BTL landlords are benefits sucking people farming leaches

This is another one of those antagonistic headlines to get you hot under the collar and to motivate you into action.

It’s nothing you can’t read every day in the comments section of the National media though is it?

And can you really blame the journalists for publishing their sensationalist, attention grabbing, anti-landlord headlines to sell their newspapers? The headline above got you to read this article didn’t it?

So what is this article really all about?

Well it’s a follow up to the one I wrote last week calling for landlords to fight back.

1,000’s read my article entitled “Money Grabbing Rogue Landlords Are Parasites” but only a fraction actually joined the resistance movement which plans to do something about balancing the media commentary.

Do you enjoy the media referencing your chosen investment medium and business as:-

• money grabbing
• BTL scum
• parasite
• rogue landlord
• leach
• people farmer
• property hoarder
• Rachmanite
• and many equally if not more unpleasant names?

I thought not!

Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me!

Well that’s not strictly true is it?

Why do you think we now have so many anti-landlord government policies?

When enough mud is thrown (and it has been) some will stick, and we are paying for it now in terms of:-

• Selective licencing
• 3% additional stamp duty
• Phased inability to treat finance costs as expenses starting in 2017
• Increased court costs for evictions

Where will it all end?

There’s talk of rent caps, compulsory long term tenancies and even right to buy in the private rented sector.

Do you think these problems are just going to go away?

Do you think it’s down to somebody else to fight back?

The Solution!

Public perception is vital and that starts with media reporting. It needs to be more balanced and private landlords need to have an independent voice.

Right now we have neither!

What we do have are a number of service providers and trade organisations serving landlords but refusing to work together for the greater good. They refuse to support campaigns which are being run by what they perceive to be rival organisations and regularly seek to score points off one another. That level of conflict might well be hard to fix but it’s not our primary concern.

Property118 Action Group wants to set things right by appointing a media agency which will consult all landlord bodies, seek their commentary on issues affecting landlords and more importantly the benefits of a robust PRS and then speak to the media with a single voice. For this to be effective it needs to be well funded. A few thousand people each contributing a tenner a month will be a good starting point.

Come on people, is £10 a month really too much to invest into the future of BTL?

By all means keep moaning but let’s all put our money where our mouths are too.

To join Property118 Action Group please CLICK HERE

And if you want to help a bit more, or if you’re too tight to contribute a tenner a month, there is still something you can do to help for free. Please start commenting on the articles appearing on National media websites regarding the private rented sector. Ignore those who are there just to antagonise you and explain why you believe a healthy PRS is so vital to the economy and the welfare of the people of the UK.

Please pass on this message by sharing it and discussing it elsewhere.