Complaint going in to the BBC over attitude towards landlords

Hello Mark. Sadly I recall a similar reason for such a complaint to the BBC only a couple of months ago. In short, the BBC don't care about complaints, and despite taking the complaints procedure to higher levels the result was still the same. Im sure a number of other landlords took the same action but we were fobbed off none the same. However, good luck with it. P.s can you remember the day and time of the news report so we can check it out on catch-up. Thanks, Mike

I saw a similar article in the Guardian which put in this extra idea that if it was just being paid to housing associations, the bill would be £1.5b cheaper. I doubt however that takes account:

1) Short fall not paid to PRS landlords when councils are telling people to stay in their PRS accommodation til the bailiffs come, otherwise they will not be deemed to be 'homeless'.
2) Damages to PRS houses by housing benefit is paid out of landlords back pockets and they just absorb this loss. In Housing Association, extra money is given to cover those damages.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/aug/20/private-landlords-9bn-housing-benefit-taxpayers-national-housing-federation-report

Added my complaint. The second para. in the report is the real news. The first, and the populist, sensationalist headline, are the inevitable consequence.

The BBC are a bunch of left wing Corbyn Supporting socialists funded through the taxpayer via the TV Licence? As the Labour Party has been hijacked by Momentum do not be surprised that they have not infiltrated the BBC in positions of power and influence. Independent? Not a chance.

There is a possibility your emotions got the better of you when you read the article, it does have an attention grabbing headline and pre-amble, which is what the media in general is aiming for. Reading it all the way through, it is ultimately balanced as there is input from the NLA.

Somebody once said to me "pick your battles". This may not necessarily be the best one to go for, although I wish you all the best and urge you to go ahead if you remain feeling unhappy with the article.

The Guardian article starts by asserting: "Taxpayers handed over £9.3bn in housing benefit to Britain’s private landlords last year, " In fact they handed it to tenants some of whom did not pay it to landlords.

The NHF calculated that if all those housed in the private rented sector lived in affordable housing, taxpayers would save £1.5bn a year.

Lies damned lies and statistics!

Note that it does not say "all those in receipt of housing benefit". Plenty of people are housed in the private rented sector who would not want to live in so called affordable housing. You might as well say that Britain's diners could save £X billion a year if everyone ate at fast food restaurants.

What do we have to do to get through to our thick-headed MPs (some of them allegedly Conservative) that the PRS is (a) on the whole doing a good job (b) is under attack from the Treasury (c) can't easily be replaced and (d) needs support not discouragement?

BTW, nothing in the Grauniad piece about the highly paid CEOs of HAs: http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/07/housing-associations-have-failed-to-build-houses/

I was absolutely infuriated when I heard the BBC news program commenting about landlords, 'lining' their pockets with public money.
You could then argue that any benefits received and spent in shops is lining the pockets of shopkeepers or lining the pockets of supermarkets. Benefits, including housing benefit are paid to people who are then supposed to use the benefits to pay for things, including rent.
It's absolutely ridiculous for the BBC to insinuate that landlords or doing anything else, but trying to get paid the rent they are owed for providing a home to people.
I am sick and tired of the media landlord bashing. It just shows how ignorant they are about what is involved in renting property. They do not seem to address or care about the fact that landlords invest and risk huge amounts of money to buy properties and then work very hard to maintain them, to keep them occupied, to collect rents and to pay their mortgages.

The problem is these idiots don't realise it is the tenant who gets the housing benefit .not the house or the landlord or tesco

i dont expect to get anywhere with this by the way i just wanted to post it for all to see as just thought it was a disgusting headline...... and also wanted my little voice to be heard at the BBC ...

9 Billion is that all , what about corporate welfare that's omitted from the news completely. Like the £93bn handshake: businesses pocket & huge subsidies and tax breaks. The
Guardian’s analysis reveals that hidden subsidies, direct grants and tax breaks to big business amount to £3,500 a year given by each UK household. Tell the BBC to report on that truth as to we're all our taxpayers money goes. It's called a transfer of wealth, basically corporations have access to the treasury. Take the banking crisis a bailout that cost the UK taxpayer how much? ... The Treasury has pledged to spend £1.2 trillion on the bail-out since the crisis ...Don't believe the hype the world Is Upside down its all propaganda..,