Making Money Work

Private renters need respect

Why landlords and the law need to stop treating tenants as second-class citizens.

In England alone, 3.4 million or one in six households are in privately rented accommodation, up from 2.4 million in 2005.

These figures are reflective of the fact that it’s harder for wannabe first-time buyers to get a foot on the property ladder, thanks to sky-high house prices and the overwhelmingly large deposits that are now needed to secure a mortgage.

Yet it appears that many private renters are treated as second-class citizens, both by landlords and the law.

The assured shorthold tenancy, widely used within the private sector, provides tenants with little security – normally a fixed term of just six or, if you’re lucky, 12 months. And once the fixed term has ended, the landlord can get rid of you as long as he gives you just two months’ notice.

But with the average age of the first-time buyer in the UK ever increasing, the private rental sector needs to change to reflect the needs of the market in terms of longer-term letting. The last place I rented I stayed for five years and for many people I know it’s the same. After all, it’s a hassle to move, so if you find somewhere you like why would you not stay put?

I figure the longer I stay, the fewer the landlord’s rental voids. But in my experience, landlords are no more loyal to long-serving tenants than they are to ones who are there for just six months. I’ve been treated by landlords as if they’re doing me a favour by allowing me to live in their property in the first place, conveniently forgetting that it’s actually a business deal – I pay you rent, you allow me private use of your clean, inhabitable, and well-kept property.

Instead, what I’ve found is that landlords are happy to have tenants pay their buy-to-let mortgages but heaven forbid we demand timely repairs in return, or want to decorate.

I am a working professional in my thirties and me and my fellow private renters are sick and tired of being treated like students. We want longer leases, we want more part-furnished and unfurnished properties so we’re not stuck with sticky-to-the-touch mis-matching furniture from the 70s. We want to be able to decorate without this being seen as a reason to make deductions from our rental deposits.

In many European countries, long-term leases of unfurnished properties are the norm. Unfortunately, this is not the case in the UK. So private tenants being treated like second–class citizens is simply reflective of a society where renting is seen as a waste of money, something you do simply because you cannot afford to buy. Because of course everybody wants to own, right? Wrong.

I don’t want to own. I’ve got to be realistic – I simply can’t afford it at this point in time. So it benefits me financially that someone else is responsible for the upkeep of the property. But, like many private renters, I do want a good deal - in many cities, not least London, tenants pay over the odds for properties in shocking conditions. I also want repairs made in a timely fashion. Simple demands you may think. But, unfortunately, often hard to come by.

So where do you, as a private tenant, go for advice when it comes to a dispute with your landlord? Firstly, read your tenancy agreement. It should detail your rights, expectations and obligations regarding the property. Knowledge is power and any dispute may be easily sorted once your landlord is aware you know your stuff.

Housing and homeless charity Shelter has a wealth of information on its website and offers a free advice line on 0808 800 4444.

You can also contact your local Citizens Advice bureau for free legal advice. And see if your city or town has a local law centre. It may be able to help as well.

Finally, when it comes to a dispute put everything in writing. Make notes of any phone conversations you have with your landlord as well. This documentary evidence will help in case the matter ends up in court.

Travel reviews: can they be trusted?

When it comes to booking the best holiday accommodation, should you trust online travel reviews or not?

Planning a holiday is always fraught with difficulty - from haggling with friends and family about the budget to finding a decent flight time. But making sure you book a clean, comfortable place to stay for the duration of your break is equally important. After all, no-one wants to end up staying in accommodation that could feature on ITV’s Holidays from Hell, or BBC1’s Watchdog.

But what’s the best way to research your holiday accommodation when you’re hundreds of miles away? That’s where online reviews by other holidaymakers come in. They are the 21^st Century equivalent of word-of-mouth recommendations.

TripAdvisor says it is the world’s largest travel site with more than 45 million reviews and opinions from travellers. I never book holiday accommodation without checking out their site and similar to get a feel for what other holidaymakers have to say.

But online reviews can be both a blessing and a curse. Some people claim that most holidaymakers who go to the effort of posting a review are disgruntled customers, resulting in, according to certain hoteliers, a string of unfairly negative reviews which puts prospective holidaymakers off booking a stay.

Some hoteliers have been so upset by what they claim are unfairly negative reviews that they have threatened legal action against TripAdvisor. But the company says the majority of reviews posted are positive, with an average rating of four out of five stars, and that every review is screened before it appears on the site. The company adds that hoteliers can also publicly respond to any reviews.

In a statement, TripAdvisor said: “... if the reviews people read didn’t paint an accurate picture users would not keep coming back... the sheer volume of reviews allows travellers to get the facts, spot trends among reviews and determine whether a property is right for them.”

So, what should you, as a consumer, do when it comes to making sure the holiday accommodation you want to book matches your brief?

Firstly, assess the person posting the review. Note their age if mentioned and if they were on a group, family or couples holiday. After all, a couple in their forties may understandably have a gripe against their accommodation if it also housed large groups of twentysomethings on a raucous party holiday. But if you’re planning a party holiday with friends this could be the right place for you.

It’s also worth noting when the reviewer stayed at the property as service at any accommodation during peak and off-peak season tends to differ.

Also, look at the average star rating. If the latest review is a negative one, yet the overall reviews give the establishment four stars out of five, don’t write it off immediately. Read further reviews.

However, if you’ve done your research yet you arrive at your accommodation to find it isn’t what you expected, make sure you complain.

If your accommodation forms part of a package holiday then under the Package Travel Regulations 1992 tour operators have legal responsibilities to their customers and if it fails in its duty then it may be liable to pay compensation. In the first instance speak with your resort representative. Explain the problem and give them the opportunity to move you or put things right.

If you get no joy, make notes of the problems including names, dates, places and contact details and take photographs to prove your complaint. This could prove useful evidence at a later date.

If the problems remain unresolved, write a letter of complaint to the tour operator when you get home. If it’s a member of a trade association such as ABTA then contact them. You can seek advice from your local Trading Standards department and the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

If you’ve booked directly, speak to the hotel owner and see if the matter can be sorted. If not, again, make a note of your complaint and take photographs. If you’ve booked on your credit card then under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 your card provider is jointly liable if anything goes wrong, such as breaches of contract or misrepresentation regarding your accommodation. This protection applies to purchases between £100 and £30,000.

And don’t forget, if your accommodation wasn’t up to scratch or equally, if it was excellent, you can always post an online review to help other holidaymakers decide where to stay.