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12:19 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago 21
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The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called for an emergency private renting summit – but landlords aren’t invited.
He will bring together private renters, charities, advocacy groups and politicians to call on the Government to urgently tackle London’s spiralling rental crisis.
The call comes after a survey reveals that 40% of Londoners think they will struggle to meet rent payments in the next six months.
As part of the call, Mr Khan says the average advertised London rent has hit £2,343 – that’s more than double than other parts of the UK.
But the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says the mayor must invite landlords if he wants to resolve the problem.
The mayor has also repeated his previous call for the Government to freeze rents in London.
He says that London’s tenants are facing ‘multiple crises’ from escalating rents, insecure tenancies and unsafe homes.
The mayor says he is making a ‘call to action’ for Ministers to immediately implement long-promised renters reform legislation to give tenants the security and safety they ‘urgently need’ – and to take action to make ‘rents more affordable’ for Londoners.
Mr Khan said: “London’s private renters are facing a triple whammy with rising rents, bills and the cost of household essentials putting a major strain on their finances.
“Ministers must take this crisis seriously and act now.”
He added: “There is no time to waste so we have come together to speak with one voice.
“Our demands to ministers are simple: implement your long-promised renters reform legislation and take action now to make rents more affordable for Londoners, using all powers at the government’s disposal.
“As we continue working to build a better, fairer London for everyone, it’s vital that we stand up for renters in our city and find common ground on the action that needs to be taken to support them through the cost-of-living crisis, pay their rent and keep their homes.”
Alicia Kennedy, the director of Generation Rent, said: “When rents are rising on new tenancies, no private renter is safe.
“It is too easy for your landlord to demand a higher rent when they know they can evict you and re-let to someone else who is willing to pay it.
“People who don’t want to move are being priced out of their homes and forced to compete in this hellish market. And the cost-of-living crisis is making it even worse.”
She added: “The government can alleviate rising living costs for renters immediately with a freeze on rents on existing tenancies and suspension of Section 21 evictions so landlords can’t evict simply to re-let at a higher rent.”
Responding to the Mayor’s plans to hold an emergency summit on the private rented sector, Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the NRLA, said: “It is disappointing in the extreme that the Mayor of London feels he can solve the challenges faced in the capital’s rental market without any input from those who actually provide the homes.
“The stark and simple reality is that whilst the demand for private rented housing in London continues to increase, the supply of such homes is falling.
“This is a direct consequence of Government policy aimed at shrinking the size of the sector, along with rhetoric from the mayor that suggests private landlords are simply a problem to be managed.”
He added: “If the Mayor wants to address the cost pressures faced by households across London, he needs to focus on boosting the number of homes available.
“Anything else would merely be tinkering with the symptoms of the challenges in the rental market, without tackling the root cause of them.”
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DP
14:26 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago
Exactly BUT, we need to do something more positive even radical to that currently being done so as to bring this to wider attention ie we need to find a way to get this message across ie TV programme would be good that is not just biased or full of sensationalism about bad tenants and landlords but that puts out the facts to counteract the jaundiced or perceived idea about letting out property. It should be two way street like any other business with fairness, safeguards and penalties for wrong doers for both property investor and tenant which can be clearly understood and operated efficiently at its core. We need to find a way forward not just keep waiting for the next lot of bad news or interference to come down from Westminster, it is within everyones interests to achieve this goal surely. We keep posting on this site its but it needs a properly organised movement getting off the ground by those who represent us or who are in a position to know how and what to to do.
JamesB
17:19 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago
Why let landlords get in the way of some good tenant vote chasing
Nelly101
17:26 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago
So it’s ok for banks and mortgage companies to put rates up but he wants to safe guard renters from higher rents .Exit private landlords and you will have the biggest housing crisis this country has ever seen.I suggest he starts looking at the true value of the private rental market and stops landlord bashing for votes.
Paul Essex
17:38 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago
He wants to freeze rents so they have money left for his council tax and ulez increases - funnily enough these won't be frozen!
Andrew57
18:10 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago
Maybe if everyone stopped punishing landlords and allowed them tax relief on mortgages etc, then they would be able to charge lower rents but no. Punish the landlords and then punish them again, just because they are trying to survive under a corrupt regime.
peter lassman
18:42 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago
I thought we lived in a Democratic Society where EVERYONE was allowed to have their say, clearly not as far as Landlords are concerned or should I say where Khan is concerned, he wants to freeze our Rent but not as already stated in earlier posts, ULEZ, Congestion charges and Council Tax, these will not be Frozen and Neither will MPs Salaries in line with inflation maybe the wife’s of certain Politicians that have just saved Millions of pounds by using so called Tax Loopholes will donate and Share their I’ll gotten Gains with the needy!! I think not 😡
SimonP
18:55 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by Paul Essex at 14/11/2022 - 17:38
Yep. And whenever I have void periods, I am having to pay 100% council tax PLUS standing charges on gas and electric PLUS the cost of gas being used to keep said empty property safe for the next tenants.
For some reason my buildings insurance shot up this year by 25%. I managed to negotiate them down a bit but time became too short to find another provider. Shouldn't there be a price freeze on insurance too? Supermarket prices are up as well. How about price freezes there too?
I guess LLs are an easy target. Same with taxes. So much for HMRC saying that all taxpayers, sorry CUSTOMERS, are treated equally. BS.
Andrew57
20:49 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by peter lassman at 14/11/2022 - 18:42
The UK ceased to be a democracy a long time ago. It is a corrupt regime that only rewards those who are part of the old boys network. We become more like a communist regime every day!
Steve Masters
21:24 PM, 14th November 2022, About A year ago
I have been a landlord for half my life and full time landlord for over ten years. This is how I earn my living. I'm a professional landlord.
However, I don't like to be called a landlord any more, it's a dirty word. I prefer to call my self a professional home provider, because that's what I do, I provide homes for 33 people who can't afford or choose not to put all the hard work in to buying and running a property like I do.
Or at least, like I used to to do!
I thought I would see out my days taking pride in providing decent homes for people. But not any more. I can't fight the government who obviously have an agender against landlords. I've had enough. What's the point. I'm out. Bit by bit I'm selling up.
I wanted to sell to other landlords but my houses are so nice the yields aren't there, so I'm selling one lovely big Victorian house to a private buyer. It will make one family a lovely new home but I'm about to give notice to 9 people that they will need to find a new home themselves. Such a shame. They are lovely tenants.
When will the authorities realise that landlords are not the problem, they are part of the solution.
Authorities: Talk to landlords and work with us.
Every new expense that is forced on to landlords eventually gets passed on to tenants. Stop landlord bashing, you are actually tenant bashing.
The real problem is that we are not building enough homes and the real solution is to build more homes. Simple. Not easy, but simple.
Kevyn Jones
1:03 AM, 15th November 2022, About A year ago
Another cynical ploy by Sadiq Khan.
This is simply a case of supply and demand. Demand for property in London exceeds supply. If rents are set artificially low, this will increase demand and make the housing shortage worse.
However, this will not bother Khan. Those with cheap rents will vote for him. But those he has driven out of London or can't move to London because of his policy, won't be able to vote him out, as they will not live in London!