[the truth]

Originally Posted by toy soldier

i don't think licensing and regulating landlords and (especially) useless jobsworth middleman "rental agencies" (who are all ****ing crooks) is necessarily a bad idea. There needs to be some sort of observation of the private rental industry, it's an absolute shambles on all fronts. As you say, truth, bad for landlords and also bad for tenants in many cases. I've experienced frequent petty disputes, miscommunications and outright lies from both landlords and the local rental agency in a couple of properties (they have a monopoly over the area) and it would be great to have an impartial regulatory body who could sort this stuff out.

So, i'm all for it if that's what would be on offer. But not if - as you say - it's just a cash-grab and no one will actually be doing anything any differently. I also have strong suspicions that the cost of being "licensed" will simply be passed on to the tenants with higher rents, so there's that to consider...


Regarding housing benefit being paid directly to tenants: For privately rented properties this is the case across the entire uk, and has been since at least 2008 when "local housing allowance" fully replaced housing benefit. I don't know where you get the idea that it's usually paid directly to private landlords, or that this is how it is or has been in recent years anywhere in the uk. It's only paid direct in "exceptional circumstances".

tennants are smashing up properties and landlords cannot get in to inspect? Neither can the council environment department? There are no laws allowing these peope into ruined properties to inspect and fix the problems?

Do you understand?