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After years of treading softly, pretending to not want to legislate against landlords. Pretending to want to work with us to provide a better private rental sector they have finally shown their true colours. Just like every Labour administration since the war.They don't like landlords and want to beat us into submission with legislation. Why? Because it's good for us! Because it's good for communities, society, tenants. No! What it's really about is the fact that they can say to the electorate that they are doing something and hope to snatch the odd vote from poorly informed tenants and Labour supporters who love to see landlords get a good kicking!
HMO properties to require planning permission
The latest announcement is that the government have decided to require every landlord that wants to let a property to 3 or more unrelated tenants to apply for planning permission. For a change of use from a single dwelling to a HMO property requiring an application that will cost a minimum of £335, that before adding in the potential fees for employing an agent. This is simply outrageous; a tax on landlords. The legislation in unenforceable and will lead to huge uncertainty to landlords looking to buy property and rent out to multiple tenants. What do you do buy a property and then hope to get planning permission or make the purchase conditional on permission being granted. How many landlords and investors will now be put off buying property and providing much needed rental accommodation?
Extension of HMO licensing powers
Not only is the government bringing in new planning controls on HMO properties but they also want to increase the powers given to local authorities to require landlords to obtain licenses for HMO properties in certain designated areas. So called licensing through the back door.
Landlord licence
Finally, the third part of the attack on landlords is the Housing and Planning Minister John Healey's reiteration of the Government's intention to bring in a mandatory licence for all landlords. A useless bit of paper, an attack on a fundamental right of property ownership and a tax on being a landlord and letting property.
Landlord Associations deluding themselves
We have seen and heard from the various landlord associations the NLA and RLA about their work lobbying Ministers 'behind the scenes'. Persuading and influencing. Rubbish! They may be well intentioned but they delude themselves as the latest developments prove. You will never make this leopard change their spots. Labour don't like landlords! Fundamentally they don't understand the concept of the little man, working hard, saving and investing and providing for their future. We should all be part of some big corporate machine, controlled, ordered, beholden to the Government.
In yesterdays announcement, the government drew up the battle lines on it's war on landlords.
Landlords in May you have your chance to fight back!
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16 comments:
Good grief - there are so many people with hands in my pocket that there's no room for mine. I might just as well pay the government to own a flat - oh!I am.
Calm down. Buying a property and having to get planning permission is something that happens in the commercial world. Many BTL landlords have managed to squeeze through, rather like people flogging second hand cars "commercially" through small ads. It was good while it lasted. Be thankful.
And if you think this look made a mess of the economy, just you wait!
One of the main problems is that as usual it paints landlords in a very bad light and the tenants are then constantly on the look out for us to make a mistake so that they can profit from it. Also it is teaching and encouraging tenants to have the power and control over landlords.
We have got to get rid of this govt people but I wonder if a new one will be any better?
THE UK DOES NOT LIKE FREE ENTERPRISE AND YOU WILL NEVER GET ON IF YOU STAY IN THIS COUNTRY!!
Fortunately I'm moving abroad later this year and it can't come soon enough. I feel so suffocated and strangled by all the control this government has over us.
The sooner labour are gone the better. The HMO license is already a huge tax on landlords like me. Which in turn forces the rent up for the poorest of the community. I personally am telling all my 70 tenants to vote conservative and I suggest you all do the same.
Bill, youve got to concede that this Government has screwed up the economy royally.
John Major - had a firm hand on the purse strings when he handed Labour a stripped down lean UK economy at the start of the global boom.
However I agree, I do share your concerns over the Cameroons.
Caroline, enjoy your 'escape to the sun', keep us fondly in your thoughts. Suffering in the cold and rain.
First, they want the landlords to put the deposit in to a authorised scheme. Then the tenant refuses to pay the final month rent and we have to apply to ask for the refund of the deposit. The tenant then refuses to confirm that the money should be paid to the landlord. The house is racked, furniture stolen and there is no deposit left to restore these damages.
Labour is all out at the landlords!
What about the void periods, are the government helping to pay for the mortgage? Tenants in arrears and there was no way to recover the money, out of pocket again!
It is a no win situation for the landlords.
I hate this friggin government. They are encouraging a socialist society where we are all equal and come down heavily on anyone who shows a little enterprise. Bollocks to "we support entreprenuers". Fuck Labour. The sooner we get rid of this bunch of assholes the better. Mind you it is ok for them to claim back on "second" properties which were rented out!! Bunch of fucking twats.
From previous nightmarish experiences, I think tenants should have license to demonstrate their worthiness as responsible tenants! There are a lot of caring, honest Landlords around that are more sympathetic to late payments than the banks, for example.
The landlord registration scheme here in Scotland is a farce. Hundreds still are unaware of even it's existence and I'm aware of little being done. It's a monumental waste of money if there's no will to enforce it and advertise it effectively and I doubt it'll be any different in England. Fundamentally, there is massive distrust amongst everyone involved in the lettings industry, whether tenants, landlords, agents or local authorities, and I don't think the government's 'beating us with a stick' attitude is helping. Good landlords should be encouraged with a "carrot" not just a stick approach and this is where I think the Governments perceived hidden agenda is blinding them to the future ramifications of their poorly thought out and expensive "sledgehammer to crack a nut" policies and regulations. But, of course, it takes vision, insight and proper leadership to encourage people - it's easier to negatively regulate landlords and that pretty much sums up the abilities and calibre of the Labour Ministers we currently have in power. I've been a professional landlord and solicitor for over 15 years and have gone from being passionate about my involvement in property and lettings to fed up and disillusoned. Between the greed and incompetence of the banks and the government's negative and overly patronising legislation, they are unwittingly driving out the good landlords along with the bad! If we're not very careful, there is going to be a major shortage of good quality and affordable housing to rent in the UK and it will not be the landlords who ultimately pay - it will be our future tenants - your children and my children and society as a whole. Lets see what happens!
Planning permission for HMOs is not new. I converted a 5 room house last year; my local authority insisted that I gained planning consent.
They all s..k, the latest in lambeth borough is 'snicking' a charge on your property if you behind in council tax. Any had this experience or prepared to team up to challenge?
su
Whilst I agree with most comments above, I should like to point out that France & Spain and many of the other EU countries have far more control than here in the UK...
I hope (Caroline) that you're avoiding the EU zone, otherwise you're in for a shock
Lou
Hear hear,nothing much changes, the labour government precludes itself from landlords, wanting to be the biggest landlord itself, not saying that any future government could do any different.
each to their own and carry on enterprise.
Demonic
Just a thought, if all landlord get together and give a lift on voting day to local elections or assist tennants by postal with the offer of a voucher to vote conservative this might be a way forward. would be good to send our intentions to labour mps to get off our case.
I've never read such a load of clap trap!
Since when did the Tories help anyone who was a Landlord? With the exception of the 1988 Housing Act, which was going to be brought in by the previous Labour government in 1980 had they retained power, the only thing the Tories did for landlords was to make it almost impossible to borrow money to purchase residential property to rent out. If you were fortunate enough to get a mortgage, the Tories then swiftly put mortgage interest rates (not BOE base rates which were 15.5%) up to 17.5% and created the biggest property crash in history!
It is going to be so funny for all those ignorant people who think they are 'Landlords' when Cameron and Osborne get their hands on you!
Your mortgage rates will double and the more than halving of capital gains tax by Labour from 40% to 18% will be more than doubled under the new Tory proposals so when you have to sell your investments because you can't afford the new Tory mortgage rates, you will get hammered for capital gains tax on your properties!
As a lucky landlord with over 200 mortgage free properties, I await with glee the fun that Cameron and Osborne are going to have with you all! I hope it get's you hot under the collar because you won't be able to afford your heating on with the Tory proposal to put VAT up from 5% to 20% on your heating bills, all in the name of being kind to the environment!!!
Why is it that you think only a Labour administration would be likely to "DECLARE WAR ON LANDLORDS"???? If you own HMO properties they should be of a standard that makes them fit for occupation and within the law that protects you from litigation from your tenants. In todays society where they can get legal representation to attack you in court we should be beyond reproach.I think this can only benefit the sector and rid us of the bad element of landlords who will be driven out of this business.
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