Public perceptions of landlords

[yo yo ma]

Here is a selection of comments (13/212) made about this article. The comments are not all as bad as these below... Interesting the way people think & don't take responsibility for themselves.
http://www.news.com.au/comments/0,23600,22360297-462,00.html

My partner and I are in the process of buying a house (we currently rent) and there for we need to break lease. Our real estate agent is going to charge us 1)advertising fees 2) break lease fees (minimum of $150) 3) Rent until the place is tenanted (over $200 per week). Sound like an incentive for a young couple to buy a house? We accept that this was bound to happen regardless of when we were renting but there are people other than the government making it hard for first home buyers. There should be much more strict laws imposed on RE agents and perhaps the Residential Tenancy Act should be reviewed to make it easier for first home buyers?
Posted by: Nathan of Tassie

You should not have signed the lease in the first place or waited until the lease finished before you purchased... take responsbility

Landlordism is the new black, it would seem. When did our society evolve so holding those less fortunate in financial thrall is not only accepted, but a popular way to make some bucks? Smug landlords need to ask themselves what would happen if everyone had a few investment properties. What would happen to that nice little earner then? It's be worth bugger all. Follow the logic thread a landlord's profits are based on the fact not everyone can afford to invest, so by definition landlords (especially the smug ones who ask why nobody else had the gumption to get an investment property) are exploitative and propped up purely by the fact others have less. And we wonder why landlords are a little bit maligned - I pay ridiculous levels of rent and my landlord drives a Mercedes and somehow that's better than okay, it's the new Aussie dream.
Posted by: Andrew Moir of Sydney

Bitter & twisted

Thats exactly right!?! How am I supposed to save up for a deposit on my own house if I'm paying off someone else's mortage!! My girlfriend and I pay (roughly) $300 a week for a small 3 bedroom townhouse, if I look around, the rent in the same area for houses smaller than what Im currently living in is an extra $50-$80 a week! So I'd be paying more for less! And on top of that, the landlord doesnt pay for any extra to be done on the house because I assume he cant afford it. So I live in a house thats been broken into twice and the landlord cant/wont upgrade the security cause they know if I move out they can increase the rent and get some other poor sucker in!!
Posted by: Shane of Canberra

If they can increase the rent, you are getting it cheaper... buy some locks or move to another cheaper area

My Landlord whas stoked when i told her we were breaking our 12 month lease 3 months into it. She found someone to move in in less than a week and jacked the rent up $60 extra per week. I looked after that place like it was my own and she still jipped us on our bond return. They do it because they can.
Posted by: it's a crock of Brisbane

You got out of the lease, the landlord got more rent... everyone is happy

The balance is completely wrong and in favor of investors. Every year we say "next year we'll buy our own house when we've saved a deposit", year after year after year we say that while the rent goes up due to the pretty much 100% rental occupancy where we live. Yet almost the entire street is brand spanking new rental houses minimum $650 per week on less that 400 squares! Great way to bring up a family. . . not.
Posted by: Michael of Darwin

Lower your expectations... don't live in a brand spanking new property?

Easy to solve. Remove all tax breaks for landlords and pass the savings to first-time buyers. Simple. Roll on a Labour government so I can give up work and survive on handouts.
Posted by: Gordon Hickley of Melbourne

Rents won't go up then?

Negative gearing needs to stop. People who earn large amounts of money should not be able to get taxpayers & renters to pay off their mortgages. On another point, this is yet another failure in the Laissez-faire capitalist model that the liberial embrace. Let Corporations, Property trusts and high wealth individuals drive up the price of resedential property to give them another hundred K on their bottom line.
Posted by: jennatilz of Perth

Been tried before & didn't work

There needs to be government intervention. Housing and it's administration needs to be turned over to the government. Housing is a need like air,water and food. Residential property investment by companies and private investors need to be outlawed as it seems once again those entities are irresponsible and profit is more important than people. There are solutions so everyone can have a home. Where are the politicians on this issue?
Posted by: Reform of Perth

Let's outlaw property investing then

Don't blame the landlords if they have to increase rentals - its called survival. We all have to do what we can to hold on to what we have worked hard for. That does not make you greedy. I have had tenants living in my properties for two years rent free because the husband had open heart surgery and could not work only to find that they moved out while I was overseas on business and are paying double the rent. I have not heard from them ever since. They owe me two years rent. We all have to do what we need to do. Does that make me a bad landlord. Rent rises hurt and interest rates hurt.
Posted by: margaret of sydney

I can't comprehend how someone can be 2 years behind in the rent?

I am landlord - I own 16 rental properties in Perth. I raise the rent as the market allows. I am sick of the wingers on this forum. Renters are renters for a reason - they spend all their money on cigs and booze.
Posted by: J. Saunger of Perth

Troll

J. Saunger of Perth, wrong! I rented for many years, and saved very hard, and eventually bought my first home, then sold it for enough profit to buy a home for me and a rental property. I have rented the home out to many lovely people, who I am sure just like me dont spend all their money on booze and smokes. You are a very ignorant person. Alot of tenants are hard working people, that one day will be homeowners like me.
Posted by: Melissa of Wallan

Hooray for a sensible comment

Negative gearing is a government guarantee that property investment is a no-loss deal, and under high income tax rate in Australia, negative gearing attacts so many investors that the price has been sky-rocketing, some investors have 5~10 properties but pay no tax. Certainly the price needs to be passed on. Renters will be trapped in forever. Most countries have no negative gearing such as US & Canada, they have most affordable houses. In low income tax rate countries negative gearing makes no sense, like singapore. If negative gearign dumped, the house price will drop right away and people can buy in. High rent rates will be corrected shortly, but the near-sighted government didn't persist in 1986, and it will be very hard to fix at this time. Removing negative gearing has a lot more benefits than I listed here...
Posted by: Charlie

Ignorant... "pay no tax"

Seems like a lot of people just like to find a scapegoat (landlord) to blame for everything. It's not the landlords fault that "you" can't afford a place of your own. You can't expect the landlord to let you live free of charge. The BIG problem is that there aren't enough rental properties, so we need more landlords!! I've seen both side....I've been renting and been a landlord, and know from experience that there's good and bad on both sides. When the good meets the good there's bliss, when the bad meets the bad they deserve each other, but the good/bad combination sucks!!
Posted by: A.G. of Gold Coast

Finish on a positive note... there are some bad landlords as well as some bad tenants. Hopefully not too many of either.
Steve

 

[TheCamel]

my landlords have always been good.

Sur, the property wasn't great, wasn't new, but it did the job. The only issue I had with the last one, was the ignition on the gas oven didn't work, and the "fix' was to stick in a battery.
I dealt with it though.

I then bought something cheap, but new. After a year, i moved on, and i'm ready to buy something new, and inrease my holdings.
I beleive in being a fair landlord.

My PM rang the other day, and said she'd just done the first inspection, and everything looked good. I then asked her if he was happy, and if he needed or wanted anything done.

Sure, there are ****** landlords. But not all of them.

Personally, I don't care how society perceives me as a landlord.
I worked hard, i still work had, for what i have. I just have the thought to put it to use and have long term views.

some people are just happier renting also, and don't want to own a home.
alot of renters would probably also get a huuuge shock, once they realise the sorts of costs landlords pay..

 

[tiger]

Ah gotta love the bitter ones who think those with money/property are "lucky" - gee they didnt get there by hard work did they.
People of the above mindsets will never get anywhere, and they wonder why they are still "paying off someone elses mortgage"...

I dont own a house yet but Im far from bitter. I KNOW I can do it, I KNOW i dont have to be at the mercy of anyone else - these people are just representative of the majority of the population who want everything to fall in their lap.

Thanks for the post, it was entertaining at least

 

[TheCamel]

tiger, like yourself, I, and many others here, don't own a house.

Sure, we control a house, and it's in our name, but we don't own it..

 

[want2bewealthy]

Theyre obdviously very jealous, stuff em, its their own fault.

Ill tell you a little story from today,

I met my tennants for the first time, had to drop off an aircon, a nice split system for the bedroom, two young punks, about 18-20 years old,

He opens the door and I said, Im here to drop this off, he says "are you the owner?" I say "yea"
he looks stunned and says"...o.k..." in a strange way, you know the way!
I needed his help getting it up the stairs and down in the carpark I said "so, hows everything going, everythings o.k?" he says, "yea, its a place to live I guess" in a sarcastic way [the place is very trendy]..

Im still pretty young so I think they naturally had an image of some guy in a suit coming to drop off their airconditioner..

 

[Ausprop]

"so, hows everything going, everythings o.k?" he says, "yea, its a place to live I guess" in a sarcastic way [the place is very trendy]..

dangerous question... usually this is greeted with a request for a security system, new air con, plasma, ice making fridge whatever. EOD you pay no tax and their rent money is funding your lexus repayments so cough up some goodies.

 

[tiger]

tiger, like yourself, I, and many others here, don't own a house.

Sure, we control a house, and it's in our name, but we don't own it..

Ok i should be more clear.. I've never bought a house

 

[lizzie]

Im still pretty young so I think they naturally had an image of some guy in a suit coming to drop off their airconditioner..

always throws them when i turn up on my 10yr old corolla, wearing jeans and a kid on the hip ...

 

[tiger]

always throws them when i turn up on my 10yr old corolla, wearing jeans and a kid on the hip ...

That'll be me too - jeans, t-shirt, joggers. Love it

 

[VYBerlinaV8]

I frankly don't care what others think of me being a landlord. Worrying about what others think is what gets lots of people into financial trouble anyway.

Some of my friends occasionally look at me as though I think I'm some sort of hero (which I know I'm not), but think it's because deep down they wish they had taken some action towards improving their own future. I'm happy to discuss strategy and ideas with anyone at all, yet when people ask 'so how do you get into this', they don't want to hear expressions like 'saving', 'living simply for a while' or 'delayed gratification'.

I too read the news.com.au article, and occasionally post on there myself (Jimbo Jones from Canberra), just to stir the pot a bit on property and financial articles. Lately news.com.au has moderated my comments because I typically post that people are acting out of fear stirred up by the media, and need to think for themselves. Obviously this doesn't make me popular with the news.com.au people!

 

[BoatBoy]

always throws them when i turn up on my 10yr old corolla, wearing jeans and a kid on the hip ...

Gee mate. she's a flash car that one.

Try a 27 year old Valiant (tenants have new BMW and New Ford Explorers/Land Cruisers etc) But thats OK.


Dave

 

[Mr. Fabulous]

Hey Dave,

I got that beat mate - catching public transport, haahhahahahaa!

Mark

 

[Dean1337]

I think a lot people forget that owning investments or running a business is about making money. If this where not the case, no one would do it and anarchy would rule. I didn't like it when my landlord raised the rent but I understood that it is business and I have to choose whether I'm willing to continue business with them. If not, I either attempt negotiate or take my business else where. It is as simple as this.