Richlist

It seems impossible to buy antiseptic hand gel anywhere in my area, they are all sold out. We noticed some enterprising Joe was selling the small travel sized bottles for £8.99 online.

I am calm, there's no sense of panic of panic on my part (yet), BUT it kinda seems appropriate to do a bit of forward planning. The next 6-12 months is gonna look very very different for all of us. I suspect the only buyers will be those looking for large discounts due to the Virus epidemic.

I was planning to sell a property this year. Section 21 notice served, tenants due to vacate in April. So, we would be putting it on the market in May.....some 3 months away and probably at or near the peak infection period for Corona Virus. We are now having second thoughts. I think the sales market will dry up considerably with the inevitable massive impact that large swathes of the country disrupted through sickness, closed shops & businesses etc will have. Normal life will change considerably for months. Could be at least a year before things improve. Anyone else planning for the next year or so ?

I'm guessing ...... * the tenant is quite young as her father is fighting her corner. * this may be the first time she has rented and may not understand the need to raise issues promptly with the agents. * that she has no previous knowledge or experience of bed bugs. * she did not become overly concerned initially about the marks on her legs. It was not until later when things got worse (or more noticable) that the situation was reported. Everyone handles issues differently. Younger people prioritise differently to older people. It sometimes helps to try to understand the mind of your opponent. Pay up, close the matter, do it differently in the future. .....and as it's a 4 bed flat......is this an HMO ?

Your post is a bit light on information. Obviously if building work is taking place ON or INTO the party wall then there are well defined rules about that. However, it's not clear from your post what work is actually happening. Clearly drilling and fitting 3 or 4 fixings into the wall is not gonna take 8-10 weeks......it's likely to take less than an hour. I'd suggest that affixing something like a stud wall is a relatively quick job that won't inconvenience anyone. Minor works attaching things to party walls are probably allowed.....and providing the work is not structural it unlikely to cause you any problems. Where I think your main complaint is.......is with the 8-10 weeks of refurbishment. Unfortunately for you there is nothing whatsoever you can do to stop it......that's life. They are entitled to refurb as often as they like. Just for the record......tenants are not entitled to any special treatment over and above that they would receive as an owner occupier. So, looks like they may just have to put up with the inconvenience. They could move out but that might take them 8 weeks to complete......by then the refurb may be finished.

* If the mattress protector is washable it might help your case if you can state that it was laundered prior to the tenants occupation. In my opinion......and playing devil's advocate :- * Inspection of the room by tenant and letting agent has no bearing on the presence of bed bugs (which are virtually invisible). * The fact that they did not request the bed cleaned or replaced is not relevant. * Professional cleaning is an ambiguous phrase. It does not infer the bedroom was clear of bed bugs. I think the right thing to do is to pay the alternative accommodation costs which for 10 days can't be that high. Going forward, I think you should rely less on your agent, tenant and professional cleaners and more on your own inspection and check list. Your checklist should instruct your cleaner to thoroughly vacuum the mattress and wash the mattress cover or replace it at the start of each tenancy. Alternatively you could do what many of us already do and let the tenant provide their own bed/mattress.

Be gentle on me ......I've got a good excuse 😁 This morning I tried to post a bit of fun that required a web link. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the web link to work and after 20 minutes of trying I gave up and decided to delete the post......couldnt delete the post either.

Well, let's be clear, when you started the tenancy both of you will have signed an AST or an attachment that would have contained the break clause. Presumably both of you are named on the AST as the Tenant. If either of you serve notice, then that will end the tenancy.......you don't both need to sign a document to serve notice, either is sufficient. I don't really care if you choose to accept this answer or not but i've provided the same answer to your question twice now. You can always go see a solicitor if you want professional legal advice. Good luck.

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Some of us are very, very picky when it comes to selecting suitable tenants. I've spent over 20 years going thru the same frustrating exercise as you. But I never give in.......I always wait until the right applicant(s) turn up. I once had a flat empty for 2 months. I had 59 different applicants......58 of them were unsuitable. I'd they don't tick all the boxes don't let them have the tenancy. Neither of your applicants would be suitable for me.

Discuss it with your housemate NOW. There is nothing to stop you giving more than 1 months notice. The break clause is clear that you can serve 1 month notice at or after 6 months that takes effect from 7 months at the earliest and on a rent payment date. You serving notice will end the AST for both of you. It will be best if your housemate accepts that and moves on, saving the landlord lots of hassle.

I'm surprised that there aren't more reports of bed bugs in rented accomodation. I suppose it's because many properties are let unfurnished and tenants supply their own bed/ mattress. I think the claim hinges on a number of points. * Was the bed/ mattress supplied by the landlord. * The void time between previous and latest tenancy. * How old was the mattress and the mattress protection. * What preparation, cleaning, vacuuming efforts had been used by the landlord. If there is any suggestion that the landlord did not act in an appropriate way to ensure the cleanliness of bed/room before occupation then a claim will be considered valid in my opinion. I'd expect the landlord at least to pay the alternative accommodation expenses. I have no doubt the claim will be inflated by the tenant but I think the landlord should offer to pay some costs. This is a lesson to all of us. There are things that can be done, products that can be purchased, not least mattress covers & protectors that go someway to combat bed bugs.

CoR you have my sympathy. I agree the new timing situation is totally ridiculous and will deter most people from becoming a residential landlord. On the basis of what's under consultation I wouldn't become a landlord in Wales......and I really love the place and want to move there eventually. Let's hope the consultation falls flat on its face.

This weekend there was a good article in the Mail on Sunday about the tax changes introduced by former chancellor George Osbourne. It suggests the extra taxes over the last 4 yesrs may be killing off buy to let..... * The 3% stamp duty surcharge. * The end of the 10% discount for furnished lets. * From April 6th this year landlords cannot deduct mortgage interest as an expense. * Cancellation of additional allowances from April 6th for ' accidental landlords'. * Changes that require landlords to pay CGT within 30 days of a property sale......from April 6th. The Conservatives have pledged not to raise 3 key taxes.....income tax, VAT and National Insurance ......but they haven't said they won't make changes to CGT. There is speculation that this may rise in order for them to meet their spending pledges !

On dear Mortitia......get out of bed the wrong side today ? The OP asked for advice on two points..... Q1. Rent affordability calcs ? Q2. What companies do you recommend for credit checks ? I answered Q2 You answered Q1,

I'd recommend a rent guarantee insurer that carries out the referencing of tenant applicants for you.

I don't think anyone has mentioned...... 'get a home owning guarantor'......so I'll mention it. Or perhaps i'm I stating the bleeding obvious ?

I'm not registered & not planning to register.

If the joint owners are related e.g. brother & sister.....it should make no difference as each joint owner would complete their own tax calculation.

Thanks for posting this....I was unaware of the allowance. I'm assuming the allowance covers ALL expenses.....mortgage interest, insurance, ground rent, service charges, phone, postage, car mileage, office expenses, repairs & maintenance etc. Most people with one property will have expenses in excess of the allowance so it's gonna be better to claim the actual expenses.

Did the landlord mitigate the risk of letting by taking: 1. Rent Guarantee Insurance ? or 2. A home owning guarantor ? 3. Did the landlord carry out due diligence with references & checks on the tenants before the start of the tenancy ? 4. Did the landlord carry out regular inspections of the property ? 5. Why did the landlord grant a 12 month tenancy to a new tenant ? Can we have some more detail please ?

Well on the news this evening, if I recall the figures correctly ....total worldwide carbon emissions are: China 30%, USA 15% followed by India, Russia, Japan and Australia. the UK represents just over 1% of the total.......which rather puts things in perspective. Air sourced heat pumps can be installed on any level including flats above ground level. Lots of properties in Spain have them because as well as providing heat in winter they double up as air conditioners in the summer. Dont be confusing them with ground sourced heat pumps which clearly are not for high rise. The issue is the cost. As far as I can see air sourced heat pumps cost between £7K - £11K for a typical house in the UK. Persuading Joe Public to spend that much when they can replace their gas boiler for less than half is the difficult part. Without an incentive or a miracle it's difficult to see it happening. Apparently 14% of all carbon emissions are from our homes in the UK Don't under estimate the power of the Green lobby in this country or the will of Government to significantly reduce our 1% of carbon emissions. Neither will be deterred because China and the USA emit more carbon. Gas boilers are yesterday's technology in the same way that diesel cars are.......don't call into the trap of thinking it's all bullshit. If David Attenborough is right.......then we are all doomed.

* 14% of total UK carbon emissions is from our homes........it has to be reduced. * Gas heating ban to be introduced by 2025. * So, it looks like we are all gonna freeze to death in 6 years time if we don't have a viable , affordable easily obtainable alternative. It suggests anyone working in the domestic gas industry might need to look for another job or re train soon........it's a dying industry. So, surely any property for sale with gas central heating is a good opportunity to negotiate a discount.

Aren't properties with gas boilers on the way out ? Not many years from now legislation will be passed to outlaw their use. Gas boilers running on dino juice are so last year and the Greens/ Environmentalists would rather see users shot at dawn rather than just wag their finger at them. I can't believe people are so short sighted as to have new boilers fitted with the current global warming publicity we see every day in the media. No.......the future is electric air sourced heat pumps. With the electricity provided from renewables (solar, wind etc). My current energy supplier provides power 100% from renewables so it can be done. We have one of these heat pumps in our Spanish property and It's great. Highly recommended. Very soon properties with gas boilers will be frowned on in the same way as second hand diesel cars will be in the near future. You have been warned.......just don't shoot the messenger.

I have no first hand experience of this situation but I would have thought that surely if the landlord is paying the gas and water bills and the tenant is just paying a fixed monthly amount then there is no incentive for the tenant to be careful with water or gas consumption. For example they can just leave a tap running or the heating turned up to max with no expectation of higher bills as the landlord is picking up the tab.