Mayor of West Yorkshire blasts landlords for raising rents

Mayor of West Yorkshire blasts landlords for raising rents

9:29 AM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago 101

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The mayor of West Yorkshire has launched a scathing attack on landlords, in a new interview.

Labour mayor Tracy Brabin has criticised landlords who raise rents in a cost-of-living crisis.

However, she does not advocate for the use of rent controls and instead wants to focus on building more affordable homes. 

Avaricious and greedy

Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, told Inside Housing magazine: “People are becoming homeless because landlords are putting rents up in order to be in line with market prices, when actually they don’t need it because they’re in a fixed mortgage themselves.

“It just avaricious, and it’s greedy. I would say to landlords that do that, you’re not really welcome in West Yorkshire because it’s not fair. Particularly when the cost of living is squeezing people’s incomes.”

Ms Brabin, whose combined authority covers Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Halifax and Leeds, added: “A third of all children in West Yorkshire are living in poverty. 200,000 families are using food banks. This is fuelled not just by the cost of living but also rising rents.”

Not thought about rent controls

This year many labour mayors including Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham have called for an immediate rent freeze to help renters deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

Labour’s Lisa Nandy slapped down the calls for rent controls in June, saying: “Rent controls that cut rents for some will almost certainly leave others homeless.”

Ms Brabin stopped short of joining her fellow mayors in directly calling for rent control powers. She said: “I’ve not thought about rent controls currently, it’s not in the forefront of my mind.”

A spokesperson for Ms Brabin later told Inside Housing magazine that building affordable homes was more important to the mayor.

Retrofit social homes

In Leeds last year at the Holtdale estate, 190 social homes were retrofitted with heat pumps, solar panels and insulation by Leeds City Council and low carbon equipment provider, Equans, at a cost of £9.6m.

Ms Brabin praised the work at the housing estate and said more needs to be done.

She said: “There are 680,000 social homes across West Yorkshire and we have to retrofit them all. So while this programme is really fantastic, and the outcomes are really spectacular, we’ve got to turbocharge that delivery.”

The full interview can be read here (for some readers this may be behind a paywall).


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Lomondhomes

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13:20 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

I bet the majority of West Yorkshire blasts their council for raising council taxes

Ray Guselli

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14:00 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

Tracy Brabin, along with many other Politicians blames landlords for “people becoming homeless because rents are being increased in order to be in line with market prices, when actually they don’t need it because they’re in a fixed mortgage themselves”.

She also states, “It just avaricious, and it’s greedy. I would say to landlords that do that, you’re not really welcome in West Yorkshire because it’s not fair. Particularly when the cost of living is squeezing people’s incomes.”

Let’s start with the cost of living is squeezing people’s incomes.

So Tracy, is it not squeezing the income of landlords too, or are we exempt from this problem?

In the real world, you would understand that all our costs are also increasing at an alarming rate.

The cost of materials, labour, insurance, in fact almost anything you care to mention, the cost has increased for landlords, just as it has for other people....along with a greater workload and statutory requirements.

But…because we are landlords, we are obliged to absorb those costs, in some cases run at a loss and subsidise tenancies. Sorry Tracy, on £2000 a week you appear to be protected and isolated from these problems and unaware of the problems we “all” face, be it renters or tenants.

She also states that rents are being increased in order to be in line with "market prices": I just read how her salary was determined…guess what…by market prices.

https://westyorkshire.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s18942/Item%2015%20-%20Appendix%201.pdf

Would you believe it Tracy, your salary was determined after comparison with those of others, whether or not you needed £2,000 a week! It was based on market prices!!!

Unfortunately, hers are the arguments which follow the usual practice of, do as I say, not as I do.

Perhaps she could learn something by speaking to landlords who are facing financial issues the same as others….but that might not be a vote winner so let’s not investigate the truth and instead, run with a potential vote winner…..landlord bashing.

richard fuller

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14:41 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Juan Degales at 06/10/2023 - 09:0114 rate rises and section 24 what does the mp want me to reduce their rent

Gromit

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14:54 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

"....190 social homes were retrofitted with heat pumps, solar panels and insulation by Leeds City Council and low carbon equipment provider, Equans, at a cost of £9.6m."

That's over £50,000 per home!! Sounds like taxpayers money well spent.

Russell Cartner

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15:11 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

Another idiot MP. email her tell you will not be voting for her due to her anti landlord views.
Soon stop when she thinks she is going to lose her pay packet

Nelly101

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15:21 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

What planet are these folk on,not all landlords are on fixed rates and at some point the rates will change at the end of fixed term.What about mortgage payers don’t hear the bad banks call to home owners.Landlords put their money into property as an investment not a charity.There will always be those who chose to or have to rent if you don’t like your rent payment move simple as that.No mention of the thousands of pounds land lords loose each year due to the eviction process .Before they start mouthing off talk to landlords

Zen

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17:17 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

“People are becoming homeless because landlords are putting rents up in order to be in line with market prices, when actually they don’t need it because they’re in a fixed mortgage themselves.

Looking at this situation, if a landlord doesn't increase rents gradually over time to cover the costs of their mortgage when a fix rate ends, what's the alternative? Increase rents drastically at the end of their fixed rate. Which scenario is better for a tenant?

It has to be the gradual rent increase over time. The mayor's suggestion would leave tenants with a nasty shock and possibly homeless, unable to afford rents. Great idea!

I like our mayor but I'm not sure she's thought this one through.

Chris @ Possession Friend

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17:36 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Gromit at 06/10/2023 - 14:54
Need to look at what the ' Links ' are with Equans !

Russell Cartner

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17:59 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

Tracy Brabin
mayoral.enquiries@westyorks-ca.gov.uk
MP,'s wages go up substancially next year. COUNCIL tax has gone up. Consultants, junior doctors, nurses, tube & train drivers and teachers are striking for more pay.
Yet Brabin says Landlords do not deserve a pay rise, we run a business not a charjty
Landlords are leaving the PRS in droves thanks to M Goves' Goverment policies and comments by the likes of you and Looney Left Shelter, Generation Rent (they do not actually provide any housing for the homeless whatsoever)
It's been a joke for many years the buildng of Social housing

JeggNegg

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22:03 PM, 6th October 2023, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Ray Guselli at 06/10/2023 - 14:00
i wonder if Tracy Brabin will ever read any of our comments? Property 118 News Team can you arrange for some of our comments to be sent to mayoral.enquiries@westyorks-ca.gov.uk
so we can expect a response?

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