Renters’ Rights Bill sparks more chaos: Are landlords and letting agents doomed?
1 year ago | 30 comments
Harrying of landlords = scourge on tenants?
9:25 AM, 2nd April 2025, 1 year ago
6
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So here it is, government projections show landlords are selling in their droves.
It is now obvious a relatively small number of Bailiff Section 21 evictions has led to unhinged reform policy. This policy is a cull and harrying of landlords and disproportionate reduction in available rental homes.
We are witnessing private rental sector availability evaporate like some sort of perverse magic trick, as landlords choose to sell rather than rent.
The trigger was a misguided perception landlords were evicting unfairly by section 21. The evidence is 0.5% of properties were subject to a Section 21 bailiff eviction, (20,000 homes out of 4 million tenancies or 1 in 200).
Move forward some time, and the impact of the reform results suggest up to 40% of landlords are selling. This is hundreds of thousands, if not a million, fewer rental homes available. So, for a problem that previously affected 20,000, up to a million are now being directly affected with fewer homes available, and up to another three million facing higher rents due to pressure on demand.
Whilst sold homes are still occupied, they are purchased by what were the more affluent tenants. The poorer and more vulnerable will be finding life much much much more difficult to find a suitable home.
To make matters worse as rents rise due to this policy the government chose to keep housing benefit pegged making all social housing tenants worse off giving them less money to compete with.
In addressing a problem that didn’t exist for 99.5% of tenancies, the government are wreaking havoc on the most vulnerable.
This isn’t rocket surgery but simple common sense and the impact is right there in the numbers. Many many more are now losing their homes under the policy compared to previously. What good is being delivered from these reforms and who is being held to account?
What does the Property118 community think?
Thanks,
Paul
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Member Since February 2024 - Comments: 72
10:28 AM, 2nd April 2025, About 1 year ago
Well, I’m selling half my portfolio with two out of three houses being bought by first time buyers for their own home. Are other landlords seeing this trend?
Member Since August 2022 - Comments: 101
10:45 AM, 2nd April 2025, About 1 year ago
What I find perverse is that the housing crisis in the UK has translated into the persecution of landlords.
I have friends and family in other European countries (France, Germany, Denmark and Greece). The shortage in housing stock is an acute problem facing other countries too for various reasons, including illegal migration, decline in building new housing, AirBnB taking over popular spots etc.
However, what is so different here is that the private Landlord has become the scapegoat. Other governments are not beating up private landlords, they are treating them as part of the housing solution.
What I do not understand – and maybe someone here has the answer – is why landlords in the UK have become synonymous with “Housing crisis” when in fact we are actually housing people (unlike Shelter who have never sheltered anyone)?
Is this part of a leftie trend? Government being in self-denial? What exactly are we doing differently here?
Member Since February 2020 - Comments: 362
10:48 AM, 2nd April 2025, About 1 year ago
We are living in a time of neo feudalism.
Those with aspirations and hard work should end up with the same result as the feckless and slothful.
So they don’t care if landlords leave. As long as they don’t get ahead that is the main priority.
Member Since April 2021 - Comments: 95
12:05 PM, 2nd April 2025, About 1 year ago
Government policy often achieves exactly the opposite of what they set out to do. Not just in the UK, but the RRB is the latest example.
Member Since May 2015 - Comments: 2204 - Articles: 2
1:24 PM, 2nd April 2025, About 1 year ago
Reply to the comment left by Downsize Government at 02/04/2025 – 10:48
Remember that the government had decreed that Landlords do not work, so no wonder that we end up in the same category as the feckless.
Member Since May 2024 - Comments: 206
5:43 PM, 2nd April 2025, About 1 year ago
Reply to the comment left by Markella Mikkelsen at 02/04/2025 – 10:45
Ireland is also treating landlords like they are the scum of the earth and increasing legislation and they are now in a worse state than the UK. There are whole counties without a house to let on main letting sites (daft.ie) . Yes, counties, not cities. It’s been like this for over a year and the government does not care. Same is heading to the UK.
The government don’t want private landlords, the corporations run the country but they will probably not house people on benefits. But it’s ok as the government will just blame it all on private landlords selling up.