Landlords must work with councils to tackle housing crisis – claim

“the heart of the housing crisis lies with landlords refusing to work with councils.”

“According to Mr Angus, many landlords are hesitant to let their properties through councils due to fears of property damage and lower financial returns compared to the private rented sector.”

Is that really the landlords fault?
Could it be “the heart of the housing crisis lies with councils refusing to provide a decent offering to landlords.”

The heart of the housing crisis is inextricably linked to the migration crisis.
Landlords don’t build houses. We buy them. Then we rent them to tenants.
Successive governments have encouraged mass migration (it helps with GDP growth) and failed to build houses for our newly imported benefits claimants.
I’d never work either a Council nor a government that treats landlords as if they were the enemy.

I had never heard of Switch Management before this article. This statement from Mr Angus discredits them in my opinion.

Experts in hospitality perhaps. Let us be hospitable to our new renters from far off lands. Experts in housing? I don’t think so.

Reply to the comment left by Downsize Government at 02/05/2025 – 09:48
Could it be the heart of the housing crisis lies with councils treating private sector landlords as cash cows.

Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 02/05/2025 – 12:04
Landlords have to protect themselves- noone else has got our back.

I have had a sizeable portfolio that began it’s existence in 1992.

I experimented in engaging with council schemes about 15 years ago and stopped within a couple of years. Unmitigated disaster that cost me a fortune and caused a huge amount of stress. Ungrateful, entitled low quality tenants with no skin in the game.

You can work out a lot for yourself I’m sure, without me documenting it at length.

But in the final analysis, when problems arise you hear such words from the council ‘Tenant won’t engage what can we do?’ and basically your on your own to deal with the problems they’ve housed in your property.

Mu advice- stay well clear.

Reply to the comment left by Saul Smart at 02/05/2025 – 14:25
My sister bought a ex-council flat despite my warnings, and took a 3 year lease agreement with them because she was new to BTL and it was convenient. Long story short, it cost them a fortune and she’s selling up!

.”..due to fears of property damage and lower financial returns compared to the private rented sector…”
So basically run your business at a loss after all the other factors are taken into account
The LHA rate is set for the ‘poorer’ properties for a reason:- Government Policy.
Now LLs are being expected to carry the can.
It’s laughable.

The heart of the housing crisis is down to councils not having enough social homes. The PRS is not synonymous with low income tenancies and should not be relied upon as such.
Small landlords are being constantly stabbed in the back with government legislation that favours the corporations but expect us to help out councils against our best interests.

“The reluctance of private landlords to engage with councils is at the heart of the housing crisis“
This should read:
The reluctance of councils to engage with landlords is at the heart of the housing crisis
I worked in a multiagency environment for decades and brought statutory agencies together to work on holistic solutions . The council just do not get what that means though to do that within the PRS . You get the odd excellent individual but invariable they were headhunted and moved on. I`ve met with the Council`s top dog Housing Directors twice in the past to try and explain to them my LL perspective but it was a brick wall . I sat on some random housing committee once or twice as an invited guest and my advice fell on deaf ears with zero follow up afterwards. It was a paper tick box exercise for them rather than a meaningful engagement
Until they rid themselves of their self appointed arrogance and sense of superiority they will always fail to engage meaningfully with the PRS. Their dogmatic culture is so embedded it would need a sea change to shift their attitude to truly engage .
I haven’t seen such a shift in the past 25 yrs and i suspect i wont in the next 25. I have just had another example today when an LHA claim ( paid direct to me for the past 5 years ) was suddenly cancelled as it transitioned to UC . I get why it transitioned but no one had the courtesy at the council to inform me of that decision . The first I knew about it was when the money didn’t drop into my account. Its just basic manners to inform me before it happens but they never ever do
I work around them as they wont work with me. The tenants suffer of course and my email to the tenant today to tell them they are now in rent arrears will stress them out . UC will automatically ignore the direct payment arrangement I had with LHA due to their vulnerability . They will pay it to the tenant and the chances are they wont pay it on to me . They will spend it on binge drinking session and end up having their stomach pumped out at the local hospital . Thats what happened with my first tenant on their LHA / UC transition well over 5 yrs ago . She begged DWP to continue to pay me direct as she knew she was weak with alcohol . They ignored that and told her she had to learn to manage her own money .
So I expect history will repeat itself . The council hasn’t learnt in the last 25 yrs . I`ve reduced my exposure to LHA/ UC by 80% as a direct result of Councils refusing to engage with me. If their attitude changed I would look to reverse that 80% decline
Good Luck Mr Angus on your mission . I hope you succeed where dozens and dozens of housing providers before you have failed miserably
Maybe first though check out
Matthew 7:5

How about councils stop shafting landlords at every opportunity.

Huge penalties or fines if something was missed.

Tenants don’t pay rent councils tell them to stay.

Tenant cause damage councils insist landlords fix.

Big issue at present mould in properties. Tenants cannot afford heating bills.

Don’t ventilate or open windows . Won’t use the heating.

But it is all landlords fault.

Then we have the council who think we are cash cows to tax out of existence.