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Billy the Fish
Billy the Fish
Director
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About Me

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my expertise in the industry

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Billy's Recent Activity

Billy the Fish
As the tenant fees bill 2019 showed, rents increase when landlord's fees increase. I am interested to see what happens to rents after the reform, if it ever happens, when landlords are exposed to the risk of tenants leaving after only 6 months, especially let only.

From: Billy the Fish 18 April 2024 08:58 AM

Billy the Fish
Yes I completely agree we should help your company make an average of £300 per tenancy as a non refundable fee paid by the tenant, who is still liable to pay deposit deductions at the end of the tenancy. So if the tenant looks after the property and has no deductions they are better off in the cost of living crisis as they’re £300 lighter compared to paying a refundable deposit. Right, got it.

From: Billy the Fish 04 April 2024 08:11 AM

Billy the Fish
Baffled how the legal system was not reviewed at any point over the last 5 years??!! The 6 month tenancy (then periodic) does cut down on renewal admin however it will also certainly see an increase in just 6 month tenancies. As every agent incurs costs and charges landlords for each tenancy this in turn will result in rents increasing. Unintended consequence perhaps.

From: Billy the Fish 28 March 2024 16:55 PM

Billy the Fish
He successfully increased homelessness and his bank account at the same time, genius. Can’t they get him to change his mind to continue his good work?

From: Billy the Fish 18 March 2024 08:32 AM

Billy the Fish
“Over 316,000 council homes have been sold in the capital since Right to Buy was introduced in 1980.“ How many were built using funds from these sales? I wonder if it is the same, a lot more or a lot less, hmmmm Big irony of course that Govt decides to stop the main reason for the housing crisis 40 years after they started it, only because it suits their agenda of hobbling councils. Of course the lower the council’s funding the more inept they look publicly and in turn the easier it is for Govt to centralise & privatise. Is this political party behaviour what you want to shape your children’s future?

From: Billy the Fish 13 March 2024 07:56 AM

Billy the Fish
I think a lot of people are scared of change. But how bad was the tenant fees bill 2019 after so much scaremongering? We're all still here... I cannot see how the sector will suddenly dissapear either, there will still be 12 mill tenants needing a home. Business owners will figure it out as with all the past legislation - have some faith in your abilities. Many agencies do not renew tenancies on fixed term contracts and allow them to become periodic so I really do not see what the issue is there. I totally get that it doesn't work for student lets, and there should be a concession there at least. The one that is worring is abolishing S21s as clearly the system as it stands is not going to be able to cope with that, which could lead to serious issues for all involved. Maybe that's a tory trap being set for labour, such is their style to only think of themselves and not the lives they damage/ruin. The party for business even shafted business owners in their term. Why anyone would vote for that bunch of lying, self-interested scumbags again I really do not know.

From: Billy the Fish 08 March 2024 17:01 PM

Billy the Fish
Wonder how much the local economies grew due to more money being spent by the suggested large increase in numbers of those working from home. Also, what is the decrease in emissions from less commuting? & increase in mental health for those not commuting as much as well as those on the less crowded trains etc It is not just a negative rent-related thing right?

From: Billy the Fish 06 March 2024 07:08 AM

Billy the Fish
Douglas says: “The Bill offers a huge opportunity to reform the private rented sector in England. However, as with all legislation there are unintended consequences" I shudder to think what the unintended consequences of a property qualifications membership group insisting on yet more regulation of agents could be.

From: Billy the Fish 05 March 2024 08:24 AM

Billy the Fish
Rather than continually attacking landlords and agents, most of whom provide safe homes and a good service, I am glad Shelter has finally discovered the solution to the problem which was essentially started by Thatcher's Right to Buy scheme and continued by both parties since then. The main issue being few if any local authorities replaced each sold unit 1 for 1 as they were legally bound to do, and there was no regulatory body ensuring they did this either. The end result is what we see today with low income earners suffering the most and homelessness on the rise each year. Ending the housing crisis was calculated as costing £12bill for 10 years of building social housing back in 2015 I think, but much like climate change and biodiversity loss if it doesn't make money no growth based party will be interested, period. How far we have come? How far we have moved away from caring about each other more like.

From: Billy the Fish 27 February 2024 08:39 AM

Billy the Fish
"The Government risks sleepwalking through these issues with no meaningful progress" Edit - "All Govts for the last 40 years have sleep walked through these issues with no meaningful progress" Politicians are followers not leaders, it is all about public opinion and the vote. Real change comes from the bottom up so if you read this article and it annoys or upsets you, do something about it EG write to your local MP and express your opinion, it'd take 5 minutes of your life to go to csw . org, read the adv ice and find your MP's email. That'd be a start :)

From: Billy the Fish 22 February 2024 07:46 AM

Billy the Fish
So the moral of the story is we need more social housing to enable these lower income tenants save up to then become homeowners? Shame they were all sold off and not replaced. I wonder how a good system was broken apart for profit and got us into this mess, hmmm

From: Billy the Fish 21 February 2024 08:28 AM

Billy the Fish
I sincerely hope the majority of the UK’s energy is sourced this way, and soon. But will an increase in renewable energy actually reduce the energy cost to the resident?

From: Billy the Fish 20 February 2024 13:48 PM

Billy the Fish
When will politicians accept that the decline of social housing is the starting point of the housing crisis. Now which party was it that started that process, hmmmm. Building more homes for low income families is how to reverse the damage. £12bill a year for 10 years is needed which these days is achievable. You can’t then sell them and they don’t create a market, oh yes that’s why neither right wing party has done it!

From: Billy the Fish 13 February 2024 07:52 AM

Billy the Fish
1st October, just before the election for all those tenant votes. Just like the Tenant Fees Bill

From: Billy the Fish 29 January 2024 07:29 AM

Billy the Fish
“short-term gain could result in long-term pain” Doesn’t sound like this Govt at all

From: Billy the Fish 22 January 2024 07:37 AM

Billy the Fish
Why are climate related price fluctuations a surprise to anyone, especially economists? If you think the last year is bad then you're in for a shock over the next 5 - 10 years, it is going to be a bumpy ride every year (or worse). The best thing everyone can do to protect themselves and their industry is: - eat less meat & dairy (the highest emitters in the food system) - buy less stuff you don't need - travel by air less - each flight you take to that beautiful reef, ski resort, golf course etc means it is less likely to be there the following year - be brave and bring up the still bizarely taboo subject at work and discuss what you can do to mitigate your business/industry's emissions - write to your local MP and ask what they are doing about it, you will get a response Or do nothing and then in 5 - 10 years you can wish you did.

From: Billy the Fish 18 January 2024 07:21 AM

Billy the Fish
Really looked after your clients there guys!

From: Billy the Fish 18 January 2024 07:14 AM

Billy the Fish
The finger should be pointed 100% at govt policy as that is driving these horrendous homelessness figures. Remove the tax regs on landlords, the PRS becomes investable again, supply improves, rents stabilise. Govt policy. Plus of course the sinful right to buy started in Thatchers time but importantly permitted by both parties in power since. Govt policy. The lack of social housing is simply part of the drive to create markets in every inch of society. Govt policy. We’re also going through the largest drop in living standards since records began. Much of it relates to Govt policy. When are people going to wake up to politicians/the political system being the problem?

From: Billy the Fish 01 December 2023 06:59 AM

Billy the Fish
What do you mean I cannot rent a one bed for my family of 5? Hopefully there is more to it than this basic info!! This looks set to be more legislation giving councils the same power they already have which lets face it has made little difference to the very small minority of rogue landlords.

From: Billy the Fish 15 November 2023 11:47 AM

Billy the Fish
This is hilarious, 8.5% of the rent to renew? The majority of agents charge a small admin renewal fee to cover costs and make a small profit. Like £100 - £200. So what they are saying is these agents should provide the service for free. We all know that averages are just that. What if the tenant renews each year for 10 years, as some do - the agent should just do this for free because £100 - £200 is a rip off. Or is it because they want to harvest data in their ‘campaign’? I’d love to see how this free service looks when it’s ready too, please post it here.

From: Billy the Fish 23 October 2023 07:55 AM

Billy the Fish
A lot more life than within!

From: Billy the Fish 17 October 2023 08:59 AM

Billy the Fish
If you are provding a statistic related article on market conditions where are the supply statistics? IE has supply risen or fallen in the last 5 years and why? My guess would be that supply in Bristol has fallen due to landlords leaving the sector due to the licensing schemes (very high fees) and 2017 tax regulations. Local and national Govt driving the market conditions but landlords getting the blame.

From: Billy the Fish 05 October 2023 07:49 AM

Billy the Fish
Where is the measurement for happiness/contentness in life or empowerment for self-employed vs employed? This article suggests that is one of the main reasons why someone would choose to become self-employed. I'd imagine the scores would be pretty high for SE. I also imagine the reason why salaries are lower for the SE model is because payments made (whenever you wish) are by dividend rather than PAYE, which also has significant tax benefits. Both points missed here for some reason. It seems the author prefers 18-34 year olds to follow business as usual. Can't think why. If you are in that age bracket and want to give it a go there are at least as many reasons to do it as there are not to.

From: Billy the Fish 04 October 2023 07:05 AM

Billy the Fish
So people are not buying since July due to a hypothetical election date in over a years time? Nothing to do with the state of the economy, inflation, interest rates, oversupply of stock or high rents? Where in all of that is Govt policy not the driver too?

From: Billy the Fish 27 September 2023 07:05 AM

Billy the Fish
We that's 20 calls on average. I don't know where that is but we're getting more like 40-50 calls/emails per property. A quick registration by email or phone takes approx 2-3 minutes but the average is more like 3-4 minutes. Bearing in mind applicants also ask questions about parking, transport, utilities, talk about the weather, tell you about the high stress they are under (understandable), awful treatment they are getting from other agents (common), missing out on other properties (very common) and so on it really does add up. As applicants understandably make decisions very quickly these days there is a high probability of booking 20 viewings over 2 days but then having to cancel half of them after an HD is paid. You cannot know who or when an offer will come in so you have to keep registering and booking applicants in of course, which on average represents lost time if this common trend occurs. I can tell you, it is a lot more work vs 2019.

From: Billy the Fish 12 September 2023 08:08 AM

Billy the Fish
& continued insanity when considering the number of droughts and heatwaves we've had in the UK alone over the last 2 years. When is everyone going to wake up to the climate emergency FFS

From: Billy the Fish 12 September 2023 07:55 AM

Billy the Fish
Great work Govt. Yet another essential sector/service to the population being destroyed in your 13 year term. If we change focus from ourselves to the the community and nature no-one would vote for this bunch of self-serving muppets again. If you are worried about the state of the country in both senses everything else is secondary. No economy without ecology...

From: Billy the Fish 06 September 2023 07:22 AM

Billy the Fish
Rightmove, not exactly out there for the customer are they. So why are Propertymark sharing space with them? It's a bit like COP28 being held in Dubai

From: Billy the Fish 05 September 2023 07:53 AM

Billy the Fish
I wonder if they included the high carbon cost of creating and transporting the steel and concrete required for the new buildings when calculating sustainability. A good comparable would be converting an existing building which is surely what Govt should be insiting on in the first instance, unless of course global heating is a hoax and our children are all going to be just fine. BTR is possibly what Govt want in the long run as 100 companies would theoretically be easier to manage than 2 milion landlords. I am sure they felt the same way about water companies...

From: Billy the Fish 31 August 2023 07:23 AM

Billy the Fish
The Green Party are the only party which actually give a .… about our children’s future, and they won 15% of the national vote last time round. 1 seat is representative of the outdated voting system this country still relies on to reflect the population’s demographics, which clearly it is not doing. Nevertheless rent controls don’t work, Scotland has shown that.

From: Billy the Fish 25 August 2023 07:08 AM

Billy the Fish
Yet another example of Govt meddling in a private market resulting in unintended consequences. When will they learn?

From: Billy the Fish 21 August 2023 07:08 AM

Billy the Fish
Don't live in London

From: Billy the Fish 16 August 2023 07:10 AM

Billy the Fish
How many of the 3,206 awards were lettings only? It is no real surprise there are more complaints against letting agents generally as the relationships can last years rather than months. I'd imagine there was a huge spike during and following 3 months of near solid rain between november 22 and january 23, which was unprecedented weather. Few landlords and tenants fully understood the impact this had on contractor availability while at the same time every water ingress issue was 'urgent' and most lead to black mould to some degree due to the time of year. Everyone was also on high alert following the unfortunate legal case for the child who died in 2020 coming to an end in november 2022. We may well be heading towards another very wet winter - either too much or too little rain in recent years, a sign of things to come no doubt.

From: Billy the Fish 03 August 2023 07:41 AM

Billy the Fish
That’s quite a bold statement

From: Billy the Fish 31 July 2023 10:32 AM

Billy the Fish
How many labels say ‘made in China’? The global north export a large amount of products & industrial processes to China, EG clothing, appliances or steel production. All that creates emissions for the benefit of other countries. India’s emissions are high due to coal & methane from rice & cattle. How much rice does India export to the rest of the world in a normal year? Did you know 40% of India’s energy comes from renewables? How about the UK as a comparison? When you look at emissions per capita both India & China fall well down the list, in fact UK is not far behind China at all with USA & Oz at the top. It just depends where you get your information and how that media outlet wishes you to view the world. Misinformation is divisive and if emissions/global heating is something which concerns us it’s better we focus on ourselves first.

From: Billy the Fish 23 July 2023 08:18 AM

Billy the Fish
I’d imagine it has more to do with winning votes from 12 mill tenants & laying the foundations for Build to Rent. Tenant Fees Bill came out just before May got elected and guess when the Rental Reform will be ready… A few hundred B2R corporates are easier to govern than 2 million landlords also. Rental property would then join the long list of services which have gone down this route, will property fare any better than health, water & rail?)

From: Billy the Fish 18 July 2023 07:47 AM

Billy the Fish
This period of inflation was caused by Govt giving away £600bill to businesses owners during Covid whereas it should have been given to employees who would in turn have spent it mainly within the UK economy. This is Govt caused, quite similar to housing issues really.

From: Billy the Fish 10 May 2023 06:46 AM

Billy the Fish
Capitalism ahoy!

From: Billy the Fish 03 May 2023 08:57 AM

Billy the Fish
So its about tax rather than the local community

From: Billy the Fish 05 April 2023 07:58 AM

Billy the Fish
“We will deliver tougher, quicker and more visible justice to prevent thuggish behaviour“ … in 2024

From: Billy the Fish 27 March 2023 07:46 AM

Billy the Fish
Significant irony here. The only real positive is hearing a conservative MP bleat about his own party’s policy affecting him.

From: Billy the Fish 27 March 2023 07:40 AM

Billy the Fish
A good opposition political strategy really, look what happened to Sturgeon after she implemented the rent freeze

From: Billy the Fish 24 February 2023 08:40 AM

Billy the Fish
Good point. Food isn’t a market. It’s a fundamental human right. Health isn’t a market. It’s a fundamental human right. Heating isn’t a market. It’s a fundamental human right. And so on... Will they amend all of their policies to mirror this quote?

From: Billy the Fish 30 January 2023 08:31 AM

Billy the Fish
I understand your points fully - it has to be balanced, however give a choice of blue or red I'd rather sell a BTL and reinvest elsewhere than allow the current lot run this country into the ground. Housing crisis, health crisis, fuel crisis, energy crisis, cost of living crisis and now I think we have to add pot-hole crisis. They are not doing a very good job lets face it.

From: Billy the Fish 30 January 2023 08:26 AM

Billy the Fish
So if you don't have a deposit, can't afford a mortgage and can't afford the increasing rent for dwindling supply where exactly are you supposed to live?

From: Billy the Fish 26 January 2023 09:26 AM

Billy the Fish
You can easily avoid a tenant bidding war by going down the best and final route in the scenario of more than one offer coming in at the same time. With only one 'best and final' round there is no back and forth, it is less stressful for agent and tenants as well as much more time efficient. Make it clear to the tenant they should only offer what they feel comfortable with, that there is obligation to change offer terms if they do not wish to, but others may - this way it is up to the tenant rather than you pushing an increase/earlier move in/longer term etc. Over the years I have found the highest bidder is not always the best option anyway, who it is can often be more important than how much it is when it comes to managing a 12 month tenancy.

From: Billy the Fish 06 January 2023 08:37 AM

Billy the Fish
I wonder if this will ever happen as the stats for ‘unhealthy homes’ would likely be a lot smaller than the media & Shelter has everyone believing.

From: Billy the Fish 13 December 2022 08:29 AM

Billy the Fish
The decline of rental supply can be traced back to the anti landlord Section 24 tax regs & SDLT increases, confirmed in 2016 & implemented in 2017. Govt policy.

From: Billy the Fish 09 December 2022 09:17 AM

Billy the Fish
Perhaps if local authorities replaced each sold social housing unit 1 for 1 as they are legally bound (since Thatchers time) low income tenants would not be pushed into the PRS. Both sales & lettings extreme market conditions we have experienced recently are directly related to Govt policy also. Maybe that’s what needs to change.

From: Billy the Fish 09 December 2022 09:13 AM

Billy the Fish
Everyone is watching what happens next Scotland Brave or brazen - TBC

From: Billy the Fish 01 December 2022 07:56 AM

Billy the Fish
No mention of a property tribunal to deal with the huge influx of legal challenges, claims & exercising of new rights. The courts will not be able to cope on top of already being unable to cope.

From: Billy the Fish 07 November 2022 08:42 AM

Billy the Fish
Social housing is the way to solve the housing crisis, not damaging the PRS further or empty promises of ownership. It'll cost £12bill to build enough social housing but when you compare that to the energy crisis bail out it is pocket money. I understand a lot of the reform's ideas like pets however restricting eviction for tenants in arrears sounds ridiculous. If you are protected why pay rent?

From: Billy the Fish 29 September 2022 09:42 AM

Billy the Fish
Clearly incredibly low supply is the driver here. I wonder what % of landlords who sold in the last year did so due to the Govt created hostile environment for PRS investment

From: Billy the Fish 05 September 2022 09:10 AM

Billy the Fish
What about the positive impact controls will have on the Edinburgh housing crisis? Tourists still have hotels right?

From: Billy the Fish 01 September 2022 06:46 AM

Billy the Fish
So letting agency values have peaked but... Noonan claims that during the last five years, standard multiples for lettings and estate agencies have been 1.5x managed incomes and in some parts of the country, businesses are now selling for 2x their managed income – a significant premium. & 1. There is still high demand from buyers 2. You can take advantage of favourable market conditions 3. You can negotiate a good price Sounds like a good market to me

From: Billy the Fish 25 August 2022 11:00 AM

Billy the Fish
& despite everything rents are increasing below inflation, don’t forget that one.

From: Billy the Fish 22 August 2022 08:46 AM

Billy the Fish
BTR and a housing market crash prompting cash investors are the only two hopes Tenants have for an increase in supply

From: Billy the Fish 18 August 2022 17:36 PM

Billy the Fish
So by that date all BTL properties sold over the last year have also not affected affordability for renters. Hmm…

From: Billy the Fish 18 July 2022 08:09 AM

Billy the Fish
I think you have to start with the landlord/agent for putting that clause in the contract. Young tenants know little of property law, likely had limited choice at the time and generally by that nature are easy to take advantage of. I do not think it is possible to enforce that clause in a court so query whether it is immoral to put it in there in the first place.

From: Billy the Fish 15 July 2022 08:56 AM

Billy the Fish
It is great that regs are finally being policed, compliant agents have nothing to worry about. This should have been done onwards from the Deregulation Act. Better late than never I suppose!

From: Billy the Fish 15 July 2022 08:49 AM

Billy the Fish
It’s the start of short let regs, better get used to it!

From: Billy the Fish 08 July 2022 08:20 AM

Billy the Fish
The only question I have is whether this white paper will become law before this party exits or of it will be dragged out or forgotten like so many others.

From: Billy the Fish 16 June 2022 06:26 AM

Billy the Fish
So Landlords selling their BTL property does not actually mean stock is reducing? Erm, who is this guy? Our business in a coastal city is suffering from the below pressures: 1. landlords selling and no new investors buying stock and instructing agents 2. landlords moving across to AirBnB due to minimal tax regs and staycation demand 3. tenants renewing rather than moving due to the high rents/complete lack of supply which further compounds the issue. The deputy director of Generation Rent would do well to understand that the churn of property from tenants moving results in the majority of available stock to rent. Solve 1 & 2 and 3 is also solved 4. over the last 2 years Londoners who can WFH moving out of London and into this city, this has slowed recently but has certainly reduced stock for 'locals' I really wonder how much this chap understands the market he is preaching about.

From: Billy the Fish 08 June 2022 07:56 AM

Billy the Fish
I’d be very interested to see how this incentive goes as SA service providers are extremely bullish about their side of the industry at the moment. With a weak £ making overseas trips to uk more affordable and staycation being a thing in its 2nd year I can see why. Ukraine, the coming recession, potential landlord tax loopholes being closed as with PRS in 2017 and local councils opinion’s on loss of housing may have a say too.

From: Billy the Fish 30 May 2022 08:42 AM

Billy the Fish
“It will provide us with extra revenue to increase our salaries just like Right to Buy” is the most likely the real council answer. I’m sure there’ll be a loophole in there somewhere also bearing in mind most wealthy MPs have second homes, many of which are likely in Cornwall.

From: Billy the Fish 10 May 2022 07:04 AM

Billy the Fish
What % of agents actively set out to exploit tenants? That’s the stat I’d like to know as based on Warsama’s comments it’d be about 75%. I’m not sure Warsama has that stat. There is definitely a % of agents who do this sadly.

From: Billy the Fish 25 April 2022 07:20 AM

Billy the Fish
Class. They want an end to S21 as it helps streamline their business.

From: Billy the Fish 22 April 2022 09:03 AM

Billy the Fish
We left in 2020 and the only difference is that expenditure reduced.

From: Billy the Fish 14 April 2022 11:01 AM

Billy the Fish
Lack of social housing is the biggest driver for the PRS’s lack of supply. If Govt spends 12bill on new (sustainable) social housing it will solve the problem.

From: Billy the Fish 25 March 2022 07:16 AM

Billy the Fish
Or we could all move away from dependence on fossil fuels supplied by other countries & big businesses who control the prices. Renewable energy wins

From: Billy the Fish 24 February 2022 09:00 AM

Billy the Fish
Funny how they don’t mention the lack of social housing being the main driver. Also I’d love to know how much of their investment in sustainable homes originates from fossil fuels profit. I’m sure there’s some irony in there.

From: Billy the Fish 10 December 2021 07:29 AM

Billy the Fish
I thought more than 6 months meant it was an AST? If it doesn’t then AirBnB is now a threat to the entire PRS.

From: Billy the Fish 15 November 2021 08:27 AM

Billy the Fish
This is also the result of Section 24 tax on turnover not profit. Those Landlords with poorly performing properties have jumped at the chance to get ride of them in this market. Who wouldn't?!!

From: Billy the Fish 30 September 2021 15:51 PM

Billy the Fish
Their comments are all about money and nothing about people. People need homes more than holidays during the 52 weeks of each year.

From: Billy the Fish 09 August 2021 09:06 AM

Billy the Fish
How about abolishing Section 24 tax regs. That would make long term more attractive as an investment again. Short term rentals currently enjoys similar tax advantages long term used to have. I do not blame landlord's crossing over to short lets one bit, if you are investing money in something you want to get the best return right?

From: Billy the Fish 03 August 2021 08:56 AM

Billy the Fish
I wonder why the Labour Party didn't solve the future housing crisis by building more new social housing in their 13 years of power? "The Party’s 1945 pledge to treat housing as a right and stated that the housing market is denying people this right by treating “homes as financial assets rather than places to live.” The principle of housing as a human right, not as a financial asset, is something that the Union has also committed to, in its Rulebook." It is easy to criticise individuals, although they clearly have a point with Shaz

From: Billy the Fish 28 July 2021 08:16 AM

Billy the Fish
And our viewings take on avg 10 mins for young professionals/students and 15 mins for professionals. Like most agents we tend to do block viewings wherever possible also which means the 'one hour per viewing' doesn't compute. How about 'if all agents used virtual tours it would reduce UK emissions by the equivalent of nearly 12,000 homes'.

From: Billy the Fish 16 July 2021 09:15 AM

Billy the Fish
So as of June there was a 37% supply/demand imbalance in PRS following mass landlord sell-off in last year. I can only imagine this was all the poor performing investments which Section 24 affected. Now landlords will have to think about keeping their remaining investments while being expected to shell out £7.5k per property to obtain a C rating. Or sell them in what is likely to remain a buoyant housing market. 37% may seem low in a few years time.

From: Billy the Fish 16 July 2021 09:11 AM

Billy the Fish
Moving with the times, I'll bet the staff are really happy too :)

From: Billy the Fish 08 June 2021 08:00 AM

Billy the Fish
So rather than complain how do they suggest the housing emergency is corrected? It is easy to tell others what is wrong, for example Shelter the homeless charity have millions in the bank, the MD gets a huge salary but they don't actually house anyone. See how easy that was. More social housing would go a long way to resolving the housing crisis, we all know that. I wonder why Shelter only ever seem to attack the PRS and not Gov?

From: Billy the Fish 26 May 2021 08:00 AM

Billy the Fish
So he still has the £106k?

From: Billy the Fish 20 May 2021 08:34 AM

Billy the Fish
What David has written bears truth in that 17% of our lets in the last year were from virtual viewings only. Viewing times do not seem to have changed that much but negotiations and processing admin is now conducted over longer hours, probably because most people are stuck at home (currently). But I think it will take longer than 5 years for the thigh street empty out of agents. People do not like change and also tend to hold onto the past as they get older (IE the business owners) so it will likely be a slow and painful exit from the high street with buyouts and mergers becoming common. We are in the digital age and Covid has moved that along even faster, RM's recent article stating only 19% of letting agents use videos goes to show how far behind the majority of the market are, in their expensive offices draining valuable profit.

From: Billy the Fish 12 March 2021 08:12 AM

Billy the Fish
Propertymark are as much the leaders of the lettings industry as Countrywide are the leaders of agency. The legal helpline was good though.

From: Billy the Fish 18 February 2021 08:10 AM

Billy the Fish
Sounds like they will replace the 'old skool middlemen' with '2020 middlepeople' Innovative re branding stuff!!

From: Billy the Fish 18 August 2020 09:07 AM

Billy the Fish
What about the fact that going on holiday abroad will either be extremely expensive, extremely limited or extremely risky (depending). I think AirBnB property will be in high demand over the next 12 months and if anything will take even more property AWAY from the PRS pushing rents up

From: Billy the Fish 10 June 2020 09:34 AM

Billy the Fish
We have a Tenant who has not paid since JAN and is now looking at 8 months free till AUG, then the court process to regain possession which is likely to be chaotic so 3 - 6 months on top. Meanwhile the Landlord's partner has just lost his job due to Coronavirus and they now have to pay their own rent, the property mortgage and support 2 young children on one income while the high earning Tenant and his wife have the best free ride of their life. Incidentally he is currently furloughed, oh the irony. Surely there should be a caveat whereby pre-existing arrears can be processed?

From: Billy the Fish 05 June 2020 18:53 PM

Billy the Fish
I've seen more reliable stats from referencing companies which shows new tenancy applications and it is more like 40% drop across the UK vs 2019, although they are picking up again now as agents are catching up with available technology

From: Billy the Fish 23 April 2020 09:57 AM

Billy the Fish
We offered them from AUG-18 but pulled out in DEC-19. As the one we used is insurance based the claims process was painful to say the least. Miss a date by a day and that is it, the policy is voided and you are left holding the baby. Emphasis it put onto the Tenant updating the policy at renewal or periodic, even S21 past the end date. Of course the tenant has a vested interest in the policy action dates being missed! Finally any disputed claims then go via the insurance team, not the zero deposit scheme. When claiming the full 8 week policy amount for a tenancy 3 months rent arrears we had every form of communication with the tenant scrutinised and a fingernail biting 2 month wait with questions flowing right until the last date of the decision (of course if we did not reply in time it would have affected their award). With a cash deposit you provide the contract, proof of arrears, copies of arrears letters and then just wait for the payment. Think carefully if you want to take the PPI/insurance based risk or prefer tenants with skin in the game...

From: Billy the Fish 10 February 2020 09:08 AM

Billy the Fish
Totally agree Rob, they love to chase something when they get a whiff and bearing in mind commission is paid per policy sold this has 'miss-sell' written all over it!

From: Billy the Fish 10 February 2020 08:59 AM

Billy the Fish
Rather than comment here why not Google 'Home Owners Alliance', scroll down to HOA's Voice on the home page and join me by leaving a comment on the actual article?

From: Billy the Fish 05 June 2019 10:43 AM

Billy the Fish
For anyone interested the survey takes approx 30-40 minutes There is a Survey Monkey link on P5.

From: Billy the Fish 23 August 2018 15:44 PM

Billy the Fish
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa I have a trapped nerve in my back that is so painful right now I can't sit down but when I read this it brightened up my day. He's totally bossing 'it will be fine don't worry'

From: Billy the Fish 03 August 2018 09:13 AM

Billy the Fish
I emailed L-loyd yesterday to challenge him and he actually replied!!! First time an MP has ever bothered so I have to give him that at least: Dear Julian, I regard any fee charged to the tenant to sign a contract as dirty tactic. The fee in my view must be charged to the landlord. If you charge £240 just to sign a pro-forma contract then you in my view are engaged in dirty tactics. Interestingly all parties agree with me and will legislate to make your dirty practice illegal. As I said in Parliament and you have confirmed with me in your email it’s not all, and large numbers are good letting agents (charge no fees, keep proprieties in good shape, don’t allow no fault evictions) but I’m afraid they are few and far between. In surveys that Brighton and Hove Council, housing campaigners and the Labour Part have done it shows that he’d “good” agents are in a minority and hence the need for the law to stop people bringing your profession into disrepute. I do hope we can work together but that starts from a base of saying that charging fees which is most cases are too high must stop. The select committee wrote a good report on this and I hope we accept their recommendations. I understand that in last 8 years this issue has been neglected but neglecting an issues doesn’t give a green light to dodgy behaviour like charging tenants fees or extraordinary high deposits. Yours Lloyd There were inaccuracies in his response from my initial email (EG we charge £210 not £240) and he has not yet replied to my next email which questions who carried out this survey, who did they survey and how did they check whether an agent was 'good' or 'bad' Who wants to bet I do/don't get a reply?

From: Billy the Fish 12 June 2018 09:15 AM

Billy the Fish
Unintended consequence of Govt legislation by an chance? How has this helped Tenants find a home since all these 2nd home Tenancies have reduced the stock levels.

From: Billy the Fish 11 June 2018 09:06 AM

Billy the Fish
Try working in a lettings office to see what goes on day to day, and sometimes well into the late hours to ensure everything moves along smoothly. I remember staying in the office until 22:00 once as one of our Tenants had been burgled and the front door was left hanging off it's hinges. I could have just gone home after calling the emergency contractor but as she was on her own and vulnerable I stayed with her until the contractor eventually came. It was just bad luck he was on another emergency call-out. Not focusing on the bad agents, every industry has poor service as well as good, what about the agents where you never had a problem? That's where the heroes were

From: Billy the Fish 27 April 2018 09:29 AM

Billy the Fish
So how do your property managers provide local experience? Also, does the business have targets?

From: Billy the Fish 07 December 2016 05:34 AM

Billy the Fish
Good luck to you all. I had my first job in property at one of their offices around 2000 and what I saw and was taught by my superiors was disgraceful, unfortunately most staff on the ground are young and know no different. The philosophy was/is to line your own pockets first and this story is no different, it has the potential to be a lot more interesting though!

From: Billy the Fish 26 February 2016 09:09 AM

Billy the Fish
Precisely my thoughts!

From: Billy the Fish 17 February 2016 13:21 PM

Billy the Fish
What will the Govt do if and more likely when rents are increased, likely above future inflation and salary increases, to cover the deficit in income the new regulations will create for current Landlords with BTL mortgages? If this does occur how are first time buyers expected to save to buy a new home? Also, who did the Govt consult before going ahead with the new tax and SDLT changes?

From: Billy the Fish 05 January 2016 09:57 AM

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