Do more to help landlords in tourist hotspots, politi...

The agents’ trade body Propertymark says it wants the Welsh Government to do more to support landlords letting in tourist hotspots.

The Welsh Government is consulting on proposed legislation which from April will allow local councils to raise the maximum council tax premium on second homes to 300 per cent, as well as exercise other potential restrictions on short lets.

Propertymark says it’s critical of the proposals, which it claims are making some landlords already sell up.

It claims many of the properties likely to be used as holiday lets are already priced at £450,000 to £600,000 so are in any case unaffordable to many local people.

However, it says it backs the proposals for areas “where holiday homes make up the bulk of housing stock and adversely impact communities, the Welsh language and housing options for local people”.

But it is demanding more help for landlords. In particular this would include an annual increase in Local Housing Allowance, the scrapping of the UK-wide Shared Accommodation Rate for single tenants under 35, and incentives for all Welsh local authorities to spend Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in full and to consider top ups where necessary.

A Propertymark spokesperson says: “[The Welsh Government] need to support landlords and increase housing supply where tourism is in high demand, including taxation incentives, boosting local authorities’ levels of Discretionary Housing Payments and improving positive communication with landlords.

“Rather than continued punitive measures on letting agents and landlords which will further restrict supply, we believe it would be far more positive if the Welsh Government did more to increase supply within the PRS.

“While many of the levers to boost supply within the PRS are not currently within the legislative competence of the Welsh Government and reserved for the UK Government, we believe that the Welsh Government should use its influence to communicate with the UK Government.”

Landlord Today returns on Wednesday December 28, and wishes all readers and their families a fabulous Christmas and a well-deserved break!

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Andrew townshend
23 December 2022 10:26 AM

2 Guys my wife used to work with were on holiday in Wales, they had a drink in a pub where all the locals were speaking Welsh and being very rude about them, however one of these guys was born in Wales and the other could speak a little Welsh so they started speaking in Welsh themselves, the pub went silent, they finished their drinks and left quickly before a fight started