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Council quizzes landlords on income, management, future plans

Newport council in South Wales says it’s researching into the private rental sector to assess how best it can support landlords.

In the 2011 census, 8,572 households lived in the private rented sector in Newport, that was some 14 per cent of all households. By 2020, the latest figures available, there were 10,551 private rented properties in Newport owned by over 5,000 different landlords.

So far the council’s research - the ground work for which was completed last September - shows 74 per cent of respondents having been landlords for five or more years, with just five per cent being a landlord for six months or less.

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Some 68 per cent said their properties were managed either by themselves or a family member with most respondents – 85 per cent - living in Newport or elsewhere in south Wales.

Most respondents also said they relied on their rental income, with 59 per cent saying it was either their main or only income or that they would find it hard to manage without it.

Half of respondents said that they had already been affected by the end of mortgage interest rate relief and over three quarters expected to be affected by proposed increases in Capital Gains Tax. Half the landlords said they had lost income during the pandemic.

Looking to the future, the research has found that 35 per cent of landlords aim to give up letting properties completely and a further 21 per cent aim to reduce the number of properties they let. Most cited the difficulties of keeping up with laws and regulations as the reason behind their decisions.

The council says it will be producing a final report detailing the results of the survey and making recommendations about what can be done to support the private rented sector.

Towards that report, it now wants additional input from landlords, specifically:

- Demographics – how long have you been a landlord? Do you live in Newport? Do you manage your properties?

- Financial issues – how important is your rental income to your household? Have you been impacted or are likely to be impacted by any of the changes detailed above?

- Experience during the pandemic – what was your experience of being a private landlord during the pandemic? Can you relate to the experiences of the landlords that replied to this survey?

- Future of the private rented sector – do you intend to continue being a private landlord? What are the reasons for your decision? Many of the things suggested to help landlords are not in the power of the local authority. What more could the local authority do to support private landlords in Newport? Do you agree with the suggestions made by respondents to this survey?

Landlords in the area can submit your responses to all or any of these questions above by emailing housing.strategy@newport.gov.uk by September 13.

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

  • icon

    Again, another council attempting to understand the tsunami 🌊 of sell up’s and evictions to come, they are not as stupid as we think, they will be left with the problem of housing all these evicted private renter’s.

  • George Dawes

    Leave them alone , that’s a start

    Interfering incompetent councils

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    Hellooo Welsh Assembly

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