Grenfell Tragedy a private landlord’s thoughts

I think the Grenfell tragedy is due to lack of competence on the LA side, and absence of clear guidance issued in a timely manner by central government. To try and blame greed as the cause is to blur the real failures of responsibility, which the Public Inquiry will hopefully expose. I agree entirely with the comments previously expressed re. disparities between enforcement of PRS and public sector housing standards, which point I hope will be made clear by 118 and others at the PI.
Hopefully, from this appalling tragedy and subsequent PI, there will come some recommendations which central government will be unable to ignore or punt into the long grass. I heard today the CEO of Kensington and Chelsea has resigned. There are many others at both local and central government levels who should also be encouraged to do likewise, or given the sack for either incompetence or deliberate failure to act in a responsible or timely manner.

Its a shocking and appalling accident, with tragic loss of life.
It looks like a massive failing of the LHA in the management of the building as a landlord, and although its not really what we as landlords would like to make something of, i think it is only right that we also defend our position as competent professional landlords to point out the assault on the PRS, when there are greater issues festering in the Public sector where they are Not been taking the financial assault we are in tax and legislation as they are allowed to not play by the same rules and have many unfair advantages over the PRS, albeit it i suspect still more costly and massively inefficient than the PRS in use of Tax payers money.
The survivors are now currently being put up in a private million pound apartments at a cost of £2,500 a month per flat. The total operating costs i suspect will run into the 10s of millions by the time other buildings have been modified and improved.
Here dare i say sadly, is an opportunity, albeit not one we would wish to exploit i'm sure we would all say. I would suggest that a reminder to the government is firmly lodged, based on Ian Duncan Smith visit to Olympia last week. The pending damage to the PRS on top of the Public sector / social housing issues now facing them, does give the PRS a heft leverage point in the new light of the changing environment the government now is in.
I vote for a drafted letter sent to ministers (Mark Alexander?), as many as possible to remind them of the issues and the pending doom in the PRS along with the obvious removal of our support to follow government strategy through taxation and removal of our vote, giving a vote of NO confidence in the Government.

I agree that we don't wish to exploit such an unfortunate tragedy but it looks to me like there is a very unlevel playing field. Like so much in life I guess you get what you pay for ...

PRS: more expensive, more professional, complies with strict regulations on safety, licencing etc
Council / housing association: cheaper, lower standard, crammed in like battery chickens, exempt from licencing and regulations,

A Labour politician in Parliament during a debate on Grenfell struggles to somehow tar private landlords with the same brush as councils and gets short shrift (it's pathetic.):

Lilian Greenwood Labour, Nottingham South
I note from the Secretary of State’s statement that he has asked owners, landlords and managers of private sector residential blocks to consider their own buildings, but there are around 150 such privately owned residential blocks in Nottingham alone. What is he doing to ensure that those owners, landlords and managers do not just “consider” but act to ensure the safety of their residents? What is he doing to support local authorities, such as Nottingham City Council, that are working to secure such reassurances on behalf of their citizens?

Sajid Javid The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
First, we are reminding all the owners of those properties of their existing legal responsibilities. We have done that through their trade organisations, letting agents and other bodies. Secondly, we have made our testing facility available to all of them free of charge. We will keep monitoring that, but right now my absolute priority has been the more recently clad buildings held by local authorities and housing associations that have cladding similar to what was at Grenfell Tower.

The news on this awful tragedy is now turning towards the re-housing issues.

The Government has promised to rehouse hundreds of families by today but only 9 out of the 180 have accepted. The others declined because they were out of area, too far from schools / family, too small etc. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-40498188/grenfell-tower-child-survivor-give-us-houses-that-we-want

But how can any local authority which has given their total housing stock away to people from other countries find spare capacity to house 180 families within the same school catchment area?

Has the Government broken their promise? Or are families who insist on getting houses that they want being too fussy? Is moving 10 miles out to a different part of London too far? (but relocating 3000 miles to this country wasn't too far) Does the phrase "give us houses we want" sum up this countries whole housing crisis?

deport the illegals