OpenRent create a Bad tenants and a tenant registry

Landlord Discussion
61

Karen8 .that is a good system, exactly the leverage a landlord needs . the threat of exposure to other landlords is powerful. I assume they have a bad landlords list as well?

62

Iā€™ve never heard of a bad landlords list Colin

63

some local councils keep one sothey pay particular attention to those landlords. A council inspector told me that.

64

I totally agree!! I would like very much to include a check on a bad tenants list as part of the checks insurance companies want us to perform and it would be in the interest of Landlord insurance companies to support the possibility as itā€™s very much in their interest.

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65

Landlord insurance companiesā€¦ that is a very good idea. flogging a dead horse hoping Openrent will do it

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66

And also good tenants too. My last one, who left because she was buying a house, was a fantastic tenant and I feel this should be recognised.

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67

totally agree A couple of my tenants asked for a reference as they wished to buy. I was happy to do so.

68

I agree; it could be very beneficial for good tenants on the list, as they could get first viewings.

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69

George I like that idea of first viewings

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70

I think every Landlord in Britain would support a good tenant list and also a bad tenant list but where do we stand on Data Protection rules. The information you would need to hold would be more than just their name ā€¦ so it might be an issue with the powers that be.

71

I canā€™t see how that breaks data protection. We would not be making available all personal details just the name and last known address. We can do credit referencing so I would expect that unsuitable applicants would fail in the background checks. That of course entitles you to insurance if they pass. For the sake of Ā£90 per year well worth it in my opinion and good business practice.

72

Hey Christine Iā€™m all in favour of listings of enlightenment both good and bad and I have a few people I would very much like to put on the latter to provide Landlords an opportunity to stay well clear.

73

Hi Declan,

I fully agree with you on the need for a rouge tenant registry. Many of your ideas are great and make senses.

I have a proposal for a solution:

  1. Start a chat group (e.g., WhatsApp group) free of charge for landlords. The primary objective is to establish a registry of rouge tenants
  2. If the group reaches a level of members (e.g., > 1000 or > 5000), the members create a formal association (since openrent doesnā€™t want to do it, we have to do it ourselves). Initial membership of the association is free.
  3. Membership requirements include the following
    • land registry records proving ownership of properties
    • proof of letting of properties (this is an association of landlords, not homeowners). If a landlord hasnā€™t let any property in the past (e.g., 3 years), a provisional membership is granted and revoked if no letting occurs in certain time period (e.g., 3 months)
    • Privacy and confidentiality compliance (TO BE DETERMINED). Member must adhere certain policies regarding privacy and confidentiality and is legally liable to pay damage due to violation of such policies

4 When the association reaches enough membership (e.g., > 1000). A fund is established with payment from each member. The fund has the following conditions

  • Use a reputable law firm or other institution which suits the purpose to be the custodian of the fund
  • Set up a committee of volunteer members to oversee the fundā€™s use (DETAILS TO BE DETERMINED)
  • The committee finds a software developer to create website and database for the registry. This is not a significant undertaking. For example, given a computer to work with, I can create such website and database using my spare time for free. We donā€™t need a fancy website to begin with. We focus on the content first.
  • The basic contents of the registry consist a list of rouge tenants
  • Each record in the list has the following
    * Name (legal name only, from VALID passport or drivers license or NI record)
    • Date of birth (in case of same names)
    • The cause of registry, from a pre-defined list (each cause requires verifiable document for evidence)
    • Date of record entered into registry
  • Any member can, through the website, start a record by entering all required data (and documents) mentioned above. The entered data will be saved but not released until a separate confirmation process is complete
  • The confirmation process consists of the following steps:
    • An automated email sent to the reporting member and all members of the committee.
    • At least two members of the committee must follow the link in the email to login to the website to review the data and click the confirmation button at the end of the review
    • The reporting member must login to the website during a designated time window (to allow a ā€œcoolā€ down period in case the report is influenced by emotion and not necessarily factual) (e.g., between week 2 and week 3 after initial submission) and review the data and confirm at the end of review
  • If confirmation is not complete by a designated initial deadline (e.g., end of week 3 after submission), a reminder email is sent to all committee members and the reporting member. If the confirmation is not complete by the designated final deadline (e.g., end of week 4 after submission), the data will be deleted from the system.
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74

I dont even know what a Whats app is . This all sounds complicated and time consuming. . We need a strong minded retired, tho active landlord with enough time to set somthing up and follow thru .I can see the benefits of paying into this service. to help landlords down the line ā€¦ I only use my mobile for calls and texts! A forum on the net would be great , But who will "bell the cat "?

75

Great idea in theory and I all in favour of a bad tenants data base however, I think itā€™s going to be a difficult compliance with the rules of data protection.