Draft Industry Code Of Practice - Private Rented Sector Code (Prs Code)

[Wayward]

Some of you may want to comment on the draft code...

See below the link to the RICS consultation webpage....

https://consultations.rics.org/consult.ti/prscode/consultationHome

[erat_forte]

I would just like to point out that the private rented sector is not an "industry" in any normal definition of that word.

[Damocles]

I would just like to point out that the private rented sector is not an "industry" in any normal definition of that word.

"Industry" is widely used to to refer to business in general, e.g. "the tourist industry."

[erat_forte]

That's all very well but the private rented sector hardly qualifies as a "business" even, does it?

[Damocles]

"Business" is also a very wide word. It includes providing services in exchange for money. A private landlord may not think of himself as being "in business", but he is still engaged in a business activity.

[erat_forte]

Yes, it's the "providing service" bit that I'm being cynical about. When I lived down south I paid £800+ per month for years and I don't think I recieved any service whatsoever. Never saw the landlord from start to finish, they never did a single thing for me or to the property. Unless you count the privelege to occupy a little part of your country a "service".

I do appreciate that many if not most LLs do actually provice some kind of a service, but I disagree that there is a 1:1 connection between the rent and the service. The rent is mostly just extortion money.

Of course you might consider the local Mafia to be alse providing a service when they come round and ask for their protection money. Perhaps they are also a business, and even an industry.

[sleepwello'nights]

Yes, it's the "providing service" bit that I'm being cynical about. When I lived down south I paid £800+ per month for years and I don't think I recieved any service whatsoever. Never saw the landlord from start to finish, they never did a single thing for me or to the property. Unless you count the privelege to occupy a little part of your country a "service".

I do appreciate that many if not most LLs do actually provice some kind of a service, but I disagree that there is a 1:1 connection between the rent and the service. The rent is mostly just extortion money.

Of course you might consider the local Mafia to be alse providing a service when they come round and ask for their protection money. Perhaps they are also a business, and even an industry.

A comment in this article reflected the hostility of some posters on HPC to private landlords. http://news.rla.org.uk/shelter-needs-to-end-campaign-against-landlords/.

“Private landlords felt frustrated that they are always treated as potential devils, while social landlords are always seen in official eyes and political rhetoric as angels. In contrast to such publicly aired views, it was pointed out that surveys of tenant satisfaction actually show better results for the private sector. Nor is the social housing stock consistently in tip-top condition.”

The statistics seem to disprove the opinion of the posters who complain vociferously about landlords. I suppose its just down to the fact that people only complain when they experience dissatisfaction, when there aren't any problems no one bothers to say everything's fine.

[erat_forte]

Yes and I am sure I have praised my current LL on here, they are a friendly person who works hard to keep our house in good order.

Doesn't stop the fact that we pay them a fat wedge each month, half of which is good value for the services and half is because they are part of a system that monopolises a common resource (land) and charges us for the privelege of using some of it. My extreme opposite example is meant to show that the monopoly fee is still charged even if no service is provided.

[erat_forte]

P.S. Sorry to the OP for being a cook and spoiling this thread with tiresome political pedantry!

I would be interested to find out more about the document, whether it would have any real impact in the real world, could it be cited in disputes etc. or is it just "common sense" that decent operators would do anyway and shysters will ignore?

[cybernoid]

The statistics seem to disprove the opinion of the posters who complain vociferously about landlords. I suppose its just down to the fact that people only complain when they experience dissatisfaction, when there aren't any problems no one bothers to say everything's fine.

Surveys of tenant satisfaction? Ive never heard of such a thing. Has anyone ever filled one out or known of anyone else who has?

Presumably the agencies get sent such surveys to distribute amongst tenants. The agents would then go on to fill them out themselves of course.

[@contradevian]

A comment in this article reflected the hostility of some posters on HPC to private landlords. http://news.rla.org.uk/shelter-needs-to-end-campaign-against-landlords/.

“Private landlords felt frustrated that they are always treated as potential devils, while social landlords are always seen in official eyes and political rhetoric as angels. In contrast to such publicly aired views, it was pointed out that surveys of tenant satisfaction actually show better results for the private sector. Nor is the social housing stock consistently in tip-top condition.”

The statistics seem to disprove the opinion of the posters who complain vociferously about landlords. I suppose its just down to the fact that people only complain when they experience dissatisfaction, when there aren't any problems no one bothers to say everything's fine.

I can email my housing officer and get a friendly response within hours. Furthermore I can ring my social landlord, speak to a human and book a repair onto their ticket system. Furthermore I also know where the offices of my social housing provider are located and they have a formal complaint procedure. They also publish accounts.

Now when the private landlord sector offers similar they can be considered a series 'industry' or business, rather than a bunch of out of depth 'fly by night ' chancers.