4 ms·

Unless rents are going up (and in London they are not) I don't see how longer tenancies help you. It certainly doesn't give the landlord an incentive to fix.

• Veen 7y ago
  They already have an incentive to fix. In the UK they're legally obligated to and tenants can take them to Small Claims Court if they don't. Periodic (rolling) tenancies can be ended with two-month's notice, so the landlord might decide to evict rather than repair. With longer tenancy agreements, the landlord can't evict until the tenancy expires, and so tenants can use their legal rights to compel the landlord to make repairs. In short, the landlord can't kick people out as an alternative to spending money on repairs.
  • suff 7y ago
    ... in theory
  • crdoconnor 7y ago
    >They already have an incentive to fix. In the UK they're legally obligated to and tenants can take them to Small Claims Court if they don't. Yes, they're technically "obligated" but only real recourse is to pay somebody to fix it yourself and deduct that from the rent. While doing that you have to be 100% reasonable though (no overcharging, get multiple quotes and landlord must be kept informed). If you stop paying rent because repairs aren't made you can be evicted.
    • openoi 7y ago
      To spell it out, places a large burden on you. And then you get evicted after the negotiated period ends anyway.
      • Veen 7y ago
        Yes, ultimately you don’t own the property you rent. The landlord has rights over the property too, and you have to factor that in when choosing whether to rent or buy.