Rogue Landlords!

Are you renting privately?

Check out the following website, similar to trust-pilot this website is specifically for reviewing landlords: https://www.marksoutoftenancy.com/

Have you come across the dodgy landlord that patches things up with a lick of paint?

I will reiterate the importance of online credibility. In this day and age to show your trustworthiness, you also have to show who you are publicly and if you have a property management company, you should have a website. Tenants and prospective tenants can then see the latest properties on the market, FAQ, and an about page all about you the landlord, or the property management company. There should also be an info page and who to call in case of an emergency.

Any reputable property management company should have a website and social media integration.

I am located in Wales so all landlords in Wales must be registered and licensed through: https://www.rentsmart.gov.wales Now here is the thing they do a course and they then must comply with what the government expects of them as they could be liable and fined up to £30,000 in a government crackdown on low quality rented accommodation. The government’s proposals also include a ban on people with certain criminal convictions letting out properties. Landlords looking to lease a property to five or more people will need a license unless the tenants are from a single family. A database of “serious and prolific” offenders will also be created – with fines of up to £30,000 for those who let out substandard or unsafe accommodation.

So here is the dilemma of the private tenant if you complain you will be served an eviction notice to leave. A landlord can evict you giving you two months’ notice to find new accommodation for no reason at all, he could simply say he does not want to rent the property out anymore as he is planning to sell. He could keep the property empty or renovate whilst you are gone, leaving you with the problem of finding suitable accommodation and getting money together and ready for the move.

So in some cases, people simply do not have the money to uproot. Imagine you have to find the money for a bond and one month’s rent upfront, never mind the moving costs of hiring a van, taking time off work, and hiring people to help you move. So this is why our country is the way it is, because if a tenant complains they usually find themselves homeless because of the costs involved in finding other accommodation.

The government can help families but single people are not favoured for immediate help and end up being homeless.

As a private tenant, you put up and shut up. Sure the landlord can be fined but you can find yourself also out on your ear. Yes, the Nay Sayers will say but you have rights, of course, I know that but if the landlord then says that he no longer wants to rent the property out, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

I once had a kitchen fire and when the fire brigade noticed I did not have smoke alarms fitted to my mains power they immediately notified the local council who notified my landlord and in turn, he threatened to throw me out as this had caused a problem for him of which he had to fork out the cash. So as a consequence we also had to have turn locks and a handle on our front door and as you know I have OCD so handles and I do not go well together, but who cares right?, certainly not the council and certainly not the landlord.

Since then the local council has made my landlord put turn locks and a handle on my kitchen door even though there is no room for a handle as the fridge is in the way and you simply cannot get into the kitchen without causing yourself an injury with the handle in situ.

On another occasion, someone smashed the front door stained glass window and I remember trying to phone the landlord on a Friday night and he was not answering. I then contacted the police and they gave me an incident number to give to the insurance company. I then called out emergency glaziers where I was charged £250 to make the building safe and secure, they then ordered the replacement stained glass.

Upon speaking to the insurance company on the following Monday as their offices were closed over the weekend, I was told I was only covered by contents insurance and no building insurance. I then contacted my landlord who has to have building insurance for all his properties and he refused to contact his insurers I was left to foot the bill, as it was too late to cancel my order. The glass replacement bill came to £1,500 and my landlord offered me £60.00 as compensation which I declined due to his insulting my intelligence and integrity.

His time will come.

There was one other incident and this is a scam by far, a landlord changes the date of his rent being due so he can in the middle of the month demand the rent to be paid at the beginning of the month and visa versa but what this does it makes the tenant who pays every month have to find an extra two weeks rent as on top of the rent that was due and the moving forward of two weeks make the tenant default by two weeks. An example of what I mean the rent is due normally on the 15th but now it is moved to the 1st so instead of paying for 4 weeks’ rent upfront you find yourself owing for 6 weeks. A simple shift of time change and if the landlord does this a couple of times a year could make an extra month’s rent out of each tenant. ***See where I am going? Fool me once shame on you……

Your comments are welcome.

So here is the thing the landlord is having all these things done including adding more smoke alarms into every room as if one alarm is not deafening enough and he is patching everything else up with a lick of paint rather than hiring professionals who specialize in a trade he hires one person to be the jack of all trades.

Now I could go on but I feel that cutting corners does not benefit anyone in the long run as simply patching something up will only cause bigger problems further down the line. It is always better to tackle the problem head-on and fix it properly as the more times you patch it up, imagine how much money you could have saved if you fixed the problem properly in the beginning without all the callouts.

Do not cut corners “Landlords”, as it will only cost you more money in the end, always hire a professional tradesman, skilled in his field that has good reviews.

Do not hire a friend of a friend that is not known as these people are called “Cowboys”!! Always employ someone that is verified and has some accreditation.

****Addendum 16/02/20

After being promised that the person fixing my roof would come today, yes I know it is a Sunday but the weather has been terrible lately, and especially yesterday my leak got so bad that I put 4 pots down in the bathroom to catch the rain and for over a month I have had a leaking bathroom ceiling, only to be told they had only yesterday noticed two missing roof tiles, trying to put the onus on the landlord for not showing them the right location of the leak, yet they have been in my property for the last two weeks inspecting the bathroom………………. work that one out?

So my concern now is that the water coming through my ceiling is running down my electrics and coming out of my light fitting. Nevertheless, I cannot use the bathroom at all not even to go to the toilet, just in case I get electrocuted and the workman who will remain nameless for now said and I quote “just be careful”. (I have video evidence),

What if this causes an electrical fire or blows my electrics, what will happen then when I will be left without electricity or worse a home? The lack of urgency of some people makes me want to slap them.

Just because I told them my life story they now think I am a walkover and they will take their time doing the work because they think I cannot stand my ground or stand up for myself. They are very much mistaken because “hell hath no fury as a woman scorned” and what they fail to realize I have little empathy for people who lie to me.

Regardless of any pending business, I may have had from them, I will personally will not promote someone who cannot do their job properly and even if they do not use me they will find in the future my marketing skills can make them or break them. I can give anyone their five minutes of fame.

So where they made the emphasis they will climb the roof when it is dry well and when it is safe, that is not going to happen any time soon, and by coincidence had they bothered to turn up today they would have found it was not raining. 🙂

Also, I researched on the internet that there are emergency roofers that will climb your roof even if it is raining as they use something called a “tarp” to keep the roof dry whilst they fix it, so what is the “Woody From Toy Stories” excuse? It been over four weeks now I am getting pretty much fed up with it.

Watch me cause so many problems if this is not fixed tomorrow and I do not care what storm is brewing as my storm “Storm Renata” will be bigger and better than “Storm Dennis or Storm Jorge”.

There is a saying you can build your reputation which may take you years to build but within minutes it can be destroyed. They won’t have a business left once I am finished with them. I was asked to not mention anything to the landlord about them returning, I wonder why?, unless my landlord has given them a warning.

I refer to the landlord when I text him over a week ago, that I wanted to know what company he was using so that I could check out their reviews and for him to be careful not to be scammed, and surprise, surprise he blanked, which brings me to the fact he did not respond because the company he is using is a friend of a friend and not from good old “Google” or “Yellow Pages”.

The tenant below me had her trampoline netting ripped as the same workman fell into it as he was scaling her wall to climb over into her garden to access the roof about a month ago or so, and any decent person would have admitted to her what had happened but he did not mention a thing and when he noticed I had noticed he had fallen and ripped the trampoline he just waved to me and started to laugh with his colleagues, very unprofessional in my eyes.

He should have at least mentioned it to the landlord, but he was not going to do that as that would mean forking out money for new netting. My neighbor was furious when she found out but because I did not record the whole thing it would have been my word against theirs.

As far as I am concerned someone owes me for a stock pot as I have to use that to pee whilst my toilet/bathroom has been out of service.

I wish I had an address for him to send an invoice and at this rate, I am going to have to mention this to my landlord if it is not fixed by tomorrow, I don’t care, I certainly am not dependent on their business and it is no skin off my nose if they do not use me as like I said before “I do not want to market cowboys”.

……….An update……. the roof has been supposedly fixed I think, only time will tell if my carpet gets wet again.

I also noticed that my extension lead at the back of the washing machine had been taken off a pipe as it was suspended from a pipe because it could not lie on the ground just in case the washing machine ever leaked. The people who came to deliver my washing machine refused to install washing machine because it did not comply with PAT Regulations. So these other sets of cowboys who fitted my smoke alarms failed to do anything about my washing machine power cable and omitted to notice my burnt-out chandelier in the living room.

You would have thought they would fit carbon monoxide detectors but they have not in the kitchen. I’m going to have to do this myself. I’m going back and forth here from one set of cowboys to another but the electrical cowboys are a total joke and the handy manny people, well all I can say is they are on a monthly payment regardless of how big or small the job is will do it all and when asked about the kitchen handle they supposedly fitted but in reality they had not, I asked for the handle and was told it is safe with them and if I ever needed to fit it they would come and fit one for me……. What’s to say I would ever use them???

I just cannot wait to move out of this @@@@ tip and move somewhere much nicer. I am contemplating my naval if I ever was to have enough money to buy this property it would be for investment purposes only. I would renovate it and I would live somewhere else. Too many bad memories in the house that I care to mention or remember for me to live here indefinitely.

****Anyone with a nightmare story is more than welcome to share it here, and the more times we name and shame rogue landlords to the point of even publishing their names they will soon go out of business and landlords need tenants more than tenants need landlords. Remember to go check out:

Rogue_Landlord_Database_Reform_Consultation

Or simply type the name of the landlord into search engines to see if his/her name has been mentioned.

Happy Reading!

27/02/20

Continuation of My Leaky Roof Saga, six weeks later my problem is still ongoing and last night my bathroom light was flickering even though the light was not switched on. The light switched on by itself.

I later found out that the rain had been running down my light switch, the string pull and my carpet was soaking wet.

I contacted the building contractor and explained my dilemma and how I was concerned it could cause an electrical fire. The nonurgency of his response was he was busy today and would come around until tomorrow.

I am starting to lose my patience here, if my electricity trips or a fire breaks out and I am left without power, unable to work or God forbid anywhere to live, my heads will roll……

I have since had a message from the building contractor who has canceled on me today period and has said he will have it fixed by the time heavy rains come tomorrow.

I am on the verge of punching him…….

If you read the following article you will see he is now endangering lives by not fixing the problem when I have told him so: https://villageplumbinglv.com/what-to-do-if-water-leaks-from-your-ceiling-light-fixture/

I am the type of person that does not keep quiet and will tell him so to his face and take legal action.

Like I said before I told the building contractors my life story and now they think I am a pushover.

It is also very strange how this building contractor has no digital footprint at all.

Trustworthiness minus 100 in my eyes………

28/02/20

This is starting to be like an online journal.

The workman came first thing this morning after canceling on me yesterday.

They tinkered in the attic for about half an hour, putting their dirty feet on my fridge freezer near my pots and pans, leaving a mess right throughout my kitchen and landing with what I assume were broken fragments of blanket insulation all over my services, my pots and pans my flooring and my carpet. They then reassured me they had sealed the leak and no sooner they had left 4 leaks appeared 🙂

The Chief Building Contractor said he had lied to the landlord’s secretary and had said he was visiting me to return some photos but in reality, he was coming to fix the leak for the millionth time.

So I told the building contractor if he is struggling to fix the leak that I would contact the landlord and request he gets a roofer in, which he has said I should do and that he would confirm with my landlord.

It is now a waiting game to see when this will be fixed. It’s back to using the stock pot again lol.

Furthermore, after noticing my light fixture turning itself on the other night and flickering, upon testing it today the light does not come on at all, and when the building contractor asked if we had any spare light bulbs to which I replied I had not as this was a brand new light fitting the electricians had fitted about a month ago, so the building contractor then tried to see what bulb was in the fitting and could not access it. Usually, this is a man thing where most men can figure out how to change a light bulb but this building contractor could not.

I am still waiting to see how to change the light bulb and if my light fitting broken or not.

I am honestly dealing with stupid people now, who I presume have no qualifications or any brain cells.

The standard of service is a downright disgrace with the electrician not telling me about the light fitting and not securing the washing machine wiring to safety standards yet they charged my landlord to change a fitting that was already safety approved with another one which no one can fathom how to change the light bulb.

18 Visits in Lockdown.

For the last six weeks, I have had about 18 visits from various workmen namely electricians, carpenters and building contractors, and my landlord, yet I am paying rent to not have any problems or visitors.

“I am well and truly fed up with the whole scenario”!!!

03/03/20

Upon finishing my last update, the leak continued on Friday 28th February 2020 when the building contractor said he could no longer attempt to fix it and that I needed a professional roofer. I also told the building contractor about the bathroom light coming on by itself and flickering and not working the following day. He attempted to first start by changing the light bulb only to find it was sealed with some sort of circuit board and that he would find the property management person for advice.

Later that afternoon my landlord turned up unannounced with no consideration to what I was doing to inspect the leak and said he would be back around on Monday, saying he need to find a roofer. I sarcastically commented with an innuendo, getting an emergency roofer would cost lots of money and he apologized and left. Now fast forward to Monday, there was no show from the Landlord or the roofer, and today Tuesday unannounced guess who turns up?, only the same building constructor with another guy whom I have never met before. So imagine if I was working a 9-5 job and I had taken time off work and waited all day for a no-show or even an apology. Another thing is they can gain entry without my permission but by law, they have to give me at least 24 hours’ notice, this has not happened and I have to be present at all times because of the valuable content I have in the property that would not be covered by insurance if someone decided to have sticky fingers.

I have been robbed before in a similar scenario because the thief did not break in to enter my property and used keys, which is what the landlord and his goofy workmen have to gain entry, I would not be covered by my insurance and I am not making the same mistake twice.

(What happened “oh I cannot fix the roof” )?

So in the space of 7 weeks since I first reported the issue and with also electricity checks and alterations in the property I have had 21 visits. Now the law says the following which you can access via this link: https://www.gov.uk/private-renting

Your rights

As a tenant, you have the right to:

• Live in a safe property and in a good state of repair (black mold growing on my walls from rising dampness, no double-glazed windows, dangerous light fittings, and not Pat Compliant).
• Have your deposit returned when the tenancy ends – and in some circumstances have it protected
• Challenge excessively high charges
• Know who your landlord is (only have his email address and mobile phone number, do not know where he lives or where he operates his business from).
• Live in the property undisturbed (This is a Joke – Have had 21 visits in a space of 7 weeks)
• See an Energy Performance Certificate for the property (Never seen one from my landlord in the 20-odd years I have lived here, although I had got my report from an approved company).
• Be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent (The landlord could easily say he no longer wants to rent the property out and there is nothing anyone can do about it).
• Have a written agreement if you have a fixed-term tenancy of more than 3 years (Never been sent a copy of an agreement that I signed and was promised I would get a copy of – I never received a copy of an agreement). As far as I know, he could have made me sign it and then ripped it up.

If you have a tenancy agreement, it should be fair and comply with the law.

Further reading of Landlord Regulations, Obligations & Laws can be found here:

https://landlords.org.uk/support-advice/landlord-regulations-obligations-laws

If you do not know who your landlord is, write to the person or company you pay rent to. Your landlord can be fined If they do not give you this information within 21 days.

Don’t get me wrong I am prepared to live in this @@@@ tip for a little bit longer until I find somewhere else or can afford to buy the property of the landlord outright and do my renovations, with legitimate contractors, not cowboys. The law sucks and unless you have a plan b to uproot at short notice (two months approx), think of the consequences before making waves……….It will cost you money to find the bond for a new place £500 upwards plus one month’s rent upfront, which is another £500 plus depending on where you want to live, not forgetting taking time off work and removals which can be anything up to £1000+. So consider the pros and cons.

Instead, collate enough information/evidence and take the landlord to court at the end of the tenancy, when you are good and ready and not before.

I am not going to make waves as I use this property to work, so moving elsewhere would cost me thousands of pounds, which at the moment is tied in my business.

If you are looking for a Pat Test Inspector or Electrician in the South Wales area, I highly recommend:

www.electricianswales.co.uk: