Tenant broken boiler, refusing me access to check it
Discussion
NNH said:
I try not to say very much about prior tenants, especially the bad ones. The coded question from the new landlord is "Would you rent to these tenants again?", to which my coded answer is either "Yes" or "Only if they met my current criteria for new applicants".
You could be honest and say they're a bunch of dihonest scumbags who haven't paid rent for a year and did a runner leaving you £12K out of pocket with a trashed property. That way future landlords might get their skins saved, instead of suffering the same fate, and the weasels who play the system can end up in the cardboard box they deserve.Oddly enough my first (and last) tenant didn't ask me for a reference when they did a runner leavng the house damaged and full of crap. Can't imagine why. But they got another nice house to wreck so they probably made a reference up.
Simpo Two said:
NNH said:
I try not to say very much about prior tenants, especially the bad ones. The coded question from the new landlord is "Would you rent to these tenants again?", to which my coded answer is either "Yes" or "Only if they met my current criteria for new applicants".
You could be honest and say they're a bunch of dihonest scumbags who haven't paid rent for a year and did a runner leaving you £12K out of pocket with a trashed property. That way future landlords might get their skins saved, instead of suffering the same fate, and the weasels who play the system can end up in the cardboard box they deserve.Oddly enough my first (and last) tenant didn't ask me for a reference when they did a runner leavng the house damaged and full of crap. Can't imagine why. But they got another nice house to wreck so they probably made a reference up.
Simpo Two said:
NNH said:
I try not to say very much about prior tenants, especially the bad ones. The coded question from the new landlord is "Would you rent to these tenants again?", to which my coded answer is either "Yes" or "Only if they met my current criteria for new applicants".
You could be honest and say they're a bunch of dihonest scumbags who haven't paid rent for a year and did a runner leaving you £12K out of pocket with a trashed property. That way future landlords might get their skins saved, instead of suffering the same fate, and the weasels who play the system can end up in the cardboard box they deserve.Oddly enough my first (and last) tenant didn't ask me for a reference when they did a runner leavng the house damaged and full of crap. Can't imagine why. But they got another nice house to wreck so they probably made a reference up.
I give an honest reference, good or bad.
98elise said:
Agreed. If someone cheats you out of a large some of money and trashes your house, why would you assist them in getting another one.
I give an honest reference, good or bad.
My Dad rented out 6 flats and a house for about 25 years (sold them all about 4 years ago), and he was always brutally honest in his references. To be fair, most of his tenants were ok, but of course you got the odd one here and there who would make a mess of the place or skip on the last couple of months rent or whatever.I give an honest reference, good or bad.
When he received reference requests for them, he would just ring the enquiring agent or landlord and give them the brutal truth "He was a dirty, scruffy b
d who left the place in a filthy state, broke the shower, broke the toilet, and didn't mention a bloody thing to me. I wouldn't rent him dog kennel if I were you" etc etc.If they treat him or his property badly, then he would warn off as many prospective landlords as possible on the grounds that "They don't deserve anther rental property"
I appreciate that renting property is just business, but when it is your own personal property that someone is trashing, it is hard not to get annoyed with customer who has done the trashing.
NNH said:
Luckily, landlords who aren't whining sanctimonious morons can understand the not-very-complicated code, while I'm not at risk of being sued for discrimination by an angry ex-tenant with a no-win/no-fee lawyer.
I understand where you’re going with this, but you won’t be “sued for discrimination” unless you say you won’t rent to them on grounds eg race or gender. Equally you won’t be sued for defamation (which is what you probably meant) if what you declare is factually correct.Personally with bad tenants I think you owe a bit more of a duty to the next landlords, your “not yes” statement is far too generous and implies you might rent to them in the future even if you have no jntention of ever doing so again (and in the OP’s case, why would you?).
PhilboSE said:
NNH said:
Luckily, landlords who aren't whining sanctimonious morons can understand the not-very-complicated code, while I'm not at risk of being sued for discrimination by an angry ex-tenant with a no-win/no-fee lawyer.
I understand where you’re going with this, but you won’t be “sued for discrimination” unless you say you won’t rent to them on grounds eg race or gender. Equally you won’t be sued for defamation (which is what you probably meant) if what you declare is factually correct.Personally with bad tenants I think you owe a bit more of a duty to the next landlords, your “not yes” statement is far too generous and implies you might rent to them in the future even if you have no jntention of ever doing so again (and in the OP’s case, why would you?).
Your more likely to get sued for giving a false good reference, than a factual bad one.
NNH said:
Luckily, landlords who aren't whining sanctimonious morons can understand the not-very-complicated code, while I'm not at risk of being sued for discrimination by an angry ex-tenant with a no-win/no-fee lawyer.
Truth is a wonderful thing. There is nothing whining or sanctimonous about telling the truth; in fact if anyone's likely to play the wounded heroine/human rights game it's the tenants. There's plenty of middle ground between burying the truth, and being 'whining and sanctimonius'.But if I needed to rent a house, yep, I'd take yours for a year rent-free and a good reference
Simpo Two said:
NNH said:
Luckily, landlords who aren't whining sanctimonious morons can understand the not-very-complicated code, while I'm not at risk of being sued for discrimination by an angry ex-tenant with a no-win/no-fee lawyer.
Truth is a wonderful thing. There is nothing whining or sanctimonous about telling the truth; in fact if anyone's likely to play the wounded heroine/human rights game it's the tenants. There's plenty of middle ground between burying the truth, and being 'whining and sanctimonius'.But if I needed to rent a house, yep, I'd take yours for a year rent-free and a good reference
NNH said:
I responded grumpily, but my point is based on advice from the Los Angeles landlords association, who have seen cases of litigation by angry former tenants. I acknowledge that this may play out differently in the UK, but here it's absolutely the norm to give minimal references.
Bit silly really to make a blanket statement like the one you made without qualifying you are in the US. That’s an entirely different tenancy market and obvs a lot more litigious and I expect landlords have a lot more protection from bad tenants than in the UK. In any event the points about discrimination and defamation are simply non issues if you are truthful. Groat said:
Back to THIS thread.....to me the rotten cherry on the mouldy icing of the soggy cake is where the landlord of the value-depreciating dungeon FINALLY gets his act together with the DSS rent.....
.......and then EVICTS the tts!!!!!!
It's worthy of an Eastenders storyline! And I've run out of popcorn........and then EVICTS the t
ts!!!!!!I rent my house,I’ve also spent thousands of my own doing it up ,model tenants and all,,I’ve been here for a long time,I’ve changed bathroom,there’s only one original rad here ,I’ve added sockets,changed doors,the list is endless,,I have and understanding with my landlord,he’s putting all new windows next month,,the things I’ve done are for my own comfort,, ,,I also look after all my landlords properties with regards to plumbing and gas work,we have an understanding
PhilboSE said:
NNH said:
I responded grumpily, but my point is based on advice from the Los Angeles landlords association, who have seen cases of litigation by angry former tenants. I acknowledge that this may play out differently in the UK, but here it's absolutely the norm to give minimal references.
Bit silly really to make a blanket statement like the one you made without qualifying you are in the US. That’s an entirely different tenancy market and obvs a lot more litigious and I expect landlords have a lot more protection from bad tenants than in the UK. In any event the points about discrimination and defamation are simply non issues if you are truthful. NNH said:
PhilboSE said:
NNH said:
I responded grumpily, but my point is based on advice from the Los Angeles landlords association, who have seen cases of litigation by angry former tenants. I acknowledge that this may play out differently in the UK, but here it's absolutely the norm to give minimal references.
Bit silly really to make a blanket statement like the one you made without qualifying you are in the US. That’s an entirely different tenancy market and obvs a lot more litigious and I expect landlords have a lot more protection from bad tenants than in the UK. In any event the points about discrimination and defamation are simply non issues if you are truthful. Your comments on the legal side really are a US based thing though. There really won’t be an appetite in the UK for any action against a landlord for a negative (but factually correct) brought by a tenant who leaves a damaged property with a years unpaid rent owing. In any event, as I said, discrimination doesn’t apply and defamation is very easily defended if the statements are provably correct. You wouldn’t need big costs in the UK to successfully defend, it would go nowhere.
Even if the landlord was asked “would you rent to this person again” and said “no”, that is just an opinion which in the UK has no grounds for legal action. So your mealy mouthed response to the reference question really has no bearing in the UK - but that was your advice to the OP who you (inappropriately IMO) labelled as “whining”.
carreauchompeur said:
It’s just mind boggling that utter mouth breathers like this have the facility to have so much control over Government money.
Indeed. And worse is the general public perception of
"those poor, poor tenants being evicted from their homes"
coupled with
"greedy landlord tycoon capitalist scum"
I wonder just how many similar scenarios to the OP's there are out there.
dickymint said:
Saleen836 said:
Fermit said:
Saleen836 said:
98elise said:
Paft Dunk said:
Can’t believe this is still going. Hoping something positive has come from today.
It takes an unbelievable amount of time to get someone evicted when they stop paying their rent.Once a tenant is a week late with rent you issue them with a 3 day notice to pay or leave the property,if they don't pay you can file an eviction suit, this can take a few days but once issued you can then go to the local Sheriff department pay a fee and they will go to the property and remove the tenant,all of their possesions have to be removed so none of this 'take what you need for a few days' and arrange to come back in a week or 2 etc,luckily mine had vacated and emptied the property but the officer went in with gun drawn!
eskidavies said:
I rent my house,I’ve also spent thousands of my own doing it up ,model tenants and all,,I’ve been here for a long time,I’ve changed bathroom,there’s only one original rad here ,I’ve added sockets,changed doors,the list is endless,,I have and understanding with my landlord,he’s putting all new windows next month,,the things I’ve done are for my own comfort,, ,,I also look after all my landlords properties with regards to plumbing and gas work,we have an understanding
I thought millennials were stuck renting because of their flat white, and avocado on toast spending habits… turns out in real life it might actually be their £400 a month kebab habit? 
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