Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
No landlords have signed up to Haringey's letting service
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/mar/10/london-council-launche...
They've been marketing this since autumn but I don't think it's going so well...
As someone who may be a landlord in the future (and who was a private tenant for 15 years) I like the idea of lower fees for tenants. I hope the scheme takes off.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Antoinette on
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At the risk of sounding cynical, why would Landlords care about lowering fees for tenants?
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on
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I'd like to be a responsible landlord one day (though the government has made buy-to-let less attractive to anyone who is not a cash investor).
A colleague was stung by a £200 "reservation fee" last year. There were a lot of people viewing the property so she stumped up the cash in the hope of having a better chance of getting it. She never heard from the agent again and phone calls went unanswered. Apparently this is perfectly legal.
For landlords, I guess they have the security of Haringey performing reference checks and the money involved sounds more fair to everyone.
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Permalink Reply by Helen Myers on
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Not all Landlords are bad. As a private landlord I maintain a balance between charging a fair rent, covering my costs and making a living for myself. The government's new laws on stamp duty and taxation are going to make it very hard for landlords to do all the above without raising rents, which rather defeats the object of their plans to create affordable places for young people in particular to live. Anyway, don't get me going on that one! I really feel that by treating a tenant with respect, they will be happy tenants and that is a good situation for all involved. Charging fees to tenants used to be illegal, it is a recent practice and should be banned. It is like Estate Agents charging a fee to both vendors and purchasers when they sell your house. It is crazy! I know two Estate Agents in particular who charge extortionate fees to tenants and I would not use them on principle for anything to do with my business.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I think it needs a bit more time, the market is quite cyclical and why would they break a current contract to go with the council. I really like the idea though.
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As laudable an idea as it is, why would a Landlord choose the Council (who frankly I wouldn't trust to run a bath) over an established letting agency.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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People get relentlessly ripped off by letting agents. There's no reason why HC should be useless at it. It's not exactly rocket science, as is obvious from some of the dreadful agencies I've come across.
Landlords don't see any of the money made from letting fees and all the hidden charges for "administration" that agents put on these days (all quite legally). So it isn't really any skin off the nose of a decent landlord it they use the council or a private company. Like John, I think that it is just a question of time and I do hope that landlords get on board with it. Those extra charges are often what prevent people from moving out of unsuitable or poor accommodation.
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Even posh agents like Jones Lang LaSalle do this. Have you seen the price of the new 3 beds in Woodberry Down? £3750pcm!!! Renting in London is extortionate enough as it is. Every 12 months your rent gets put up by the landlord because they know it's a hassle to move and costs money, not just moving fees but all those letting fees too. So that is the driver behind rent increases, IMHO.
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Lol. The Council run agency would have to charge low fees to the landlords to attract them to their service. If they are then charging very low or no fees to the tenants, who is paying for their office, staff and overheads? Would it come out of our Council Tax? In theory the Council should have a wealth of knowledge about how to run properties and the best contractors to use for repairs, but, yes, you are right, I would not have much faith in them to manage my properties!
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It launched last year. I get leaflets about it every time Homes for Haringey write to me about anything.
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Do you mind my asking in what context Homes for Haringey are writing to you? It would be pretty daft to be marketing a service for private tenants to people who are Homes for Haringey tenants....
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I am a private landlord in Haringey and have heard nothing about this. However, as I find my tenants privately and through my own advertising and have low overheads, I charge my tenants a maximum of £100 each and usually nothing at all. I am therefore not the one to be signing up for this! I have a feeling that the more unscrupulous landlords wouldn't want to, although as I am not sure what the scheme involves I don't know what the attraction would be for landlords to use this service unless they charge them a lot less than the average Estate Agent for finding them a tenant. The Estate Agents not only charge the landlords a high percentage for finding tenants for them, they also charge the tenants too. This is very bad practice and of course the tenants are feeling aggrieved, but it is not the Landlords who set these fees, but the Estate Agents. It's a win win situation for them.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Link below to what they are offering. I don't know if it's a good deal or not but the fact that they offer a rent guarantee scheme seems a good move.
https://www.move51.london
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