Support Landlords Or Lose Our Votes

Support Landlords Or Lose Our Votes

8:41 AM, 20th April 2017, About 7 years ago 17

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With the General Election just weeks away, we need to send the message loud and clear that landlords have had enough. We will not accept the constant attacks by Government and we demand the immediate scrapping of Section 24, which constitutes the worst attack on landlords in the history of the UK.

Many Conservative MPs are in marginal seats. They should not feel safe. They should know that they cannot count on our votes. They have betrayed the landlords of this country and punished us for the crime of providing housing.

We are therefore urging all landlords, but especially those whose MPs have small Conservative majorities, to write to their MPs and also to go and visit them and ask them for a promise in writing of how they are going to support landlords and specifically what they are going to do to get Section 24 scrapped.

Here is the full list of marginal seats (including seats held by other parties which the Conservatives will be targeting) >> https://news.rla.org.uk/mp-tenant-tax/

 

Barry Fitzpatrick at Property118 states:

“There’s an average of 3,000 landlords per constituency (2 million  divided by 650 constituencies).

Assuming most landlords voted Conservative last time around, if 50% changed (that is 1,500 landlords in each constituency) and voted for the runner up, all things being equal, approximately 30 Conservative MPs on the list of marginals would lose their seats.”

 

These MPs need to be told in no uncertain terms that landlords pose a threat to their position.

We especially urge anyone who is or who knows a landlord in Gavin Barwell’s constituency of Croydon Central (he has a majority of 165!) to get this message across.

I wrote to Gavin Barwell yesterday (sending an email directly to him at gavin.barwell.mp@parliament.uk and also via my MP), as follows (you can adapt the message so that it suits you and whip one off to him):

 

‘Dear Mr Barwell.

I understand that you have a very small majority in your constituency. I would like to suggest that this is now very much in jeopardy as you will be losing many votes from private landlords. I am looking forward therefore to some kind of statement fairly soon that you are going to fight tooth and nail and get Philip Hammond to change his mind and reverse Section 24. If you do this, then the landlord bodies and individual landlords will back you and advise their members who are landlords in your constituency to vote for you. Obviously if you make no headway on this before the General Election you face the very real possibility of losing your seat.

 All the best.

 Dr Rosalind Beck

Portfolio landlord and campaigner against Section 24.’

 

We need to flood his mail bag so that he knows we mean business. If he gets enough emails from landlords in his constituency especially, it may concentrate his mind enough to get him to try and make Philip Hammond see sense.

Please post your efforts in comments below to inspire others. We need to keep up the momentum and make them listen to us.

If you are a member of the RLA and NLA please insist you are kept up to date with what they are also doing. The RLA has been targeting marginal constituencies already, so help out with their efforts also. We are in this together. We have a window of opportunity and some leverage for a change, so let’s use it to GET SECTION 24 SCRAPPED!


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Comments

Annie Landlord

12:09 PM, 20th April 2017, About 7 years ago

I agree we need to lobby as much as possible. I do think that it will be more fruitful (and truthful) to continually talk about landlords AND tenants in every communication. So, we need the MPs to support landlords AND tenants by seeking the reversal of clause 24. Hence the argument would be that there are an average of 1500 landlords per constituency, representing x thousands of tenants. The argument can go to all MPs surely, not just Tory?

CazT

16:15 PM, 20th April 2017, About 7 years ago

I've just added my two cents worth to Mr Barwell! In light of Annie Landlord's post I have reworded it accordingly:

Dear Mr Barwell

I understand that you and many other Conservative MP's have a very small majority in their constituencies coming up to the June election. I would think that those seats are now very much in jeopardy as all of you will be losing many votes from private landlords and their thousands of tenants! I am looking forward, therefore, to a statement from you and your fellow MP's, that you are going to fight tooth and nail to get Philip Hammond to change his mind and reverse Section 24. If you do this, then the landlord bodies, individual landlords and tenants, will back you and will urge their landlord members and tenants in their constituency to vote for you and your colleagues. Stalling on commitment to addressing this grossly unfair tax will put you all in a place where the very real possibility of losing seats becomes a certainty.

Yours sincerely

Carol Thomas
Landlady

Apologies to Dr Ros for paraphrasing her original but everything helps, I hope!

Dr Rosalind Beck

18:02 PM, 20th April 2017, About 7 years ago

Good work there. Hopefully others are writing who haven't posted here otherwise this will be a damp squib.

CazT

18:05 PM, 20th April 2017, About 7 years ago

We must keep pushing and it can't just fall on a certain few to fight all the battles! No support = nothing achieved! Come on people, pile in at will......

Dr Rosalind Beck

18:09 PM, 20th April 2017, About 7 years ago

Actually, I was just reading through my emails and one pal has also sent a letter to Barwell and been hammering him on Twitter.

Anthony Endsor

20:01 PM, 20th April 2017, About 7 years ago

I think it would be even better if we got our tenants to write to the MP's as well.
Which MP in a marginal constituency could ignore this:
Dear (name of (presumably) Conservative MP)

I have recently had a letter from my Landlord saying that the rent on my property is to go up by £50 a month from 1st July. He tells me this is because of increased costs, mainly caused by a government bill called section 24, which apparently means he has to pay more tax.
I don't know a lot about these things myself. I just work and get paid and that's it. My salary pays the bills and we get by. Or at least we did. How we are going to manage now, I don't know. I was already struggling to pay the rent, along with all the other bills. Now I've got to find another £50 a month. I'll probably get by for a few months, but after that I'm gonna be homeless along with my 3 kids.
I can't believe a Prime Minister who promised to help people like me who were just about managing has betrayed me in this way. I have friends who have told me the same thing, and no they do not have the same Landlord, but they have all been told the same thing. It's because of section 24.
If I lose my home, I'll probably lose my job as well, as I will have to relocate. There's hardly any properties in the area to rent now, and those that are available have rents I would have no chance of being able to pay. I really don't know what to do, but I would really beg you to support me with this. Please get the Chancellor to reverse this section 24 so me and my kids can stay in our home. I've lived here for 8 years now and am really happy here. I've got loads of friends in the area, I love my job, and I love this house. I don't want to move. Please help me.
(name of distressed tenant)

If section 24 isn't reversed, this could actually be a reality from one of my tenants. I wrote this with them in mind.

Gary Dully

12:14 PM, 21st April 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Anthony Endsor" at "20/04/2017 - 20:01":

Dear tenant,

Are you going to vote for a £3500 per year rent rise on the 8th of June?

I would suggest that you enquire with any prospective MP in your area, what their thoughts are on the abolishment of the so called "Tenant Tax", or Section 24 of the Finance Act 2015, in which many private landlords will be passing the costs for, onto their tenants soon after the election.

Introduced by this government on the 6th April, 2017, it has not filtered through in higher rents yet, but unfortunately soon will do shortly after the election.

Ask your prospective MP whet they intend doing about it?

If they suggest something stupid like a rent cap, you can probably expect to lose your home if we go bankrupt trying to pay for it.

Obviously without the ability to raise your rent,-as the tax is based on turnover and not profit, unlike all other UK businesses,the consequences will be devastating for tenants like yourself.

Our accountants tell us that it will cost you £3500 in extra rent each year, just to pay the additional tax.

We can't pay it, if we don't collect the extra required via your rent.

I would suggest that you Tweet to your prospective MP or email them.

I hope you choose your next MP wisely.

Kind Regards

Gary Dully
# Vote UKIP

Dr Rosalind Beck

20:55 PM, 21st April 2017, About 7 years ago

CazT

10:38 AM, 22nd April 2017, About 7 years ago

Just out of curiosity, did anyone else watch eastenders a couple of days ago? They were hammering landlords! Could not believe my ears - they usually do their research but in this case it seems like they've either jumped on the uninformed Bandwagon or been forced on it by the Beeb!
My BP went through the roof!!

Dr Rosalind Beck

10:54 AM, 22nd April 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "CazT " at "22/04/2017 - 10:38":

Hi Caz. I didn’t see it but this stuff is insidious and powerful and massively affects public perceptions. The likes of Shelter demonising us over the years and the media picking up on this fuels public misconceptions and then these soaps add fuel to the fire. Sounds like a lazy, uninspired, stereotypical storyline, with prejudiced views about one occupational group. We have quite a challenge over the next few years in reversing this tidal wave of crap.

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