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OTHER GUIDES & TIPS

Generation Rent launches Twitter attack on holiday lets

Generation Rent, which typically attacks all landlords and especially those involved in buy to let, has instead focussed its latest social media attacks on holiday lets.

It says on Twitter: “Holiday lets are already more lucrative than tenancies - in holiday hotspots landlords can make the same income from a summer of tourists as a whole year of tenants. But holiday lets also get tax breaks and face very little regulation compared with private tenancies.

“To get the balance between locals and tourists right the government must give holiday lets the same oversight and tax treatment as private rented homes. That means: Scrapping mortgage interest relief; Local licensing schemes with caps; Powers to charge more council tax on holiday homes.

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“The government must also fund more permanently affordable homes to rent and buy in tourist hotspots. By making these changes it will be easier to incentivise second home owners into releasing their grip on housing and help locals find the homes they need.”

It then goes on to say that in recent weeks the government has promised to give councils powers to charge second homes higher council tax, and is consulting on the idea of introducing a register of tourist accommodation.

But the activist campaign says this still isn’t enough, and tweets: “We still need action on the tax loophole that makes it more profitable to rent to tourists, not tenants.” 

It then links to a year-old online petition calling for mortgage tax relief - which holiday let landlords are entitled to but private rental landlords are not - to be scrapped.

An earlier tweet by Generation Rent claims that there are nearly 300,000 holiday homes in Great Britain, including second homes and commercial holiday lets, and says that while nationally this number is “not huge” around half of second homes are located in 40 local authorities, which means they have a big impact on the supply of homes.

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  • George Dawes

    Stick to social media you lefty pillocks

    Changing the world from mum’s basement

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    Changing the world? I doubt most of them could change their socks.

     
  •  G romit

    No admission then of their roles in driving out landlords from the PRS, and in holiday lets or Airbnb, and causing the problem in the first place.
    So when they drive Landlords out altogether and there's no where rent and no jobs because there's no holiday lets to bring in tourists & their money in.
    Who's side are these people actual on? It's certainly not that of the tenants!

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    You make the classic mistake of assuming these leftards possess the ability to link cause to effect.

     
  • icon

    So GR want equal treatment between holiday lets and PRS. Here's an idea lefties.... why not reinstate MIR for private rentals? Job done, everyone happy. Only problem is that you idiots wanted it removed in the first place. Now you are reaping the benefits of what you sowed.

  • icon

    “We still need action on the tax loophole that makes it more profitable to rent to tourists, not tenants.”

    So Generation Rent usually target local rentals but now they are targeting tourist rentals because they are not local rentals!

    Its almost like they have no plan and just want to cause agro!!!!

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    Spot on

     
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    Exactly this. The politics of envy, in the greenest shade possible.

     
  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    It is not the responsibility of the Private rented sector to pick up decades of under provision of housing.

    Tenant groups would do better campaigning against the Govt who are responsible for the shortfall,
    ... which by the way, is exacerbating due to tenant group campaigning and Government interference in private business.
    ' Unintended consequences ' [sic] the govt call it !

  • icon

    Simply don’t forget the root cause of all this removing Section 21, that caused the switch. Then for good measure add Section 24.

  • icon

    It’s really quite funny isn’t it? GR campaign vigorously to get landlords out of the market, then complain when they go! Now they say they want landlords to switch back INTO private tenancies, while still campaigning to put them out of business entirely. The comedy value is better than Eastenders!

  • icon

    GR strike again with yet more lies, uninformed comments and misinformation.

    A few points:
    1. SA does not receive any tax loophole, they are taxed as a business for which loan interest is a taxable expense. If they want to improve things for renters, they could campaign to remove the extra taxes charged to landlords, and all the fees and licensing schemes which would bring more landlords back and reduce the price of rentals.

    2. They do not get tax breaks either - again, taxed just like any other business.

    3. They are not as heavily regulated compared to rentals is a ridiculous statement. Nobody lives in serviced accommodation, as long as they are safe, what regulations do you need?

    4. Where’s the acknowledgement that groups like GR have caused exactly the situation they now complain about. Be careful what you wish for…..

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    So they think implementing section 24 for Holiday Let’s will lead to me releasing homes back for residential use? Not a chance. Section 24 was why I moved to short let’s in the first place because it wiped out my profits in BTL. Ill still make much more money from short let’s even with S24. The only thing that will lead me to returning properties to BTL is it’s scrapping not it’s extending!!

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