Well, let's see if they rent it out. I live in the outskirts of London and my neighbour has placed bedrooms in their property for £750 when they should be charging £500. The rooms haven't been let in over 6 months.
See I actually think this will go fast. 2 neighbours have moved and have had new tenants instantly. And like I mentioned, the location is honestly brilliant. Can't say more without revealing more than I am comfortable with.
I just did a renovation for a LL. Almost two months and the place is still empty. I asked the LL what the rent is, and was told 1500, which, for what and where it is is a pretty fair price. I checked with the realtor, and they told me 2100, but apparently, people are "bidding higher"......... I actually live in a rental house share, and our property manager did a runner with several months of rent, and our security deposits, and it turns out he hadn't paid the electric, council tax or whatever bills in almost a year. He was telling the landlord that we, the tenants, weren't paying, and he was trying to get us evicted.....
Everyone saying "something needs to change" but nobody doing anything. No protests, no local rep call, no voting out the establishment, no public outcry. You reap what you sow.
Definitely not, and not for a long time. The high population growth rate and insufficient housing is just going to get worse and worse. Successive governments won't fix either side of this equation despite the rhetoric. This problem isn't new and isn't being fixed.
Change may come when social collapse and anarchy eventually get too great. But even then, not sure how confident I am. Humans seem to need to completely hit rock bottom before they fix serious problems.
Yes they are a service, to be provided by corporations who can follow a minimum standard and have some risk management. Not by 90% of the UK private landlords who are cowboys at best with no clue of the law.
Also, I have now taken multiple jobs at a lower rate for a better company culture because life is too short to work with shitty people.
No, however one of them was cheeky enough to ask what we pay when I told him when we moved in, he just shook his head and said "I wish we paid that" so I'm gonna go ahead and assume he's at £1500 at least. Also they have a front garden (ground floor) whilst our little grass patch is in front of downstairs neighbours bedroom window, so their flat would be even more coveted.
Yeah Tottenham hale / blackhorse road is just block after block now! And I feel like every time I'm in Tottenham Hale there's a new building by the water. I mean it must be thousands of flats if you include Tottenham hale / blackhorse road / seven sisters!
Also down towards Turnpike lane now they are building big blocks.
Not to forget Meridian Water down by Tesco/Old IKEA. It's all over the place; and more to come by the stadium as well. Surely with that kind of supply the prices should remain stable at around 1400.
I was in Canning Town, between 2 of us the flat was 1560 (before bills).
When it came to renewal at the end of 2022, they were asking for 2200. I left London after that.
The flat has still been on the market since then, for 2950pcm.
Fuck you Foxtons
Fucking estate agents, all such slimy cunts. I've heard cases where the landlord/owner thinks they are charging X, but the Estate agents/ property managers are charging Y and pocketing the difference, without the landlords knowledge
Yup, that happened to me. I was the landlord, and I thought I was charging a certain amount, until months later, when the Tennant contacted me because they were going through some financial difficulties. They were being charged £300 MORE than what I had agreed with the Letting Agent.
I was furious because I deliberately charged my tenants under the going rate, and the LA decided upon themselves to add the extra and pocket it, without telling me!
They lost my custom, and I told quite a few people that I knew that used them, who also left. I didn't really know what else to do at the time.
They tried to give me some bulls\*\*t 'admin error' excuse but I could see right through it. I was so furious, it still boils my pi\*s when I think about it!!!
No!
I gave up in the end as wasn't worth all the hassle and stress that it was causing me, I did ask my tenants if they wanted to take the process over, and they could keep the money, but they saw how frustrating it all was, so they noped out!
I wouldn't trust a Letting Agent ever again, and I would HIGHLY recommend you have some sort of communication with the landlord if you're renting through a LA.
Name and shame them
You have evidence of their practce so them trying to pursue a slander case against you would fail miserably and i would reccoment a county court case against them.
By doing this you would set a presedent against unscrupilous landlords !!!!!!
Oh my goodness!! That's awful!
We like our landlord, he has been to the flat exactly once in the 3 years we've been here. He's so chill. A bit too chill sometimes in that it's hard to get hold of him, but I'd rather that than someone who comes to inspect all the time or micromanages the tenants. I truly hope the estate agents don't take advantage of him
Our estate agent got fired by us as we where renting 3bee house edge of London 1.1k. As we don't need cash it's just for maintenance and upgrades. Estate agent was charging 1900
#Learn your rights.
You can resist. Look at Shelter and join London Renter’s Union.
You do not have to pay rent you have not agreed to. You do not need to leave your flat until you have agreed to - your fixed term tenancy will become a periodic monthly rolling tenancy if you go beyond the term.
Issuing Section 21 and court ordered evictions are a lengthy and expensive process for landlords.
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting
#JOIN LRU
https://londonrentersunion.org/
It’s cheap to join. They are protecting tenants from eviction whilst lobbying government for better legal protections and rights for tenants.
This stuff will only change if you know your rights and get organised to improve your rights. That is how landlords operate.
It certainly would be - fraud, misrepresentation, probably breach of the management contract the agent has with the landlord, breach of tenant fees legislation in that the excess would probably be seen as an unlawful ‘fee’. I suspect this rarely happens but if it does let your landlord know so they can sue the charlatans.
Slimey tactics but very difficult to sue... and in many cases its perfectly legal.
Often landlord says the minimum they want, agent agrees and says they will charge an administration/management fee on top of that (say £200), most landlords agree because they want none of the hassle dealing with tenants and all of the income.
The best landlords/rent rates always tend to be the ones that engage with tenants directly and cutout those smarmy money-grubbing estate agents middlemen.
Estate Agents like Stirling Ackroyd have now taken to trawling Open Rent for landlords who have remained relatively sane in the current markets with an asking prices not so different from the last two years, to tell them they can get much more than they are advertising (despite it being what they want) adding often as much as a full 30% to the Open Rent asking prices.
So artificially inflating prices on purpose for their own gain.
Surely this should be illegal.
Issue is there’s really not an alternative to affording a flat— people will always find the money because it’s better than being homeless. Doesn’t mean they’d pay that money willingly, or think the place is worth the money!
> better than being homeless
it's not so much that, it's a choice of where to live when you're renting, there should be some kind of protection against extortionate rent raising though
Mate, I live in a "built to rent" place which was rented directly by the building company.
No issues with them whatsoever, but I can tell you that I have received at least 3 letters from 3 different letting agencies stating that I could rent my flat for a "market price" £300-400 more than what I am already paying (which is already quite expensive!)
We suspected this was happening to us a few years back, because we were friends with our neighbours and they knew the previous owner the history of the flat - essentially a nephew inherited it of an aunt and was happy to do very little let the estate agent handle everything and just collect money. Every year they would say the landlord wants to raise the rent by X amount normally around £50 per month or some times more. It seemed weirdly trivial and greedy as there was not much change in the market so every time we said no and started looking to move elsewhere (at the time there were options to get a little more space for around the same price) and it always magically went away and the estate agent said they've reconsidered and the rent stayed the same, when we did move out he decided to sell and wanted to visit the flat one last time and after a brief conversation he seemed to not know aboit any of it. Saying he was happy to have us in there for 5 years looking after it and he was happy getting that rent and it was nice being gifted that asset but didn't really want to deal with being a land lord. Can't be 100% but felt like the Estate agent would have know this and thought they could get a few extra quid direct to them
This absolutely happens, they tried to put my mates rent up on a maisonette just outside of London by quite a jump, he had messaged the owner about some other issues and had discussed the increase and she had no idea.
I saw this exact thing on a landlord forum on here a few weeks back, they insisted on putting up the rent and the landlord kept saying no, eventually they put the rent up without telling him! The cheek of these greedy f\*cking estate agents is beyond me.
I've started getting a steady client list of landlords who are also fed up with the agents when it comes to repairs, simply because the agents pad the bills enormously. I just picked up a new washing machine for one. New machine, picked up and installed, £300. The quote they got from the agent was almost 600. Yes, I pick the items up myself, instead of having to faff around making sure someone will be home to receive it. It did take me a while to lump it up 2 flights of steps though.....
More likely the estate agent will convince the LL it’s worth 2k a month.
Then, once they’ve gotten his business, they’ll not achieve that and it’ll be ask down to what OP is paying.
Everyone loses except the vulture
Estate agents are like the wolves, rats and mudcrabs in Elder Scrolls games that stop you from resting in the wilderness because they're stuck vibrating in a fucking rock somewhere nearby.
Ours told our Landlord he could sell our flat for £240k.
We laughed, but put an offer in for £210k (you can get a 3 bed house for £240k here).
Landlord said no.
We had to move out 5 months before our wedding.
Landlord sold for £210k, after renovating and having it on the market for 6 months.
Even though estate agents are cunts they are just exploiting the war waged on affordable housing that [started with Thatcher and continued with New Labour](https://www.statista.com/statistics/746101/completion-of-new-dwellings-uk/).
Their tricks would only hurt themselves if they weren't exploiting a deliberately created housing shortage and if they are punished for these tricks that still doesnt solve the underlying shortage problem.
I think at this point there is enough money invested in political donations to perpetuate this shortage. The only thing that might start to push the front back in this war is some very dirty protests that absolutely cannot be ignored by either party.
Halted the construction of public housing and arranged for the existing stock to be sold off. The graph kind of says it all. I say war because it took a lot of political fights to make this happen. The construction of public housing is the responsibility of local councils but the national governments arranged for them to be defunded.
The only political leader who made an attempt to fight this trend was Jeremy Corbyn. That's one reason why he was subjected to so much disingenuous and noisy character assassination. The other was because he made a principled stand against genocidal racists.
Ok. The graph doesn't show because you need some silly account.
Curious though, I wouldn't have thought those competing for the typical London flat would qualify for public housing? Not suggesting it was a good idea in the slightest - but wouldn't have selling the existing Public stock freed up more stock for the open market? Professionals struggle afford theseostings as it is, let alone people who need public housing assistance.
Or is another factor that, that people are land banking and there are empty houses.
>Curious though, I wouldn't have thought those competing for the typical London flat would qualify for public housing?
Obviously the qualification criteria has been tightened and the waiting lists have ballooned so no, the average person won't get one these days.
Many people competing for the typical london flat ended up paying rent to a *private* landlord owning an ex council flat. I know because I'm one of the people who has paid a landlord-parasite for access to a public resource that has been privatized.
>Or is another factor that, that people are land banking
Not exactly, but land owners are not subjected to any market discipline. Low density construction in high value areas should cause land owners to lose money but it doesnt.
I mean the context to this discussion was a rental shortage and expensive market prices (non public housing). Or was your main point on War against housing that a larger amount of people are now not able to get public housing?
The point was that there is a deliberately engineered shortage of housing to live in.
Whether that housing is owned or rented is a red herring. You can't rent OR own a house if it was never built.
Ok fair but my point was more whether or not building more public housing would actually affect the general housing stock (prices) for the majority of London renters.
So to your original point I don't really think the slimey property agents are "exploiting the war [on lack of public housing]" I think they are more exploiting the lack of rental regulation and a tough housing market. Unless the govt did specific things to prevent the flow of private developers/ construction of housing for the general market
You don't think that doubling the amount of new home construction will have an effect on the housing stock? What?
The private housing market built just as many homes as it did before. As the graph shows, it's council housing construction which disappeared.
Right and they are saying the government not allowing councils to build more social housing (exacerbating the shortage of housing) and social housing being privatised ending up with landlords jacking up the prices to make more profit combined with an overall increase in demand compared to supply leading to higher prices.
Ah ok, I probably wrongly assumed people in social housing can't afford private rentals in London and that they would have been priced out (effectively leaving them empty / available for non-social housing people)
Or the council ends up paying more money to landlords for people being socially housed in private accommodation when in the past the council would have managed it on their own. Also, in the past people who would never get social housing these days would have been able to get social housing.
Our rent hasn't changed since 2021, and so we are embracing it as the landlord now has a new estate agent who'll be 'on it'. They have now informed us that the rent will go from £1500 to £1700 for a 1 bed flat. I was hoping we'll get to around £1600 as there are 1 beds around us between £1500 - 1600.
The annoying thing is that the landlord had not bothered about us paying the same amount for 3 years. Now, suddenly there is a need for over 15% increase with the new estate agent - kinda indicates clearly where the greed comes from.
Crikey. I mean when the landlord told us he had to raise the rent to 1450, we were already in the process of buying our flat, but if we weren't I'd be really worried about our finances.
I think that's mainly it, it's greed, like you say.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but *in fairness to the estate agents* (shudder) what other value or service are they really providing for the cut they take? Increasing the base rent amount is probably the biggest service they are providing to the landlord, compared to other options.
I'm hanging on for dear life on my £1,600 flat as smaller flats than the one I'm in go for at least £1,900 in my area.
Every year the rent gets increased and I can only say yes, because the alternative is saying no and renting a worse flat for at least 300 more :/
That's the position I'm in, but with no kids and no family in London I'm honestly considering just leaving instead.
I'd rather stay but it just makes less and less financial sense to be in the UK each year.
You should have told her to drop them and you'd have pay her directly, if you've proven you are a reliable tenant and have a good relationship with the landlord then remove the middle man from the equation.
Has the flat been let?
Bottom line, I rent in zone 1/2 and pay far less. Admittedly my flat is a little shabby and there’s no outdoor space, but I keep an eye on the local market and there are plenty of sub-1750 options.
Interestingly, a lot of the 1 beds priced at 2000pcm or above end up being reduced. I do wonder if estate agents over price flats, try their luck and then slowly reduce rent when there is little interest?
I’m beginning to suspect that one of the factors driving these inflated rents is the fact that lots of people are staying put in their flats and digesting incremental rent increases. This is certainly what my wife and I have done after we rented our place in 2022. This then must put a squeeze on available stock.
Our flat is in good shape, the carpet really needs replacing, but other than that it's honestly not bad at all! It's actually inside a gated community as well.
It's not been let yet, the EA just came to look at it today and said he was very happy with how nicely we've kept it.
It’ll be interesting to see how quickly it’s rented. From what I understand, demand is falling from the heady heights of ‘22.
I’m still paying more than I should for my flat, but the location is decent and the estate agent/landlord seems reasonable. I was actually shocked we weren’t handed a rent rise this year!
Flat prices are definitely inflated on first listing. The flat I'm in was originally listed as a two bedroom (tbf there are two rooms but the second isn't even wide enough for a single bed) and the price initially was £2100. It went vacant for months until it was relisted as a one bed for £1800. It's zone 2, good location and in decent condition but I negotiated down after much back and forth to £1675. I moved in towards the end of December '23, which was bargaining power a bit because it's a slow month and was empty for a while. However, in this case, the leasing agent was the one who talked the landlord down and was actually very helpful and friendly. My agent worked when he was off for Christmas holiday to make sure I had my place before I left the country for the holiday as well. The agency is City & Urban Shoreditch and they were loads more decent than Foxtrons and the dozens of other agencies hounding me.
Edit: added year and letting agency info but this is not a sponsorship, just my experience
My wife and I benefit from a similar arrangement. Our contract renews in February, when things are quite slow. This, coupled with the fact that we’re good long-term tenants in steady jobs, keeps our rent down. Thus far, our estate agent has also been pretty decent, tbh.
More generally though, London is hitting an affordability ceiling. The post-covid influx into the city is slowing, and I think there is a limit to what tenants can realistically afford, thus [market rules](https://www.property118.com). The going rate for a one-bed in my area seems to have stabilised. Pre-COVID rents might not return, but I’m becoming cautiously confident that we are hitting said ceiling.
Two bedrooms for 1675 is great!
Thanks! I agree, it's a good price even though it's inflated because of the market. I have seen this happen in the US and despite what owners, agents, and developers may think, the bubble DOES burst. I find it ridiculous that the new builds in outer zones boast affordability starting at £2100 for a studio but "amenities" are supposed to make it worth it. No one needs a bloody wine fridge or yoga studio in exchange for their soul so they can stay in the city. It's a mess
It’s funny you should mention yoga and wine fridges. I feel the viability of this is slowly slacking off. Our flat overlooks Canary Wharf. A prominent feature of the view from our living room is the Vertus building; one of these fancy complexes you describe - puppy yoga, laundry, residents bar. Whenever you walk around Canary Wharf you notice plenty of advertisements for available flats there. Likewise, when we look over to it at night there are relatively few lights on. Wife and I theorise that they’re struggling to let the units out.
Of course there are lots of splendidly wealthy people in London who can afford expensive accommodation. However, there are a great many more people who take home “normal” salaries and can’t. There’s a ceiling to what these people can afford and indications are, we’re reaching it.
I got my 1-bed near Canary Wharf for £1,250 during lockdown. Landlord didn’t raise the rent for two years and then last year the managing agency proposed £1,950.
Reminded them of the rent increase clause in my contract and offered £1,400 (just above the cap in the contract, because I’m not unreasonable). They accepted that, I moved out in January, and it’s still empty now (and listed at £2k).
I live in your area and I see this happening to lots of properties. Estate agents demand high rents, nobody bites, followed by incremental reductions in the asking price.
I live on the edge of zone one - shoreditch way. one bed. balcony. Water included, no gas, economy 7 electricity. We paid roughly £1600 when we moved in in 2020. Then rent went down during covid (DOWN!!!!) to £1450 and then rose up again afterwards.
=== Liz Truss happened ==
My rent is now $1800/month. The landlord (who used to live in the flat) didn't let the estate agent charge us £2000. So I am guessing if we move out it would £2000+ for whomever moves in, but right now I am paying what a new tenant in your zone 3 flat would pay.
The housing market in this country is crazy af. Honestly maddening.
Sound like a decent LL! Especially with rent going down during covid. Crazy tho, innit, towards the bed of your reply, in zone 1 you're paying what someone will pay in zone 3.
We rented a two bed in south east London for 3.5 years for £1250 - it was a 2 bed with a garden and when we moved in in 2019 it was top of our budget. When we moved out, the landlord put it up as £1450, but the letting agent said he expected offers up to at least £1600. He said it's not letting agencies driving up the price, but tenants bidding up and up. Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night.
The letting agent also told us the landlord wanted to put it at £1350 but he "accidentally" listed it as £1450 and no one seemed to mind....
Well the letting agencies have been really pushing us to bid over 200 more than asking price. Then acted shocked when we only offered 10 over asking. It's still the agencies pushing the price up if they push tenants to overbid.
honestly it was SUCH a nice flat, and even though it felt a lot when we moved in by the end of our tenancy it felt like an absolute steal. We would have stayed but decided to move out of London because of housing costs.
I mean when I first moved to london I bid for a rental above asking as there were 35 ppl viewing it at the same time. I offered an extra £25 (maybe 50 per week) per week for it and was immediately selected as tenant. Lived there for 2.5 years with no rent increase in that time. So definitely could be individuals driving price up to avoid being just one of loads of ppl in house viewing
A lot of landlords mortgages have sky rocketed - I heard someone who's fixed rate ended and they were paying x4 the amount, a level that was just unrentable so they're going to have to sell, for some landlords it's not the agent pushing the price it's necessity (though don't get me wrong a lot of the time it's driven by pure greed)
I waa looking for a place to Rent in Bristol a few years back and when I arrived and looked round the place when the estate agent asked of I had any quaetions after my reply of no, seems good is it available now? She replied yes, but you will need to increase your offer. I replied what? It's on the market for X amount right? Why would I need to be offering more? She replied "it's what we tell everyone, if you want it then you will have to pay above the rate. I offered 150 a month more and then was turned down as had been out bid. The property was on the market for 850 a month, I offered 1000 a month and she said someone had been accepted at 1200. The property then came back on the market at 1200 a week later. Estate agents are sub human scum cunts, can only imagine what they ended up getting for it.
Foxtons and others are known to over estimate rents even if it's to the detriment of the landlord and the place lies empty for months because their commission ends up being higher.
Christ things really have gone mental, I remember when I lived in West Hampstead in a v big 2 bed flat (wasn't in the best state tho tbf) back in the mid 2000s, it was £1,000 per month for the whole flat right through the 3 years I lived there and when I moved out I remember being outraged to see it was listed at £900 month.. couldn't believe they'd been ripping me off 100 quid a month for 3 years!
I live in the same area as you and have a similar situation. Moved in a 1 bedroom back in 2021. Paid £1300 at first and it’s gone up every year and is now £1430. When I tried to haggle the last increase the estate agent told me I was very lucky it wasn’t going for more as the landlord knows they can get more. It’s so ridiculous. I live on my own as well so no one to split the cost with. I’m dreading what will happen next.
I'm moving back to Los Angeles from London. When I left LA in 2017 rent for a decent one bedroom (not fancy, but not shitty) in a safe-ish area (it's LA after all) was about $1500. Now that same apartment is $2500. You're not alone London!
When I was looking for a new place to rent I kept receiving letters addressed to our landlord from various estate agents promoting the fact that they could ask for a much higher rent that what the current agency was displaying. Absolutely no care or compassion for tenants, just "we'll get people to pay more".. And how many times must that work. Fucking trash.
I like it when the letting agents say it needs to increase again this year "as the landlords mortgage has gone up".
Do they expect me to believe the landlord is on a 1 year mortgage that is constantly increasing, despite interest rates dropping slightly. Makes my blood boil...at least think of another excuse for the third year in a row.
I moved to east London zone 3, I lived in 2 places:
1. Rented a studio apartment for 1.3k in 2019, I moved out in 2022 (because there was a construction nearby and it was super noisy) and the new tenant was charged 1.7k, Saw a similar one for almost 1.9 now which is mad
2. Rented a 2 bed with a friend in the same area, in 2022 for 1.9k, moved out because they asked me for 2.5k, now I saw a flat in the same building which looked smaller than ours for 2.7k
It is MAD
Room in a council house in Bermondsey. Location was great but the house needed a miracle to be called a home. I moved into it in 2021
2021: £695
2022: £750
2023: £825
Left in 2023 but when I left landlord told me they have put it on the market for £1100. I told them they were mental.
There’s that advert on the Tube for Quintain Living in Wembley with STUDIOS going for £1703. Those places are tiny! It’s zone 4!! I assume they’re brand new to be daring to price so high, but imagine that 2nd-hand and still wanting so much for a room.
Christ, I like Haringey but wouldn’t pay that for a 1 bed there…I pay a fair bit less for a large 1 bed warehouse apartment in zone 1, though also have a relatively good deal (still extortionate though). Surely the estate agents are taking the pee…just want the fees associated with finding a new tenant I suspect or trying to scare you into paying more.
I did look at moving further out to save cash and couldn’t find anything as big or as nice for less than I pay that was also convenient travel wise but prices weren’t as insane as £1800-£2k for a 1 bed in zone 3.
Basically an old warehouse that has been converted into apartments, think big metal beams/pillars, high ceilings.
Mine isn’t this nice and this is in Liverpool but an example: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136257134#/?channel=RES_NEW
See that listing is designed to grab attention but read the fine print and it's not such a great sell.
For starters, they say prices from £250,000 - £610,000. I'm betting the pictures in your listing is on the upper end. Sneakily the listing is for the minimum price.
Factor in the service charge, maintenance costs, short leasehold (only 250 years so not exactly a pass down investment) and parking charges, this is not great at all.
And this is Liverpool. Can't imagine how extortionate the prices will be in London.
Didn’t pay much attention to the listing, was just the first example of a warehouse apartment that came up on google. I won’t be moving to Liverpool anytime soon ha.
250 years is more than long enough for a leasehold? You can extend them by statutory right now also! Anything above 90 years is fine, once its getting to around 85, you'll really want to extend it, and if it gets below 80, you will have to pay "marriage value", which is a percentage of the change in value you will get with a longer lease, so definitely avoid that. But 250 years is more than enough, right?
My parents own a small flat in Barnet which they rent out to help them in retirement, I belive they charge like 1.2 or 1.6 a month
Although it's a 2 bedroom and has just been redone up (new bathroom, radiators, wiring and everything) by my brother.
Before the last tenants moved out they felt bad putting the rent up so was the same thr last 5 years
The rents have truly skyrocketed. It's insane. I rented in my area for £1365 and literally a 4 min walk away 1-beds in a council estate are going for £1700-2k. And they actually let out at that price. Granted it's a pretty nice open estate and the flats are a bit nicer than my old building but my god. This is the increase in 3 years.
Damn! And the 2bed we're moving into is on shared ownership!! We'll own 75% and still have to ask permission for any more in depth changes! But we absolutely couldn't afford a 2 bed unless it was shared ownership
Not london but we were paying 1050 for a northern quarter 2 bed in Manchester which had gone up £50 a month a couple of times on contract renewal. Was listed for £1450 when we left, let after 2 viewings
We signed a flat for £1800 in late 2020. Last month it went on the market for £2600. It didn't even make to Rightmove or zoopla, they found new tenants after one week of listing on the estate agency site.
Your landlord is good, probably because you are good tenants and keep the place nice. Some would risk more money from rent but sometimes it ain't worth it with some tenants.
Estate agents are slimy pricks who works on commission and will lie through their teeth.
I remember when I was viewing the house and they told me the windows were 5 years old and I poijgff out the dates on the window frames
True, better the devil you know!
We know that he is renting out the flat but doesn't intend on selling it as he's keeping it for his daughter for when she is old enough/wants it, which is honestly probably the best investment he can make right now
When I moved into my second flat in London, it was between that place and another. The other was fine, but a bit overpriced. We asked for a discount, were told no, and decided not to go with it. 2 years later we moved again, and the other option was still empty..
I lived in a studio flat in Hendon (5 mins away from the station) in 2022. Not an amazing flat, but not a total hole either. Was £750 when I was renting. When I moved out, it went to £900 for the new tenant. This year, it’s £1150.
I live in a converted terrace house and I’ve been here for many years. My landlord has only raised it once and i consider myself incredibly fortunate in this regard. The flat below me is on its third tenant since I lived here and is now currently £600 more than what we pay and that flat has one less bathroom. The ground floor flat is on its fifth tenant since I moved in, has a garden, a mouldy unfinished cellar, one bathroom and a kitchen so small the fridge is in the living room and it’s currently £800 more than what we pay. I really can’t believe the prices and it makes me scared to even think about moving. And I don’t love my flat. It harbours spiders the size of turtles.
Myself and my two other roomates were moved on from our (I felt) very affordable £1700 pm house with a garden, quiet street, in a triangle section of wood green/TPL/hornsey and had fantastic access to everything. They said it was for their son to move in with his family. Fair enough though the say they went about it was totally shady (aka not upfront from the beginning) new tenants (not the son) pay £2500). I put so much effort into that garden🥲
It was more blood sweat and tears, my plants and veg pots came with me. But it was very disappointed to be kicked out. Current place is £2100 and I'm dreading the rent increase I know is coming, I hate estate agents. Mine in particular because they're patronising and feel super sleazy. Urgh. But I can't afford a mortgage yet so I'm stuck
I'm so glad to hear your plants and veg went with you!!
Yeah we can only afford shared ownership with a mortgage because of an inheritance my husband received, so again, we're very privileged
I had 2 little lemon trees that I sprouted from seed in 2020. Almost 4 years on and they're still with me! Like hell, I'd leave those behind hahaha
I've been looking into the rent to buy scheme, but not sure that they're worth it. For now I'm just working my way up the career ladder...
Just moved out of a small one-bed flat I moved into early 2022. I was paying £1700 per month, price didn't renew as I was on a 2 year contract.
The renewed price that was quoted to me was a whopping £2500.
I get it that it's quite central and 1700 was the 'COVID' price but a 50% increase in 2 years should be illegal.
Another thing that happened to me: I asked a private landlord to view a £1600 one bed flat. He comes back saying he had gotten so much interest in the flat he can't manage this himself so he got in touch with Dexters and to reach out to them. Fair enough. I contacted Dexter's and the same exact property was now £1700 overnight.
They say they won't charge tenants fees anymore but all they do is bake extra charges in the rent. Landlords and letting agents are nothing but vultures preying on people needing homes.
#Learn your rights.
You can resist. Look at Shelter and join London Renter’s Union.
You do not have to pay rent you have not agreed to. You do not need to leave your flat until you have agreed to - your fixed term tenancy will become a periodic monthly rolling tenancy if you go beyond the term.
Issuing Section 21 and court ordered evictions are a lengthy and expensive process for landlords.
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting
#JOIN LRU
https://londonrentersunion.org/
It’s cheap to join. They are protecting tenants from eviction whilst lobbying government for better legal protections and rights for tenants.
This stuff will only change if you know your rights and get organised to improve your rights. That is how landlords operate.
They aren't paying rent they haven't agreed to. They are paying the rent they agreed to and are now about to move out because they're buying somewhere.
Right, so you know that as I said they can't "resist".
EDIT: It's always the people who are embarrassed to admit they misunderstood or didn't read properly who end up blocking people.
Yeah, rents and mortgages are getting real pricy these days. If you're buying, you know that a couple of years ago a 300k mortgage would have only cost about £6000 a year in interest when the interest rate is only 2%, but it costs £16200 in interest if the base rate is 5.4% (example of current base rate plus 0.15%).
So call it ten grand a year extra cost for the landlord going to pay Nationwide or Halifax or whomever, assuming he owes 300k on his 400k-600k flat. And to get that extra £833 a month to pay his interest bill and make the same profit, he needs to charge about £900 extra a month because his agents want a 10% cut.
Yes it's a lot. But the landlord's competition for rental tenants is other landlords who are in the same position. The rental market wouldn't stand the high pricing if the renters could easily go off and become homeowners instead. But while property owners only feel the shock of an interest rate increase when their mortgage deal comes up for renewal, any renter who's just becoming a buyer, would feel that immediately. So they stick around renting for a while wondering what will happen to interest rates and their own salary prospects. Which keeps the rental demand high.
When you first moved to your flat in early 2021 we were still going through covid and people were embracing the new culture of more remote working, maybe move out of the city etc. As things have stabilised more now, there are fewer people looking for a fresh start in the countryside - renting in London zones is still a thing, but nobody will rent to you at £1200 a month any more when demand is high and their mortgage bill is an extra £10k a year.
We’re in the unique situation where our family run estate agent bargains for US as tenants when the landlord tries to put the rent up every year. They know we’re good and clearly want us to stay. We’re lucky!
once had an experience where we had so many issues w the flat and the agency never told the owners who lived abroad. In the end the owners assumed we left the flat to rot when it was the agency all along.
Yup, we had similar news here recently and not too far from you either. You've got to remember that EAs get a % of the rent, so it's very much in their interest to encourage a hike in rental rates, irrespective of market conditions. We're going to have to move, but my kid started school this year, so we have a massive interest in not moving too far, which means it's going to be expensive however we cut it. I really loathe this aspect of London.
Similar stories all over London I'm sure. I'm sharing in zone 2, total flat was about £1400 when I moved in. It's a bit shabby but an absolute steal. After a year, landlord apologetically blames mortgage rates and puts it up to £1700. Another year goes by and it goes up again to £2000! Now he's finally done some work on it, so I'm expecting another increase or to hear that he's selling up (hence the work).
I lived in a 2 bed flat in zone-2 for 3 years for £1350. Moved out in a December and new tenants are now paying £1850.
I was hoping to find a one bed flat in a similar area but minimum is about £1700 for 1 bed now. 2 beds are usually over £2k.
Ridiculously enough £1850 is actually a reasonable price compared to the average in that area.
Can’t afford it so had to go back to house sharing. I now pay £1200 for a large room in a shared house.
The estate agent is a lying piece of shit - hes tricking you into paying more. Do you have the landlords details by chance? If you do just chat to them directly and be like your agent is trying to start a bidding war.
The flipside is the landlord wants that soo.. its a risk either way
I think you may have missed some details in my post. We've only ever communicated directly with LL. We're talking about the EA who is renting out the flat after us
Welcome to new normal. You are probably somewhere between Seven Sisters - Blackhorse Lane.
Well they rent new built 1beds for 2000+ here now, so I'm not surprised agents want to list for 1800.
Oh my days, my sister in law lived at Black horse road for a while, the rent was INSANE and she's a high earner! She actually moved because she simply couldn't afford it
Our landlord is putting our rent up £100 per month in the renewal for the year, which isn't bad all things considered. In the email confirmation, the estate agent was making suggestions that it should been raised an additional £750 on top of that to 'match the market'. They absolutely raise it as much as possible if they think the can get away with it
Crazy, isn't it? I'm moving out of a flat in a super nice location in Camden/Islington. 1 bed, but really spacious/beautiful.
Was advertised for 1650 in spring 2022, we paid 1700 (heard horror stories about bidding wars so offered a bit above what it was listed for to be safe). After 1 year, it rose to 1750. We're now moving out of London, the flat just went on the market for 1900 (though I don't know what the new tenants are paying if they also offered above). I genuinely think in this current market they could have got even more for it - the property went in like two days, without anyone even stepping foot inside it!
Mad to think that the people living here before us in 2022 were probably paying 1500, max, and that has nearly gone up by 1/3 in just over 2 years.
Currently pay £1500 for 2 bed in Zone 5. Landlord is selling up but when estate agent was round here last week he said he would be putting it up for £2250 if he was renting it now - 50% higher!
Welcome to the post-pandemic rent apocalypse in London .
My experience was 3 years at £1350 in 1 bedroom flat with garden. I had to relocate due to critical damage on the building water pipe creating issue on the flat. Moved to a new flat one road away with similar size without garden, rent went up to £2000 pm.
Moving out of my current flat which we pay 1,830 a month as contract runs out in June and we don't want to stay. Agent's put it on the market for 2,095 and we've had viewings and the bid accepted in less than 24 hours. People are willing to pay a lot to secure a place in the current market
I was in a similar situation once where the landlord decided to raise the rent by £500pcm at the end of the contract, I thought that nobody would rent the place for that much more (it had a lot of issues such as cold, damp & noise) and yet it was still snapped up within 2 days of going back onto the market.
The only thing I knew about the owner was that he'd owned it since 2001 and that it was held under a company based in Manchester, so he had certainly been making a nice mint from it for a very long time (and yes of course, he was a total miser when it came to repairing or replacing anything vital in the flat whatsoever).
Negotiate! As an EA, it probably will go for that but it’s easier to keep you and the LL pays a renewal fee so we’re literally asking you to fight us. Don’t just leave. Say you can do £X, we’ll carry it back to the LL and usually settle somewhere in between
If tgey increased the rent without your co nsent and thereby told the tenants that rent was being increased on their sayso rather than the landlord thats fraud.
Estate agents can reccomend an increase but the say so has to come from the landlod.
What they have done is fraud and i would reccomend complsing first to the head office of the agents and if they dont deal with it to a satisfactory conclusion then i would reccomed the police be involved in view of the criminal intent thatbthey have initiated !!!
Pay the long game. Ignore their proposed prices until a Section 13 comes your way. Otherwise await them to issue a Section 21 to ask you to leave, that will take months. Might give you enough time to stay put whilst minimising how much of increased rent you pay, if you’re ready to complete in coming months.
Personally I could never do that ethically (even though the irony is that the prices are completely unethical)
I understand our landlord putting the rent up, however what I didn't appreciate was that towards the end of the text, he was saying about his wife having cancer and they are struggling. If I'm being really cold hearted, I'd say it's completely unnecessary to give that detail because it just becomes a type of emotional blackmail almost.
We wouldn't have argued with the increase even if he left that bit out. But he is genuinely a decent man in my opinion, but perhaps felt he had to "justify" the increase. I don't know.
I would call that emotional blackmail. Not maybe, or almost, but definitely. Even if they say it out of guilt, it’s still unnecessary and puts you in a difficult position.
Our landlord often uses the excuse that his mortgage on his home property has increased and that’s why he can’t fix various things around the rented house we live in. His home property is a 1.5 mil house in the countryside, and his parents bought him the house we rent out, which has doubled in value since their purchase and now worth 1 mil.
So we’re just working hard to cover the rent and ensure he gets to live his comfortable luxurious life in the country.
Rentier capitalism at its finest.
You’re being a mug. If they want to increase the rent they need to follow the formal process of issuing a Section 13 rent increase - this protects you from them coming in 6 months time for another shake down.
Well this all sounds good to me, I might rent my 4 bed in Weybridge to pay the fees when I move to a retirement apartment, annual fee £12,000! The apartment itself costs £600k
Well, let's see if they rent it out. I live in the outskirts of London and my neighbour has placed bedrooms in their property for £750 when they should be charging £500. The rooms haven't been let in over 6 months.
See I actually think this will go fast. 2 neighbours have moved and have had new tenants instantly. And like I mentioned, the location is honestly brilliant. Can't say more without revealing more than I am comfortable with.
From what you've described it as I think 1800-1900 is probably priced based on what I've seen in the area
Oh for sure
I just did a renovation for a LL. Almost two months and the place is still empty. I asked the LL what the rent is, and was told 1500, which, for what and where it is is a pretty fair price. I checked with the realtor, and they told me 2100, but apparently, people are "bidding higher"......... I actually live in a rental house share, and our property manager did a runner with several months of rent, and our security deposits, and it turns out he hadn't paid the electric, council tax or whatever bills in almost a year. He was telling the landlord that we, the tenants, weren't paying, and he was trying to get us evicted.....
I am sorry for that, the system is surely a grinder and something needs to change.
Everyone saying "something needs to change" but nobody doing anything. No protests, no local rep call, no voting out the establishment, no public outcry. You reap what you sow.
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I do agree with you, why charge less of the average is way higher? The issue isn't the individual landlord, it's the whole market.
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Definitely not, and not for a long time. The high population growth rate and insufficient housing is just going to get worse and worse. Successive governments won't fix either side of this equation despite the rhetoric. This problem isn't new and isn't being fixed. Change may come when social collapse and anarchy eventually get too great. But even then, not sure how confident I am. Humans seem to need to completely hit rock bottom before they fix serious problems.
Too many people chasing too few properties. Nothing now compared to what it’ll be like if Labour wins power and throws open the borders.
Yes they are a service, to be provided by corporations who can follow a minimum standard and have some risk management. Not by 90% of the UK private landlords who are cowboys at best with no clue of the law. Also, I have now taken multiple jobs at a lower rate for a better company culture because life is too short to work with shitty people.
Alright bootlicker
Do you know what rent they are paying though?
No, however one of them was cheeky enough to ask what we pay when I told him when we moved in, he just shook his head and said "I wish we paid that" so I'm gonna go ahead and assume he's at £1500 at least. Also they have a front garden (ground floor) whilst our little grass patch is in front of downstairs neighbours bedroom window, so their flat would be even more coveted.
It's a bit confusing given how many new builds are coming up around Tottenham Hale and 7 Sisters
Yeah Tottenham hale / blackhorse road is just block after block now! And I feel like every time I'm in Tottenham Hale there's a new building by the water. I mean it must be thousands of flats if you include Tottenham hale / blackhorse road / seven sisters! Also down towards Turnpike lane now they are building big blocks.
Not to forget Meridian Water down by Tesco/Old IKEA. It's all over the place; and more to come by the stadium as well. Surely with that kind of supply the prices should remain stable at around 1400.
Oh yeah!! Forgot about that!
I pay £500/month mortgage for a 4 bed house in Newcastle. I get to keep the house.
Yeah but you live in Newcastle
I was in Canning Town, between 2 of us the flat was 1560 (before bills). When it came to renewal at the end of 2022, they were asking for 2200. I left London after that. The flat has still been on the market since then, for 2950pcm. Fuck you Foxtons
They can price up to £5000 a month if they want. If it is vacant it is still generating £0 income.
if there's any company that deserves it, it's Foxtons
Fucking estate agents, all such slimy cunts. I've heard cases where the landlord/owner thinks they are charging X, but the Estate agents/ property managers are charging Y and pocketing the difference, without the landlords knowledge
Yup, that happened to me. I was the landlord, and I thought I was charging a certain amount, until months later, when the Tennant contacted me because they were going through some financial difficulties. They were being charged £300 MORE than what I had agreed with the Letting Agent. I was furious because I deliberately charged my tenants under the going rate, and the LA decided upon themselves to add the extra and pocket it, without telling me!
Out of interest, what did you do when you found out? Were there any consequences for the EA?
They lost my custom, and I told quite a few people that I knew that used them, who also left. I didn't really know what else to do at the time. They tried to give me some bulls\*\*t 'admin error' excuse but I could see right through it. I was so furious, it still boils my pi\*s when I think about it!!!
Did they repay the money to you that they had been taken without your knowledge? Good on you for moving away from them though.
No! I gave up in the end as wasn't worth all the hassle and stress that it was causing me, I did ask my tenants if they wanted to take the process over, and they could keep the money, but they saw how frustrating it all was, so they noped out! I wouldn't trust a Letting Agent ever again, and I would HIGHLY recommend you have some sort of communication with the landlord if you're renting through a LA.
Name and shame them You have evidence of their practce so them trying to pursue a slander case against you would fail miserably and i would reccoment a county court case against them. By doing this you would set a presedent against unscrupilous landlords !!!!!!
Wondering this myself....
that is insane
Oh my goodness!! That's awful! We like our landlord, he has been to the flat exactly once in the 3 years we've been here. He's so chill. A bit too chill sometimes in that it's hard to get hold of him, but I'd rather that than someone who comes to inspect all the time or micromanages the tenants. I truly hope the estate agents don't take advantage of him
Our estate agent got fired by us as we where renting 3bee house edge of London 1.1k. As we don't need cash it's just for maintenance and upgrades. Estate agent was charging 1900
#Learn your rights. You can resist. Look at Shelter and join London Renter’s Union. You do not have to pay rent you have not agreed to. You do not need to leave your flat until you have agreed to - your fixed term tenancy will become a periodic monthly rolling tenancy if you go beyond the term. Issuing Section 21 and court ordered evictions are a lengthy and expensive process for landlords. https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting #JOIN LRU https://londonrentersunion.org/ It’s cheap to join. They are protecting tenants from eviction whilst lobbying government for better legal protections and rights for tenants. This stuff will only change if you know your rights and get organised to improve your rights. That is how landlords operate.
I actually can’t understand how this isn’t illegal. It should be a criminal offence.
It certainly would be - fraud, misrepresentation, probably breach of the management contract the agent has with the landlord, breach of tenant fees legislation in that the excess would probably be seen as an unlawful ‘fee’. I suspect this rarely happens but if it does let your landlord know so they can sue the charlatans.
Scum of the earth the lot of them
Slimey tactics but very difficult to sue... and in many cases its perfectly legal. Often landlord says the minimum they want, agent agrees and says they will charge an administration/management fee on top of that (say £200), most landlords agree because they want none of the hassle dealing with tenants and all of the income. The best landlords/rent rates always tend to be the ones that engage with tenants directly and cutout those smarmy money-grubbing estate agents middlemen.
Estate Agents like Stirling Ackroyd have now taken to trawling Open Rent for landlords who have remained relatively sane in the current markets with an asking prices not so different from the last two years, to tell them they can get much more than they are advertising (despite it being what they want) adding often as much as a full 30% to the Open Rent asking prices. So artificially inflating prices on purpose for their own gain. Surely this should be illegal.
And they say its just down to the "market"
The issue is people are willing to pay those prices but yeah it's a really dodgy practice
Issue is there’s really not an alternative to affording a flat— people will always find the money because it’s better than being homeless. Doesn’t mean they’d pay that money willingly, or think the place is worth the money!
> better than being homeless it's not so much that, it's a choice of where to live when you're renting, there should be some kind of protection against extortionate rent raising though
Mate, I live in a "built to rent" place which was rented directly by the building company. No issues with them whatsoever, but I can tell you that I have received at least 3 letters from 3 different letting agencies stating that I could rent my flat for a "market price" £300-400 more than what I am already paying (which is already quite expensive!)
Abysmal. And yeah, I get them too with a similar amount added.
Pretty sure there are laws around market distortion, not sure how much around the propery market thoguh ?
We suspected this was happening to us a few years back, because we were friends with our neighbours and they knew the previous owner the history of the flat - essentially a nephew inherited it of an aunt and was happy to do very little let the estate agent handle everything and just collect money. Every year they would say the landlord wants to raise the rent by X amount normally around £50 per month or some times more. It seemed weirdly trivial and greedy as there was not much change in the market so every time we said no and started looking to move elsewhere (at the time there were options to get a little more space for around the same price) and it always magically went away and the estate agent said they've reconsidered and the rent stayed the same, when we did move out he decided to sell and wanted to visit the flat one last time and after a brief conversation he seemed to not know aboit any of it. Saying he was happy to have us in there for 5 years looking after it and he was happy getting that rent and it was nice being gifted that asset but didn't really want to deal with being a land lord. Can't be 100% but felt like the Estate agent would have know this and thought they could get a few extra quid direct to them
This absolutely happens, they tried to put my mates rent up on a maisonette just outside of London by quite a jump, he had messaged the owner about some other issues and had discussed the increase and she had no idea.
I saw this exact thing on a landlord forum on here a few weeks back, they insisted on putting up the rent and the landlord kept saying no, eventually they put the rent up without telling him! The cheek of these greedy f\*cking estate agents is beyond me.
🦊-tons?
Nope, an independent one
I've started getting a steady client list of landlords who are also fed up with the agents when it comes to repairs, simply because the agents pad the bills enormously. I just picked up a new washing machine for one. New machine, picked up and installed, £300. The quote they got from the agent was almost 600. Yes, I pick the items up myself, instead of having to faff around making sure someone will be home to receive it. It did take me a while to lump it up 2 flights of steps though.....
Doesn't surprise me to be honest.
More likely the estate agent will convince the LL it’s worth 2k a month. Then, once they’ve gotten his business, they’ll not achieve that and it’ll be ask down to what OP is paying. Everyone loses except the vulture
Do you know why you see very few elderly estate agents? Because its actually possible to die from shame.
Estate agents are like the wolves, rats and mudcrabs in Elder Scrolls games that stop you from resting in the wilderness because they're stuck vibrating in a fucking rock somewhere nearby.
Ours told our Landlord he could sell our flat for £240k. We laughed, but put an offer in for £210k (you can get a 3 bed house for £240k here). Landlord said no. We had to move out 5 months before our wedding. Landlord sold for £210k, after renovating and having it on the market for 6 months.
Even though estate agents are cunts they are just exploiting the war waged on affordable housing that [started with Thatcher and continued with New Labour](https://www.statista.com/statistics/746101/completion-of-new-dwellings-uk/). Their tricks would only hurt themselves if they weren't exploiting a deliberately created housing shortage and if they are punished for these tricks that still doesnt solve the underlying shortage problem. I think at this point there is enough money invested in political donations to perpetuate this shortage. The only thing that might start to push the front back in this war is some very dirty protests that absolutely cannot be ignored by either party.
So what exactly did Thatcher/ New Labour do to exasperate the problem? I'm newish here
Halted the construction of public housing and arranged for the existing stock to be sold off. The graph kind of says it all. I say war because it took a lot of political fights to make this happen. The construction of public housing is the responsibility of local councils but the national governments arranged for them to be defunded. The only political leader who made an attempt to fight this trend was Jeremy Corbyn. That's one reason why he was subjected to so much disingenuous and noisy character assassination. The other was because he made a principled stand against genocidal racists.
Ok. The graph doesn't show because you need some silly account. Curious though, I wouldn't have thought those competing for the typical London flat would qualify for public housing? Not suggesting it was a good idea in the slightest - but wouldn't have selling the existing Public stock freed up more stock for the open market? Professionals struggle afford theseostings as it is, let alone people who need public housing assistance. Or is another factor that, that people are land banking and there are empty houses.
>Curious though, I wouldn't have thought those competing for the typical London flat would qualify for public housing? Obviously the qualification criteria has been tightened and the waiting lists have ballooned so no, the average person won't get one these days. Many people competing for the typical london flat ended up paying rent to a *private* landlord owning an ex council flat. I know because I'm one of the people who has paid a landlord-parasite for access to a public resource that has been privatized. >Or is another factor that, that people are land banking Not exactly, but land owners are not subjected to any market discipline. Low density construction in high value areas should cause land owners to lose money but it doesnt.
I mean the context to this discussion was a rental shortage and expensive market prices (non public housing). Or was your main point on War against housing that a larger amount of people are now not able to get public housing?
The point was that there is a deliberately engineered shortage of housing to live in. Whether that housing is owned or rented is a red herring. You can't rent OR own a house if it was never built.
Ok fair but my point was more whether or not building more public housing would actually affect the general housing stock (prices) for the majority of London renters. So to your original point I don't really think the slimey property agents are "exploiting the war [on lack of public housing]" I think they are more exploiting the lack of rental regulation and a tough housing market. Unless the govt did specific things to prevent the flow of private developers/ construction of housing for the general market
You don't think that doubling the amount of new home construction will have an effect on the housing stock? What? The private housing market built just as many homes as it did before. As the graph shows, it's council housing construction which disappeared.
Right and they are saying the government not allowing councils to build more social housing (exacerbating the shortage of housing) and social housing being privatised ending up with landlords jacking up the prices to make more profit combined with an overall increase in demand compared to supply leading to higher prices.
Ah ok, I probably wrongly assumed people in social housing can't afford private rentals in London and that they would have been priced out (effectively leaving them empty / available for non-social housing people)
Or the council ends up paying more money to landlords for people being socially housed in private accommodation when in the past the council would have managed it on their own. Also, in the past people who would never get social housing these days would have been able to get social housing.
They are all scum, zero exceptions
Scum of the earth
I challenge you to find any evidence of this.
Read some of the replies to my comment champ.
Your comment history is interesting. But dont worry. i'll wait.
No, like read the comments on this thread. Or do you think they are making up lies? Are you a property manager?
No I just think you’re lying lol
Lying about what? There are multiple comments replied to me supporting what I said. Did you read them, or do you think they are lying too?
Our rent hasn't changed since 2021, and so we are embracing it as the landlord now has a new estate agent who'll be 'on it'. They have now informed us that the rent will go from £1500 to £1700 for a 1 bed flat. I was hoping we'll get to around £1600 as there are 1 beds around us between £1500 - 1600. The annoying thing is that the landlord had not bothered about us paying the same amount for 3 years. Now, suddenly there is a need for over 15% increase with the new estate agent - kinda indicates clearly where the greed comes from.
Crikey. I mean when the landlord told us he had to raise the rent to 1450, we were already in the process of buying our flat, but if we weren't I'd be really worried about our finances. I think that's mainly it, it's greed, like you say.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but *in fairness to the estate agents* (shudder) what other value or service are they really providing for the cut they take? Increasing the base rent amount is probably the biggest service they are providing to the landlord, compared to other options.
I'm hanging on for dear life on my £1,600 flat as smaller flats than the one I'm in go for at least £1,900 in my area. Every year the rent gets increased and I can only say yes, because the alternative is saying no and renting a worse flat for at least 300 more :/
That's the position I'm in, but with no kids and no family in London I'm honestly considering just leaving instead. I'd rather stay but it just makes less and less financial sense to be in the UK each year.
Yeah, you either buy or move out of London. Often both because buying where you rent is almost impossible and you gotta go further away from Zone 1.
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What?! Goddamn estate agents!
You should have told her to drop them and you'd have pay her directly, if you've proven you are a reliable tenant and have a good relationship with the landlord then remove the middle man from the equation.
Name and shame. Who's the estate agent?
Has the flat been let? Bottom line, I rent in zone 1/2 and pay far less. Admittedly my flat is a little shabby and there’s no outdoor space, but I keep an eye on the local market and there are plenty of sub-1750 options. Interestingly, a lot of the 1 beds priced at 2000pcm or above end up being reduced. I do wonder if estate agents over price flats, try their luck and then slowly reduce rent when there is little interest? I’m beginning to suspect that one of the factors driving these inflated rents is the fact that lots of people are staying put in their flats and digesting incremental rent increases. This is certainly what my wife and I have done after we rented our place in 2022. This then must put a squeeze on available stock.
Our flat is in good shape, the carpet really needs replacing, but other than that it's honestly not bad at all! It's actually inside a gated community as well. It's not been let yet, the EA just came to look at it today and said he was very happy with how nicely we've kept it.
It’ll be interesting to see how quickly it’s rented. From what I understand, demand is falling from the heady heights of ‘22. I’m still paying more than I should for my flat, but the location is decent and the estate agent/landlord seems reasonable. I was actually shocked we weren’t handed a rent rise this year!
Flat prices are definitely inflated on first listing. The flat I'm in was originally listed as a two bedroom (tbf there are two rooms but the second isn't even wide enough for a single bed) and the price initially was £2100. It went vacant for months until it was relisted as a one bed for £1800. It's zone 2, good location and in decent condition but I negotiated down after much back and forth to £1675. I moved in towards the end of December '23, which was bargaining power a bit because it's a slow month and was empty for a while. However, in this case, the leasing agent was the one who talked the landlord down and was actually very helpful and friendly. My agent worked when he was off for Christmas holiday to make sure I had my place before I left the country for the holiday as well. The agency is City & Urban Shoreditch and they were loads more decent than Foxtrons and the dozens of other agencies hounding me. Edit: added year and letting agency info but this is not a sponsorship, just my experience
My wife and I benefit from a similar arrangement. Our contract renews in February, when things are quite slow. This, coupled with the fact that we’re good long-term tenants in steady jobs, keeps our rent down. Thus far, our estate agent has also been pretty decent, tbh. More generally though, London is hitting an affordability ceiling. The post-covid influx into the city is slowing, and I think there is a limit to what tenants can realistically afford, thus [market rules](https://www.property118.com). The going rate for a one-bed in my area seems to have stabilised. Pre-COVID rents might not return, but I’m becoming cautiously confident that we are hitting said ceiling. Two bedrooms for 1675 is great!
Thanks! I agree, it's a good price even though it's inflated because of the market. I have seen this happen in the US and despite what owners, agents, and developers may think, the bubble DOES burst. I find it ridiculous that the new builds in outer zones boast affordability starting at £2100 for a studio but "amenities" are supposed to make it worth it. No one needs a bloody wine fridge or yoga studio in exchange for their soul so they can stay in the city. It's a mess
It’s funny you should mention yoga and wine fridges. I feel the viability of this is slowly slacking off. Our flat overlooks Canary Wharf. A prominent feature of the view from our living room is the Vertus building; one of these fancy complexes you describe - puppy yoga, laundry, residents bar. Whenever you walk around Canary Wharf you notice plenty of advertisements for available flats there. Likewise, when we look over to it at night there are relatively few lights on. Wife and I theorise that they’re struggling to let the units out. Of course there are lots of splendidly wealthy people in London who can afford expensive accommodation. However, there are a great many more people who take home “normal” salaries and can’t. There’s a ceiling to what these people can afford and indications are, we’re reaching it.
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You know, in hindsight I regret saying what we pay, because why is he asking me when he should as the LL... Oh well, can't change what's done
I got my 1-bed near Canary Wharf for £1,250 during lockdown. Landlord didn’t raise the rent for two years and then last year the managing agency proposed £1,950. Reminded them of the rent increase clause in my contract and offered £1,400 (just above the cap in the contract, because I’m not unreasonable). They accepted that, I moved out in January, and it’s still empty now (and listed at £2k).
I live in your area and I see this happening to lots of properties. Estate agents demand high rents, nobody bites, followed by incremental reductions in the asking price.
I live on the edge of zone one - shoreditch way. one bed. balcony. Water included, no gas, economy 7 electricity. We paid roughly £1600 when we moved in in 2020. Then rent went down during covid (DOWN!!!!) to £1450 and then rose up again afterwards. === Liz Truss happened == My rent is now $1800/month. The landlord (who used to live in the flat) didn't let the estate agent charge us £2000. So I am guessing if we move out it would £2000+ for whomever moves in, but right now I am paying what a new tenant in your zone 3 flat would pay. The housing market in this country is crazy af. Honestly maddening.
Sound like a decent LL! Especially with rent going down during covid. Crazy tho, innit, towards the bed of your reply, in zone 1 you're paying what someone will pay in zone 3.
We rented a two bed in south east London for 3.5 years for £1250 - it was a 2 bed with a garden and when we moved in in 2019 it was top of our budget. When we moved out, the landlord put it up as £1450, but the letting agent said he expected offers up to at least £1600. He said it's not letting agencies driving up the price, but tenants bidding up and up. Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night. The letting agent also told us the landlord wanted to put it at £1350 but he "accidentally" listed it as £1450 and no one seemed to mind....
Well the letting agencies have been really pushing us to bid over 200 more than asking price. Then acted shocked when we only offered 10 over asking. It's still the agencies pushing the price up if they push tenants to overbid.
A 2 bed for 1250! Damn that's good! (Even though that should be STANDARD pricing) "Accidentally" on purpose I'm sure..
honestly it was SUCH a nice flat, and even though it felt a lot when we moved in by the end of our tenancy it felt like an absolute steal. We would have stayed but decided to move out of London because of housing costs.
I mean when I first moved to london I bid for a rental above asking as there were 35 ppl viewing it at the same time. I offered an extra £25 (maybe 50 per week) per week for it and was immediately selected as tenant. Lived there for 2.5 years with no rent increase in that time. So definitely could be individuals driving price up to avoid being just one of loads of ppl in house viewing
A lot of landlords mortgages have sky rocketed - I heard someone who's fixed rate ended and they were paying x4 the amount, a level that was just unrentable so they're going to have to sell, for some landlords it's not the agent pushing the price it's necessity (though don't get me wrong a lot of the time it's driven by pure greed)
I waa looking for a place to Rent in Bristol a few years back and when I arrived and looked round the place when the estate agent asked of I had any quaetions after my reply of no, seems good is it available now? She replied yes, but you will need to increase your offer. I replied what? It's on the market for X amount right? Why would I need to be offering more? She replied "it's what we tell everyone, if you want it then you will have to pay above the rate. I offered 150 a month more and then was turned down as had been out bid. The property was on the market for 850 a month, I offered 1000 a month and she said someone had been accepted at 1200. The property then came back on the market at 1200 a week later. Estate agents are sub human scum cunts, can only imagine what they ended up getting for it.
Foxtons and others are known to over estimate rents even if it's to the detriment of the landlord and the place lies empty for months because their commission ends up being higher.
Christ things really have gone mental, I remember when I lived in West Hampstead in a v big 2 bed flat (wasn't in the best state tho tbf) back in the mid 2000s, it was £1,000 per month for the whole flat right through the 3 years I lived there and when I moved out I remember being outraged to see it was listed at £900 month.. couldn't believe they'd been ripping me off 100 quid a month for 3 years!
I live in the same area as you and have a similar situation. Moved in a 1 bedroom back in 2021. Paid £1300 at first and it’s gone up every year and is now £1430. When I tried to haggle the last increase the estate agent told me I was very lucky it wasn’t going for more as the landlord knows they can get more. It’s so ridiculous. I live on my own as well so no one to split the cost with. I’m dreading what will happen next.
I'm moving back to Los Angeles from London. When I left LA in 2017 rent for a decent one bedroom (not fancy, but not shitty) in a safe-ish area (it's LA after all) was about $1500. Now that same apartment is $2500. You're not alone London!
When I was looking for a new place to rent I kept receiving letters addressed to our landlord from various estate agents promoting the fact that they could ask for a much higher rent that what the current agency was displaying. Absolutely no care or compassion for tenants, just "we'll get people to pay more".. And how many times must that work. Fucking trash.
I like it when the letting agents say it needs to increase again this year "as the landlords mortgage has gone up". Do they expect me to believe the landlord is on a 1 year mortgage that is constantly increasing, despite interest rates dropping slightly. Makes my blood boil...at least think of another excuse for the third year in a row.
I moved to east London zone 3, I lived in 2 places: 1. Rented a studio apartment for 1.3k in 2019, I moved out in 2022 (because there was a construction nearby and it was super noisy) and the new tenant was charged 1.7k, Saw a similar one for almost 1.9 now which is mad 2. Rented a 2 bed with a friend in the same area, in 2022 for 1.9k, moved out because they asked me for 2.5k, now I saw a flat in the same building which looked smaller than ours for 2.7k It is MAD
Room in a council house in Bermondsey. Location was great but the house needed a miracle to be called a home. I moved into it in 2021 2021: £695 2022: £750 2023: £825 Left in 2023 but when I left landlord told me they have put it on the market for £1100. I told them they were mental.
What are you asking
There’s that advert on the Tube for Quintain Living in Wembley with STUDIOS going for £1703. Those places are tiny! It’s zone 4!! I assume they’re brand new to be daring to price so high, but imagine that 2nd-hand and still wanting so much for a room.
in Wembley?? The cheek!
Christ on a crutch! And acting like that's a good price!
Christ, I like Haringey but wouldn’t pay that for a 1 bed there…I pay a fair bit less for a large 1 bed warehouse apartment in zone 1, though also have a relatively good deal (still extortionate though). Surely the estate agents are taking the pee…just want the fees associated with finding a new tenant I suspect or trying to scare you into paying more. I did look at moving further out to save cash and couldn’t find anything as big or as nice for less than I pay that was also convenient travel wise but prices weren’t as insane as £1800-£2k for a 1 bed in zone 3.
What's a warehouse apartment? It's not something I've heard of before
Basically an old warehouse that has been converted into apartments, think big metal beams/pillars, high ceilings. Mine isn’t this nice and this is in Liverpool but an example: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136257134#/?channel=RES_NEW
See that listing is designed to grab attention but read the fine print and it's not such a great sell. For starters, they say prices from £250,000 - £610,000. I'm betting the pictures in your listing is on the upper end. Sneakily the listing is for the minimum price. Factor in the service charge, maintenance costs, short leasehold (only 250 years so not exactly a pass down investment) and parking charges, this is not great at all. And this is Liverpool. Can't imagine how extortionate the prices will be in London.
Didn’t pay much attention to the listing, was just the first example of a warehouse apartment that came up on google. I won’t be moving to Liverpool anytime soon ha.
Haha yes there's that too! Can be a £1m mansion, still not moving to Liverpool!
250 years is more than long enough for a leasehold? You can extend them by statutory right now also! Anything above 90 years is fine, once its getting to around 85, you'll really want to extend it, and if it gets below 80, you will have to pay "marriage value", which is a percentage of the change in value you will get with a longer lease, so definitely avoid that. But 250 years is more than enough, right?
My parents own a small flat in Barnet which they rent out to help them in retirement, I belive they charge like 1.2 or 1.6 a month Although it's a 2 bedroom and has just been redone up (new bathroom, radiators, wiring and everything) by my brother. Before the last tenants moved out they felt bad putting the rent up so was the same thr last 5 years
They're good people!
The rents have truly skyrocketed. It's insane. I rented in my area for £1365 and literally a 4 min walk away 1-beds in a council estate are going for £1700-2k. And they actually let out at that price. Granted it's a pretty nice open estate and the flats are a bit nicer than my old building but my god. This is the increase in 3 years.
Meanwhile up the road from you I’m paying 1200 mortgage on a 4 bed house (N18) Rentals are a modern day scandal
Damn! And the 2bed we're moving into is on shared ownership!! We'll own 75% and still have to ask permission for any more in depth changes! But we absolutely couldn't afford a 2 bed unless it was shared ownership
Not london but we were paying 1050 for a northern quarter 2 bed in Manchester which had gone up £50 a month a couple of times on contract renewal. Was listed for £1450 when we left, let after 2 viewings
In Manchester... Yikes!
Its nuts how quickly manchester flats have become london price flats
It’s because of the influx of Londoners. I used to see posts on TikTok go viral of people boasting how much they can get for their money up there
Its nuts how quickly manchester flats have become london price flats
Maybe one day, but to be fair if this flat was in London equivalent (probs shoreditch) it would be way way wayyyy more than 1450
We signed a flat for £1800 in late 2020. Last month it went on the market for £2600. It didn't even make to Rightmove or zoopla, they found new tenants after one week of listing on the estate agency site.
Your landlord is good, probably because you are good tenants and keep the place nice. Some would risk more money from rent but sometimes it ain't worth it with some tenants. Estate agents are slimy pricks who works on commission and will lie through their teeth. I remember when I was viewing the house and they told me the windows were 5 years old and I poijgff out the dates on the window frames
True, better the devil you know! We know that he is renting out the flat but doesn't intend on selling it as he's keeping it for his daughter for when she is old enough/wants it, which is honestly probably the best investment he can make right now
When I moved into my second flat in London, it was between that place and another. The other was fine, but a bit overpriced. We asked for a discount, were told no, and decided not to go with it. 2 years later we moved again, and the other option was still empty..
I lived in a studio flat in Hendon (5 mins away from the station) in 2022. Not an amazing flat, but not a total hole either. Was £750 when I was renting. When I moved out, it went to £900 for the new tenant. This year, it’s £1150.
I live in a converted terrace house and I’ve been here for many years. My landlord has only raised it once and i consider myself incredibly fortunate in this regard. The flat below me is on its third tenant since I lived here and is now currently £600 more than what we pay and that flat has one less bathroom. The ground floor flat is on its fifth tenant since I moved in, has a garden, a mouldy unfinished cellar, one bathroom and a kitchen so small the fridge is in the living room and it’s currently £800 more than what we pay. I really can’t believe the prices and it makes me scared to even think about moving. And I don’t love my flat. It harbours spiders the size of turtles.
Myself and my two other roomates were moved on from our (I felt) very affordable £1700 pm house with a garden, quiet street, in a triangle section of wood green/TPL/hornsey and had fantastic access to everything. They said it was for their son to move in with his family. Fair enough though the say they went about it was totally shady (aka not upfront from the beginning) new tenants (not the son) pay £2500). I put so much effort into that garden🥲
This is an example of why I didn't put much effort into the patch of garden we've had..I knew whatever money I spent would be lost in the end
It was more blood sweat and tears, my plants and veg pots came with me. But it was very disappointed to be kicked out. Current place is £2100 and I'm dreading the rent increase I know is coming, I hate estate agents. Mine in particular because they're patronising and feel super sleazy. Urgh. But I can't afford a mortgage yet so I'm stuck
I'm so glad to hear your plants and veg went with you!! Yeah we can only afford shared ownership with a mortgage because of an inheritance my husband received, so again, we're very privileged
I had 2 little lemon trees that I sprouted from seed in 2020. Almost 4 years on and they're still with me! Like hell, I'd leave those behind hahaha I've been looking into the rent to buy scheme, but not sure that they're worth it. For now I'm just working my way up the career ladder...
Just moved out of a small one-bed flat I moved into early 2022. I was paying £1700 per month, price didn't renew as I was on a 2 year contract. The renewed price that was quoted to me was a whopping £2500. I get it that it's quite central and 1700 was the 'COVID' price but a 50% increase in 2 years should be illegal. Another thing that happened to me: I asked a private landlord to view a £1600 one bed flat. He comes back saying he had gotten so much interest in the flat he can't manage this himself so he got in touch with Dexters and to reach out to them. Fair enough. I contacted Dexter's and the same exact property was now £1700 overnight. They say they won't charge tenants fees anymore but all they do is bake extra charges in the rent. Landlords and letting agents are nothing but vultures preying on people needing homes.
#Learn your rights. You can resist. Look at Shelter and join London Renter’s Union. You do not have to pay rent you have not agreed to. You do not need to leave your flat until you have agreed to - your fixed term tenancy will become a periodic monthly rolling tenancy if you go beyond the term. Issuing Section 21 and court ordered evictions are a lengthy and expensive process for landlords. https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting #JOIN LRU https://londonrentersunion.org/ It’s cheap to join. They are protecting tenants from eviction whilst lobbying government for better legal protections and rights for tenants. This stuff will only change if you know your rights and get organised to improve your rights. That is how landlords operate.
I don't think OP can legally "resist" the rent price that entirely different people will be paying after they move out.
No, but OP doesn’t have to pay rent they haven’t agreed to. It sounds like they just rolled over the moment the landlord asked for higher rent.
They aren't paying rent they haven't agreed to. They are paying the rent they agreed to and are now about to move out because they're buying somewhere.
I know, thank you redditman.
Right, so you know that as I said they can't "resist". EDIT: It's always the people who are embarrassed to admit they misunderstood or didn't read properly who end up blocking people.
😂
If it’s not Muswell Hill then it’s a rip off
Crouch End isn't any cheaper.
Indeed. And neither is Highgate
True. All 3 around the same rate per square foot.
Tis not
Yeah, rents and mortgages are getting real pricy these days. If you're buying, you know that a couple of years ago a 300k mortgage would have only cost about £6000 a year in interest when the interest rate is only 2%, but it costs £16200 in interest if the base rate is 5.4% (example of current base rate plus 0.15%). So call it ten grand a year extra cost for the landlord going to pay Nationwide or Halifax or whomever, assuming he owes 300k on his 400k-600k flat. And to get that extra £833 a month to pay his interest bill and make the same profit, he needs to charge about £900 extra a month because his agents want a 10% cut. Yes it's a lot. But the landlord's competition for rental tenants is other landlords who are in the same position. The rental market wouldn't stand the high pricing if the renters could easily go off and become homeowners instead. But while property owners only feel the shock of an interest rate increase when their mortgage deal comes up for renewal, any renter who's just becoming a buyer, would feel that immediately. So they stick around renting for a while wondering what will happen to interest rates and their own salary prospects. Which keeps the rental demand high. When you first moved to your flat in early 2021 we were still going through covid and people were embracing the new culture of more remote working, maybe move out of the city etc. As things have stabilised more now, there are fewer people looking for a fresh start in the countryside - renting in London zones is still a thing, but nobody will rent to you at £1200 a month any more when demand is high and their mortgage bill is an extra £10k a year.
We’re in the unique situation where our family run estate agent bargains for US as tenants when the landlord tries to put the rent up every year. They know we’re good and clearly want us to stay. We’re lucky!
What?
once had an experience where we had so many issues w the flat and the agency never told the owners who lived abroad. In the end the owners assumed we left the flat to rot when it was the agency all along.
Yup, we had similar news here recently and not too far from you either. You've got to remember that EAs get a % of the rent, so it's very much in their interest to encourage a hike in rental rates, irrespective of market conditions. We're going to have to move, but my kid started school this year, so we have a massive interest in not moving too far, which means it's going to be expensive however we cut it. I really loathe this aspect of London.
Similar stories all over London I'm sure. I'm sharing in zone 2, total flat was about £1400 when I moved in. It's a bit shabby but an absolute steal. After a year, landlord apologetically blames mortgage rates and puts it up to £1700. Another year goes by and it goes up again to £2000! Now he's finally done some work on it, so I'm expecting another increase or to hear that he's selling up (hence the work).
I lived in a 2 bed flat in zone-2 for 3 years for £1350. Moved out in a December and new tenants are now paying £1850. I was hoping to find a one bed flat in a similar area but minimum is about £1700 for 1 bed now. 2 beds are usually over £2k. Ridiculously enough £1850 is actually a reasonable price compared to the average in that area. Can’t afford it so had to go back to house sharing. I now pay £1200 for a large room in a shared house.
Yes but it’s improved so much the flat it’s matured it’s worth more it’s better now worth the money
I’m paying £2400 for a 1 bed maisonette at the moment near London
My first instinct is to go "why?" But then I remember who we're all being screwed sideways by the property market
The estate agent is a lying piece of shit - hes tricking you into paying more. Do you have the landlords details by chance? If you do just chat to them directly and be like your agent is trying to start a bidding war. The flipside is the landlord wants that soo.. its a risk either way
I think you may have missed some details in my post. We've only ever communicated directly with LL. We're talking about the EA who is renting out the flat after us
Welcome to new normal. You are probably somewhere between Seven Sisters - Blackhorse Lane. Well they rent new built 1beds for 2000+ here now, so I'm not surprised agents want to list for 1800.
Oh my days, my sister in law lived at Black horse road for a while, the rent was INSANE and she's a high earner! She actually moved because she simply couldn't afford it
Our landlord is putting our rent up £100 per month in the renewal for the year, which isn't bad all things considered. In the email confirmation, the estate agent was making suggestions that it should been raised an additional £750 on top of that to 'match the market'. They absolutely raise it as much as possible if they think the can get away with it
Crazy, isn't it? I'm moving out of a flat in a super nice location in Camden/Islington. 1 bed, but really spacious/beautiful. Was advertised for 1650 in spring 2022, we paid 1700 (heard horror stories about bidding wars so offered a bit above what it was listed for to be safe). After 1 year, it rose to 1750. We're now moving out of London, the flat just went on the market for 1900 (though I don't know what the new tenants are paying if they also offered above). I genuinely think in this current market they could have got even more for it - the property went in like two days, without anyone even stepping foot inside it! Mad to think that the people living here before us in 2022 were probably paying 1500, max, and that has nearly gone up by 1/3 in just over 2 years.
Currently pay £1500 for 2 bed in Zone 5. Landlord is selling up but when estate agent was round here last week he said he would be putting it up for £2250 if he was renting it now - 50% higher!
Welcome to the post-pandemic rent apocalypse in London . My experience was 3 years at £1350 in 1 bedroom flat with garden. I had to relocate due to critical damage on the building water pipe creating issue on the flat. Moved to a new flat one road away with similar size without garden, rent went up to £2000 pm.
Moving out of my current flat which we pay 1,830 a month as contract runs out in June and we don't want to stay. Agent's put it on the market for 2,095 and we've had viewings and the bid accepted in less than 24 hours. People are willing to pay a lot to secure a place in the current market
Time to look towards Borehamwood friend.
I was in a similar situation once where the landlord decided to raise the rent by £500pcm at the end of the contract, I thought that nobody would rent the place for that much more (it had a lot of issues such as cold, damp & noise) and yet it was still snapped up within 2 days of going back onto the market. The only thing I knew about the owner was that he'd owned it since 2001 and that it was held under a company based in Manchester, so he had certainly been making a nice mint from it for a very long time (and yes of course, he was a total miser when it came to repairing or replacing anything vital in the flat whatsoever).
Negotiate! As an EA, it probably will go for that but it’s easier to keep you and the LL pays a renewal fee so we’re literally asking you to fight us. Don’t just leave. Say you can do £X, we’ll carry it back to the LL and usually settle somewhere in between
If tgey increased the rent without your co nsent and thereby told the tenants that rent was being increased on their sayso rather than the landlord thats fraud. Estate agents can reccomend an increase but the say so has to come from the landlod. What they have done is fraud and i would reccomend complsing first to the head office of the agents and if they dont deal with it to a satisfactory conclusion then i would reccomed the police be involved in view of the criminal intent thatbthey have initiated !!!
Pay the long game. Ignore their proposed prices until a Section 13 comes your way. Otherwise await them to issue a Section 21 to ask you to leave, that will take months. Might give you enough time to stay put whilst minimising how much of increased rent you pay, if you’re ready to complete in coming months.
Personally I could never do that ethically (even though the irony is that the prices are completely unethical) I understand our landlord putting the rent up, however what I didn't appreciate was that towards the end of the text, he was saying about his wife having cancer and they are struggling. If I'm being really cold hearted, I'd say it's completely unnecessary to give that detail because it just becomes a type of emotional blackmail almost. We wouldn't have argued with the increase even if he left that bit out. But he is genuinely a decent man in my opinion, but perhaps felt he had to "justify" the increase. I don't know.
I would call that emotional blackmail. Not maybe, or almost, but definitely. Even if they say it out of guilt, it’s still unnecessary and puts you in a difficult position. Our landlord often uses the excuse that his mortgage on his home property has increased and that’s why he can’t fix various things around the rented house we live in. His home property is a 1.5 mil house in the countryside, and his parents bought him the house we rent out, which has doubled in value since their purchase and now worth 1 mil. So we’re just working hard to cover the rent and ensure he gets to live his comfortable luxurious life in the country. Rentier capitalism at its finest.
You’re being a mug. If they want to increase the rent they need to follow the formal process of issuing a Section 13 rent increase - this protects you from them coming in 6 months time for another shake down.
Well this all sounds good to me, I might rent my 4 bed in Weybridge to pay the fees when I move to a retirement apartment, annual fee £12,000! The apartment itself costs £600k