9:01 AM, 4th July 2025, About 4 days ago 14
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Landlords are being demonised by the government and the media which means they will increasingly turn to asylum seeker accommodation as a consequence.
In an exclusive video interview with Property118, the chairman of the Eastern Landlords Association, Paul Cunningham, warns selective licensing schemes will lead landlords to rent their properties to companies like Serco for asylum seeker accommodation.
He also calls for a new national organisation to stand up for landlords and bust the landlord myths.
In Great Yarmouth, the council have plans to introduce a selective licensing scheme for more than 5,000 properties in the area to improve housing conditions.
However, Paul warns that the scheme “is not only short-sighted by the council who cannot see the consequences of their own actions” and the “final straw for many landlords,” but also claims it will lead landlords to offer their properties to asylum seeker accommodation instead.
He explains: “The government passed legislation to try and free up hotels so there are no longer asylum seekers in hotels, and they’ve offered the contract to Serco to find housing for asylum seekers.
“Great Yarmouth is one of those areas, and I’ve told the council the selective licensing scheme will lead to landlords going down the asylum seeker accommodation route, simply because it will take their dealings away with the council.
“Landlords are completely fed up with the council and everything they do towards landlords, so an option for them is to go down the Serco route.”
Paul says he has personally discussed the option of leasing his properties to Serco.
He says: “It was purely only for the selective licensing scheme, and I’ve emailed members of the Eastern Landlords Association saying this could be an option if you choose.
“We are here to put options to landlords, and they can decide how they want to run their business.
“The level of interest with landlords about offering accommodation has been phenomenal, but it will be a loss of properties to that council for local people.”
As reported on Property118, the government is expecting more landlords to accommodate asylum seekers.
However, as seen in the comments on Property118, many landlords say that it’s “rich asking for help when the government have done nothing to help landlords.”
Paul says landlords thinking of doing this is a consequence of government legislation.
He says: “We’re demonised at the government level all the way down to local authority level.
“Now they’ve suddenly realised we need the private rented sector. There’s no joined-up thinking of the consequences of these actions. It’s not just Great Yarmouth, it’s across the whole country that Serco have been given government contracts purely to find suitable housing for asylum seekers.
“For every property that an asylum seeker takes, then that’s one less property for someone in the local area to take.”
Paul says politicians demonising landlords has come as a problem of organisations not standing up for landlords and he is calling for a new national organisation to represent them.
He says: “We have no representation in government. The only national organisation that is meant to represent us is becoming pointless.
“It has no voice because of the way the government treats the industry. The government just rides roughshod over anything.
“There’s no better time than now to have a national association that lobbies government in a robust way in order to get some change.”
Paul believes this new landlord organisation needs to have a strong voice and be more like tenant groups such as Shelter, which have a powerful media presence that puts pressure on the government.
He explains: “You see Shelter in the media every week, compared to the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), which struggles to be heard. Until we have a robust organisation willing to stand up firmly, the government will continue to ride roughshod over us.”
Paul points to the NRLA supporting the abolition of Section 21, which he says is unbelievable.
He said: “It’s the biggest part of the legislation in the Renters’ Rights Bill that will affect landlords.
“It’s unbelievable how they have come to the conclusion to support the abolition, but unfortunately, they don’t represent landlords.”
Paul says a new national organisation must challenge the negative narrative portraying landlords as “rich and greedy,” rather than remaining silent.
He says: “At the moment, the media isn’t interested in what landlords have to say. No tenant ever rings up the media and says, ‘my landlord is really good’, that’s not a story. They only want bad news.
“Tenant associations only focus on the negative, and if an individual landlord tries to counter that, there’s no platform for them. That’s exactly where a national association should step in, to stand before the media and say this is wrong.”
Paul explains it’s not just the Eastern Landlords Association who feel the private rented sector is in crisis.
He said: “I don’t think East Anglia’s landlords’ views are unique. I think landlords across the country feel that this sector has never been in such a poor state.
“There’s a massive housing shortage. Local authorities cannot supply the level of housing needed for people.
“It astounds me that the attitude they have towards the private rented sector is just causing even more of a shortage.
“Homelessness is rising across the country, and I think it will carry on in this vein until the government and local authorities decide the private rented sector is vital to our housing needs.”
Paul says the Renters’ Rights Bill is the final nail in the coffin for many landlords and will lead them to leave the sector.
He explains: “The demographic for landlords in this country is 50+ and the majority of them are smaller landlords with one to three properties, and they are thinking ‘enough is enough, I can’t deal with this added burden, now is the time to sell.’
“This creates even more of a shortage of available properties, and when there is a shortage of anything, prices go up.”
Paul says he hears talk of the Renters’ Rights Bill and selective licensing as a landlord tax, but he says it’s not just that.
He explains: “It’s not just a landlord tax, it’s a tenant tax, because like any other business, costs have to cascade down to the customer, and it’s inevitable it will be the tenant who suffers the most, as they won’t find anywhere to live or can’t afford it.”
Paul says that despite claims from both Labour and Conservative governments that they want to support landlords in the private rented sector, the reality is different.
He says: “I don’t think politicians give two hoots about private landlords as they wouldn’t have gone down the route of demonising us.
“The Renters’ Rights Bill will cause more problems for landlords and tenants. I can’t imagine once the bill becomes law a landlord will take any tenant that doesn’t have a guarantor, and of course, some tenants don’t have family or friends who can be guarantors.”
Paul says things will get worse before they get better.
He explains: “I think when the government sees the level of homelessness increasing even more than it is now, then maybe the penny will drop and realise they shouldn’t have done this, but I fear it may be too little, too late.”
Paul has been a landlord for more than 35 years and joined an organisation to help give landlords a stronger collective voice, a group that would later grow into the Eastern Landlords Association.
“I became a landlord as I thought it was a good idea,” he explains.
“At the time, the only association around was the Norwich Landlords Association. There were about 10 or 11 local landlords who’d meet to talk about issues affecting them in the area.”
As his property portfolio grew, Paul became more involved in the group and watched it evolve.
He says: “The Norwich Landlords Association became the Eastern Landlords Association, and we widened our net across East Anglia. It’s now a healthy, vibrant association.”
Paul is now the Chairman and Director of the Eastern Landlords Association.
Paul says the future of the private rented sector is bleak and more smaller landlords will continue to leave the market.
He tells Property118: “I think the days are gone for the small private landlord. If you’ve got two or three properties and you are self-managing, for you to keep up with the changes in legislation and everything that’s required of you in order to manage that property and make it comfortable for your tenants is nigh on impossible.
“The more it goes forward, it will be professional landlords with the big portfolios — who have a big team behind them, that will be the ones who stay in the sector.
“The days of accidental landlords, where there has been a death in the family and someone inherits a property, are over. They will now sell instead of rent out.
“The abolition of Section 21 will be part of that because if you can’t get the tenant out and they are not paying the rent, that will bankrupt you.”
Reluctant Landlord
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Sign Up12:59 PM, 3rd July 2025, About 5 days ago
They don't want them in hotels, they don't want them in BNB's, they wont put them in any accommodation of their own (like disused army camps) and they wont set up contained holding sites dockside when they do arrive. They have stopped using the (one) barge they did have to hold them and wont be using this mechanism again.
Who else is going to be able (not necessarily willing!) to even POSSIBLY offer up any existing accommodation that fits their criteria other than the private sector?
Oh the irony - slate private landlords for doing a terrible job and providing decrepit houses full of mould and damp, yet at the same time now blame the very same people for helping them out - when they are desperate and have NO OTHER CHOICE.
All I am willing to do is .....sit back and laugh. I hold the cards they want and I am NOT folding!
Billy Gunn
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Sign Up17:37 PM, 3rd July 2025, About 5 days ago
Where I live, due to Article 4 and licensing a lot of properties can be no longer rented to students, so a lot of the landlords have turned to supported housing i.e people with drug addictions and people recently released from prison. Exempt from licensing and uncapped housing benefits so you can get £55k a year rent on housing 5 people
Now we have a crime epidemic and drug deals happening in plain site
Reluctant Landlord
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Sign Up11:05 AM, 4th July 2025, About 4 days ago
Reply to the comment left by Billy Gunn at 03/07/2025 - 17:37
this has happened in one of my areas where I have a rental.
The irony is because of the number of existing exempt accommodation and the issues this brings, students don't want to live there anyway. Private payers don't want to live their either so you end up with a family sized property that no-one wants and therefore you the LL is almost pushed into the EA sector - if you can't beat them, join them mentality.
Choice for the LL is limited...
1. either drop the rent so low it appeals to a single family unit (inevitably a family already claiming and desperate) just so you can fill it
2. leave the property empty (not great if the neighbouring HMO occupants get wind - break ins/weed farm possibilities),
3. go through planning to get permission for an (non exempt) HMO (probably not going to happen anyway as locals who live there will kick off assuming its another EA) and lets face it there is no evidence any private payer would want to live their either.
4. sell with vacant possession hoping to get a buyer. (FTB slim chance, but another LL who just fills it with illegals/EA and doesn't care - high probability)
5. lease to a social housing provider. Issue here is again the area - many wont touch certain postcodes because of existing EA issues.
6. Rent out to Serco and the like! More prison leavers etc...
I ended up letting mine to the Council where the property is located for temp accomm use after much consideration.
I did offer it to other local councils (London & Greater London) first but even though they are willing to take it, their tenants who get made the 'offer' kick off about being moved out of the area and as the council cant make them move, nothing happens. (NB ditto with approaching the HO direct for ARAP/ARAC scheme - yes the large Afghan families who were in temp hotels taking up three rooms did not want to move out of London area despite having no local connections - they all wanted to stay in London and on the waiting list and the councils couldn't make them move!)
In the end the local Council, because it has no other large properties for single family use and are of course desperate, took it. The family that moved in will never be offered any council accommodation of this size because it doesn't exist no matter high up the wait list or Cat A band they are. They have been there nearly 6 years now and simply cant move on unless they move into directly private rented themselves (which is NOT going to happen as they can't afford it) so the contract will be extended with the Council.
As they are on a licence with the council so no direct AST with me - so means I don't have to get a SL either as exempt.
Their kids all now in local schools etc and family established.
For the council, they are off their hands completely so all TA costs saved, and for me its passive and guaranteed income as zero voids. I adapted, and for now it works.
Reluctant Landlord
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Sign Up11:14 AM, 4th July 2025, About 4 days ago
Reply to the comment left by Billy Gunn at 03/07/2025 - 17:37
I forgot to add - the bonus is I can now also go to town having a go myself at the council/local MP for not dealing with the existing EA issues because they are housing vulnerable families themselves in the same area...
Stella
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Sign Up14:16 PM, 4th July 2025, About 4 days ago
Paul Cunningham's idea of a lobbying organisation for landlords appeals to me.
Perhaps if we had a dedicated organisation for this purpose we would be in a much better place.
There needs to be a more balanced view instead of the plethora of unworkable legislation coming down the line.
Unfortunately generation rant and shelter who have the ear of the government are in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Joanna
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Sign Up15:43 PM, 4th July 2025, About 4 days ago
Hi, has anybody actually put their property on lease with Serco?
I've read all horrible comments about them from last year in this thread: https://www.property118.com/should-i-rent-to-serco-for-7-years/comment-page-4/#comments
so is it different now to partner with them?
Article says that “The level of interest with landlords about offering accommodation (to Serco) has been phenomenal' so I would love to hear comments from somebody who tried or who did go that route...
Thank you 🙂
DP
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Sign Up17:13 PM, 4th July 2025, About 4 days ago
Reply to the comment left by Stella at 04/07/2025 - 14:16
All the while there is a requirement for good quality housing from reasonable tenants then I do not think that the private landlord should be beaten out of existence. I am about to sign for a further 5 years with my finance company and I should not have to think that during this time or beyond I will be forced into bankruptcy by unworkable legislation let alone government policy. There are so many aspects which need to be addressed in a well thought through and constructive way and we need to form a body which can achieve this alongside whatever else needs to be done to house this type of tenant. Can it not be done via this website, if enough Private Landlords get together and focus on becoming a united voice we can do something to start a movement going and perhaps talk to an up and coming political party who will listen and take us seriously for once. Its difficult to know exactly how to do it but there are a lot of us out there.
DP
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Sign Up17:20 PM, 4th July 2025, About 4 days ago
Continuing on, can we not start a register going where people can sign who would be interested. So many pass opinions here and there does seem to be a common theme most of the time.
Jacque1ine
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Sign Up22:09 PM, 5th July 2025, About 2 days ago
As much as i dont enjoy the Sl and AL schemes , we should not be encouraging landlords to let to Serco to avoid licensing all together. It may be worth warning local landlords that the government has just finished their consultation on licensing for supported living service providers and the outcome is that all local Authorites are going to have to introduce a mandatory licensing scheme for all service providers of supported accommodation. This will mean any landlord letting to the likes of Serco will likely need a licence and it will likely be more onerous and expensive than a selective licence.
Also as a local private landlord I do not want my town streets full of non locals residents,
Lenders and insurance also need to be advised of change in use and this could prove very costly.
I have stopped calling myself a landlord and refer to myself as Property Manager. Landlord is such a dated title and Property Manager reflects the responsibility we have today, managing Property.
It's upto us all to change the narrative.
Mark W
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Sign Up0:05 AM, 6th July 2025, About 2 days ago
I would never rent to them and find it quite sad you claim anyone is.