Landlords and the General Election: Who should we vote for?

Rishi Sunak’s surprise announcement to call a General Election might turn out to be one of the best political gambles of modern times but where will landlords stand?

None of the parties have been kind to landlords in recent years, so I don’t expect that will change before July 4.

So, here’s my message to Rishi and Sir Kier about what we would like to see – though it isn’t really a Landlord Crusader PRS manifesto (though that will come soon…).

The bottom line is that we all want a private rented sector that works for tenants AND landlords but all we hear about are tenants.

Tenant rights, tenants can’t find a house, tenants want to keep pets. I could go on ad nauseam.

We never hear about landlords struggling to stay in business, tenants aren’t paying rent, the courts are backed up or tenants have trashed my house. Again.

Political parties want to improve housing numbers

No doubt we will hear over the coming weeks that political parties want to improve housing numbers and protect tenants.

There’s never a joining up of the dots is there? No one ever takes a step back to consider why landlords are selling to create a housing shortage.

And shortages lead to rising rents.

It must be down to greedy landlords, not the high tax rates and legislation or councils imposing selective licensing schemes with outrageously high fees.

We pay admin fees for the paperwork and an inspection regime that never comes.

I say we pay; the fees are passed on to the tenant, but we have seen councils demanding this should not be done when discussing a licensing scheme.

It’s just a never-ending circus of nonsense, expenses and idiot politicians playing to the stalls.

The only ones that have stood up for us, to my memory, are the Tory MPs who made some amendments to the Renters (Reform) Bill and were criticised for doing so.

The PRS will become a political football

I am predicting that at some point in the campaign, the PRS will become a political football.

It will be interesting to hear what the Conservatives have to say about helping or growing the PRS after years of neglect.

Our relationship mirrors the worst form of domestic abuse – we take the knocks because we don’t want to leave the PRS.

Most of us know what we should do but don’t want to leave our tenants in the lurch.

You won’t hear politicians or tenant activist groups make this point before the election.

We need to encourage landlords to invest, sort out Section 24 and CGT – landlords are being taxed into not investing.

And yes, we should abolish all selective licensing schemes.

Rent stabilisation and a National Landlords Register

Vote Labour? After that report on bringing in a tenant’s charter, ‘rent stabilisation’ and a National Landlords Register?

You have got to be joking! Their promise to abolish Section 21 on day one will prove to be hot air.

Let’s say they did win (they won’t) and did that. Landlords will sell up and I’m betting Sir Kier isn’t predicting a slide in house prices when so many properties come on the market!

Like Corbyn before him, it’s one thing spouting sixth-form politics but something else entirely when the hard decisions must be taken.

Vote Lib Dems? They are not liberal or democratic so it’s a hard no from me. Reform. Hmmm, I would literally give anyone exhibiting common sense a crack.

This will also send a message to the Establishment that many of us are sick of what has happened in the last 10 years.

If the Conservatives don’t hang on with a tiny majority, and Labour do take power then we will eventually see their commitment to transferring control of a property to the tenant become reality.

I’ve been banging on about this for a long time and landlords are now starting to wake up.

Let’s face it, we all want a fair deal for both landlords and tenants, but all we get is ridicule and higher bills.

Tenants get away with not paying us and we have to deal with a court system that doesn’t appear to recognise that this is a serious problem.

Whichever party gets in will need to reform the courts and ensure a quick possession route is implemented.

Landlords who have been in the PRS for many years

For landlords who have been in the PRS for many years, I doubt you see it as a long-term investment anymore. Increasing legislation – most of it poorly thought through – and poor-quality tenants have changed the PRS beyond recognition.

How on earth do we plan for the future? What with the talk of rent caps and abolishing Section 21, landlords look like losing control of their properties and will struggle to evict non-paying tenants.

You’d think the government, a Conservative one especially, would actually care about property owners being turned over in this way. Apparently not.

Not getting possession, more laws and rising expenses are making investment in the PRS a really risky undertaking. It’s not money for old rope anymore (though most of us never saw the ‘glory years’ of the 90’s).

Will the Renters (Reform) Bill even get through the ‘wash up’ and be made law before Parliament breaks up? If not, what happens next?

Do Labour have to start the whole process again – though they’ll add even more garbage to it.

Or will the Tories bite the bullet and push it through thinking it will win votes among the tenants of this country?

If they do, it will become more difficult to find a home and with rising immigration and an ageing population, things aren’t about to get better.

If landlords vote Conservative after years of being let down and victimised, is that like turkeys voting for Christmas?

I think this is the first General Election where I have literally no idea who to vote for. And that fact scares me – and it should make all landlords think twice too.

Until next time,

The Landlord Crusader

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