Labour plans government funded Renters’ Union

Reply to the comment left by Appalled Landlord at 27/09/2018 - 11:20
No doubts Landlords will be billed for that cash. Will we be able to pass that to tenants, I don't know.
I am disappointed that NLA seems to welcome such initiative, which is clearly against the Landlords they supposed to serve.
They could come with a similar idea for Landlords. They have not.

Reply to the comment left by Appalled Landlord at 27/09/2018 - 11:14
One such welcome union was launched in July

“Millions of people are stuck paying extortionate rents they cannot afford, only to face eviction and homelessness at a moment’s (sic) notice. Renters have few if any rights to fall back on, and no collective voice. Meanwhile profiteering landlords are represented by powerful (sic) lobbies. In London alone, they are set to rake in £22bn over the next year from rental yields.

“Renters are more than just a convenient source of income for property investors – we’re people who need homes to live and thrive in. Ending Section 21 is a vital first step to removing incentives for landlordism and profiteering from housing, and toward a housing model based on homes for people not profit.”

https://londonrentersunion.org/2018/labour-announce-end-section21-support-renter-unions/

Ending Section 21 is a step towards removing landlords.

This is all that the London Renters Union is fighting for:

“Decent standards in housing
Minimum standards for all rented properties, with full monitoring and enforcement processes that listen to renters
Rent controls
Rents that take account of local incomes, decided by democratic bodies
Genuinely affordable housing
Housing that doesn’t impoverish us, whether to buy or to rent
Indefinite tenancies
End no fault (Section 21) evictions, remove end dates from tenancies, place limits on rent rises
No discrimination in access to housing
Forbid landlords discriminating against those on benefits (DSS), renters with children, those who can’t raise large deposits, or on grounds of identity
No borders in housing
End right to rent and nationality requirements for social housing, no border checks in licensing or enforcement regimes
Public housing available to all
End right to buy, fund councils to build and renovate good quality housing for their waiting lists, prioritising anyone vulnerable and in need
Housing for people not profit
End the politics and culture of property as investment rather than to house people
These demands were agreed at our first Member Forum which took place in Newham on July 4th 2018. They’ll continue to be discussed and developed by everyone in the union as we grow and learn. London Renters Union is member-led and member forums and meetings are key parts of the union’s democracy.”
https://londonrentersunion.org/2018/deciding-our-demands/

Reply to the comment left by Appalled Landlord at 27/09/2018 - 12:25
They have DEMANDS... What are they prepared to provide in return? The quoted list - at least some items - must have been taken from the Marxsism's economy books. I wonder how the banks would react to that and how the government is going to scrap 'right to rent' check so the houses are really for all.
Time to leave the sector, especially in London..

Maybe another point to add to the above list, would be for Landlords to let Tenants live in their properties for FREE!

Reply to the comment left by David Lester at 27/09/2018 - 14:46
You may think that is far-fetched but the recently published Rugg report stated their researchers found that some renters in receipt of benefits thought that being on benefits ought to entitle them to free housing. If you get free prescriptions, free school meals and so forth perhaps that view does not seem at all unreasonable.

Reply to the comment left by Rod at 24/09/2018 - 15:20
Sorry, I am a bit behind recently, what are we supposed to write about to JH? Is there a consultation?
Apologies for my ignorance - and thanks in advance!

There are numerous global examples of how unions have had the opposite effect of what they where intended to facilitate , automation being one of the prime examples.
What is clear from the comments is that landlords need to unite and face these discriminatory practices and proposed laws head on . I say landlords unite and take a proactive stance against these unfair practices.
The law biding landlords provide badly needed accomodation and assist the state in dealing with the housing problem , why is it that instead of dealing with rogue tenants and assisting law abiding landlords create a culture of respect for rented property , all the law obiding private landlords seem to get is victimisation . THIS IS WRONG

Will this Renters Union support tenants to bring cases against social landlords too? Perhaps it could have helped the 1000 households of Luminus Housing whose gas safety checks were out of date? Or the tragic residents of Grenfell Tower whose local authority seems to have misinterpreted fire safety guidelines? Or the numerous SRS tenants who complain about the length of time taken for repairs.
Does anyone know how the government, councils or report writers ascertain what percentage of SRS housing is unsafe or not meeting the decent homes standard? (For that matter, how do they arrive at the figures bandied about for the PRS?) Many councils have given all their housing stock to a Housing Trust. In the particular area I know about, the Housing Trust has never made a concerted effort to inspect their properties - so who knows what condition they are in?
Level playing field?

If Corbyn gets in, every one of the 30 properties I own gets sold before Labour confiscate them and give them to my tenants! The Labour proposals are only the tip of what’s secretly planned for landlords.
Labour are run by fantasists, all their policies including rent controls have failed miserably everywhere they’ve been tried. In the end it will be the poorest who suffer the most.