[whitemice]

Just a thought, but someone who’s in the UK could put forward the idea of reinstating security of tenure for renters. Its been said here many times that such a simple change would put us in line with continental Europe and solve the housing crisis overnight.
Wouldn’t it be nice to think that in a HPC when your BTL landlord went bust, you’d still be safe as houses?

I can’t do it myself as I’m currently enjoying the benefits of such security while renting in Germany.

The law is in your hands

Quote

How to take part
We're inviting you to become you the lawmaker - to take part in creating new legislation.
Next month MPs will hold a ballot for which of them gets to put forward a private member's bill (PMBs).
Those who win will be lobbied fervently by pressure groups and interested parties with their pet projects.
But we want your suggestions. We'll pick out the best and put them before the MPs with the power to take them forward.
It can be anything you like - the abolition of the death penalty and the legalisation of abortion both started life as PMBs - but the bills with the most chance of success tend to ones that will command widespread support across parliament.
Email your ideas to us at more4news@channel4.com, and we'll invite the senders of the best proposals to make a short film, which we'll present to the winners of the ballot on 11 December.

[whitemice]

How about this?

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Private member's bill suggestion – Bring back security of tenure for renters

What is it?
Security of tenure is the right of a tenant to continue living in their home after the term of their tenancy agreement has expired.

Why do we need it?
Right now millions of tenants are living in fear of evection if their landlord were ever to go bankrupt. People living in substandard accommodation can’t uphold their legal rights for fear of being thrown out of their homes.

If people want to settle down, find jobs and send their children to local schools, they don’t want this Sword of Damocles hanging over them. Hence the unnecessary pressure to buy property which has drawn millions into debt slavery and sowed the seed of the current housing crisis.

Background
Security of tenure is a common feature to European tenant law, and was so in Britain until Margaret Thatcher got rid of this in the late 1980’s. Additionally, her Right-to-buy policies had the added effect of devastating council housing availability for the one group of renters who still had security of tenure, i.e. council tenants (a policy expanded upon by New Labour).

My Story
Last year my landlord went bankrupt when his chemicals business folded, leaving sizable debts. My girlfriend was shocked to find out about this when, without warning, the bank delivered a repossession notice to our property.

“Don’t worry dear” I said, “we’re living in Germany”.

…And I was right, as the bank had no right of evection and repossessed the property while we were still living in it. Effectively nothing changed for us during the whole process and it was a real peace of mind.

I moved to Germany a few years ago to escape the worst of the house price boom, a software engineer effectively becoming an economic refugee.

In Germany I have first hand experience of German tenants upholding their statutory rights and enjoying a significantly better quality of life than their UK counterparts. Only buying property when it suits their personal circumstances, at more affordable levels and taking on less debt. Meaning that in the coming global rescission, at least they will be spared the misery of a domestic house price crash.

Conclusion
While Gordon Brown is spending tax payers money creating measures to help over indebted home owners, such a law would be a big help to British renters and wouldn’t cost the tax payer anything.

So MPs, forget for a moment your own Buy-to-let portfolios and think of the little people who just want a secure home to live in.

[Lepista]

Hear Hear.

[se7ensport]

great idea.

[gravity always wins]

No more laws.

Review the ones we have already.

I want less rules not more.

[whitemice]

gravity always wins, on Dec 4 2008, 01:08 PM, said:

No more laws. Review the ones we have already. I want less rules not more.

- This is a reversion to an older, fairer law.
- All those human rights, renter protection, fire safety, etc laws are pretty useless if the tenant is afraid of evection.

[whitemice]

Sent (with minor amends) - I’ll update this thread if I get any response.

[RichB]

How about a noconfidence in this shitshower incharge?

Or how about a 'jail all new labour ministers on trumped up charges' bill? You probably wouldnt even need to make up the charges...

[RichB]

Or at least how about removing income tax for the first 200k of savings/investments?

This would give some level of parity against the leniency shown to irresponsible borrowers.

[whitemice]

Well that was a waste of time.

Channel 4 picked:
- Tougher driving tests for overconfident teenagers
- Mandatory year of working before university
- Legalisation of Polygamy (as it would lower the number of divorces)

Videos here* link:
*I have no idea why the Polygamy woman was in a car park.


For the record, the Private Members' Bills ballot results are here.

Ballot Results
The 20 MPs successful in the ballot were as follows (in this order*):

- Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Conservative MP for Chesham and Amersham and Shadow Secretary of State for Wales)
- Mr David Heath (Liberal Democrat MP for Somerton and Frome)
- Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Labour MP for Chorley)
- Peter Luff (Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire)
- Dr Evan Harris (Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon)
- Malcolm Wicks (Labour MP for Croydon North and serves as the Prime Minister's special representative on international energy issues)
- Mr Peter Ainsworth (Conservative MP for East Surrey and the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
- David Mundell (Conservative MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, MSP Shadow Cabinet of the Scottish Conservative Party)
- Mrs Jacqui Lait (Conservative MP for Beckenham, Shadow Minister for London Department for Communities and Local Government)
- Sir Paul Beresford (Conservative MP for Mole Valley)
- Mr Stephen Crabb (Conservative Member of Parliament for Preseli Pembrokeshire)
- Mrs Caroline Spelman (Conservative MP for Meriden, West Midlands, Conservative Party Chairman)
- Mr Jeremy Browne (Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton)
- Mr Jim Cunningham (Labour MP for Coventry South)
- Mr Tim Boswell (Conservative MP for Daventry)
- Mr Russell Brown (Labour MP for Dumfries and Galloway)
- Mr Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat MP for Ross, Cromarty & Skye)
- Philip Davies (Conservative MP for Shipley in West Yorkshire)
- John Bercow (Conservative MP for Buckingham, Patron of the Tory Reform Group)
- Mr Michael Mates (Conservative MP for East Hampshire)

*Extra info from Wikipedia

Does anyone live in any of these constituents and have the time to write to or talk with their MP?
Is there a way to checkout the BTL portfolio of any of the above?
Maybe we could do a mail shot or something?

Google gave me this info on contacting your MP:
http://www.parliamen...ntacting/mp.cfm
http://www.writetothem.com/

Where do we go from here?

[BXLONDONMAN]

CrashTestDummy, on Dec 3 2008, 10:48 PM, said:

Agree. There should be 3 year secure tenancy's, at least.

i think 5 year's min..if you have kid's then 10 year's...

[Converted Lurker]

In all seriousness I'd like to see potential leaders subjected to psychiatric evaluation. IMHO the last two have been *barking*. Beyond that there needs to a revolution in how ministers are appointed, they should not be 'political appointments', they should be drawn from civil service or commerce based on experience and expertise, as opposed to sycophancy towards political leaders. For example; the housing minister could come from the NHF, the chief of the treasury could come from a banking backgr....oh..'ang on....just spotted a flaw...