Monday 12 May 2014

Scared To Leave.



The many negative effects of renting are well known and often shared hereabouts. Firstly, there’s the constant insecurity, then the ever present threat of revenge evictions or being given no fault notice, and the possibility of uncontrolled rent increases.

But here’s a new fear: the abject fear of leaving.

Some time ago my friend landed in renting clover. He found a reasonable (ie fairly priced) one-bed home (for some reason, they’re rare around these parts) which is let by a friendly, lovely, supportive professional rentier. The flat is unfurnished, which allows him to select his own furniture and make the place more like a home. He’s been allowed to decorate to his own taste (the owner will paint it when he re-lets it, as used to be the case…) It’s also insulated, warm, well-located and the neighbours are nice.

It sounds perfect. So what’s the problem?

Well, he’s been offered an amazing, life enhancing work opportunity. Not permanent, not much more pay, but it would entail moving for a while. So he’d need to give up his valued, desirable rented home (he can’t sublet – he’s asked.)

This also means that on his return, he’d need to go back ‘out there’, back into the badlands, stumbling through the jungle to find another place to live, that is another home that’s just as nice. Which he knows will be impossible.

Much is claimed for the positive side of renting; the freedom that being a perpetual tenant allows. Life is purportedly flexible, fun loving and free. The sense of liberty is supposed to enable moving on when required; to take advantage of opportunities or up sticks if the home doesn’t suit. If only this was true.

In reality, moving around is costly, with letting agencies actively conspiring to hold onto deposits despite their being registered in a scheme, and then there are references from rentier and letting agent who can’t be bothered, are peeved you’ve moved on, or refuse to provide one without being paid (yep – agencies do this.) There’s also storage, vans etc.

If renting was better controlled, if renting was more certain and standards were high, with the rules transparent and efficiently enforced, renting would then be worthy of celebration for the sense of freedom it allows. But quality of varies so much. Buildings are amazing in some places and mostly hovels are found elsewhere.

Instead, my friend faces a debilitating and uncertain future if decides to relocate. He’ll be battling with demonic letting agents and feral rentiers. He will need to sneak under the wire of discrimination (he’s older and self-employed) all the while knowing that wherever he lives next could be the personal fiefdom of a rentier who governs with an iron rule, runs everything on a shoestring and resents the time involved in the business of renting.

This limits life choices for all tenants. People need certainty. Certainty will only happen if standards in the private renting sector are enacted in law, applied and enforced with funded penalty enforcement for transgressions.

Because right now, there’s no such thing as a dream rented home. It’s just a distant, transient luxury.




18 comments:

Anonymous said...

How would he have gone on if he had a mortgage duhhh

RenterGirl said...

He'd sublet his house. Duhhh.

Anonymous said...

This issue affects owners too…I’ve never sold a house and bought a new one (been living in our modest 2 bed terrace we bought 5 years ago for er 5 years) but imagine its a whole lot harder than finding a decent rental place…I/we/everyone knows the pitfalls of renting because many/most of us have done it for a number of years before buying but this piece is not one of RG’s best because it makes a point that while salient is not one which is exclusive or indeed worse for tenants

RenterGirl said...

It is worse for tenants mate: do I have to shout? WE CAN'T SUBLET!!! If we find a nice place and need to relocate temporarily we won't be able to return! Jeesh... it's idiots like you that make we want to turn off the comments here.

fielsted said...

I've just found your blog. You speak an awful lot of sense. Renting can be a dreadful experience. The landlord/tenant power imbalance is extraordinary. Insecurity, constant. Recourse when things go wrong, sorely lacking. Hoping for a change.

RenterGirl said...

Oh hi! Yes it is horrendous. I've been writing about this for ages, but still rentiers think they're hard done by and tenants live in clover. I also hope for a change; as long as all private tenants (and social tenants) register to vote... for all the good that might do. All the best,
Penny

RenterGirl said...

Hey there Anon - you know, I do as I please on my blog, including deleting tedious repetitive bullies like you. If you want space, be polite or start your own blog. Constant contradiction is not debate.

Anonymous said...

But letting out a house is a ball ache for an amateur landlord/rentier and often getting a house up to rentable standards*, especially in an area where rents are relatively low and houses is relatively plentiful (that is if you want to be a responsible landlord which *most* although totally agreed not all are) is very costly and something most people who own a home wouldn’t be ain a position to do…people who ‘own’ their own homes are not some magical beings free of nay hassle or finical burdens…in fact to be quite honest even allowing for some annoyance of renting I kinda wish I hadn’t bought my own place – very expensive a load of hassle…not a panacea by any means but agreeing with you probably the only way to get security of tenure
*because you know people who ‘own’ their own homes don’t have perfect insulated, amazing houses…it costs money to do up houses and some people gradually repair/refurbish their own home and meanwhile live in places which probably wouldn’t meet local authority/other standards for letting out to tenants

space cadet said...

^ Do you have a point Anon? Only, I struggled to find it.

Anonymous said...

space cadet - when attempting indulge in what some call 'banter' at least TRY to make it witty...

Anonymous said...

*to

RenterGirl said...

It does cost money to make a rented home habitable, but bad rentiers view this expense as optional. Owners can at least save or obtain loans for improvement. Tenants can't.

But Spacecadet - there's a new batch of commentors (some of whom I've deleted) who are bleating that owning a home is oh so difficult, life-limiting and costly.

Anonymous said...

'bleating that owning a home is oh so difficult, life-limiting and costly'

mmm well - wouldn’t put it like that but it’s not a bed of roses - probably the only advantages and I mean the ONLY advantages its brought us is security of tenure and the freedom to keep a cat - beyond that any notions that its 'cheaper' to ‘own’ a home rarely take into account necessary improvement/upkeep (boiler breaks? - £2,000 - roof leaking? - £500+ to fix - both happened to us for example) or legal/other costs to buy a property – renting may be shitty but owning a home isn’t much less shitty at least not for normal people on average incomes – believe me its ain’t

Anonymous said...

Actually it was my posts that you deleted, as is your prerogative, which detailed the mathematical flaw in your argument and the legal reasons for not permitting subletting.

If this is a blog for bleating that the world isn’t fair then feel free to delete this post and I won’t bother again. But if you want to actually improve things then I can present part of the other side of the argument from a very business savvy landlords perspective. For example there is absolutely no reason for anyone not to get their deposit back in full unless they trashed the place or didn’t pay. No photographic inventory done by the landlord = not a leg to stand on in with holding the deposit etc. Revenge evictions – bad maths from bad landlords. Invalid tenancy agreements or better still claim they are holiday lets. What to look for in a letting agent to get the best deal (as tenant and landlord). I, to the best of my knowledge, follow the law and regulations in full, landlords who don’t a) put people at risk b) have an unfair advantage when seeking the better tenants.

Regards
Mike


space cadet said...

And folk want to make that choice for themselves, as did you. Quit patronising us in your attempts at courting sympathy. We know how the market works too, you see.

RenterGirl said...

'Feel free to delete this post' eh? Newsflash: I'll do as I please on MY blog - with or without your 'permission.'

This blog is about renting, and how tenants experience it. Not landlords. Or homeowners. Why not start one yourself: how about homeonwingissoveryhardonushomeownersdontyouknow.com

You will bleat. We tenants will serenade you with the world's tiniest violin.

Now as I have said repeatedly here, myself, over and over it is BAD business for rentiers to not repair. Your other points are confusing and your points unclear.

I would much prefer it if you didn't 'bother me again.'

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry that renters feel so hard done by. But my experience of renting a property has been a nightmare. Letting agent took all sort of fees from both sides - did nothing - when the tenant left they claimed all damage is accidental. I think renter should leave a property as it was rented to them. I understand accidents happen but a tenant needs to take responsibility for their actions a repair damage or at least tell someone. This grey area of wear and tear and accidental makes reasonable landlords think why should I bother making it nice for the next renter to trash again.

RenterGirl said...

That's ridiculous. Wear and tear is usually ignored: the merest hint of a mark is labelled damaged, the cost of replacement jacked up into the sky and tenants have to pay. This blog is for tenant, not rentiers, and I have no sympathy. If it was damage, withhold the protected deposit. You did protect the deposit, right? You are talking bunkum.