9:04 AM, 14th March 2025, About a month ago 8
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We all know that the private rented sector across England, Wales and Scotland is under siege.
Landlords, the backbone of this market, are being punished for factors beyond their control, what with draconian legislation, council overreach and a political narrative that paints us as villains.
But here’s the kicker: as landlords exit in droves, tenants are the ones suffering most.
Is this the beginning of the end for the PRS? Or will common sense prevail?
To me, what has happened in recent years is that councils and the Conservative and Labour governments have colluded to regularly kick landlords in the stones – and then declare they don’t want to fight!
In England, the Renters’ Rights Bill is the latest blow with its periodic tenancies, a five-week deposit cap, and bans on refusing pets, tenants with children or benefit claimants.
Most of this sounds noble – unless you’re the landlord footing the bill when things go wrong.
Add the energy performance certificate (EPC) fiasco, where upgrading properties could cost thousands with poor returns for the tenant and landlord, and it’s no wonder many landlords are asking: why bother?
In Wales, heavy-handed laws have already stalled the PRS, while Scotland’s SNP government stumbles over itself, failing to get anything right for landlords or tenants.
Now there’s a real housing crisis in Scotland, or emergency, as many Scots councils are calling it.
Councils aren’t helping. In England, they can now roll out selective licensing schemes without ministerial oversight, lumping all landlords – good and bad – into the ‘rogue landlord’ category, which is one of my pet peeves.
Yet, these same councils are now increasingly begging landlords to house homeless families, pointing to a ‘housing crisis’.
In a shocking level of ignorance, they want private landlords to provide homes.
Why should landlords step up when every new rule seems designed to drive them out?
Landlords don’t have a duty to provide housing, that’s the realm of councils and social landlords.
Most private landlords aren’t sitting on gold-plated pensions like politicians or public servants; they’re investing in rented homes for their future.
But with anti-landlord measures piling up, issues like the Section 24 tax changes which hit profits, lots of landlords have already voted with their feet.
Properties are being sold off, and the cash is flowing into stocks or holiday lets instead.
Anything, it appears, that doesn’t involve the cold, dead hand of government or council interference.
The result is a shrinking PRS, rocketing rents and tenants one step away from fighting in the street over the scraps.
It’s not that long ago that tenants had choice, now they’re lucky to find anything in many areas they can afford, let alone something suitable.
Rents have soared beyond inflation and wage growth, and the housing crisis deepens.
The sad but true irony is that the very tenants these laws were meant to protect are bearing the brunt of new rules and regulations.
Not one politician, not one, seems to have any real word experience of what the consequences of their decisions will be. It’s an appalling state of affairs.
So, will policymakers reverse course? Don’t hold your breath.
Admitting fault isn’t what they do. Nor do they apologise or claim responsibility.
Instead, councils and politicians want more powers to clampdown on landlords while failing to tackle the real issue: criminal landlords.
Decent landlords want these bad apples gone too, but blanket punishment is the only tool in the box.
So, here’s the debate: should landlords keep fighting a losing battle, or is it time to abandon the PRS entirely?
If the government wants help easing the housing crisis, they could start by scrapping Section 24 and ending the landlord-bashing rhetoric.
Trust, once lost, is hard to rebuild – and sadly for many landlords, it’s already gone.
What’s your take? Are landlords the scapegoats of a broken system, or should we soldier on for the greater good?
One thing’s clear: the status quo isn’t working – for anyone.
Until next time,
The Landlord Crusader
Jason
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Sign Up9:41 AM, 14th March 2025, About a month ago
Both governments don’t care and will kill the PRS. Let’s look at early years childcare as this is happening right now (1st April). The government is forcing nurseries to offer “30 hours free childcare” to eligible parents. The government is only paying a fixed amount of money per hour below the going rate and this doesn’t cover operating costs such as food, electricity, materials etc. Now they increase costs by hiking up employee NI contributions yet they are still paying a below market rate. For example government pays £5.03 per hour but the real hourly cost is £8.30 and nursery providers are not allowed to charge the difference to government or parents. Result many independent nurseries are operating at a loss and many of these will be forced to close. How does this help economic growth. I use this off topic example as it’s been through the same erosion process of the PRS and gives a good insight as to what is to come. The P in PRS is going to be killed off.
Cider Drinker
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Sign Up10:27 AM, 14th March 2025, About a month ago
The housing crisis has ONE primary cause.
Mass migration.
Rod
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Sign Up10:36 AM, 14th March 2025, About a month ago
Reply to the comment left by Jason at 14/03/2025 - 09:41
From my latest letter to my MP highlighting concerns ovr the impact of the RRB on the PRS - tenantsa and landlords.
"Watching Pat McFadden on the politics shows last weekend, it was easy to draw a parallel between the Government's ambition to rid itself of underperforming civil servants before the introduction of Labour's proposals in their Employment Rights Bill and the actions of PRS landlords who are serving S21 notices on tenants who have underperformed or may seek to gain unfair advantage when the RRB is enacted."
This morning, care home owner Primary Health Properties included this comment in their latest accounts.
"The sector continues to see itself as part of the answer to reduce delayed discharge and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, but sector commentators note the lack of wider Government policy to work with operators, who have also experienced some (unwarranted in their view) criticism of being uncooperative."
Change a few words and this could have been issued by a landlord association.
Next Tuesday, Howz return to the Parliament to lobby Lords for amendments to the RRB.
On Wednesday, why not pop down to Old Billingsgate in London to join iHowz debate the RRB in the morning and present an update on the PRS in the afternoon.
https://www.landlordinvestmentshow.co.uk/19-march-london-education-hub
Zen
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Sign Up11:37 AM, 14th March 2025, About a month ago
I believe they did the same to small private care homes years ago. They either sold up or went bust. Look at the state the care sector is in now.
It's continual self destruction by our Governments, it just doesn't make any sense. But when did politicians have any common sense?
They have:
- created homelessness buy making the PRS unviable for many
- they're making Councils bankrupt because they are required to house the homeless, including housing uncontrolled immigrants
- they are making it impossible for the vulnerable to rent properties by continually increasing the costs in the PRS
- they are increasingly destroying our tourism industry via legislation changes including double council tax on second homes and S24 for holiday lets, as well as filling all the hotels with the homeless etc, it'll get to a point where the only options for a holiday will be camping or a flight out (not great for the environment) because there will be no B&Bs or hotel places empty and no holiday lets left
- they're continually increasing everyone's cost of living by forcing everyone have EVs and heat pumps whether people can afford it or not
- they are now putting all other businesses under pressure with their NI madness, increasing unemployment and bankrupting some
- they are bankrupting private nurseries
They are even losing control of policing and the judiciary.
When will this madness stop?
Rod
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Sign Up12:06 PM, 14th March 2025, About a month ago
Reply to the comment left by Zen at 14/03/2025 - 11:37
There's another sector you missed.
Cameron and Osborne structure Help to Buy (bribe) in favour of large house builders, who went on to reward their patronage with leaseholds on unsustainably high management and service charges, before doubling down with flammable cladding.
This has left us with a shortage of small and medium size builders with their teams of subcontractors who in addition to new build also provided resource for RMI (repair, maintain, improve) projects.
Best not stray on to yesterday's skewing of the nation's holy cow, namely the NHS. Government surplus clip boards and ring binders anyone?
Sheridan Vickers
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Sign Up13:07 PM, 14th March 2025, About a month ago
I think the whole system is toxic and aimed at ruining the good and bad landlords by an inept and traitorous government. They are an embarrassment and are nothing but criminals and ignorant as***les. It's a shame people voted for this disgusting party that is supposed to represent workers - what a joke that is. They want to take everything off us and have it for themselves. We need to stand strong and pray that we find the best lawyers to represent us landlords and put the inept government in their place. I can't believe they are getting away with this bullying and nonsense
Rakesh Joshi
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Sign Up15:36 PM, 14th March 2025, About a month ago
I would partially blame this landlord bashing onto the various landlord organisations which make out they are fighting for the landlord but never firmly stood up for the landlords. I personally cannot think of any newspaper articles where they championed the landlord or what good they were doing by renting out the properties. Nor have any articles where they put forward compulsive arguments that the various tenants charities or Councils were making grave mistakes.
All they did was sit quietly and now today the older landlords are retiring because of age but also more to do with the negativity and the draconian regulations where everything leads to a fine.
As landlords, we need to unite, I for one have started to split my rental costs onto various parts, eg.
Rent
Cost of EPC
Cost of Gas Safety
Cost of HMO License (Where applicable)
Cost of rent Guarantee Insurance
etc.
At least the tenant will wake up and understand that we are not greedy, its the council and the government.
A single voice may not be heard but can make ripples, but united voice can start the fightback towards us getting a more positive reception.
Martcole
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Sign Up14:30 PM, 16th March 2025, About a month ago
Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 14/03/2025 - 10:27
I thought I was the only one that ever said this!!