Ghost homes: why are properties empty?

According to a recent report released by UpMyStreet, privately-owned properties that have been vacant for more than six months are on the rise. And we get the usual stuff about it being a sad sight, attracting pests, crime etc., and devaluing neighbourhood and all that jazz.

So, why does it happen?

The facts
Figures released by the Halifax Empty Homes in England Survey showed that between April 2003 - 2008, the number of long-term empty properties has risen above 300,000. The North West has the highest number of vacant properties at 66,691, followed by Yorkshire & the Humber with 41,299, and the South East with 34,663 homes.

With first-time buyers being priced out of the property market, and record numbers of people waiting on housing lists, there are growing calls for action to be taken against this developing trend of vacant homes.

Why are houses left empty for so long?
Properties are left empty for many different reasons. Some are purely financial; an owner lacks the funds to redevelop or make a property habitable, is awaiting planning permission for structural alterations, or the property is vacant pending sale.

Other reasons can be more personal. The homeowner may be hospitalised on a long-term basis, with little access to their property or affairs, or there could be legal issues surrounding the dissolution of an estate.
Either way, the impact of any of these scenarios can be very real for your home, and your neighbourhood. Read our tips below to see what you can do to help get empty properties back in working order.

What can you do?

It can be hard to tell if a property has been abandoned, or is left empty, but here are a few things that might arouse a suspicion:

• No-one is seen leaving or entering the property
• Mail, flyers and catalogues are left discarded at the door
• The property is in a general state of disrepair
• Vastly overgrown front and rear gardens
• An increase in the incidence of vermin or pests around the property
• Refuse being left or dumped in the garden over a long period
• Noticing people entering in suspicious circumstances, e.g. squatting or illegal activities

If you have any suspicions do not approach the property yourself. Contact your local council who will investigate on your behalf.

Several local councils employ an empty property officer whose job it is to get properties back in use. They can use contacts to remedy the situation, make a compulsory purchase of the property in extreme circumstances, or enforce a sale if the owner has debts with the council. All of these options can be discussed with your local council.

My Comments
All very well and good saying talk to your local council. As if the Council care two hoots!! I have approached them in the past about empty properties, only to be stonewalled (the usual Data Protection Act excuse) or passed from pillar to post.

A landlord will not generally leave a property empty for no good reason. Afterall, it costs us money. The issue of empty homes and the underlying reasons needs to be looked at more carefully, and measures put in place to assist owners to get them back into use.

Law and Justice - still definitely not the same thing

Not the best way to start a new week, but there you go - it happens.

I sent a form N325 (warrant for possession) to the court on 14/12/09 by royal mail first class recorded delivery. I telephoned the bailiffs office on15/12/09, but the request had not arrived. It eventually arrived on thursday 17/12/09, 3 days after it was posted. Wow! now that, dear Royal Snail Mail, is what I call first class service. And I had the priviledge of paying extra for it too. I might as well not have bothered and just popped it in the post as normal and hoped for the best ... on a wing and a prayer.

Reminds me of another incidence with royal mail in October when I sent a letter by Special delivery, paid £5.40 for the service that guaranteed the letter would be delivered by 1pm the next day. You know what I am about to say don't you?. The said letter did not arrive before 1pm. So, I'm jumping up and down, making phone calls to each and every royal mail customer service number I could find, but could they help, oh no! The best the staff could do was tell me that it was on its way to be delivered, the postman must have been delayed, apologies etc.etc.What the heck is an apology going to do? Is that what I paid extra for? What about the repercussions of the letter not getting to its destination on time? And they get away with it too because frankly, there's nothing in the system that enables one to take Royal Snail Mail to task for its sloppiness and inefficiencies. I've made complaints a number of times already, on other cases, and each time it takes forever to get anything done, and then the classic response is "its been so long" that they can't trace the postman in question, or the whatever other thing needs tracing, and so apologise. Whose fault was it that it took so long? definitely not mine. But who bears the repercussion? yours truly. I'd rather pay more for a service that will be given, than this apology of a service we seem to have now. No offence to any postie out there - a lot of you guys and gals are doing a good job (I've got two postie tenants btw). The system just stinks.

Anyway, back to the bailiff. So I ask when the warrant will be executed, and was told mid to end January 2010. That of course goes down well-not! red rag to a bull I nearly hit the roof, but I reign in my temper and ask why, only to be told the bailiff was now on holiday and won't be back until 4/01/10 and the defendant has to be given at least 2 weeks notice. So, still holding my temper (with some difficulty I might add), I ask "why did bailiff not give notice on 17/12/09 then?" the reply came back "because she went on holiday on 17/12/09". Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!! I managed a short but polite rant, apologised to the lady at the end of the phone for the rant, and wished her a merry christmas through gritted teeth.

So, between the acts of my errant Tenant, aided and abbetted by the County Court System, and in connivance with Royal Snail Mail, I am about to lose another month's rent. Not good tidings of joy is it!

And the gofmint calls this an "accelerated possession process"!! Pleeeeeeeeeease, give me a break. There is Law and there is Justice, but when will the two meet?? Hopefully sometime in my lifetime-and they had better hurry......

Shelter Report on implementation of LHA

Shelter has released a report on its findings on a study monitoring the implementation of local housing allowance. I like the report title - For Whose Benefit. Very apt question indeed. There is a summary report for those who don't have the time or inclination to read the whole thing.
Having read the report, I would say that this gofmint had better read it and take not of its findings, use them its recently announced public consultation on housing benefit. Or be damned.

The report says what we Landlords have known all along. OK, bear with me and I'll give you the jist...

1. Most claimants would prefer to have the LHA paid directly to the landlord. Did you hear that, gofmint. In your consultation paper, section 6.8, you make assertion that direct payment is an important component of reforms to the system, providing your customers with the responsibility for handling benefit payments and paying their rent which they will need when moving into work. You assume that (i) all claimants want to work and (ii) all claimants can manage money. Both assumptions are wrong, okay. And I can prove it to you.

2. Claimants were finding it hard to find landlords willing to rent to LHA claimants or affordable homes. Why would we want to open ourselves to legalised fraud? Yes, dear gofmint, you have legalised daylight robbery aimed directly at private landlords - the very ones that you claim in 6.4 of your consultation paper "play a crucial role in providing flexible housing choices for people who cannot afford or choose not to buy their own homes". If we play such a crucial role, stop treating us with such contempt and put your money where your mouth is!!

3. Need for top up payments was a problem, which means LHA award is not sufficient, hasn't and isn't being calculated properly. This basing the rent on a Broad Market Rental Areas thing needs a revamp.  The amount of time I spend chasing topups.... its reduced now I use DD to collect rents and top ups.

4. 95% of claimants they surveyed were finding it difficult to manage their finances. doh! I could have told them that ... people who have not been taught money management or ever learnt it or worked for it, can't suddenly become responsible money managers can they??. Its not their money is it? easy come ... easy go. But the gofmint claims in section 6.8 of its document that" many customers now operate bank accounts successfully, in may cases for the first time, as a result of this reponsibility". Many have also defrauded the tax payer and not paid the benefit to the landlord-but gofmint does not see that as fraud, does it?

5. LHA payment cycles of 2/4 weeks causing problems with rent arrears - not aligned with monthly rent dates that landlords require. The very nature of the system encourages LHA claimants to breach their tenancy agreements. from the get go. LHA is paid 4 weekly in arrears - so the service is already provided before the rent is paid. And if some bod at the benefit office decides that the claimant was not entitled to it, then they don't pay it. And who has lost money? dear old trodden-upon landlord!! Do they care, these bods, no sir, they don't .... afterall they will tell you "we are just following gofmint guidelines"... yeah, right!! Bet they wouldn't be so complacent if they had shortfalls in their paypackets because they were deemed not to have done their jobs properly during the month!

6. Reduction in LHA when people move into work is a disincentive to work ... eh, yes, common sense tells us that, doesn't it? why not find a way of easing the transition period, or better still set the LHA rates to better reflect the going rents?

7. Claimants felt that the administrative process of the LHA was a problem ... LOL, ROF, ha ha ha, ho ho ho .... excuse me, but I had to laugh at that one. Don't we just know it. As a landlord, I am the one at the receiving end of the cockups, sorry, administrative errors, that the councils make in administering the scheme.

Thank you Shelter, for that incisive and unbiased report. I will most certainly be putting in my input into the consultation process - bet I will. Question to other landlords is "will you participate??" I really really hope so.

Local Housing Allowance - Government Consultation Document released

Well, well, well, looks like this gofmint is finally listening. Not a very strong point of theirs, one must admit. But, lets give them credit, at least in taking the first steps toward putting right, this travesty of a regulation.

The gofmint has now released a Consultation Document to look at how the LHA is being implemented, amongst other things. You can read or download the whole Consultation Document, just so you have something to look at later or use as firelighter when you get the bbq out next summer.

Let's have a look at a few points made in the summary, shall we:
1. The Local Housing Allowance introduced last year has already brought in a fairer way of calculating Housing Benefit for tenants who live in private rented accommodation. Our objective was to reduce barriers to work by giving people more responsibility for their Housing Benefit payments and to provide a better service based on simpler rules.

Hmnn, yes its a fairer way to calculate entitlement, but this thing about giving people more responsibility for their housing payment, in reality, means giving them licence to steal from you and me as the benefit is not used for its intended purpose but for booze, fags, toys like 40inch LCD TVs and the latest gadgets.

2. The complex interaction with other benefits and weekly adjustments in payments for those who work variable hours can also reduce the incentives for work

you got that too right! b****y nightmare. I have a couple whose LHA has varied every single 4-week period due to the hubby working, that I just want to get rid and give myself some peace. Not their fault obviously, but its low paid work, benefit gone down from £94/wk to something like £30/wk, and they are getting further in arrears. Frankly, he'd be better off not working. But then he wants to work, and I support that.

3. The way in which rates are set has meant that customers in some areas have benefited more than others. In some areas, Housing Benefit can support customers to live in accommodation that many people in work cannot afford. This makes it harder for customers to come off Housing Benefit when they move into work. Furthermore, including high rents when setting Local Housing Allowance rates has driven up benefit levels and has contributed to the annual Housing Benefit budget rising more than it otherwise would have done

If the gofmint had thought it through, they would have seen it coming. We landlords knew that, but as they don't consider us worthing of being listened to, they went ahead anyway. I told you so, dear gofmint!!

4. It also sets out our long-term aspiration to move towards greater integration of Housing Benefit into the wider tax and benefit regimes

oh dear! the system will become so complex, no one will be able to work it out properly - not even Gordon himself who is very clever at putting together indecipherable (at least to the common man) tax and benefit schemes. Means tested schemes where those who need it most, don't get it and those who don't need it get it, and then gofmint complains there's pots of funds left unclaimed. You work that one out.

5.  More integrated benefit provision is not something we could introduce overnight. Change of this order will take time if it is not to involve unacceptable cost and be difficult to implement

The final caveat and "get-out" clause!! yes of course, dear gofmint, we understand perfectly. These things do take time, which you, thankfully-hopefully, do not have.

Fellow landlords who take LHA claimants, I hereby appeal to you, to ensure that you give the gofmint your views on this matter, tell them your experiences, good and bad so they get a balanced view, and hopefully, things will change for the better. I'm not holding my breath though!! ha!

Tenant keeps her word for first time in months...... refuses to vacate

Wonders will indeed never cease.You recall the tenant I told you about on the on Friday 10thDec, well, she has surprised me. I really really was hoping that she would keep true to type and not keep her word. Sadly for me, she has kept her word.

What the heck am I on about. well, Mrs F was given a court order to vacate and give me possession of my property yesterday 14/12/09. However, her solicitor had advised her not to leave, and to stay till I got a warrant of possession. Well, considering that Mrs F has been promising to pay her rent since August and has come up with every excuse under the sun for not paying, I had come to understand that her word could not be trusted, and she could not find it in herself to tell the truth or keep her promises. Surprise, surprise, she kept her word this time, and did not leave on the due date. Aaarrghhhh ... the one time I wanted her to be true to type, and she fails me. Oh well. I suppose it just makes the saga more interesting.

I sent someone to go and visit the property, and she duly knocks on the door and Mrs F opens up and asks her in. My agent says she's come to check if Mrs F had left or was leaving, and Mrs F promptly replies that she has no intention of leaving. I'm told that the christmas tree is up, with decorations and lights, not sure if there are presents under the tree ... maybe an inspection is due!!

It never ceases to amaze me that the tenants who claim not to be able to afford or pay their rents are the same ones who can find money to spend on frivolities and luxuries such as 40inch flat screen TVs.

I duly filled in the N325 form yesterday afternoon, wrote out a cheque for £95 made out to HMCS, and promptly sent these off by first class recorded delivery to the court. I telephoned the court mid morning today, and actually spoke to the bailiff. But thanks to questionable services of Royal Mail, the warrant request had not been delivered. The bailiff was quite a nice man actually. He took the case number, went away to check their mail for the day, and called me back to let me know they hadn't received the letter.

I then went onto the Royal mail website to see what the heck was going on, entered the tracking details for the letter and got the message ".... being processed through the system". What b**lsh*t. First class is not 1st class anymore. You just can't get the service nowadays, can you. Courts don't work, royal mail doesn't work, the gofmint doesn't work, the banks stopped working ages ago, and pretty soon BA won't work. The world is going to pots all around us.

Oh, and whilst I was on the phone to the bailiff, i asked him why it was that the system encouraged tenants to flout orders to vacate until bailiffs are called. He didn't know. He sympathised and all that, but had not answer, mind you, not that I expected he would have an answer. I just thought perhaps he could give me an insight into that side of things.

What is a landlord to do?? We can but keep pressing and pushing for our rights and try and keep our tenants paying rent in the face of all the odds stacked firmly against us.

We shall overcome some day.

Christmas greetings to a tenant who did a runner

We decided not to send christmas cards this year, but have had to make one or two exceptions. Afterall, it'll be nice to wish certain people good cheer, even though they dont deserve it. So, I have just put together a little christmas card with a nice letter to a lady who used to rent from us a nice 3-bed detached house with lovely countryside views. Yes, she is an ex-tenant, but not one I would wish on any other landlord.

Lets call her Mrs T. So, Mrs T rents this house, and she's ok for a little while, then falls into arrears because she claimed her salary payments were erratic. Anyway, we agree a payment arrangement to spread arrears over 6 months, to help her get back on track. She makes the first one ok, the second one is late and only half of what was due - she claimed someone had stolen money from her account and the bank was looking into it. So many tenants pull that one nowadays... banks must be getting quite sloppy. Mrs T pays the third installment and then stopped altogether. Wouldn't respond to calls, letters even visits. Eventually, I find her in one day and she claims to have lost her job and was depressed etc.etc. Yeah! right!! so why bury head in the sand and think it will go away? I can get quite depressed too you know, if I let my tenant's shenanigans get to me. Goodness, gracious me, I'd be permanently depressed if that were the case.

Anyway, she turns on the waterworks (it always works) and as she has kids, I agree to let her stay provided she paid going forward and put something toward the arrears. Let's just say after 2 payments, she defaulted again, and this time, I went straight to court on a S8 ground 8 basis. She did a runner before hearing date, so I got immediate possession. And I was also able to get some housing benefit paid direct to me-but that was another fight in itself with the respective council. Oh boy, that story will be told later.

Needless to say Mrs T left the house in a mess, utter and complete mess, and it'll take some doing to get it back into tenantable condition. thankfully, no structural damage, just decor and rubbish, and cleaning. Oh, and an empty brand new box for a 37inch LCD TV (now did I say she was in arrears???!!). The white shower tray looked like it had not been cleaned in months, and outside tap that had broken was not reported, and she just piped the water via a hose into the drains which ofcourse just backed up and oveflowed due to the constant water into it. Junk and rubbish in garden. So many toys for her kids left behind, so we know what the rent money was used for. She'll probably be spending more of her rent money on more toys to replace the ones she left behind. Perhaps if she shopped at TopChristmasToys or StrictlyChristmasGifts, she'd save some money and still be able to pay some rent to her new unsuspecting landlord.

As I now know where she's moved to, I'm about to surprise her with a christmas card. Which is very thoughtful of me, or so I think anyway, though you might beg to differ. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when she opens the card and finds her statement of account and a copy of the court order with the money judgement.

Merry Christmas, dear ex-tenant Mrs T. I'll see you in the new year, or shall I say a high court sheriff will be calling on my behalf.

Law and Justice - still definitely not the same thing

This gets better and better. I was back on an even keel after the unfortunate telephone call of Tuesday, and was quietly gearing myself for next Monday when I received an email about 40 minutes ago. This time, I was amused, even though it wasn't really funny, ha, ha! My tenants solicitors emailed to tell me that it was highlighted to me during the conversation that "possession of the property could not be obtained without a Warrant of Possession. This is irrespective of the fact that an Order for Possession was granted by the Court". And that if in doubt I should seek legal advice. As if I need any legal advice on the injustice of the system. The beauty of the email is the last bit "if there is any attendance by the Claimants at the property, or Agents of those persons and they seek to forcibly evict our client from the property, proceedings will be instituted against the Claimant for illegal eviction".

So there you have it, my amusement for today. Not only is the tenant owing thousands of pounds in rent arrears, she's getting free legal aid to try to buck the system and stay on rent free for as long as the system will allow her to. This legal aid system that she is now taking advantage of, is funded by taxpayers money, including what I pay on hard earned income, income that people like her try to take away through this kind of shenanigan. You'd think that the solicitors would at least try to encourage their clients or help them find legit means of paying their debts. Oh,no! they'd rather spend their time on unfruitful stuff, and cause landlords to spend even more money trying to get their property back.

In effect, the solicitors are saying that the court order does not matter. Ignore the court order anyway. Is that not contempt of court then? Why can't we take these guys to court on that basis?? 

I know what I have to do, which is go to the property on the appointed day, establish that the tenant is still in residence, then apply to the bailiffs to evict. Of course that will not be till after christmas/new year now will it. So another month when rent arrears will no doubt increase. She can spin it for as long as the system will allow, but not for ever.

In the meantime, I have put in a money claim for the outstanding arrears to date. She should get the court papers in a couple of days. I wonder what she's going to do with that, tell her solicitors to threaten me even further??

Law and Justice. What can I say? The law is an ass. There is no justice, at least not for landlords. The government beats us over the head with all kinds of sticks, and regulate us till there's nothing else to regulate. But will they give us any help where it is required?? oh no! small enterprise should be choked and burdened with red tape .... of course this is a labour gofmint, innit!!

Law and Justice - Definitely not the same thing

A couple of weeks ago, I was on my way to Court for a Possession Hearing. I was listening to Radio 2 (as you do), and Terry Wogan (I will miss him) commented that Law & Justice were not the same. This was said after a track (can't remember the artist) that contained words to that effect. I thought how apt it was, considering my destination. Anyway, I came out of the hearing completely convinced, yet again, that Law and Justice DEFINITELY are not the same in this country. This was a S21 case-judge had given tenant 6 weeks to vacate - the maximum time the law allows. I challenged this and requested a variation. But, apparently, the defendant had to be given 14 days notice, and it had to be a hearing, and of course taking all the time into consideration, the hearing date was barely 2 weeks from possession date. I wasn't expecting the Judge to vary the order or bring it any closer, but I must admit, it still hit me in the gut when the appeal was dismissed.

So why am I going on about this ... because I've just come off the phone and I'm absolutely livid that a solicitor is advising her client, the subject of this hearing, to stay put in the property and not leave on the date possession is supposed to be given. She had been trying to negotiate for her client to remain in the property based on more futile promises to pay, and I said no, I would be checking her out on due date. This tenant had made so many promises to pay and not paid, that it if she said to me that the sun was shining, I'd have to go check myself. She even lied to the Judge at the hearing, saying she was expecting some money in and would clear the arrears by last week. Anyway, then Solicitor said I couldn't just turn up and expect her to leave, that I'd have to go back to court. At which point I interrupted and asked her point blank if she was advising her client not to vacate. Guess what, after much prevarication, and me insistently asking the question, her answer was yes, that's her advice to her client. She then proceeded to lecture me on the court process - just as if I didn't already know that the court process stinks anyway. Needless to say, I completely lost whatever cool I had left at that point, told her conversation was over and cut off the call. What blooming cheek. I don't normally do that, that is put the phone down on people, but this woman incensed me something terrible. And a solicitor at that. I'm just glad I'm not her client.

Anyway, I'm going to make a cup of tea, then continue with the task I was so rudely interrupted from, which is ..... chasing rent again ... and just hope the day gets better than this.

What is the difference between Guarantor and Witness?

That my friends, is a valid question. You may laugh, but that's what I got this morning.

One of our HMO tenants is in arrears. We chase for the payment, and she claims she's left the bedsit!! She has an AST, signed by her and her Guarantor, and witnessed to boot. Tc & Cs are all in there, but she still doesn't think she needs to give notice. If I'd asked her to leave in a moments notice, she'd be off to the Council like a shot and they, bless their red-tape keeping, do-gooding ways, will be on my back like a ton of bricks telling me about the illegality of my actions etc., and trying to teach me the housing law!! The hypocrites!! If they knew half as much of the housing law and the benefits law as they should, we won't have three quarters of the problems that we do.

Anyway, my dear tenant then comes back with the idea that the guarantor, who incidentally is her mum, is not her guarantor at all and has never been her guarantor. That in fact the guarantor was someone who did some work for us ages ago, who witnessed her signature on the first AST she signed back in Jan/Feb 08 at a previous bedsit. Confused? Hmnn, I'd be too if I didn't know better. I'd like to know what she's on. It might help me with dealing with folk like her.

I have of course already written to the Council to tell them their customer is not paying the housing benefit .....

Then it turns out she still has her stuff in the bedsit, and of course still has possession of the keys to the building and to her bedsit. But according to her she's left and doesn't live there anymore!! Now, considering she never gave notice, nor informed our local staff that she was leaving or was checked out, and still has all the keys, if I went in with my key, turfed out her stuff and re-let the place, I could be done for illegal eviction. But as the tenant, she can claim to have left, and there's nothing much I can do, AND if I want the place back, I have to spend more money, waste more time, lose more rent and apply to court for a possession order, or take the risk and change the locks, still leaving myself open to the charge of illegal eviction. The law stinks, doesn't it? But we all know that. Law and Justice are not exactly the same thing.

And then it turns out her mum is still her guarantor anyway, as i already knew since I have the signed paperwork. surprise, surprise - not. And she'll pay the arrears as she wants the daughter to keep the bedsit. Oh well, thanks for the generosity, dear guarantor, but, I already have you where it hurts - so says the Deed of Guarantee you signed.

Goodness knows where the girl is living at the mo ... and I really don't care. I just want them to show me the money, and whether they do it willingly or I have to go to court to get it, they will show me the money. That's a promise - to them and to myself :twisted:

have a good week guys and gals. I can tell I will - having sent out what seems like hundreds of letters to our various errant tenants last thursday and friday, i expect a lot of calls this week ....... and I am looking forward to them.

The Twitter community

After proscratinating and wondering what the fuss was all about, I finally signed on to Twitter on Saturday. Its another world in Twitterland. I'm still getting to grips with the settings and how to follow and who follows and unfollows and all the twitter talk. So I tweet on twitter....

I have a dream ....

A portfolio that is debt free, tenants that behave and pay on time, and a business that runs smoothly leaving me with time to do the things I want to do and spend time with the family.

This weekend, I'm certain that I've found the way to achieve this.

I'm sitting in the bar at the Heathrow Thistle Hotel, having spent the last three days at the World Internet Summit with like minded people looking to take their online businesses further. There are people out there doing some amazing things on the internet - you don't know the half of it. My brain is in a whirl ... information overloaded. I'm pumped up to the gills with information and seeing opportunities in everything I look at. There are even opportunities to apply some of the techniques to the landlord and tenant issues that I have to grapple with on a day to day basis. Amazing the sorts of creating things one's mind can actually come up with. Let the creative juices flow...

There's tomorrow to go, and after that, I'm just going to have to step back and decide what to do and when.

I'm really blown away by the possibilities. If you haven't already done so, then check out these fantastic products. Its only a small step, but hey, even babies had to learn to walk by taking one step at a time.

Other Systems of Income

Considering the current economic climate and the challenges that non paying tenants has presented and continues to present, it seemed prudent to look at alternative other sources of income to fill the gaping holes.

I have tried my hand at internet marketing, and had some success, but felt I needed to take it to the next level. So, I found myself attending an Entrepreneur's Bootcamp at the O2 last month, and had two fantastic information filled days. Wow! I hadn't realised just what else was out there, having focused on property for some time now. Speakers included Andrew Reynolds (who organised the event), Joel Comm, Tom Hua, Brett McFall, Andy Harrington, Simon Coulson, Armand Morin, Adam Ginsberg, Chris Howard and Kirt Christiensen. Those guys are full of information and advice. They do what they teach - and it shows (in their bank balances of course).

I've since followed that up with more learning, and doing. This weekend, I am attending the World Internet Summit in London. Its a 4-day event, where several experienced internet marketers show us how they've done it, and provide the sort of information that will enable us budding infopreneurs to get going. The line up is awesome, and I'll tell you about it as we go along.

As part of the hands-on learning, one of the experts has created a special offer, a product set, which is new on the market, and exclusive to this event. Its available only for the 4 days of this event. Its called the Internet Marketing Survival Kit. This is one amazing package that should not be missed for anything.

Infact, its not just one survival kit, but THREE. Do I hear you say, "why would I want one of those?".. Its for things like
How to get started online in just 48 hours, how to create you own ebook or info product, how to very quickly build a huge list of hungry buyers, how to build a business using twitter and so much more.

You don't believe me? Check it out for yourself.





I'll keep you posted on the events of the next 3 days. It promises to be awesome.

Attachment of Earnings farce

The justice system has a lot to answer for. The system is supposed to provide justice for all parties, right? But in reality, it doesn't.

One of my tenants has had trouble keeping up with his rent due to what I later discovered was a gambling problem. He is in employment, so can afford to pay, but can't quite manage to do so as he said "money just seems to flow through his fingers". I issued him a S8 notice, and he eventually went to the Council who told him to contact Shelter. Shelter called me to discuss the case, they were trying to help him with his problem, and he'd asked if the rent and arrears could be taken off his wages directly. He had asked his employers to do this, but they claimed they couldn't do it without a court order. I agreed to go for an Attachment of Earnings so the employers could action it. First stage was to get a judgement for the money through moneyclaim online (MCOL), and eventually got the money order after several weeks. I then applied to have the case transferred to local court, after which I then applied for the Attachment of earnings. The tenant was most co-operative at every stage, stating clearly what he wanted to happen. The process took a while, but then the order finally came .. and I was gobsmacked to say the least.

The Judge made a "suspended attachment of earnings order", whereby, the tenant was to pay me direct, an amount of £25 every week. If the defendant didn't pay, then I was to come back to the court and apply for a variation of the order, and if I objected to the ruling, to write to court within 16 days of the order etc.etc.

To say I was livid was an understatement. The tenant had asked that £150 per week be deducted directly from his wages. But the Judge had completely ignored that, and decided in his wisdom to do something completely different. What planet was he on??

I immediately wrote in with my objection, and explained the tenants appalling payment history, an provided copies of statements, letters and discussion with Shelter etc.etc. I also got the tenant to write a letter of objection, and sat with him whilst he did it, and posted it myself!!

Well, thankfully, it seems the objection from both sides worked, and I've now received a notice with a revised order for the full attachment of earnings. What a palaver.

One wonders where the justice is in all of this.

LHA now "in" with politicians

Up till recently, politicians generally did not seem to have a clue or seem to want to know about the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) issues that we landlords have been grappling with for yonks. Considering they passed the law, you'd think they'd care. Not until Labour announced its intentions to save money by removing the £15/wk allowance that it had previously allowed LHA claimants to have if they found property to rent at a rate cheaper than their allowance.

Also, we smell elections next year, so, what happens, the issues that affect the voters, which hitherto was of no concern, is now suddenly "in". But maybe it also has to do with the fact that a few of us have been writing to our MPs to report the problems in the hope that something might be done. I like to think perhaps we have had a hand in the LHA being discussed now.

The Lib-Dems waded into the waters at their conference in September when Sarah Teather MP, Shadow Housing Minister made her speech to the conference. She said, and I quote "Labour may have forgotten about you, but we never will. We are different". Now, am I inclined to believe that? No. But I live in hope.

Strikingly, she gives three examples of families that she knows of, who have issues with housing, and whose lives would undoubtedly turn out different if they had the right help from the state. She's right, I suppose.

I was struck by her statement about the rest of us not knowing the plight of these folk: "But you probably won’t know, because people are proud. Housing is so much about a person’s identity, it is so basic a need that people keep their private nightmares to themselves".
Is it so? Are people really too proud to ask for help, even when they are hurting so badly? Are we so insensitive that we'd rather not know these things, or we are just too busy to be bothered? Questions, questions and more questions ... what are the answers? are there any answers??

The rot for social housing started under the Tories headed by the "Iron Lady", and the policy of selling off council houses without replenishing them. Labour have not fared any better, as they've just made matters worse. What a farce - social housing situation getting worse under a government that has socialism at its core.

The point is made though, which I strongly agree, that the LHA as it is currently being implemented, is causing more deserving people to be forced into homelessness as landlords refuse to take on LHA claimants. Landlords have lost far too much money under this scheme, but no government will ever admit that.

Why should landlords take on these folk, when rent is not guaranteed to be paid, landlords get short shrift from council officials when problems arise with payments, and we can't even evict the tenants in a timely manner without further loss as the so-called justice system takes its tortoise-like time to decide the cases, not helped by council officials advising tenants to stay put until bailiffs turn up, completely in contempt of court!!. For instance, I recently heard about a case where a landlord applied for possession of a property in October 2009, through the "accelerated possession route" and was given a court hearing date in April 2010, 6 months down the line. And they call that justice!! What an outrage. What is the landlord to do, sit there and watch whilst the tenant continues to live rent free? How is landlord to pay the mortgage on the property?  I bet you though, if the same tenant went to the council to report or complain about disrepair, the council would be onto the landlord like a ton of bricks demanding immediate repairs and threatening all sorts of repercussions. What world they live in ... I just do not know.

Labour, wake up, landlords in today's world are not landed gentry with oodles of inherited money, they are ordinary joe-blogs, decent hard working people who just wanted to have another stream of income or provide for a pension to supplement the meagre amounts due from the state. Landlords have mortgages to pay, maintenance bills, taxes (that you gleefully levy) and they need to feed their families.

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, Lib Dems and their views on tenants and benefits. They do have some positive ideas.... The honourable MP did say:

But I can tell them, that step by step, brick by brick, we will rebuild this country’s housing stock.

I can say, that if we are asked to choose between hiking up taxes on billionaires or on tenants, we will not choose tenants.

And I can say that we will break with the same old policies of the last fifty years, tweaked by each new red/blue blue/red government that comes through the revolving door.

Whether or not they have a chance to implement them is another matter. Perhaps whichever government gets into power next year will end up claiming these ideas as their own ....

More LHA Headaches!!

Its been one of those days today. I've spent a lot of time on the telephone to Housing Benefit offices in three different local authorities, and postponed the call to a fourth till tomorrow. I'm tired, frustrated, and down right angry. And tired of well meaning but largely powerless council staff trying to explain to me how the LHA scheme works-as if I didn't know already. Oh yes sir, don't I just know how it works.

The people in gofmint that thought up the LHA scheme and insisted on having LHA paid direct to tenant in all cases, and the civil servants that drew up the guidelines, have a lot to answer for. They just haven't got a clue about the damage they have caused with their do-gooding ideas.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for empowering people and encouraging them to exercise their rights to this and that and the other. But with rights come responsibilities. The two go hand in hand, like the two halves of a pair of scissors. You can't have rights without responsibilities. Too often people focus on their rights, conveniently forgetting their responsibilities, and that's why the LHA is not working. Frankly, by not including any repercussions or sanctions for failure to use the LHA correctly, the gofmint opened the floodgates to fraud. Lets call a spade a spade, okay, and not a digging implement. Accepting LHA and then using it for purposes other than rent is theft, fraud, stealing, robbery.... you get the jist. It is government-sanctioned daylight robbery. But does the gofmint see it that way? Oh no. If that is what this gofmint calls empowering, then I think we are in deep deep trouble here. We already are in trouble anyway.

I do (sometimes) feel for the council staff at the benefit offices. Theirs is not an easy task, and being on the receiving end of the anger and frustration of landlords who have been robbed by tenants, cannot be a good experience. Perhaps the gofmint would be wise to actually conduct a proper survey of the benefit office staff, and hence get another enlightening view to assist with their enquiry into the LHA scheme.

Here endeth my day of chasing LHA payments: (i) Two different councils failed to pay LHA into nominated credit union accounts, even where details were specified fully on application forms, (ii) where tenant is more than 2 months in arrears (including time served), request made 2 weeks ago to pay landlord direct, but council still "investigating with tenant", and (iii) where benefit suspended.. for unknown reasons.

If I were a drinking person, I'd be downing a few shots of whisky by now. But, I'll just have to make do with a cup of tea.....

Government Signals U-turn on LHA

The government, via the House of Commons Works and Pensions Committee, has indicated it will carry out a review of the LHA system later this year. This comes in the face of campaigning by landlords organisations NLA and RLA following the rollout of the system in April 2008 and the subsequent humonguous losses suffered by landlords as a result of tenants deciding not to pass on the LHA to their landlords.

If you are a landlord, and have tenants in receipt of LHA, you should have your say by filling in the online questionnare. What is the saying that .. "bad things happen when good people do nothing"... Let's each do something to redress the balance.

The RLA have a comprehensive questionnare, so please go to Full LHA Survey.

At the end of it, you can and should also download a template letter to complete and send to your MP.

The NLA have a shorter version which is Postcard LHA Survey

Come on people, lets tell the gofmint exactly what we think of their "air-brained" scheme.

1. Whilst I think that the idea of using the market rents is fair, and simple to calculate, and determining the allowance based on room needs/requirements, the implementation of it by the various Councils leaves a lot to be desired.
2. What happened to the fundamental right of the tenant to choose to pay the allowance to the Landlord? Most of them want it paid direct anyway, and are surprised that they are not allowed to (nanny gofmint..).
3. And why are there no deterrents put in place for those who might be tempted to use the LHA for something other than rent?  when taxpayer's money has been given to the tenant to use for rent and tenant misuses it, is that not fraud or theft??
4. What happened to the right of the taxpaying public to expect accountability for their taxes paid in good faith and given to claimants for the specific purpose of paying rent?
5. Why must landlords suffer at least 8 weeks of lost rent before being able to get the LHA paid direct? And how are we supposed to recoup the spent LHA from people with little or no assets? I suppose we can flog the 40inch plasma screens .... We can't claim lost rent on expenses now can we???

Think again, gofmint. Enough is enough. We are not charities, nor do we have deep pockets. We are small businesses being strangled slowly and surely. The banks to whom you gave our tax money are hoarding it and not giving us any. They pull our overdrafts, refuse to give us credit for anything-not even for retraining, and hike our repayment rates and interest charges and all those other charges that they dream of. So what, dear gofmint, are you going to do about it??


Over to you folks and fellow landlords. Lets give the gofmint something more useful to work with than their rosy, unrealistic 3-4 year old Pathfinder trial results.

Tories urge tenant benefit change

Yes, now the tories are on to it! and about time too.

The BBC has has the story which says: "Automatic direct payments of housing benefits to private tenants in England should be stopped, the Tories say."
And it goes on further:
"The Conservatives want to allow tenants to choose whether to have benefits paid directly to the landlord or maintain responsibility for passing on rent payments themselves.
At the national conference for homeless charity Crisis, shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said: "Fearful that rent money may never be paid, some landlords routinely include the words NO HB in their ads, further restricting the supply of housing for affordable rent.
"At the same time some of the most chaotic tenants have struggled to manage their finances, meaning that the cash is already spent by rent pay day.
"It strikes me that the current situation is bad for everyone and I can see no reason why people on Local Housing Allowance shouldn't enjoy the freedom to have their Housing Benefit paid direct to their landlord. Our proposal will destigmatise the system and increase the amount of affordable homes available."

Hear! Hear.  Freedom of choice was taken away from tenants by the government that insists on being a nanny state. Hopefully sanity will prevail and freedom of choice will be restored, and with it, restore confidence in the benefits system which has seen landlords lose money hand over fist.

Guess what?
"The government say the new system is fairer and simpler than the one it replaced but are beginning a review of the system later in the year"

Government still insists its a great system. But of course they would. Afterall, they've spent taxpayers money to create the "flagship" system, and can't be seen to be backing down or doing a U-turn. It might be fairer in terms of rent calculations, and simpler to implement for the councils, but the insistence on paying the HB to tenant in all but a few cases stinks. I bet you none of these law makers would ever rent to someone on HB, as they know the implications. No rent for 8 weeks, tough. Can't claim it back from someone with no assets, can they? The hypocrisy of it all. How on earth do they expect landlords' businesses to survive in such a situation beats me. But then again, we all know what planet they live on .... gravy train called Westminster. That, explains it all.

When is a tenant 8 weeks in arrears?

You may be wondering why this question is relevant or important. If so, bear with me whilst I enlighten you. A tribunal decision in Coventry is set to shake the current practice of councils paying housing benefit to claimant tenants 4-weeks in arrears. Landlords who have such tenants ... take note.

The Housing Act 1988, Section 8 (as amended by Section 151 of the Housing Act 1996) states that a landlord can serve notice on the tenant to seek possession of a property let on an assured tenancy on grounds of rent arrears, if at least eight weeks rent is unpaid, where the rent is payable weekly or fortnightly, or at least two months rent is unpaid if rent is payable monthly".

Tenancy agreements normally stipulate that rent must be paid weekly or monthly in advance. So tenants are expected to pay rent in advance of the period for which the rent is applicable.That is the liability to pay rent. For example, if rent is due on 1st of each month, and the tenant doesn't pay rent due on 1st Sept and 1st October, then on 2nd October, the tenant already has 2 months rent unpaid, and the landlord can serve notice seeking possession.

The complication arises where a tenant is receiving housing benefit, which councils tend to pay 4 weekly in arrears. So, in the example above, tenant was due to pay rent on 1st September, but didn't get housing benefit until 28th September. Tenant decides not to pay the landlord anyway, and spends it on something else. On 2nd october tenant has two months rent unpaid. On 3rd October, Landlord informs council housing benefit office and requests direct payment, but council insist that tenant is not yet 8 weeks in arrears because 8 weeks of actual time has not elapsed from 1st September to 2nd October even though contractually, tenant is more than 8 weeks in arrears. So, council refuse to pay next lot of housing benefit to landlord, as the law requires them to do. But don't blame the council, its the same government that wrote the law that then gave the guidelines that "DWP takes the view that a person cannot be in rent arrears in respect of a period that has not yet been served". Completely ignoring the contractual obligations that the "person" signed with the landlord.

So, the Guild or Residential Landlords, on behalf of one Landlord, Mr Doncaster decided to take Coventry City Council to court to challenge their decision, and the Tribunal Judge, CJ Jones ruled in his favour.
He said: "In making this decision I have considered the Housing Benefit Local Housing Allowance Guidance Manual as amended in March 2008 and in particular the note at the foot of 6.86 - 6.89 that rent cannot be in arrear in respect of a period that has not been served.
I do not agree with that view. Rent is in arrears once the contractual date for payment has passed irrespective of whether rent is due in advance or in arrear. Regulation 95 of the 2006 Regulations refers to a liability to pay rent and the liability in this case is to pay rent in advance."

Hurray, Hallelujah. At last, someone with clout has pointed out the obvious, something landlords have been saying for yonks and which has fallen on deaf government/council ears.

This judgement has serious implications for all landlords who have tenants in receipt of housing benefits or local housing allowance as it is now called. Maybe common sense will now prevail.
See full story here.

I have already written to one council about problems with a current tenant, and asked what steps they were now going to take in view of this judgement - I got a reply-the usual official jargon, but no answer to the question. So, I'm sending another letter on Monday asking the same question. Watch this space.

The Tories reaffirm commitment to landlords

Here's another story I picked up this week from here. My comments in (brackets).

Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps has reaffirmed the Conservative Party's commitment to ensuring local authorities work better with landlords. (Music to my ears ....)

Speaking at a joint reception at the Conservative Party Conference between Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people, and the National Landlords Association (NLA), the representative body for private residential landlords, Shapps went on to say that,: “regulation [of the private-rented sector] was a blunt instrument for getting results” and welcomed working with the National Landlords Association. (Considering it was under the Tories spearheaded by "The Iron Lady" that the regulation actually started, that's a bit rich, innit? But then again, the blunt instrument is an appropriate tool from the Iron lady.... Anyone remember the Housing Act 1988? As ammended in 1996? New Labour carried on the tradition with subsequent regulation, burdening landlords even more. But then again, we've always known Labour does not like private enterprise, and would seek to rob the hardworking of their well earned money to handout to the slobs who can't be bothered to get off their backsides. Its the fact that it was the tories that fashioned the blunt anti-enterprise instrument in the first place that is difficult to understand. I suppose it was designed to win votes ... in the same way as the decision to sell off council housing stock and not replace them. Ironic isn't it, that the government decides to sell off council housing stock, not replace them, and then set out to hamstring, bludgeon and penalise the very group of people who provide the much needed housing that the government delibrately opted out of... how rich is that, eh?? )

David Salusbury, chairman of the NLA, said: “There are now sufficient rules and regulations in place to ensure that the minority of rogue operators in the sector can be dealt with swiftly and effectively.

“The final piece in the jigsaw is encouraging local authorities to use existing and significant powers appropriately instead of introducing more regulation which only penalises good landlords. Of course, we are also encouraged that the shadow housing minister is looking forward to working with the NLA.”
 (I am really intrigued to see how the local authorities can be encouraged to use existing powers appropriately .... considering the haphazard way in which they interprete/apply the current regulations and the fact that they can't be bothered to think. Those folk are a law unto themselves. When a landlord challenges a local authority office about a decision made locally, they go "don't blame us, its the law and we are just following the law".  They when the actual law is quoted to them which shows their errors, they go "but the guidelines from government says ...".  and on and on. The council, often seen as government's goons, just wields the blunt instrument without thought for the devastation that it causes landlords. Unfortunately, the effect is ultimately more homelessness, as landlords will refuse to take on certain types of tenants-the very ones the so called laws were supposed to help. We wait in anticipation to see firstly if the tories get back in, and secondly what exactly it is they will do .... promises promises promises.... )

The White House is for Sale?

surely not .. the White House can't be for sale, or can it. Check this out. For a cool $10 million, you get 16,000 square feet of space, car parking for 75 cars, and a swimming pool. I still can't imagine a tenant in there though. What would the rent be? electricity bills? maintenance? Not for the light pocket.

Ongoing Court processes in the matter of tenant evictions

I have been away from this for a little while, but not because there's been nothing to report. Rather, there's been too much going on and too few hours in the day.

Today, I received four letters from three Courts, and one letter from a lawyer dealing with enforcement of a possession/money judgement order. Yes, five different tenants or ex-tenants and various stages of possession. Anyone would think I had become litiguous . ... and they'd be right. Unfortunately its the only way to get the parasites off our backs, and reclaim what is owed.

The enforcement is of a money judgement given in January this year. We have had a Court order for the Defendant to pay £100/month starting August 2009. Guess what, they have so far paid £43, and propose paying £10/week. At that rate, we'd still be trying to collect for a few years. Now, I'm no legal bod, but surely, that is contempt of court, isn't it. The law comes down heavy if we don't pay parking/ticket/speeding fines, or miss payments, so why not CCJs for rent arrears? The High court enforcement officer writes to ask what we want to do? suspend enforcement and accept the offer? Now what is their job? Enforcement or negotiation ..... so I've just emailed to say... go ahead with enforcement of the court order. Its a matter of principle now.

The Order for possession arriving today was for a court hearing on 16/09/09. I get a copy of the order a month after the order was given, and two weeks after the defendant was ordered to vacate the property. The actual hearing took less than 10minutes on the day, after having waited several weeks for the hearing itself. Justice might be slow, but, hey.... thaaat sloooow?? I guess blame will be laid at the door of the postmen now.

The attachment of earnings case... that's been dragging itself around for a wee while. Started with moneyclaim online, then passed through a couple of courts to the one local to the Defendant. Well, local is relative in this case, as there's one closer, but that was not the right one. Such a rigmarole. The Defendant in this case works, but as he himself said "money seems to just slip through his fingers"... make what you will of that. And this is not a young man, I mean, he is in his fifties for goodness sakes, and can't manage his financial affairs. Unfortunately, the money is not even being spent on himself .... nor on women, nor on wine, nor on weed. You guess it, its being spent on Weapons of Mass Poverty Creation ... where the owner of the money keeps thinking his luck will change at the next draw. Yeah, right!! As long as he manages to stay in work, we will collect it all ... including ongoing rent. No, not turfing him out - ulterior motive... need to ensure he keeps a roof over his head and stay in work so we can collect.

The remaining two are being dealt with by one court. Next possession hearing is now second week in November, which means this one will be trying to find a new home in December.... not the best time eh? but that's not my problem. Its hers. She is even getting help from the State, but decided to use it for purposes other than paying rent. Then does the proverbial ostrich ... not answering telephone, email, letters or even personal visit. Car out front, people in house, knock, knock, knock... wait, knock some more, louder and louder, curtains twitch but she aint got the bottle to face up to the problem. The State have been informed, but we wait and see what the State will do. They are notorious for their inept handling of such matters, but that's another story.

The last one .. well now, THAT is one heck of a story, which will be told at a later date, so watch this space. She is one twistedly purposeful liar in the guise of a nice lady. If there's been a disaster that can befall anyone, she's had it. She basically ran out of excuses. Gave her plenty of rope, and she's basically twisted herself all up and no houdini can get her out of the knots she's tied herself in. Saw her yesterday and she tried the waterworks trick .... oh no! moved me not an iota. Now,believe it or not, I'm normally a compassionate person, but folk like these lot just don't allow compassion to even come into the equation. They'll gobble you up, chew you to bits and spit you out again without so much as a blink. That's the world we have to deal with.

Well, tomorrow is another day, and I should be checking in two new tenants.

landlords are "jaded" .... so I hear

I saw and article earlier today with the headline "landlords are jaded". Of course that sparked my interest, and I read the article. Apparently, we are "jaded" because and I quote "in the three months to the end of September, fewer than one in three investors were taking the trouble to review the mortgage market on a regular basis". 

Now, can someone explain to me why we would bother anyway, when the banks are not lending to us? Those that are lending or pretending to do so, want to take the shirts off our backs anyway. How many buy-to-let products are still out there, and of those out there how many have reasonable terms/rates? And how many landlords have any credit history worthy of presenting to a lender? how many landlords have been turned down time and again by cautious lenders even when the applicant has a good credit rating? What is the point!!

These bankers have no clue, and I mean no clue, as to what it takes to run a property portfolio, sitting in their cushy chairs in front of their computer screens, twirling numbers around to justify their existence. They pull overdrafts without so much as a by-your-leave, and say "no" even before you've finished asking the question. Between the bankers, the government's ill-thought-out housing regulations, the councils' cack-handed implementation of said regulations, and the tenants shenanigans, the average landlord/investor is pretty chewed up. Frankly, I'm surprised there's any of us left.

Anyway, back to the topic: Buy-to-let mortgages, just a few short months ago, were considered "toxic debts", by our government. Infact I'd go so far as to say the term was so toxic, that one immediately thought "barge pole" when buy-to-let was mentioned. Unfortunately, those maligning the mortgages forgot that most of the properties (houses and flats) bought with these mortgages were good solid housing stock, and not the overpriced city centre flats that no average person could afford!!

We all know that the days of cheap and easy mortgage lending is over, well for now anyway, and we may not likely see a return to the sorts of levels that was around 12-18months ago, and maybe that's a good thing. There is talk that the property market is improving, and we hope so.

I'm a firm believer in bricks-and-mortar being a good solid investment, if held for the long term. Even if one is just trading, there's value in it. For those who are able to, now is very much a good time to be buying property, as there are good deals to be had.  For those who are not able, well, they can sit on the ring side and watch the match in safety and train and tweak their portfolio to maximum potential.
 

a relatively quiet day

Today has been relatively quiet. Whilst there has been no major disaster, there has still been the odd minor irritations. Just over a week ago, in preparation for moving a new tenant into a flat, the boiler was serviced and the gas safety certificate issued. one week later, the tenant moves in, and all seems fine. Then on saturday, the tenant calls to report that the boiler wasn't working, and claimed it hadn't worked since he moved in. Now, I was at the premises when the service/certification was done, and knew the boiler was working. Anyhow, we send the Gas Safe plumber round on saturday, he couldn't fix it, then he went back on monday and talked it through with the boiler manufacturer, and worked out that the pcb thingy in it  has now gone kaput, and without it, the boiler ain't gonna work. And guess what, that little board of tricks will set me back a nice and tidy sum of £386, another unexpected expense. I'm in two minds as to whether or not the tenant caused the damage or it was just a coincidence. The jury is out on that one. Boilers are a rip off, there's always something not right with them, particularly those combis!!

With this and a leak here, a repair there, and what not, it does sometimes feel as if the bank account is just a conduit, you know. Funds come in one end, and straight out the other, with hardly a pause to sit and be admired.

Talking about water leaks reminded me of a message a tenant left for us at the end of last week. She wants a water meter fitted, and Anglian water sent their surveyor round to check the best location for it. Anyhow, they've decided it needs to go somewhere in the kitchen that requires removal of some of the kitchen units and what not, so she calls and says could we send someone round, to remove the said units, and then put them back etc. LOL! What a cheek! Its not as if there has been a damage or any such thing, but for her convenience. Needless to say I haven't even bothered to reply.

Welcome ......

I am a landlord, of the bricks-and-mortar variety, and have been for a little while now. The journey has been quite interesting, sometimes exhilirating and sometimes downright frustrating. The antics of tenants - you've got to experience it to believe it. I've often said to myself, "i must write a book about my experiences", but of course it always seems a daunting task. I haven't even kept a diary-its all in my head. But of course the older I get, the more distant the memory becomes and details fade....

Whilst I've been aware of blogging for a while now, I've never really taken notice. Yes, yes, yes, I know.... how could I not, in this day and age of e-life and e-living, and for one who is an engineer by profession.... Its never too late though, is it? I recently attended an event that has changed my outlook, and made me decide to just get on with it.

So, come enjoy with me the highs and lows of being a landlord.