31st
Aug 2022
The government should be made aware of the clearest warning yet that significant numbers of private rented sector landlords will sell up and wave goodbye to tenants, if the radical reforms ‘promised’ in the Renter Reform White Paper are made law.
A specialist buy-to-let mortgage lender’s poll of more than 700 landlords finds that less than a quarter-22 per cent- are in favour of government plan/intention to scrap S21 eviction powers.
If the government steamrollers ahead around 56 per cent of landlords will be carrying out far more stringent checks when accepting new tenants, and 62 per cent of landlords with 20 or more properties will be doing the same.
25 per cent of landlords stated they will sell up and quit the sector or put some of their properties on the market if Section 21 is abolished, this rises to 32 per cent for of those who have 20 or more properties.
The proposal for a National Landlord Register has the backing of 62 per cent of respondents and 32 per cent against as some landlords believe it will make no difference whatsoever to ‘rogues’.
Answers from landlords when asked why they felt the register would have no effect on rogue landlords included “Rogue landlords have no concern about the law” and “People who are desperate for somewhere to live will rent from unregistered landlords” and “Rogue landlords don’t operate within the law now, so why would they join a register?”
Regarding the proposal to introduce the same Decent Homes Standard for social housing landlords into the PRS, a resounding 83 per cent fully backed the idea as many believed their properties already met the standards.
A spokesperson for the mortgage lender says: “We believe everyone should have a safe, secure and comfortable home, which is why we are committed to improving standards within the private rented sector. The proposals outlined in the government’s white paper should serve to have a positive impact on housing quality and conditions for tenants.
"While landlords appear to be largely in favour of a National Landlord Register and Decent Homes Standard, it is revealing that one in four would consider selling in the event of Section 21 being abolished. This highlights the importance of listening to landlords’ concerns as these policies take shape, particularly when considering the broader set of regulatory changes already affecting them.
“A mutually beneficial private rented sector needs to offer tenants the security they will not be evicted without good reason, yet also provide landlords the confidence they can gain possession of a property quickly and efficiently if something does go wrong, such as anti-social behaviour. As a buy-to-let lender, we are keen to understand how the changes will be implemented, to ensure we fulfil our role of helping to balance the needs of landlords as well as tenants.”
News Archive »