Long term rental

ChangN4N6

My mum wants to rent her place while she moves away for 2 years to Ireland . So I am looking for recommendations for letting agents or estate agents that you may know who do a good thorough job. Maybe you are renting a house or flat or are an amateur landlord like mum snd can give me a pointer. Someone said Davis and Davis and Prickett and Ellis were good but I don't know anyone who has used em. Chang

kittygal

Yes Davies & Davies are the main one's to use, 2nd Christopher Charles.

Stella

And if you fail ... I'm still looking for a place. Probably not in that price range and mainly want something unfurnished. Anyhow, good luck.<br>

Arkady

Does anyone have any experience of a long term let?  I'm considering trying to negotiate one with my current landlord.  Pretty sure he would be up for it, but what should I expect in terms of rent & responsibilities when compared to a short term let?

vetski

@Arkady, it's all negotiable - the landlord might be willing to agree a static rent or a limit on increases; if there are changes you want to make e.g. decorating, he may well be accommodating (as long as you don't do anything too outlandish, like knock down a wall). But things like appliances/boilers/structural issues remain his responsibility no matter how long the contract.

Idoru

All rights and responsibilities remain the same regardless of how long the let is. But I would insist on the rent remaining the same for the entire length of the let - for me the point of signing up to a long contract would be to protect against any rent hikes. <br>

Arkady

Interesting.  It's all a bit scary, as my rent is massively undervalued and I'm trying to balance the risk of raising the issue of rent with the possible security of a, say, 5-year tenancy.

Mirandola

If your landlord's mortgaged it may be difficult - I think some BTL mortgage contracts forbid long lets. 

Papa

Most buy-to-let mortgages don't allow long lets, but that is changing, so the landlord may be able to swing it even if original mortgage contract says no.<br><br>You have to remember that realistically the landlord would want the rent to rise over a period of five years, so rather than Idoru's no rises policy, why not agree a sensible inflation rise.<br><br>Otherwise over a long period the landlord will just want higher rent from the outset. Don't forget flats rent in hours round here, so they have a reasonably strong hand.<br><br>If your landlord hasn't raised the rent in a while then they may - like many landlords - simply be a reasonable person, who is making a decent return and doesn't want to lose a good tenant for the sake of milking a bit more money out of them. You may therefore be able to negotiate a decent deal.<br><br>Think about what the landlord would want to get out of a long tenancy and then factor that into how you present it. They will want security of no rental voids, cut down on agents fees, keep a good tenant, perhaps even you agreeing to pick up the tab or responsibility for some minor repairs or decoration.<br><br>Ideally, you want to negotiate some form of break clause anyway - ie a three-month notice period or similar - as you may be the one who needs to leave and you don't want to get lumbered with a big bill for doing so.<br><br><br>

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Arkady

I very much doubt he has a mortgage on this property.  He owns lots of properties and has had this one since at least the early 70s - and I think he inherited it.<div><br></div><div>At least one other tenant in the building has a long-term let.  The landlord is definitely a decent fellah who values good tenants.  I'd be happy to take responsibility for decoration, and movable furnishings, but not 'fittings' like the kitchen, boiler, etc.</div><div><br></div><div>I've not been there since 1982, but I was born in 1982 if that counts.</div>

Stella

Decent fellas are also like gold dust. Mine is a nightmare. <br>

ChangN4N6

Regina Road seems to be a good place. Chang .

miss annie

My landlady is the kind Papa L mentions. She's had the house since the 60's and wants tenants that look after the flats. She's old and doesn't want to be bothered with repairs, unblocking drains etc so we all do them or live with the faults. The house is old, a bit damp and draughty but it's amazing value and we have a garden. None of the three flats have had contracts since the initial one, the tenant in the middle flat has lived there about nine years. I'd say give it a try as your landlord sounds like the same type as ours.

ChangN4N6

This looks nice, as I was told http://m.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/property/london/regina-road-n4/ Chang

rainbow_carnage

I'm not even sure that we have a contract anymore. We definitely had one the first year, but a decade later, it's become a lot less formal. We pay the rent each month and try not to bother the landlord. In turn, he stays out of our way. Whenever there's a major issue (e.g. a broken boiler), we call him and he gets someone to come out and fix it. <br><br>In many ways, it's an ideal relationship, but since we don't own the flat, we have no incentive to invest in it. We do a bit of painting once in a while (he pays for the paint), but that's about it. If it were our flat, we would've replaced the windows and the carpet years ago, and maybe knocked down one of the walls. When replacing the kitchen, we would've taken the time to find a decent builder, not the cowboys who did the job. <br><br>Renting long term is not the same as home ownership, even if it last longer.<br>

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kittygal

Renting is just soul destroying.

Stella

kitty, there are people who have no choice. Of course it's better to own a place, but, if I would own the flat I'm living it right now, I'd be devastated, too. Noisy neighbours, ice cold, black mold in the bathroom, probably also going to be moldy in the winter, and many other issues.<br><br>In my little studio in Stokey, I had water coming through the lights from above. No kidding. The guys upstairs had a shower and it literally pissed down in my flat. Owning also means paying a lot of repairs. Maintenance isn't cheap. :-)<br>

kreuzkav

Rents are crazy in London.  I met a woman who bought a house, two up two down, in Aylesbury for 100 grand.  The same house would be 400 k here.  Crazy.  

rainbow_carnage

@Misscara - No doubt there are predatory landlords out there, but I think in our case, it's a fair tradeoff. The flat is on the small side and a bit shabby and drafty, but there's no mold or anything of the sort. We could pay an extra £75 a week for a nicer place, or we could save that money towards a deposit.<br><br>@kittygal - So is paying interest to a bank, on a mortgage that any day now may exceed the value of the flat. The same people who describe renting as throwing money away have no problem paying tens of thousands in interest. It only makes sense if the value of your property goes up. Good luck with that when you buy in a bubble.<br>

Stella

demand and supply, or better: as long as people pay the prices there won't be changes.<br>

kreuzkav

Social housing is the answer and rent controls.  But so many young people blindly pay money to landlords/ladies who fleece them.  The landlord has probably inherited the house and built up their housing empire through luck, then do minimum repairs.  Then these tenants as they move into their thirties feel getting a mortgage is the only way out.  It's free market robbery.<div><br></div><div>The other solution is not to live in London.  London isn't everything.</div>

Stella

I'm in love with London. Realised it again as I cycled back from Bethnal Green Rd. where I viewed a (terrible) flat. It is a beautiful city, and I will be lucky at some point and find the perfect place for me to live.<br>

kreuzkav

Stella, I guess it's like saying I'd like to be  able to shop at Waitrose but I have to put up with Tesco.  <div><br></div><div>I understand your love of the city.  I hate it's rampant consumerism but there are ways round it.  Good luck!</div>

kreuzkav

<div>Help to buy scheme backfires:</div><div><br></div><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/11/11/help-to-buy_n_4254815.html?utm_hp_ref=uk">http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/11/11/help-to-buy_n_4254815.html?utm_hp_ref=uk</a>;

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Stella

Which reminds me I have to go and search at HL and HG ...<br><br>Yes, landlords and -ladies take the piss, because they know if you don't want it someone else will put up with the shite. And what's even better: I recently spoke to an agent who told me that they expect for a tenant to earn at least twice as much as the rent. The cheek. It's not enough to have a job, no, now one also has to earn to their specs--in addition to being beautiful, single, offering to clean the offices, then dance naked in front of their desk to be be considered. <br><br>Rant over. <br>

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miss annie

I don't think of my landlady as doing me a favour. I'm happy to have a flat with a garden that's an outstanding bargain and a landlady that doesn't bother me, she's happy to have a brilliant tenant that pays the rent on time and doesn't bother her. For 8 years I lived in a mansion on Hornsey Rise with massive hole in the roof and no heating (£100 a month), a bit of maintenance in return for affordable rent seems like a fair trade to me. I owned a house with my ex-fiance, I have no burning desire to do so again. I don't regard it as the be all and end all.

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