A landlord with more than 100 properties in his portfolio is fighting back against what he calls ‘one-sided legislation against landlords’.
Paul Routledge says that poorly thought-out legislation has meant landlords and their agents have become totally defenceless against rogue tenants.
The Somerset-based businessman has set up Landlords Referencing Services from his HQ in Weston-Super-Mare, offering a proactive way to help landlords get references from the one person who knows a tenant’s lifestyle - their last landlord.
Routledge felt he had to take action after a tenant trashed one of his properties and vanished four years ago owing £3,800.
Other tenants on housing benefit have disappeared after spending the money, which was paid directly to them, and recently a tenant destroyed even more of his property.
He said: “It was not considered criminal damage but a civil offence. I was expected to take the tenant to court, an option I decided against as, having been down this route before, I knew that I would be fighting for compensation which I would never receive.
“I was then unable to kick the tenant out of my property despite proof that they were dealing drugs from their flat and displaying threatening behaviour to other tenants. “This would have been classified as an illegal eviction and a criminal offence and something I could face prison for.
“To add insult to injury, I was then required to repair this tenant’s flat while he was still a resident due to further legislation dictating that if I did not, I could be committing yet another criminal offence as a negligent landlord failing to maintain the property to legal standards.”
Routledge says that poorly thought-out legislation has meant landlords and their agents are powerless against action that would be considered crimes in any other business.
“If you steal a shirt from a shop, the police will arrest you for theft,” he adds, “but if a tenant steals furniture from their landlord, the law doesn’t want to know.”
Routledge claims Landlords Referencing Services is unique as it is not about referencing against the information a prospective tenant gives, but about referencing against the information they don’t give.
“No tenant would give you their last landlord as a reference if they left the property trashed and without having paid their rent,” he explained.
“LRS is pro-active and defends landlords against problem tenants. We’re not re-active like other referencing companies.”
It is free to enrol landlords and letting agents into the scheme and Routledge emphasises the service is about the good, as well as the bad and the ugly.
Good tenants when searched are shown as such and all worries alleviated.
The system is not only an early warning system but is there to recommend the tenants with a decent and honest lifestyle,” he confirmed.
