Fergus Wilson’s response to BBC Panorama

Fergus Wilson’s response to BBC Panorama

8:45 AM, 21st March 2019, About 5 years ago 26

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The Remit of the Programme was:

What happens to the Tenants when the Landlord Retires or Dies!

Why are Private Sector Landlords (PSL) leaving in droves, because of the punitive tax regime!

Unfortunately Panorama sacrificed an informative explanation of the reasons for the PSL exit in favour of two “non stories” from tenants and thereby bringing Panorama into disrepute.

Why were these none stories? Firstly Mr and Mrs Holmes had been to court and the Council had withdrawn its case! The Council was perfectly entitled to withdraw the Case!

Contrary to what Richard Bilton said there was no prosecution for No Heating! The prosecution was for no hot water. The next tenant moved in and found a working immersion heater. Mrs Holmes had failed to turn it on! Yet Panorama ran its left wing piece instead of explaining the reasons for landlords exiting the Sector!

The second couple were equally at sea and had no case! Their shopping list of faults were all non-faults, but that is not why I gave a Section 21. It is because the tenant said that he was upset at a £50 a month increase and did not want future increases which were inevitable! It is far better to deal with the situation immediately rather than have a repeat next year.

I noted one tenant had to pay £2,600. Well that is a surprise! Cheaper to pay £50 a month for six months! The house has been re-let at £50 more!

If the function of Panorama is an educational one then the programme failed miserably to deliver the message of why PSLs are so annoyed with HM Government Tax Regime that they are pulling out of the Sector. The Government is most un-businesslike  in its methods. If a business has a shortage then it gives incentives, not disincentives which is what the Government is doing at the moment!

That in simple English is tax breaks. I suggest that Capital Gains Tax is reduced to ten percent! The Revenue will suffer a heart attack, but tenants will have a Roof over their Heads!

There should be Full Tax Relief on Mortgage Payments at the top rate!

Again, HM Government has to decide whether it wants tenants to be housed or not!

Fergus Wilson


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Comments

Luke P

10:07 AM, 22nd March 2019, About 5 years ago

Neil, can we not have a read of featured tenant Michael Holmes' response?

Whiteskifreak Surrey

10:13 AM, 22nd March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 22/03/2019 - 10:07
Why don't I see that message from M Holmes anymore?

Luke P

10:14 AM, 22nd March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Whiteskifreak Surrey at 22/03/2019 - 10:13
It’s been deleted.

TC

10:16 AM, 22nd March 2019, About 5 years ago

Oh, I read it this morning. It seems to have been removed?

Old Mrs Landlord

10:16 AM, 22nd March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 22/03/2019 - 10:07
I read the Michael Holmes post when it was first put up and he was contesting Mr. Wilson's version of events, so I think his post may well have been pulled for legal reasons pending further investigation of the factual history of this case. Just speculating - I'm sure Neil will answer your question in the fulness of time.

michael holmes

11:47 AM, 22nd March 2019, About 5 years ago

I pulled it myself, after posting I decided I will not rise to it, I am better than that. There was no problem with our factual information. If anyone has any questions my email is mike.holmes@hotmail.co.uk

Luke P

11:49 AM, 22nd March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by michael holmes at 22/03/2019 - 11:47
Wow! Good chat.

Dennis Leverett

11:53 AM, 22nd March 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by michael holmes at 22/03/2019 - 11:47
Excellent response. Good luck.

Neil Patterson

9:17 AM, 23rd March 2019, About 5 years ago

From Paul Shamplina:

"It made no sense to me, why Mr Wilson would of taken part in the programme. He was always going to be portrayed as an arrogant and greedy landlord, they succeeded in assumption, especially after edit. I agreed to take part in the previous panaroma with Richard Bilton to speak up on behalf of landlords on his previous programme about ‘Non Fault Evictions’ last year. Thats where the momentum for calls to abolish section 21s has come from.

I knew it was tenant focused and I explained in my 15 second interview that there is no such thing as ‘Non Fault’, there is always a reason why a landlord serves a section21 notice, 56% it’s for rent arrears or a tenant wanting to be rehoused by the council, or landlords selling because of Section 24 Tax changes. It always remains a last resort.

Unfortunately we all have to except the industry has changed, landlords do need to be adaptable. There has been unprecedented changes in the last two years. But I can predict that sections 21s will be diluted in the future, this is apparent, especially in the latest Long Term Tenancy consultation by the government, which I filed a reply on behalf of landlord action.

Section 21s are important for landlords on flexibility, but there is a definite case that some tenants should have greater security, especially families. 40% of tenants want longer tenancies. 98% of the time tenants end the tenancies.

This programme certainly hasn’t helped the landlords cause.

Paul Shamplina
Founder and director of landlord action"

Neil Patterson

14:41 PM, 24th March 2019, About 5 years ago

Neil,
Can you add

"I do not know what Mike Holmes comment was as it had been removed before I saw it.

I rather expect that he had not seen the email traffic exchange from the next tenant nor the witness statement from the Agent both confirming the availability of Hot Water! These have been evidenced to Property 118.

No one spends £30,000 trying to recover £1200. Clearly there was a loss of £30,000 inclusive of costs.

All I will say if the Council provided Good Advice resulting in Mr and Mrs Holmes spending 5½ months in Bed and Breakfast then I would hate to see Bad Advice!

Fergus Wilson"

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