The boss of a hospitality and housing management firm says the failure of private landlords to engage with councils is a central cause of the housing crisis.

John Angus, managing director at Switch Management, makes the accusation in a column in the Inside Housing industry journal.

In a piece titled “The reluctance of private landlords to engage with councils is at the heart of the housing crisis”. Angus says that with a chronic shortage of social housing, local authorities have become reliant on sourcing temporary accommodation in what he calls “increasingly expensive and often substandard accommodation.”

He chronicles the rising cost of council spending on temporary accommodation, especially in major cities, and says: “At the heart of this crisis lies a significant and often overlooked barrier: the reluctance of private landlords to engage with local authorities.”

Angus says this reluctance is based on poor past experiences and possibly outdated perceptions of working with councils, but he claims companies such as his – acting on behalf of councils – can turn this around.

“Landlords benefited from guaranteed rental income and professional management services, which maximised their property’s potential without any additional letting or maintenance fees. Fully underwritten bills provided financial security and regular inspections meant that any issues were swiftly rectified. By managing the process end-to-end, we ensured the administrative burden was simplified, too” he says.

You can read his full piece here: https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/the-reluctance-of-private-landlords-to-engage-with-councils-is-at-the-heart-of-the-housing-crisis-91473