Private landlords provide an increasingly vital source of affordable and flexible accommodation for many people and the government should do more to support them, according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).
The importance of the private rented market in this country should not be underestimated. In the context of high house prices and limitations to the availability and growth of social housing stock, a new report by the Resolution Foundation has found that up to a third of millennials - those born between 1980 and 1996 - face living in private rented accommodation all their lives.
But the government’s decision to introduce a series of anti-landlord policies, especially in relation to tax legislation, means that many buy-to-let investors are now thinking twice about investing in property, thus threatening to reduce the supply of much needed housing stock in the PRS.
Recent research by the RLA has found that 69% of landlords are deterred from investing in further homes to rent as a result of the government’s 3% stamp duty levy on the purchase of homes to rent out.
David Smith, Policy Director for the Residential Landlords Association, commented: “The [Resolution Foundation] report shows the perfect storm that young people face. With home ownership remaining difficult for many to access, demand for homes to rent continues to increase. This is at a time when government tax increases are discouraging many landlords from investing in new homes to rent out.”
Given that many landlords with low profit margins could soon end up making a loss as a result of recent tax changes, the RLA is calling for a number of reforms to support those in rented housing.
The trade body wants to see the stamp duty scrapped for landlords who invest in property, a combination of tax incentives and improvements to the process for regaining possession of a property, action to stop mortgage providers from prohibiting landlords from offering longer tenancies, the establishment of a new housing court, and relief from capital gains tax where a landlord is prepared to sell a property to a sitting tenant.
Smith added: “Ministers need to make pragmatic changes to their approach to private rented housing, with a series of policies that support, rather than attack, the majority of private landlords who are individuals to invest in the new homes to rent we need alongside all other tenures.
“This includes greater support and encouragement for those prepared to offer longer tenancies but who are concerned about being locked into agreements where tenants might be failing to pay their rent, not looking after their property or committing anti-social behaviour.”
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It's easier to beat landlords up to get votes from Generation Rent than help "greedy nasty landlords who provide unsafe homes at extortionate prices"
Only when we get to the stage they did in Ireland will this government reverse Section 24 and it's other anti-landlord policies. But I won't hold my breath.
generation rent will never vote tory--may is a fool--same with muslim vote
What actually happened in Ireland
Look at the windrush debacle, same level of utter failure being applied to PRS.
Rents rocketed By 50% mass sell offs and homelessness like never been seen before and Ireland’s version was far less harsh than s24 and wasn’t retrospective this tax is going to be carnage.
i hope so
We definitely create lots of job opportunities by working with landlords, landlords have good and bad, like all other industry, there are good tenants and bad ones too. Balance is what we need in society. Since some politicians have been named here, we would like to emphasis there are lots of us support May, be careful about J.Corbyn style - Divide and Rule, to turn people against each other. This is the least we need in a modern civilised society. We should support people who are trying to do the correct things. We support the idea to support private landlords rather than attack, you have no idea how much Sxxx we have to swallow from a weak jurisdiction system, misbehaved agents, lease management companies and rude contractors. Landlords seem like a last piece of meat in the ocean for all the sharks to come to chew up. With all the tests and fees we need to pay back to support the society, the first month rent is 0 net profit already. Who still think they have the right to attack landlords?
Let's not forget landlords do support lots of tradesmen, electricians,...etc., and keep them in business.
So indirectly, one can say landlords do employ many individuals.
but govt hates self-employed!
Russia would be more business friendly.
well we can pull together or we can pull apart, this government, and labour, have made it very clear we will be pulling apart. the up shot is the homeless street sleepers will increase greatly
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