There may be fewer private landlords – but they are fleecing us more than ever
The number of private landlords in the UK has shrunk to a seven-year low, according to The Independent.
But that just means that the millions of privately-rented properties are in fewer hands – so those who are left can charge more, it seems to me.
The evidence seems to prove this assumption correct, as private rents have risen to £998 per month.
That’s a lot of money, considering most of us only earn around £12-13,000 a year.
Oh, and do you get more for your money, in terms of repairs and upgrades to the quality of the property?
No.
Figures from the English Housing Survey in 2017 showed that private landlords letting homes that contain a serious hazard or have fallen into a poor state of repair trouser £2.3 billion in housing benefit annually.
Repeated attempts to pass legislation forcing such landlords to honour their responsibilities have failed – and it has been suggested that this is because many Conservative MPs are themselves private landlords.
Source: Number of private landlords ‘shrinks to seven-year low’ | The Independent
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Since the Coalition Government, Landlords no longer have to make properties fit for human habitation either. Rents should be capped. Whatever happened to the Fair Rent Officer?
My landlord rarely does anything in the way of maintenance, they didn’t even clean the flat prior to me renting it. Rents in my part of the world are relatively cheap in comparison to other areas, at £80 p/w for a one bedroom flat with no proper bathroom and hardly any heating, in a crime-ridden neighbourhood. Still, £80 would be a fair chunk to pay out of min. Wage if I was working.
The purpose of “surveys” like this from Hamptons are to persuade landlords that their existing rents are below the national average. It’s a marketing trick in part encouraging you to complain and disseminate the figure further.