. I've had a lot of guys buying stuff this week telling me they are eg. kichen/bathroom fitters, small builders etc who now have absolutely no work. My concern is rents.....the longer the situation lasts, the more risk that rent payments will stop. I see the lockdown being switched on and off well into the summer. There will be no anti virus fix until at least the end of 2020.

CoR...let me know if you no longer require your assets......I'm happy to take them off of your hands for free.

Just heard we've got some 'tropical weather' arriving at the weekend......up to 18 deg C........ Just raised the sale prices on my remaining lawnmowers......can't miss an opportunity like that.

I think this will be the final nail in the coffin for the 'High Street'. I can't see cafe's, travel agents, charity shops, small shops or even medium sized shops surviving what might be 12 months of seriously restricted trading. We'll be left with .....if any of them survive.....estate agents, a few large department stores & supermarkets....if we are lucky. Large out of town shopping centres like Lakeside & Bluewater, etc are already in financial difficulty and I don't see how they can survive. The world will look a different place next year.

One of my sidelines at this time of year is selling garden items. In the last 2 weeks we have done very well with sales of lawnmowers, strimmers, garden tables & chairs, decking and for some strange reason garden gates. Stocks are very low now and will be difficult to replenish due to cv19. I guess with lots of punters off work, time on their hands, reasonable weather and most of the big stores shut.......it's my lucky day. Every cloud has a silver lining. Oh, and nearly forgot to mention......bicycles......sales have gone totally mad, sold loads of them since the New Year. It'll soon be summer and everyone will want portable air conditioners & cooling fans. Then come autumn and customers want heaters.

I to have been taking advantage of last week's sunny weather. I usually have a long list of jobs that need doing as we move from winter into spring around the Richlist Estate. This year, with obvious staffing issues I'm having to roll up my sleeves, pull on my 'Hunters' and get stuck in. There are lots of jobs that I wouldn't normally do but which I have actually enjoyed. Jet washed x2 patios, serviced the hot tub, cleaned loads of windows, turned over the kitchen garden area etc.

This has been in the media so most people would already be aware of it. I served an S21 back in January before the corona virus kicked off. My tenants were due to move out on or before April 21st. But I'm guessing they won't be doing that now as they will struggle to find an available property or landlord. In their shoes I'd sit tight. It's doing both of us a favour.....they have somewhere to live......I don't have an empty property that I can't sell or relet.

I can't answer your question concerning Derby but I'd be very, very surprised if any Councils waived the C/T or changed it in any way.

Yes.

This virus is gonna cause problems in virtually every area of renting and letting with....... * Regular 3 monthly inspections. * Accompanied viewings. * Maintenance and repairs. * Sales market will almost disappear. * Air bnb is dead in the water. * Estate and letting agents will close. * Court cases will be seriously delayed. * Bailiff and Council services will be non existant. etc etc. ........and far more important my various planned trips to Spain this year ain't gonna happen.

......and therein lies your problem. You have no say in the matter because you have no equitable interest. Provided your landlord and the freeholder (irrespective of whether they are the same) comply with their restrictions, stipulations and obligations they are not obliged to carry out any request made by the tenant. If you believe they are not carrying out their responsibilities and after discussion they will not rectify the matter, then you would need to take legal advice/ action.

I'll give you my opinion. Your landlord, the leaseholder will normally be keen to maintain the property in order to uphold its value. If the external parts are not maintained the block will look poor, it's value will be affected and its ability to attract tenants will also be negatively impacted......it will also impact other flats in The block. The same can be said for changes e.g. relocation of wheelie bins. Having them parked outside the window of the flat will affect resale and rentability. All leases are different and without seeing details of yours we have no way of knowing if the leaseholders & freeholders are not complying with obligations. Normally your only course of action if you don't like the lack of maintenance &/or changes proposed is to move. In your shoes I'd be more inclined to explain to the landlord why you want to move, making sure you emphasise the reasons will also affect the value of his property, rent levels and his ability to attract tenants.

If you think far enough ahead, the next danger of course is that the virus mutates and comes back again in a much stronger/dangerous strain. Apparently this is what happened in 1918 with Spanish Flu.....it was the 2nd strain that killed the most. There is nothing to fear but fear itself said Franklin D Roosevelt.

Average annual deaths from normal flu in the UK is 6000. In 2008/9 there were 13000. But it's early days, we haven't achieved the peak yet and it's gonna be with us for another 12-18 months at least. Reports suggest we are 4 weeks behind Spain so we can anticipate a similar lockdown in the UK sometime soon. A lockdown won't fix the issue but hope is it will bring the number of cases down to an NHS manageable number. No doubt there will need to be repeated lockdowns throughout the year. One thing is for sure.......there won't be any football fixtures in another 14 days !

It's always good if you can remain positive. Of course if you are in a high risk catagory by virtue of age or existing medical condition or have friends/ family affected you may have a different view. Or perhaps if you are in an industry likely to be seriously affected......such as Estate Agencies.....you might be excused for making contingency plans. I've cancelled my trip to Spain on Monday as the Spanish Gov have declared a state of emergency. All bars, restaurants and beaches etc are closed for the next 15 days.......so their tourist industry is over at the moment. Jet2 have cancelled all flights to Spain......their planes turning around mid journey. But, don't panic we are definitely not all doomed.......we should have a fix in 12-18 months.

I was going to ask this forum to update their earlier comments in light of latest developments but there is no need. It seems the UK, along with many other countries is undoubtedly going to experience a major upheaval of day to day life over the next 6-12 months. Any vaccine is 12-18 months away. Property sales are going to be a dead duck so, I've decided not to put mine on the market in late April/ early May because by then I will be focusing on staying alive. It's going to be bad news for Agents, many won't survive but then neither will pubs, restaurants and businesses generally etc. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, stay safe.

Thats why I said it depends on circumstances. If we were to take the op's circumstances then my opinion would be that for anyone who intends to live at the property full time, that includes the girlfriend, then the landlords responsibility is to carry out appropriate checks. But if a tenant were to subsequently allow a possible illegal immigrant guest to stay at the property then that cannot be the responsibility of the landlord.

I don't see why not, total income can be made up from many sources......employment in 1 or more jobs, investment income, self employment, pensions, any sort of state benefits, even FIT payments etc.

That depends on the circumstances. We have a responsibility not to turn a blind eye & carry out the necessary checks.

If it doesn't look right then it probably isnt. It's far better to wait for the right tenant to come along than to let in haste and regret it later. There is a shortage of good rental property almost everywhere so you won't be short of applicants. Just accept that most people will not tick all of your boxes so it's up to you to make a judgement call.......but don't be rushed into a decision. If you don't feel comfortable then dont do it. ......and don't forget......rent guarantee insurance or a home owning guarantor.

Glad you can keep a sense of humour.......it's gonna get considerably worse before it get any better.