Apparently the ‘majority’ of buy-to-let investors want the title of ‘landlord’ to be dispensed with and changed to something similar along the lines of ‘small housing provider’, this is according to results taken from a survey with landlords by a specialist lender.

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It claims that around 59 per cent apparently feel the term ‘landlord’ is out of date and very much a relic, with 43 per cent wishing to be labelled as a ‘Small Housing Provider’; however 36 per cent were quite happy to be known as a ‘landlord’ whilst 21 per cent wanted different options of which 7 per cent preferred the moniker ‘Rental Accommodation Provider’.

Gavin Richardson, managing director of the specialist lender says: “Sections of the media have vilified the buy-to-let community.  The government has hammered them - think Theresa May’s three per cent Stamp Duty surcharge and other tax deterrents. 

“It’s got to the point where the buy-to-let community doesn’t want to be associated with the term ‘landlord’ anymore.  The term carries much more baggage than it once did. No wonder the community wants a rebrand.”

The survey also found that just under three quarters said that they were forever being ‘hammered’ by the press as this generation’s financial ‘pariahs’. 

Just 8 per cent of respondents were adamant that they were not financial bogeymen but apparently the remaining 92 per cent said that perhaps this was not entirely untrue.

Richardson continues: “The majority of landlords are paying 40 per cent tax on their rental income - plus stamp duty - which means the government is profiting hugely from Generation Rent.  And to what end?  Hammering landlords over the last five years has done first-time buyers no favours - research from Nationwide suggests first-time buyers now need to save a huge 113 per cent of their annual salary for a typical home deposit of 20 per cent.

“What would happen if we took landlords out of the housing equation?  The impact on the property market would be significant and almost entirely negative.  It’s not as if the government is pouring money into social housing - or making any progress on house building. 

“Frankly, the government should be championing landlords and lauding their contribution to the housing sector - landlords are bailing the government out.”

He continues: “On top of that, millions of Brits face a financial crisis in retirement by not putting enough money aside for their pension.  Two thirds of employees aged 45 and over face poverty in old age unless they act soon.  One in five Britons say they have no form of private or workplace pension. 

“It is regularly drummed into us that we need to invest for a comfortable retirement.  And yet, when people start building a nest-egg - investing in property to try to ensure they have an income for their retirement - they are reviled.” 

Richard Merrick of PIMS says: “ Landlords are portrayed in the media as ‘the pits’ and together with being beaten regularly with countless sticks by governments for eons and being treated as ‘cash cows’ by councils.

“It is no wonder the under-appreciated housing sector investors/landlords which account for 18.7 per cent of total housing stock at the end of 2020, down from the previous year, predictions abound of many landlords leaving the sector because of the program of punitive charges and regulations.