A divided society-what can be done?

Why would Smileless have mentioned it at all if she was trying to deceive people, trisher?

That really isn't the point. It's not a question of deception, but that having an involvement in the situation being discussed is bound to have an impact on your views, so it's helpful to know.

How many of us have rented?

We have - I confess all.

I'm sure we can take it as read that most, if not all, of us have rented at some time. Honestly, this is just getting silly.

I'd be hung drawn and quartered if I put all my details: oh, I forgot, I have been already by some people

It was getting silly when posters tried to make someone feel guilty because they may be a landperson.

Exactly devongirl "having an involvement in the situation being discussed is bound to have an impact on your view". That is why when commenting on dj's post regarding landlords not wishing to rent to people under the age of 35, I explained why some don't and reinforced my explanation by citing our personal experience of tenants.

To have mentioned it before would have been irrelevant to any of the other posts I have made on this thread.

I've rented seven times altogether in moving around the country. The first three of them were when we were under 35.
Luckily landlords were not so hostile then.
We never had any problems with landlords, either.
It's wrong that landlords should say they will not rent to under 35s. It's also wrong that anyone needing housing benefit can only get it at the shared accommodation rate if they are under 35.
Both my children were teenagers then.

The government has decided to divide society at lots of different ages, depending on pay and benefits, but that is the most iniquitous of all.

For goodness sake trisher; why should I feel guilty because we provide well maintained and comfortable accommodation for people who cannot afford to buy their own?

Everyone's opinions are subject to a degree of bias. You for example appear to have a bias against landlords.

If you were a decent tenant dj why would you have had problems with your landlord? It isn't wrong for landlords to not wish to have tenants under a certain age if they've had problems with younger tenants in the past.

I wonder how hostile you would feel if your tenant had vacated your property and left you with broken appliances, cigarette burns in the carpet (smoking wasn't even permitted in the property) and in an overall condition that you wouldn't kennel a dog in.

What have I said to show 'a bias against landlords' Smileless2012 ? Was it my view that more than 3 properties should mean heavier taxation? That isn't bias, I believe higher incomes should be (and are) taxed more as well. Only you know why you kept quiet and if you feel guilty.
Jalima1108 my original post was about racism, it drifted on to poverty. being one of the causes and then on to housing. It happens.

At 11.11.21 yesterday, I posted the experiences that a colleague of mine had had when renting out her mother's house. She spent £9000 to get it ready for rental and then had spend another £4000 repairing it when her young tenants had finished trashing it. The response? Get a better agent! My colleague will not be renting her house out to anyone again because she can't face having that happen again. It's sad that a good, low rent property has been removed from the market because, around here, they're as rare as hens teeth. Not saying that all young people are the same but, as in any walk of life, the minority spoil it for the rest.

Society as a whole was probably different when you were renting, durhamjen - how long ago was it?

Sadly, some people (and especially some young people) don't care about the home they are renting and treat it with disdain.

I don't think you can judge young people by 1or 2 bad experiences. There are a number of properties rented by young people down my street. They seem well cared for and they have had numerous tenants over the years. This is a student city and there are heaps of young tenants.

You know what trisher you appear to be so tunnel visioned that you are either unable or unwilling to digest the content of others' posts. So, I do not feel guilty, there's no reason why I should. I didn't keep quiet, my being a landlord wasn't relevant to any of the posts I've made on this thread until I responded to dj's.

You're not alone in believing "higher incomes should be (and are) taxed more as well". Be careful that you don't take a fall from the moral high ground you've set yourself on, you might get injured.

And yes f your tenant comes through an agency and wrecks your property you need a better agent-seems obvious to me.

What moral high ground? You really have some sort of problem Smileless2012 I don't know what it is but your responses are over the top and unfounded. Why is believing in higher taxation 'moral high ground'? I'm lost!

Off to a tangent here - when I was living in London I found it impossible to find an agency that would keep a proper eye on the house we rented out while working overseas. However where I live there is an excellent agency which would never have allowed the tenants to check out leaving that kind of damage behind, so yes, smileless, you DO need a better agent!

I'm not keen on blaming agents for the actions of a tenant, I much prefer personal responsibility. If landlords have had problems with a particular demographic, they're going to avoid them in future. Blame the idiots who trash properties or who don't pay rent. My youngest is renting at the moment and I was surprised at the hoops she had to jump through - I've been a landlord in the past and although things have changed, I can see both sides.

It's not a matter of blaming agents for the actions of a tenant, but they should check the property when the tenants move out, with the tenants there, and if damage is found it should be deducted from their deposit; if that's not enough, it should be reported to the police. A good agent will perform regular checks on the property so damage on a large scale would not be able to accumulate.

Last time I rented was 7 years ago.
Yes it was a different society, before the Tories had demonised under 35s.

That's not how it works devongirl. It's nothing to do with the police! Did you rent your property on an AST?

"before the Tories had demonised under 35s"
You're joking dj
Surely the Tories have demonised everyone except the landed gentry and billionaires!

Where were you all when you were 34?
Did you share flats with friends?

Yes, we did. If tenants are in violation of their contract, which details the expectation that it will be returned in it's original state, they have committed a crime.