If Landlord Today’s comments section had been asked to predict Andy Burnham’s first week as Prime Minister, the answer would probably have been unanimous.

“Here we go again.” (Followed by a collective groan.)

Within hours of Burnham entering Downing Street and reappointing Angela Rayner as Housing Secretary, many readers had already reached their verdict. The suggestion that Greater Manchester could become a test bed for rent controls merely confirmed what they already feared.

John Hughes saw “the onslaught” beginning. Simon Logan questioned whether politicians would ever learn that rent controls simply don’t work. Sarah Fox-Moore advised landlords to consider selling before things became even more difficult, while Tricia Urquhart blamed what she called the “war on landlords” for pushing rents ever higher.

Then came the appointment of Angela Rayner.

“The lunatics have truly taken over the asylum,” wrote one reader. “Be scared, be very scared,” warned another. Others predicted more landlords leaving the sector, higher homelessness and further damage to an already fragile rental market.

After everything landlords have experienced over the past decade, perhaps that’s understandable. Tax changes, licensing, EPC requirements, the Renters’ Rights Act, ever-increasing compliance obligations and tougher enforcement have left many feeling that the direction of travel has only ever been one way.

So when a new Prime Minister talks about rent controls and brings back a Housing Secretary many blame for accelerating those changes, it’s hardly surprising that confidence is in short supply.

But before we write the next few years, perhaps there’s one thing worth remembering.

Andy Burnham’s record in Greater Manchester is rather more nuanced than this week’s comments might suggest.

Nobody could accuse him of being anti-regulation. He championed higher housing standards, supported licensing schemes and made no secret of his belief that poor landlords should be driven out of the sector.

Less well remembered is that he also consistently argued that the private rented sector was an essential part of Greater Manchester’s housing mix and said he wanted good landlords to remain in it. His Good Landlord Charter wasn’t designed to abolish private renting. It was an attempt (whether landlords agreed with it or not) to distinguish between responsible landlords and those damaging the sector’s reputation.

That doesn’t mean landlords’ concerns about rent controls should suddenly disappear – Burnham could well seriously consider them.

But running Downing Street is rather different from running Great Ancoats Street.

The pressures are greater. The compromises are harder. National policy has consequences that extend far beyond one city region.

Burnham ended his first speech outside Number 10 with a promise that his first instruction would be to end rough sleeping in Britain. Whether he succeeds is another matter entirely, but it tells us something about how he views housing. For him, it is as much a social issue as an economic one.

That philosophy will undoubtedly concern some landlords. After all, landlords are running businesses, not charities.

For now, though, one thing is beyond dispute – Andy Burnham hasn’t actually done anything yet.

There will be plenty of time to judge this government by its actions.

Until then, perhaps the wisest course is simply to wait and see what happens next.

Until next time,

N