Green Deal - Fear becoming reality

[siliconskum]

My pockets aren't zipped I'm a landlord, currently taking 3 of my 6 tenants to court because they are each more than 2 months in arrears. I'm not quite in negative equity but close, two of my tenants have trashed the houses and I can't get any of the 3 I'm having problems with out because they all know the system too well and pay the minimum the day of the court hearings. All of our houses are C or D rated.

Another landlord here.
Yeah, I know that old trick with the minimum payments (I have a tenant trying that one now... and the local council's housing dept TOLD THEM TO DO IT! *sigh* ). If you want them out and they are outside of the tenancy agreement period (or it is an 'on going' one that is past the minimum contract period), just issue a section 21 - you don't need to provide a reason. You can have them out in the standard 2 months. You wont get your money via the courts, but good luck getting that anyway - they are useually broke or declared bankrupt, so you never get it even after being awarded it (and even then it will cost you to try to get it)...
If you are stuck with an active contract period, then it's much harder.

This is one of the reasons I never give longer than a 6 month tenancy agreement, and allways have them on going after the contract runs out.


Another 'not tight' landlord here. All of my properties are EPC rated D and C too, which is the reason that MY house for the last 10 years, still has single glazed windows, a 30 year old boiler and little in the way of loft insulation. I simply couldn't afford to upgrade my own until now, which I will be starting this summer.

But yes, some landlords are renting properties (and for more than I charge) that are not fit for purpose.
Some councils now have a minimum spec that privately rented properties must meet, often with a mandatory landlord licence sceme (and the landlord can be fined, prevented from renting out, or even have their property seized). So steps have allready been taken in the right direction.

SS

 

[TedM]

Re PV and the Green Deal.

It is possible under the GD terms for an owner to 'top-up' the GD loan with their own money to make an investment that otherwise would not meet the Golden Rule. This could mean that a PV install is, say, 25% funded via a GD loan and the balance from another source.

At least these were in DECC's proposals, no actual terms announced yet of course. There is also no clarity from DECC on how such an arrangement would affect FiTs payments.

 

[Energetic]

I've heard that council tax will soon be payable on EPC rating/carbon footprint rather than value. This is an incentive for a tenant to proceed with the GD. If the tech also receives an RHI that goes to the tenant/electricity bill payer.

That said, the major reward seems to be a guaranteed return for the banks etc that stump up the loans - funded by bailouts and pressure from the gubmint to lend.