A friend of mine has been looking for a place to rent over the past two weeks, and the sorts of prices being quoted for dirty, unloved, shabbily-furnished houses is often incredible.

This tallies with my experiences of house-hunting, where the majority of non-new build places are fetid dens, and the gall of the landlords in putting them up for rent at all is amazing.

The effect of this is that you become so worn down that as soon as you spot a half-decent place you snap it up straight away. So surely it would make sense for more landlords to take a little bit more time to give their properties a bit of a tidy-up? Thoughts?

Definately! And when you complain they don't seem to understand why! A few years ago I moved into a house with some friends and it turned out the whole place had fleas :gag: it was disgusting, and the landlord wouldn't pay to get it fixed, we had to.

The other thing is that you would expect a place with a high rent to be half decent, but often this is not the case.

But there ARE decent places out there, with responsible landlords, so keep looking!

I've lived in rented accomodation for my four years of being in Sheffield and I am gobsmacked that people actually live in some of these places. Its not just that they are untidy but unclean and by that i mean that if there was a dog or cat on the premises the RSPCA would take them away and prosecute the owner for cruelty. These i might add are not just student houses but ones advertised as 'professional' as well. I really thought houses like this existed only on Life of Grime and were few and far between. Unbelieveable :gag:

Beacuase they are privately owned and in the past there has been a shortage of rental accomodation (because of the large number of students in the city) hence landlords can buy as cheaply as possible, never decorate or renovate and still have a fairly captive market for their tat as people need somewhere to live!

Originally posted by evildrneil
Beacuase they are privately owned and in the past there has been a shortage of rental accomodation (because of the large number of students in the city) hence landlords can buy as cheaply as possible, never decorate or renovate and still have a fairly captive market for their tat as people need somewhere to live!

With the advent of purpose-built student accommodation, do you think this will start to change? If there aren't as many students to let these pits to, maybe landlords will have to try harder to attract tenants - or maybe they'll just put the houses on the market?

I guess that at present it's all down to what they can get away with. But personally, I find the sheer gall of some landlords in letting these places amazing.

If you rent through an estate agent, the quality will be up to speck. It has to be.

Originally posted by viking
If you rent through an estate agent, the quality will be up to speck. It has to be.

Ha ha ha, that's a good one! :D

Originally posted by Greenback
With the advent of purpose-built student accommodation, do you think this will start to change? If there aren't as many students to let these pits to, maybe landlords will have to try harder to attract tenants - or maybe they'll just put the houses on the market?

I guess that at present it's all down to what they can get away with. But personally, I find the sheer gall of some landlords in letting these places amazing.

I doubt there will be enough purpose built housing for students in the city - while I don't have the numbers to back this up my gut feeling is that student numbers are probably growing at least as fast if not faster than the number of purpose built student flats (anyone know if this is correct or pure bias on my part?).

If it is indeed the case that landlords are having problems letting accomodation my guess is that those who have taken part in the 'buy to let' schemes will offload their properties as rapidly as possible as increasing interest rates a slightly iffy looking housing market and the need to invest in upgrading their purchases all squeeze their margins. Of the remaining landlords there will probably a be a split between those catering for people who just want a roof over their head no matter how disgusting so long as it is at rock bottom prices and those who want a reasonable income who will (hopefully) tidy up their act a bit.

Going through an estate agent and paying more money doesn't necessarily mean better accommodation sadly. We went through an estate agent, paying their fees and the rent is nearly 700 pcm. When we saw the house it was 'ok' so we got it as we were desperate.

After we moved in it turns out that the estate agent was just involved to find tenants and it was up to the landlord to get things fixed. Of course it's not until you live in a place that you find out all the things wrong. The backs of the curtains are all ripped, carpet damaged, a velux window in the attic doesn't open, the washing machine broke down and the landlord insisted it wasn't her responsibility.

On top of that after living there just 2 months she told us she was selling the house and that we'd need to move out if it sold. Of course if it didn't sell she still wants us to live there and pay rent.

Well that's my 2 pence worth anyway.

Unfortunately, the purpose built student flats are really expensive compared to houses in ecce road, crookes or hunters bar areas. They tend to be about 70/80 pounds a week, which is far more than most can afford. The steel press (uni newspaper) reported a while back that over half of student houses have damp (a stat more than backed up by my own experience) and other problems. Stupidly, lots of students with no experience of letting property get taken in by the "oh by the time you move in we'll have replaced the kitchen, roof, dodgy plumbing, carpets, leaking ceiling, gaping hole in the floorboards, rotting curtains and mangy dog" line.

I have also rented in Sheffield for numerous years as a student and a professional. I can't believe the state of some of the properties I have viewed in the past. Some houses werent even fit for rodents to live in, let alone humans! Why couldnt they just sort out small things like curtains, carpet, furniture etc.... !! Im sure they would make alot more in rent if they did, as people are willing to pay a little more for somewhere that is pleasurable to live!

I have had to rent through agents, but the admin fees are crazy!!! But I have found there quaily of houses is usually better than renting privately.

I remember my student days 17 years ago, and student houses were often knackered. Broken door handles, back yard piled up with rotting furnature, horrible damp bathrooms, with badly fitted shower which leaks, and crappy cheap shower curtain, whose fixings are coming out of the wall, worn out cheapo carpets, rooms full of too much furnature, and cheap nasty repairs which last five minutes, when furnishings & repairs need to be of industrial quality for student accommodation. Also they are often quite damp because students can't really afford to have the heating on for long. Old houses really need to be properly warmed up with central heating in the winter.

people buy places to rent out and cant be arsed about the condition coz people are desperate and they know they will take anything they can get

im renting out my room and last time i had people round they were suspicious because it is so clean! haha. :D

cak indeed - see previous link for Norrow Estate agents: never use em, they're fookin awful - we're paying £900 pcm between 5, and they won't even clean up mould, or fix leaking roofs and ****-pipes in addition to which, once their customers have signed they think they can talk to them like they're shotre and out and out refuse to carry out any more repairs - great! Problem is, there's always people willing to live in these places (even if through lack of choice) so they'll always keep letting them like that cos it's cheaper and less effort for the robbing b***ards

Hey we're not all bad ya know. I ve got quite a few properties in the Sheffield area and often buy up old student / let properties cause they're in such a state to do up. I find most of my tenants word of mouth and only use estate agents as a last resort. But I have noticed that if you have got anything decent you get swamped with people so there must still be a shortage of good property. I think the problem is people who got property years ago very cheaply and see no point in doing anything to it as they can always let it out if its in a decent area. Then there is the new breed of buy to let investor who seem to think its a get rich quick scheme with no regard to the poor tenants that have to finance their huge mortgages. Letting property properly is a full time business once you get to about 10 houses, and actually there is not much profit in it as i have to spend about 2k a year maintaining each house to a high standard - roll on higher interest rates and get these idiots out the business.

As a student, I lived in a house owned by John Brownhill (builder). He believed that if you provided a decent house to decent people they would look after it.

If anything went wrong, eg plumbing, he would have one of his lads round the same day.

He was pretty good :thumbsup:

http://www.touchsheffield.com/business/list/bid/688060

As a private landlord I agree and disagree with the points made. Some properties are dire and the landlords make it difficult for the rest of who try to provide clean decent properties. Admitedly my properties do not have West One spec but then I don't ask West One money either. They are clean decent properties for (hopefullly) clean decent tenants.

Try contacting the council property shop they have a list of private Landlords that are all members of the Responsible Landlord scheme, they all adhere to a minimum standard of property both facility and saftey-wise.

Personally I look at my poperties and think, Could I live here? Would I walk on the carpet barefoot? Would I cook on it? Would I be happy putting my food in the fridge? Would I sleep in the bed? If the answer in no then I change things until the answer is yes and then I am happy to let the place.

It is a shame all landlords aren't the same but then it's a shame when we put a tenant in a place thats decent to find 2 months later its disgusting and they aren't bothered about keeping it clean at all. Even worse when they do that without paying rent cos that happens too.

This has cheered me up loads.

At some point in the future, around 3 years probably we have a plan to move house and keep the one in walkley to let.

Since we're living it we're currently working through it room by room and stripping them right back before plastering and decorating.

If most houses are so horrible it should be no problem to let it out if it's nice (which it is and getting better).

With regards to the post about the house being sold, you have a contract (you do right?) with the landlord for a fixed length. She can't terminate it unless there are clauses to allow that, so you can actually stop her selling the house. Just make sure you tell prospective buyers whenever they come around that you have no intention of leaving until your contract is up, that should put them off.

And with regards to the mangy dog, it's a feature, it comes with the house, okay! :P

Sorry, I didn't want my post to look like a damnation of all student landlords! Some are brilliant, others are just rip off merchants. And I'm sure lots of the student properties are in the state they are in due to neglectful tenants.

Its a real shame that bad accomodation is sometimes viewed as a rite of passage for students. I think the bare minimum should be safe electricity, good plumbing and heating and a safe and usuable kitchen.

Originally posted by Musey
Would I walk on the carpet barefoot? Would I cook on it?
Damn students :rant: always lighting campfires on the livingroom carpet :rant:

:hihi: :hihi:

Originally posted by Strix
Damn students :rant: always lighting campfires on the livingroom carpet :rant:

:hihi: :hihi:

LMAO I haven't had that happen yet but I have had a case where a student called out my emergency electrician in the middle of a sturday night on bank hioliday weekend as their lights had stopped working. Electrican got there to find it was only 1 light not working and the problem was the bulb had gone and simpley needed changing!!! Little Bobby was horrified when I explained that he would have to pay for an unneccessary call out charge.

i am currently looking for rented accomodation for a friend and i am goin through estate agents.. some of the properties were disgusting and in one house even had illegal polystyriene tiles and when we questioned the agent about them she said i know but what can you do!!!! i have however found 3 very noce and very clean places which have not been snapped up yet and am makin a bid for one,,, fingers crossed!

we took the polystyrene tiles off the ceiling in our attic room recently when we redecorated it. I've never seen them before, fire hazard I presume?

one place I looked at through an estate agents had someone squating in it! They said "dont worry, once you sign they will definitely move out - they are a friend of the landlord needing temporary accomadation". And this was a 500 pcm flat through a large sheffield estate agent (which I wont name in case they try and do me for libel!). Found a private landlord in the end who is fantastic.

Originally posted by viking
If you rent through an estate agent, the quality will be up to speck. It has to be.

Aw, bless. How sweet, and trusting. :D