It has been pointed out to me that I am straying into `Bruno` territory.
With such an awful truth looking me squarely in the eye, I`ve decided to leave Matt Henson alone as I think he`s throwing enough fuel onto the fire without help from me. And, yes, I must admit that my comments did have a degree of vitriol not usually associated with my posts.
Just that he damn well p*ssed me off so much with his comments - I guess he did wind me up, even though I denied it at first

Thank you... I appreciate your honesty, and I am sorry I wound you up, I don't intend to come here to wind people up, just share my experiences based on good and bad LL's which I hope will help others in the same boat. Every story has another side and trying to see the both sides of the story will always help win the argument; that is the basic rule of negotiation.

We all rent for one reason or another, some because we are forced to and some because we chose to it is just up to us to make sure we don't get taken advantage of.

Secondly it is not necessarily bad to invest whether it be a BTL or a pension, frankly a BTL is fraught with risk, not least costs, repairs and potential voids and the cost of buying in and out (£10,000 minimum each way) and there are many BTL's who jump with no idea for a quick buck and that makes lfe a misery for their unsuspecting tenants, but there are those who just run it as a long term business and provide a service to those of us who for what ever reason want to rent a house.

I am sorry the Grout Expectations thread wound you up but each person is entitled to a view, I personally would make simple and cheap repairs myself a. because I am lucky enough to have the skills to do it b. I like my house to be smart regardless of whether I own it or not. I personally don't like the intrusion of LL's, Agents and tradesmen and for a peaceful life I do the little jobs myself. The last point on that is that is has worked in the past, a good LL's appreciates the effort in fact they are surprised and it has taken all the hassle out of renting, they leave you alone and give your deposit back at the end.

Ultimately it down to choice and what you value, I value privacy above all else, but others want service, each to the own but there is no need to attack somebody with and opposing view