Primetime Special: Nightmare to let

Wanderer78 wrote: »

and id argue, 'the market' is a construct, whereby there is little or no evidence that it actually is capable of providing us with what we actually need, in this case, housing. we have been trying to shoehorn this microeconomic theory into the macro-economic world, and its having devastating effects. this is why i regularly use the term, 'the free-for-all market' when speaking about it as, it encourages, even sometimes forces deregulation in all its meaning, virtually creating a wild west in relation to markets such as housing. its time for us to move on from it as it has caused enough damage to our societies, yes, housing is a common problem in countries that have embraced this construct.

The free market assumes people take personal responsibility for their choices as well. Clearly there are people willing to live in and pay for such substandard and brutal accommodation.

The landlords in question are moral free bastards in need of correction under existing laws, I don't for a moment disagree there.

evolving_doors wrote: »

'Cheap' rent... or the only place available to rent within their budget.

Many of us would like to live in urban areas but we can't afford it so live where we can afford to.

Living 4 to a room in a sh1thole isn't the answer.

exaisle wrote: »

Will RTE now do a programme on bad tenants and the wrecking of houses they cause, because for every "slum" landlord, there will be a bad tenant who has no respect for the house in which they live....

Answer - no. Probably not. Because that wouldn't be popular.

Balanced reporting my ar$e....

Very unbalanced post there.

I've never heard entitlement like I have from Irish landlords. A program like this highlights landlords taking advantage of poor students and we have landlords feeling victimised. Since I left Ireland I've encountered a much better attitude from landlords. For one thing they seem to understand that they're providing a service. Irish landlords seem to have a huge problem staying away from the houses they rent.

cherryghost wrote: »

I'm just surprised RTE did something productive for once.

I don't agree. Why don't they get dcc on and ask them why the have regulations making building monstrously expensive and have a phobia of buildings over 4 floors. It's the usual rte. make the audience gasp. So we have seen the documentary as If the bloody dogs on the street didn't know what was happening. So what's going to change, so that way more reasonably affordable accommodation will be provided? The answer? Nothing obviously! The usual faux outrage brigade will be saying "sure it's a disgrace Joe" next minute they'll be objecting to the out of character high rise 3-4 floor block that will seek planning permission across the road from them.

Idbatterim wrote: »

I jist read a quote in the paper and it hits the nail on the head. "because this is Ireland which is not so much a State as a conspiracy against its citizens."

Nicely put.
Who said it and in what paper?

People only march when they are threatened with having to pay for water by usage like the rest of the civilised world.

Timothy Bryce wrote: »

I’m a private landlord since 2007, more-so by accident than anything else. I was really shocked last night to see the state of the some of the properties passing for rental accommodation these days. I consider myself a decent landlord, I charge the tenant a fair price and any time there's an issue I make sure it's sorted with a degree of urgency. They're good tenants and I'd like to keep them in place.

I too am an accidental landlord (if "more-so by accident..." means you really are)since last year because I literally had no other choice than to rent out my home when I moved abroad if I didn't want it to fall down from neglect. No family and no friends where my house is to look after it or move in.

I too consider myself a decent LL because I charge what I think the tenant can actually afford, to hell with what the market decides. That has no link to anything approaching a humane moral value system, and setting rents according to market rates rather than tenants associations/unions having a say as in some other European countries with increases linked to the cost of living, is simply allowing the greediest most venal slumlords like the scum on that programme to lower standards while upping rents to the maximum, using 'de market' as an excuse to charge what they want. Especially so when there is little regulation or inspection of rental accommodation.

I don't make a lot even with no mortgage to pay on the property, but then I'm not in it to make a profit. I work to have an income, I don't expect to live off the earnings of something I did nothing to acquire-I inherited, and I wouldn't be renting out the place if I had any other viable options as I stated anyway.

Any decent LL will look after their tenant and sort out any problem ASAP. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I thought my tenant was living in sub standard conditions so I comply with all regulations happily. The way I think of it is: would I be happy to have a relative of mine living there? would I be happy living there? of course I'd want smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, of course I'd want clean habitable conditions where everything works well. Of course I wouldn't have more than two people sharing any bedroom. Isn't that what any decent person would want? but it seems like with 100% of properties failing inspections in some counties I'm some kind of strange anomaly in todays neoliberal Ireland. :(
And makes me glad I'm not renting there any more myself and now living in a country with just laws and standards for tenants.

Timothy Bryce wrote: »

The practices uncovered by PT I feel are a product of some really poor decisions around legislation since the crash in 2008.

Tightening up on the legislation around bedsits effectively pushed tenants out of properties at the very bottom of the market. Where did the legislators expect these people to go?

Yeah that's the typical Irish landlord answer-bring back legally permissible sub standard housing with people sharing bathrooms :rolleyes: There's a reason why they were outlawed. Most of them were not fit to house anyone in. How about...I dunno, bringing housing standards up to par so no-one has to live in slums in 2017 in a supposedly first world country? how about the State building far more social houses, having real caps on rents so they are affordable for every working person, bringing in legislation and regulations that favours long term renting and that cuts the cost of building apartments- proper family apartments that people want to rear families in as in the rest of Europe? how about not voting for the same landlord politicians into power over and over again?? going backward to allow bedsits you wouldn't want your son or daughter to live in is the worst option.
oh and if landlords can't afford to bring their properties up to scratch then don't rent them out!

Timothy Bryce wrote: »

Secondly, I think the treatment of some genuine private landlords by the Revenue has driven them out of the market. I for one am considering my exit; I’d love to hang onto it but it’s a financial noose around my neck. Since 2015 the rent has just about covered the mortgage, but it’s loss making after management fees. I’d still probably suck up that expense given I’d own the asset over time, if I wasn’t asked to pay 50% tax on the rent I receive. There are no profits only losses, but I still have to cover these payments every year out of my own already taxed PAYE income.

It's not 50% tax, don't come the poor mouth. Maximum 40% depending on your income and there are loads of areas you can claim expenses on in your taxes.
https://www.taxback.com/blog/irish-landlord-expenses
Do I like paying high property taxes? no, not when I get so little back for it, but there are legal ways of minimising your liability.

Timothy Bryce wrote: »

Until significant inroads are made in making the Irish rental business a semi-worthwhile investment, practices such as those on in Crumlin will continue, long after the outrage from the PT piece has died away.

I think part of the problem is seeing what should be a public right-housing-as an investment.

The focus here is entirely where the government want it to be "landlords" let me tell you where total responsibility lies, local and national government!!!

As if it's just because some yes are landlords. It runs way deeper than that. The banks, the lpt generated from property value. The fact that home owners are in general more likely to vote and think high property prices are a good thing...

Take a look at the david McWilliams documentary that aired on Thursday at 10pm on tv3. Breath of fresh air. Rte wouldn't show it, that's for sure ...

The private sector is a business, they are doing what makes economic sense for them, the way they do it all over the world. Hence governments will step in to properly regulate or build their own housing. Also it's not the private sectors fault that government make It unviable or barely viable go construct units. Who can afford to buy or build in the current market? Very few!