Leading landlord figures squared up to Tory MPs at the inaugural Conservative Tenants and Landlords Forum during the party conference.
The NRLA’s Ben Beadle and Property Tribes’ Vanessa Warwick fought the sector’s corner at the meeting which aimed to discuss how to reform the rented sector with “win-win outcomes”.
Warwick tells LandlordZONE that MPs Natalie Elphicke and James Cartlidge were both anti-landlord and that Cartlidge claimed he had suggested drafting the Section 24 tax regime and increased stamp duty for second homeowners – policies which were taken up by then chancellor George Osborne.
“Cartlidge clearly didn’t understand that there is a massive shortage of landlords,” she says. “He wanted the PRS to shrink.”
Leverage
The MP also said landlords should not be able to use leverage to grow portfolios and that repayment mortgages would stop the growth of buy-to-let.
This anti-landlord rhetoric seems to have been a common theme at the Birmingham event, where Beadle has spoken about Michael Gove declaring that the PRS needs to shrink further.
Disconnect
Warwick told the fringe meeting that there was a massive disconnect between central and local government, with Whitehall trying to deter investors but local authorities desperate for landlords and even offering them golden hellos.
And while Cartlidge spoke about increasing social housing, the NRLA’s Beadle demanded to know what was happening in the short-term. He adds: “This government wants to turn Generation Rent into Generation Buy, but they have no idea of how to achieve that.”
Conservative rental market campaigner Tim Patmore set up the forum and aims to hold another event in November.
Pic (LtoR): Vanessa Warwick, Ben Beadle, James Cartlidge, Natalie Elphicke
Why isnt the NRLA using the published facts when talking with Gov.
The facts are clear that NO GOVERNMENT has built enough low cost or affordable housing for THIRTY YEARS.
Yet nobody dares blame Government, avoids the issue completely and debates how to move forward.
BUILD MORE HOUSES!!!!
The only way rents will fall is with supply meeting demand.
The ONLY problem with your admirable sentiment is that it is simply impossible to meet demand.
It is demand that needs to be reduced substantially.
Net illegal and legal immigration is reckoned to be about 230000 per year
Some of this will be students but that is irrelevant.
While they are here they need to be accommodated.
Demand will NEVER be met even in 100 years.
LL are being used as scapegoats for this demand for accommodation as though they are taking accommodation away from those who could buy.
This is obviously arranged nonsense but as can be seen both major political parties are using LL as whipping boys in an attempt to gain electoral advantage.
Never have I seen such a bunch of idiotic politicians who clearly have no idea what they are doing apart from knowing what they are doing js putting LL out of business but with no replacement housing solutions.
The PRS has saved Govts from 1996 onwards from having millions of homeless.
There are 6 million EU Nationals.
Who has housed most of these!?
LL need to sell up and get out kf the PRS.
When Govt realises their mistake they will like the Irish Govt is currently doing be imploring LL to return.
Major incentives will been to be offered to persuade those LL to return.
However many of those LL will have effectively retired and will not be persuaded to return whatever Govt incentives are offered.
Thank you for your interest.
Just to confirm that Ben did you use published facts and data throughout the entire debate.
You can watch a video about it here:
https://www.propertytribes.com/anti-landlord-sentiment-pervades-conservative-party-conference-2022-t-127657686.html
Natalie Elphicke is following in her late husbands anti landlord footsteps so no surprise there.
The below Quote is from some great research and well worth reading.
“There was a need for new houses in 1919 for various reasons. The majority of the existing housing stock, especially in the big cities, was old and many of the properties were in a poor state of repair not only because of their age but as a result of rent control which had limited the supply of income available to landlords to carry our repairs”
https://pre-war-housing.org.uk/
Makes very interesting reading and echo’s the current debate around regulation of the PRS.
Seemingly no govt has learnt any lessons in over 100 years of failed housing policy.
Interestingly many of the current so called “Anti-landlord” policies are actually causing rapid and large rent increases so carry on the good work old chaps 🙂
I doubt Charlie Elphicke is any happier with landlords these days, considering the DSS sector has fallen out of the bottom of the market. Maybe he shouldn’t have used that early release from his previous landlord – HM Prisons!
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/nov/19/ex-mp-charlie-elphicke-jailed-for-sexual-assault-now-claiming-universal-credit
Where does the government think they can get four and a half million properties from which the PRS sector provides currently?? Absolutely no sense whatsoever if anyone thinks being a Landlord is easy please think again.
I made this very point Carole, but it fell on deaf ears. 🙁
They DONT expect to have to source such properties.
They intend to force private LL by regulation to be effective social LL charging social rents.
Using LL capital to house the feckless saves Govt billions.
Eviction bans and rent caps etc are very effective ways of forcing LL to provide rental accommodation.
Whether that is practical on the basis that rent even if received might be insufficient to service costs remains a moot point.
LL would have to subsidise the tenancy to avoid repossession etc.
Can’t see that being viable.
Eventually a lender would repossess potentially causing bankruptcy of the LL.
I just can’t see LL being able to be resilient to these circumstances.
Selling up or moving from long-term letting would seem to make sense based on the direction of travel as evidenced by these bonkers policies being rolled out.
How can a LL stay in business if control is removed?
This afternoon the SNP passed into Scottish law a six month (possibly longer) rent freeze for the PRS. These MPs who are so ignorant of the reality of the PRS will IMO be slavering to introduce the same to England. I am advising those L/lords who ask me to think extremely carefully whether it is realistic business wise to continue or to exit the sector.
Within my local area there are large numbers of L/lords putting their properties on the market.
The SNP are using the pretext of a COLC for introduction of the bonkers eviction ban and rent cap
A case could have been made for this legislation since 1900.
There has ALWAYS been a COLC for some people!!
This bonkers legislation lays the ground for a permanent cap on rents; so rent control through the back door.
No more Mandatory grounds for evicting a tenant means an effective sitting tenant.
It makes no sense being a LL in this situation.
I’m amazed there hasn’t been a mass exodus of Scottish LL.
I just don’t see how Scottish LL can be resilient to what is effectively destroying their business model.