Btl Landlords..who Wrote Their Bible

[sam]

I allways try my best never to over generalise too much, something i am afraid i see far too much on HPC.

But there is one subject matter where i am going to have to, and for good reason, BTLetters, what a bunch of w*****s.

Last week was a good example, i come across many BTL landlords in my line of work all the time, i run an electrical Installation business, and on the whole they behave like nobody else, there must be some BTL bible that makes them behave in some aloof arogant rude "everyone is out to screw me" type of way.

Contrary to popular belief the vast majority of customers are decent people, i have very few problems with bad payers, most people do not tend to go for rock bottom prices as their number one priority, the one most important prioritys from my experience are not being screwed(good job, fair price).

BTL though treat everyone like they know what you are up to, they feel like you cannot exist without them, where in truth i will go out of my way to price myself out of most BTLetters jobs, or even make up an excuse that i am far to busy, they are a nighmare.

Back to last week, i had a job in one of these BTL pads, horrible souless job and never much fun with these people. I usually will go out of my way to help customers, with this one i knew him and his wife were going to be trouble, but i still tried to be my normal self and did a few plumbing jobs for them free of charge(along with my main job). Next morning a get the voice mail from this over dramatic husband whinning about this horrendous leak. Turns out it was a slight drop on a compression joint, and over some tiles, yet he still wanted £60 knocked off for the hassle it caused him.

I just let it go(life is to short), called him a drama queen and had no plans working for him again, got the impression that they wantd to keep hold of me though.

I am convinced that these people have just watched too many of these property programmes, they seem to think that they know the building game inside out and how to treat contractors, if only they knew what a joke they are to us, a few more years and they will be has beens.

There really is a strange mentality with these people, money obsessed, suspicious, some seem like they are even bordering on autism, they are really hard people to like.

Another good example i know of is of a property developer with just one property

seriously. He has bought this very average property with a family member, lives in it with two other paid lodgers, and the bit that really cracks me up is of him checking his exel broadsheet of his expanding empire(or not) everyday. Please let all this madness end soon, i have never known such an pathetic bunch of loosers in my life

Sam

[BandWagon]

I have no doubt that the greatest of economic forces, the market, is going to teach them a lesson they will never forget.

Just sit back and watch.

[JBeau]

Yep have to agree. the owners of my rented property think they're some kind of krusty and phil duo.

Recent plumbing works that went (slightly) wrong resulted in the owners screaming at the plumber to down tools until things were sorted out. They completely forgot that I was the one with a ripped out bathroom :angry:

However plumber -great bloke - got on with the job regardless, mind you he couldn't wait to get out of the place, leaving us with a slightly bad finish on the job. Serves the owners right. :angry:

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

I said something along the same lines on another thread a few weeks back:

I dont want to boast, but I feel the same.

I dont have everything, I just dont want it. Whilst on a related subject; I am beginning to become a little mad about SUVs, I saw a guy this morning park up completely on a pavement like he owned the high street. He got out with a swagger.

I saw another one on the way home, it was like a lorry it was so big, and the woman driving it was about 4 foot 11.

I am not sure if I am jealous or becoming more environmental conscious, but I am just becoming aware of a change in me rejecting extreme consumerism.

Anyone else feel the same?

Yes, and big Beamers too as I'm starting to associate them with the slumlords who infest my neighbourhood. You see them leeping out of SUV/big beamer, talking slightly agressivly to some poor sod - who they want to take £400PCM off for the honour of living in a slum - in this daft put-on 'I'm a bit hard, me' Phil Mitchell voice.

Me and the Mrs went to see a place in need of renovation the other week, just for casual interest. It was an open house and these type of people were all over it, squawking into their micro-sized mobiles about whether they could convert a bit of the kitchen into another bedsit.

Tossers.

And the grinning middle-class just-read-a-book-on-BTL tossers who think they're doing you a favour renting you some pollyfilla'd dump for rip-off money are no better.

Edited May 14, 2006 by CrashedOutAndBurned

[iLegallyBlonde]

People are at their worst when under pressure, if all the numbers were adding up and things were hunky dory then these 'people' would be all sweetness and light.

[Time to raise the rents.]

The stories I could write about tradesmen & tenants......but we'd need another forum for that.

[Nick T]

The stories I could write about tradesmen & tenants......but we'd need another forum for that.

I think the tradesman list will be longer than the tennants list?

[y0ssarian]

been a tradesman, tenant and a landlord, all can be equaly as bad as each other, its not the job its the person

I sypathise with you Sam, you try and help and they think they can treat you as they like.

However, I remember way before the present boom meeting a few Btls as atradesman and thinking, wo thats one very stressed guy! I soon realised it was part of the gig.

[sam]

The stories I could write about tradesmen & tenants......but we'd need another forum for that.

Like what for example!!!!

This is exactlly what i am talking about when generalising, the whole of the UK are tenants you muppet, even you homeowners(that is untill you have the mortgage paid off).

As for tradesmen, on the whole our tradesmen are on the ball, as for myself even today i look at my jobs once finished and get great satisfaction, i take great pride in my work.

BTL do not provide a service, they have just created a situation where people have no choice but to use low life such as yourself, it's probably why they give you a few problems in the first place.

Nobody wants BTL, except for the pond life that are feeding of the more weaker members of our society.

[geneer]

The stories I could write about tradesmen & tenants......but we'd need another forum for that.

if we give you one will you f**k off.

Edited May 14, 2006 by geneer

[Nick T]

if we give you one will you f**k off.

TTRTR is funny sometimes

[Brian Potter]

Part of the whole problem with the channel 4 'I Wanna Be a Developer of a Grand Design in a Fabulous Sunny Location' type programme, is that every pillock thinks that developing and construction is a piece of pi$$ and any numpty can do it.

The amount of small-time 'developers' with fat tie knots and wet look hair is alarming nowadays.

I'm in the construction industry and I dont know how to do everything but I know a specialist in each discipline that does. That is the secret. To have competant tradesmen and managers who know their stuff.

Unfortunately, some dickheads regard skilled people as scruffy oiks. Screw em.

[marko]

HPCers,

Ha, I have a beautiful example of what c**ts BTL landlords are: we have a middle-aged, overprivileged bitch as our BTL landlady, and she has just given us notice at the 6 month period to vacate. This is because we had the temerity to inform her that the boiler was on the gip, and that the thermostat was broken. This was apparently the last straw for her after we also noticed that water was leaking behind the bath, and phoned her to sort that out as well.

All she wanted was a trouble-free source of unearned income: she did not want to deal with her responsibilities as a landlord. A typical BTL landlord I would say...b1tch!

I am still buoyed up by the inevitable shit-storm coming her way though. ROLL ON!

[devils advocate]

HPCers,

Ha, I have a beautiful example of what c**ts BTL landlords are: we have a middle-aged, overprivileged bitch as our BTL landlady, and she has just given us notice at the 6 month period to vacate. This is because we had the temerity to inform her that the boiler was on the gip, and that the thermostat was broken. This was apparently the last straw for her after we also noticed that water was leaking behind the bath, and phoned her to sort that out as well.

All she wanted was a trouble-free source of unearned income: she did not want to deal with her responsibilities as a landlord. A typical BTL landlord I would say...b1tch!

I am still buoyed up by the inevitable shit-storm coming her way though. ROLL ON!

No No Marko, she didn't give you notice because of your complaints. Its because having got you out, she'll be able to rent it for more money because everyone knows that rents only ever go up! (and everyone knows that being a BTL landlord is the way to riches, being appointed to the House of Lords by Tony Blair, the only way to shag John Presott, etc.

[sam]

Part of the whole problem with the channel 4 'I Wanna Be a Developer of a Grand Design in a Fabulous Sunny Location' type programme, is that every pillock thinks that developing and construction is a piece of pi$$ and any numpty can do it.

The amount of small-time 'developers' with fat tie knots and wet look hair is alarming nowadays.

I'm in the construction industry and I dont know how to do everything but I know a specialist in each discipline that does. That is the secret. To have competant tradesmen and managers who know their stuff.

Unfortunately, some dickheads regard skilled people as scruffy oiks. Screw em.

I know builders and tradesman that go to church every sunday, one that is a member of mensa, some who are 70 minute half marathon runners, and plenty who are just decent faithfull family men that go home to the wife and kids every night.

I also know a few that like getting p*****d all the time, shag around, and that whistle at every bit of totty that passes their site.

The point i am trying to make is that builders and tradesman are just normal people, i hate this stereotypical image of them. The one that really stood out for me was the time that silly cow from a pop group called transvision vamp painted this moronic picture of builders letching her as she passed their site wearing clothing that would fit in a fag packet. The blokes i knew at the time probably had more depth in their hard helmets than she did in her full of herself whole body, God she used to piss tradesman off, i cannot remember one that fancied her.