UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi

I am a newbie on here and just want some advice.  My wife and I rent out 3 properties and if I am honest I have had enough of dealing with tenants and after 8 years of doing it I just think I am not cut out for it.  I live next door to 2 of them which I am starting to think was a bad idea as I do 'curtain twitch' a little but I do try not too.

1st problem:

The studio flat we have a man in his mid 60's in there who is OK but he does like a drink.  Anyway the boiler has packed so a friend has had a quick look and said what needs doing and get someone who is registered for gas to fix it.  So we told the tenant  and he got a bit sarcastic which he always does and I saw red on this occasion as he said that he had been telling me for 4 months about this.  I said to him to stop lying and I will sort it out.  It kicked off and I had to walk away.  He has 8 weeks left until his tenancy runs out and he did want to renew.  The place is a dirty but it doesn't look like he has wrecked it.  Should I keep him on or try and get rid of him?  He pays on time and we spoke on the phone today and agreed a time for the boiler to be fixed.  To make matters worse on myself I have lost the contract and didn't register the deposit (I know.  I hold my hands up.  I messed up) should I just keep him sweet for 6 months if he wants to stay?   

Problem 2:

The 1 bed flat above I have a woman in her early 20's who signed the tenancy and has only been in the place 3 weeks.  She texted me last night saying she may leave as she works in south London and under estimated the travel time to work and back from Hertfordshire so would I get my deposit back if I ended it?  I said no as you signed for 6 months.  Is that unreasonable if I kept it?

When we started renting these my wife was in charge.  But it got to much for her as she is a bit soft and we lost money.  I have been doing it my way for about 4 years but I would like to say I am hard but fair.  I am up front with people and say if you don't like my rules or feel we won't get on then don't rent them.  I do reference people by checking where they work or with a former landlord.  I credit check and if I am satisfied I say you can have the place but don't mess me about as you won't like me when I am angry.

I don't register deposits only because when I did years ago with a agent the place got wrecked and I had to pay about £600 to fix the place and the agency gave me back £75.  So I just feel why should I pay TDS money to say I have the tenants money when I know they really don't work for it.

Sorry if I have gone on a bit but just wondering what I am doing wrong?  I feel to make money I have to be a bit of a A hole which I don't like doing.

And just to add.  With the first one my friend told me to go to his van and get a tool.  The tenant said to him while I was gone that he wanted to 'sleep' with him.  Personally I think that's really rude so should I say to the tenant to say anything like that to my people again?  Just wondering if I should use it as ammo? 
 

To be frank - you sound like a bit of a prick / pillock / twat. Not saying you definitely are, by any stretch, but it's just how you've come across here. Being a Landlord is a people business at the end of the day - the Tenants are your customers... they pay you for a service. It's absolutely possible to make money out of property without being a bell-end or a double-hard bastard.

Maybe you could go on a course? Or just get out of the game altogether... I mean, if you've not even protected the deposit correctly, you're basically an amateur... I say that, however, it does appear you're wilfully on the illegal side of things rather than the ignorant. Bit of a Muppet, really, that could truly come back and bite you, and for years to come.

You also have to realise that when a person rents a property from you, it is their home... they can do with it as they please, whether you are unable to control your curtain twitching or not... they hand it back to you at the end of the tenancy.

If you have anger issues then a people business is probably not where you want to be. Tenants can indeed be annoying and they can use up a lot of time and resources but it's generally a simple equation - good properties at reasonable prices attract the right kind of Tenant and make you money. At the end of your post you say that you feel that to make money you have to be a bit of a A hole - I don't think that's true, but at least you say you don't like doing it - so maybe change, or change the path overall? Sell the properties to another Landlord?

Hope that helps.

OK I will try to relax a bit more but its every person I get does my head in? The last guy in the studio left the place in a right state and I said before he left ill give 3 days to clean it otherwise ill charge you.  He told me to F off and make him so I kept his money.  The guy before just kept ringing me to say the shower is broke,boiler is broke,rads don't work,washing machine is faulty.  You would go round there and theres nothing wrong!!!! I even recorded him it got so bad.  He got his brother round to sort me out and when I played him the recording he ended up slapping the tenant (his brother) and said sorry to me.  So personally I think I have only developed this attitude towards these people because of the way they act.  I have worked at my sales job for 13 years so I know how to treat people and be fair or sort out issues.  So if you where me what would you have done???  I pay tax on what I make and do the gas check every year.  Other then the deposit side I do nothing illegal.

You don't  register deposits but take them and hold onto them yourself?

Quote from: raiden on July 03, 2015, 04:14:59 PMOther then the deposit side I do nothing illegal.

'nuff said.

Quote from: raiden on July 03, 2015, 04:14:59 PMOK I will try to relax a bit more but its every person I get does my head in?

This is the clue that the problem lies with you. Get out of the game, man, before you give yourself too much stress and one day you just 'flip out' and end up doing porridge because you went for someone and bit their nose off or something, or smashed them around the head with a pair of bolt cutters because they "did your 'ead in"... retreat, I think, is the better part of valour for you.