Hostility towards landlords becomes a growing concern

I have long said we are being used as a smoke screen to hide the problems caused by population increase and a real lack of sustainable employment, particularly for the young.

It’s a tried and tested political tactic. Give people a group to hate and it deflects blame for everything towards them. Small Private landlords are an easy target. The Tories started it and Labour have continued. Actually the RRA has been great for me. I’m now making more money, from fewer properties and with a lot less hassle. All my “problem” properties were snapped up (at over asking price) by an overseas investor group who evicted all the tenants and converted the properties to HMOs. The loosers from the RRA are the firmer tenants now in temporary accommodation, the neighbours of my former properties who have seen a marked increase in antisocial behaviour and my local council who contact my rental agent on a daily basis asking if he has anything available. A marked change from a couple of years ago when most contact was threatening action on some alleged infraction. My remaining tenants are also loosers, they now get annual rent increases and mandatory 6 monthly inspections to ensure properties are still in an acceptable state. Prior to the RRA some of my tenants hadn’t had a rent increase for years (nearly 15 years in one case). They are now terrified I’m going to sell up since there is literally nowhere for them to go.

I have come in for much criticism from the media over the years.

I have walked away and sold up.

Every time a landlord sells up it is less accommodation for tenants.

The other side of the story that no one sees other than the landlord, is the actual verbal and physical hostility.

The landlord is very often the only person on whom discontent for everything is raged on, irrespective of whether we are involved or not. Due to political indoctrination and media bias we represent ‘everything wrong with the country’.

As soon I step into a property now I am aware that if that tenant happens to be having a bad day, I will inevitably be in the firing line.

Its your fault I cant afford the top ups to the rent.
It all profit to you.
Your have your house, you are ok
You aren’t on benefits
This issue in the property is your problem not mine (usually mould due to condensation build up, lack of heat and ventilation)
You don’t need to check every 4/6 months.

Do we need to start thinking about chaperones/ body cams I wonder as things turn for the worse….?

We should rename ourselves from landlords to something a bit more user friendly.

If Labour can rename ‘rent control’ as ‘rent stabilisation’ I’m sure we can do the same.

Reply to the comment left by Fergus Wilson at 14/08/2026 – 10:37
To be fair, the media criticism was probably justified in your case. In fact I suspect that many landlords would blame you and others like you for much of what this article is talking about.

Reply to the comment left by DPT at 14/08/2026 – 10:44
The circuit judge at Maidstone County Court said there is no evidence that Mr Wilson has done any of the things attributed to him by the media.

Reply to the comment left by Fergus Wilson at 14/08/2026 – 10:37
Fergus did you manage to sell any of your properties to first time buyers or did you have to resort to investors?

Reply to the comment left by Stella at 14/08/2026 – 10:56
The answer is Yes!

Some of them.

Reply to the comment left by Ryan Stevens at 14/08/2026 – 10:44
Privat Home Providers