Andy Burnham and RLA – Amnesty for bad landlords

Andy Burnham and RLA – Amnesty for bad landlords

9:59 AM, 25th April 2018, About 6 years ago 18

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Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham was speaking at the Residential Landlord Association’s Future Renting North conference and suggested an amnesty to rid Manchester of ‘rogue’ landlords.

This is part of the Mayor’s plan to introduce a good landlord scheme working with the RLA to tackle the ‘epidemic of insecurity’.

The amnesty would include purchasing properties from landlords that were unwilling or unable to bring their rental properties up to the required standard. No details of the purchase plan were given at this stage so the scheme did not look like a potential reward for badly maintained homes and the buy outs were unlikely to be at market value.

Mayor Burnham said: “Safe, decent housing should be a human right as healthcare and education is. The fact that you are at the conference today shows that you want to be reputable and do things properly. Truth of the matter is this doesn’t apply to the whole of the private rented sector.

“We need to isolate those that are giving the sector a bad name. We will work with you to establish what’s reasonable, what’s fair and what landlords should be expected to provide.”

The new housing policy is planned to be announced in June with a further 12-18 months for the Good Landlord Scheme to be implemented with the assistance of the RLA.


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Comments

Dr Rosalind Beck

11:32 AM, 25th April 2018, About 6 years ago

He is stupid to compare education and health with private renting. He can compare it with state-owned rentals but he is wrong to think the state could hold similar rights over private property. Unless he wants to abolish private property...

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

11:39 AM, 25th April 2018, About 6 years ago

Sounds like another move towards "confiscation of assets" to me, as it S24 wasn't bad enough.

They seem to be creating new rules under licencing and then compulsory purchasing the properties because landlords cannot meet the stupid rules (which don't apply to owner occupiers) due to having been taxed to death by S24.

Has Lennin or Stallin been resurrected and taken over the UK whilst I've been sunning myself in Malta or what?

TheMaluka

12:26 PM, 25th April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 25/04/2018 - 11:39
We May be steadily heading back to 621 BC (BCE in Newspeak) and the Greek statesman Draco under whom small offences had heavy punishments .

Monty Bodkin

12:38 PM, 25th April 2018, About 6 years ago

Keep attacking the good landlords and reap the inevitable consequences;

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/hidden-manchester-slums-story-squalor-14561374

The squalor, danger and death behind the closed doors of the B&Bs used by hundreds of Manchester’s homeless people is never seen by the public, rarely seen by the council and goes unrecorded by the government

RichDad

12:40 PM, 25th April 2018, About 6 years ago

To me, the word “amnesty” means a soft way to allow someone to voluntarily get themselves out of a (possibly illegal) situation, along the lines of gun and knife amnesties. “Amnesty” should never include compulsory (i.e. involuntary) purchase of properties. It could be a way to get convicted landlords out of the industry permanently, without sending them to overcrowded prisons.

Some landlords who might be amenable, but don’t have the funds to upgrade their properties, might still fear a sale of properties, whether voluntary or imposed, especially if it’s greatly BMV, and most especially if the sale will trigger CGT and/or other taxes. And of course, it may lose them an essential cashflow. Depending on their situation, a meagre rental income might be keeping them off benefits.

I wouldn’t call anyone “stupid” for suggesting the amnesty, but it needs to be thought through carefully, as there is the usual risk of unintended consequences form all these bright ideas.

For example, those tenants would be moved out of apparently sub-standard accommodation, but where would they live during the works?

How many landlords will end up on benefits after losing their income?

How will local authorities and/or central government fund all these property purchases?

terry sullivan

13:48 PM, 25th April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Dr Rosalind Beck at 25/04/2018 - 11:32
correction--he is stupid

Dr Rosalind Beck

14:10 PM, 25th April 2018, About 6 years ago

How would they deal with outstanding mortgage debt? Where would they get the money to purchase and refurbish? Who would manage the tenancies? How would they subsidise rents? I also think it was very telling when he suggested they would pay less for the houses than they were worth. Sounds like it would morph into compulsory purchase. What he is suggesting is an abuse of power.

James Barnes

17:23 PM, 26th April 2018, About 6 years ago

I can't see that many Local Authorities will really want to get too involved with confiscation due to the cost and logistics of it all. Banning Orders and Criminal Behavior Orders are already available for the worst landlords, both could prevent bad landlords from letting/managing property other than through an approved managing agent which could resolve most problems.
I think for a lot of people with high up positions in the public eye it's just become rather fashionable to make bold statements about cracking down on criminal landlords.

hughesje@hotmail.com

0:31 AM, 29th April 2018, About 6 years ago

An Amnesty is not required as Richard points out this implies allowing those who have not complied with the laws to get away free of consequences and would only be used as a means to get rid of poorly performing investments.

Why not use the powers that already exist to prosecute the bad landlords quickly and harshly thus removing the problem and allowing us good landlords to get on with our businesses. If you cant find them why not start here ...https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/hidden-manchester-slums-story-squalor-14561374

Monty Bodkin

9:16 AM, 29th April 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by James at 29/04/2018 - 00:31
"The hidden 'Manchester slums' - squalor, danger and death in our city's grim private guesthouses"

The slum properties are guest houses.

No tenancies, no notice, no security of tenure.

Burnham has used their squalid conditions to take a cheap shot at private landlords.

He needs to look closer to home, Manchester local authority are a big part of the problem.

If he genuinely wants to improve conditions he should be dragging Manchester council bosses in front of him and demanding to know why they are paying millions of taxpayers money in housing benefits for substandard housing.

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