UK Landlord Forum / Life

Slightly bizarre article here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35110421.

Landlords are generally not enabling people out of The Trap of renting. Far from it, they are crushing the dreams of people. Some people would only be happy if every house was a Council house, or if Landlords allowed people to live rent-free (but still maintained their property, of course). Landlords are often seen as being born with a silver spoon, like landed gentry, but the truth is more like that around 80% of Landlords have a single property. When everyone has an Audi, BMW or Mercedes and goes on foreign holidays twice per year, and eats out a few times per moth, people are well-off. This is how is it for many in work... things are easy to acquire... the home is what eludes many. Those that do not have are, simply put, envious, this surfaces in vitriol.

I also "ratchet up the rent at every opportunity"... but this is all to be expected, frequently, regularly and modestly is the way to play the game. I received a nice email the other day, that read - "We appreciate that all maintenance issues have been dealt with incredibly quickly and have been really happy with this, one of the reason we are so keen to stay is your efficiency as a landlord." - this is not quoted here to big myself up, it is to illustrate that I see my Tenants as what they really are - my customers. Still too many Landlords out there don't feel that way. Some Landlords are even on a power-trip, which is distasteful and just plain wrong.

The article is not so bizarre, apart from the last quoted sentence... which is kinda back-to-front when all a Landlord really has in the armoury is a S21.