Fergus Wilson Panorama documentary – now available on iPlayer

Fergus Wilson Panorama documentary – now available on iPlayer

22:10 PM, 17th March 2019, About 5 years ago 99

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Click Here to view on BBC iPlayer

Fergus Wilson was on BBC1 Panorama Monday 18th March at 8:30pm. The program is titled “Britain’s Most Controversial Landlord.”

Get this programme and hold on to your hats as knowing Fergus it is likely to be a Roller Coaster of a ride!

BBC documentary judging the PRS based on the circumstances and personality of one man.

Fergus Wilson’s Comment:

“The BBC is known as the Biased Broadcasting Corporation for very good reason!

Every time Richard Bilton is on a housing programme it is the same old gramophone record of the poor parents with Children with nowhere to go!

It is a subject close to his heart! However, he does the TV audience no good at all by talking up precious time showing tenants forced out and avoiding dealing with the Causation of the Problem!

No time was spent dealing with the prime issue of why are landlords leaving BTL in their hoards due to the punitive tax regimes being introduced for landlords by HMG.

I am slightly different as I am retiring due to old age but for those younger landlords exiting BTL it is because the Government has made it so unattractive.

I ran through the reasons why the Private Sector is no longer investing but it was cut out in favour of Richard Bilton’s same old song!

HMG needs to address just why the PSL is no longer investing.

It is time for Richard Bilton to be thrown on the scrapheap. He is out of time and out of touch!”

 


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Comments

Monty Bodkin

10:59 AM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rob Thomas at 19/03/2019 - 11:52
"But if you defend placing ex-tenants in a position where they face huge legal bills I think you should reconsider your outlook on life."

Fergus clearly believes these tenants owe him money. If they do, then he is legally and morally justified in pursuing that claim.
I don't see why that requires reconsidering an outlook on life.

Chris @ Possession Friend

12:04 PM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

My online complaint against the Biased Broadcasting Corporation, - below ;
The programme selected a biased version of the participants accounts against landlords and was just another 'go' at Landlords and falsely repeated Shelter's claim that Sec 21 is the biggest cause of Homelessness. The Social rented sector evict far more than Private landlords and Sec 21 use is vary rare and even more rare are examples of any alleged misuse. Ultimately, Private rented property, is - well Private property, and its for the Govt who are not providing homes to be criticised, not Private landlords who for whatever reason, want their property back. There was no showing the damaged properties or occasions where MR Wilson had suffered from tenants criminal acts. Merely a 'Criminalising ' of Landlords programme. Shame on the BBC.

Beaver

12:16 PM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Daniel at 20/03/2019 - 12:04
I doubt your complaint will go anywhere - I watched the programme on iplayer and there was at least one occasion where the journalist said the majority of private sector landlords do a good job, or words to that effect. So I think complaints of bias won't work.

I think the problem with the programme was that there was insufficient detail of the court cases to be able to make a judgement about the rights and wrongs of the stories they picked out: It was certainly a poor piece of journalism, sensationalised to make a point. Whether they also deliberately picked on things that Fergus Wilson said to paint him in a bad light I wouldn't know, it does happen - I think the bottom line is, if a journalist asks to interview you, keep your own recording of what you said rather than relying on the journalist to accurately report the facts.

Rob Thomas

12:17 PM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Monty Bodkin at 20/03/2019 - 10:59
Would you spend nearly £30,000 in legal fees pursuing someone for £1,200? Would you do so where the prospect of getting your money back was poor because the defendant was of limited means?

Many judges looking at a case where a plaintiff had spent that kind of money in a dispute over a much smaller sum would take a dim view of the plaintiff's actions and refuse to award costs against the defendant even where they were in the wrong.

I think this programme did landlords a massive dis-service. All our hard work ensuring that tenants have comfortable homes goes down the drain because of the arrogant approach exhibited in Panorama. Keep supporting the approach shown in the film and just wait and see how much new regulation comes in!!

RichDad

12:26 PM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rob Thomas at 20/03/2019 - 12:17
Hi Rob, I think Fergus absolutely needed to defend the case to stop hundreds of other tenants trying the same procedure against him. Now they might not!

Rob Thomas

12:35 PM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Richard Peeters at 20/03/2019 - 12:26
Hi Richard. This case seems odd to me. If the council ordered you to pay compensation to a tenant for failure to provide adequate heating, if you believed the case was spurious wouldn't you have the right to appeal the matter to a court before paying the compensation? But I admit I'm not an expert in this matter.

AJ

12:43 PM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

It was always going to be edited to sit in line with the Beeb's political agenda, no matter what FW said. He bought houses and housed a lot of people, he is now selling, and good luck to him.

Shelter, Generation Rent and some political parties are behind the abolishment of S21, they seem to see the PRS as an extension of social housing, which I dont believe it is.
Their view is, if you provide a house for someone, it is theirs for as long as they want it, regardless of your needs.
The sad thing is, when S21 does go, and landlords leave the sector, they want have the mental capacity to work out it was there doing.

Rob Thomas

12:49 PM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by AJ at 20/03/2019 - 12:43
The BBC doesn't want to discuss the real issues. They just want pantomime villains because they make good television. It's surprising so many landlords here seem to want to side with the pantomime villains.

Old Mrs Landlord

12:55 PM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 20/03/2019 - 10:51
Thanks Luke for checking this as I was too busy ( or maybe lazy). Your final paragraph illustrates exactly which I meant by the influence of these vested interests extending insidiously through many areas. If this phrase is on the form we have to serve on tenants it implants or reinforces in their mind the conviction that they are being unjustly evicted. I can't help but wonder why landlord associations haven't picked up on this and, as you say, "kicked up a stink".

RichDad

13:19 PM, 20th March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rob Thomas at 20/03/2019 - 12:49
Rob, I think you've got it the wrong way around: to me it seems the "villain" is The System (includes Left, Shelter etc), which is plainly stacked heavily against the private landlord.

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