Protestors gather outside Michael Gove’s home to demand an end to Section 21

Reply to the comment left by David at 16/04/2024 - 10:54
Politicians will always go where the votes are! This could be a free-kick for the Tories, knowing they are about to be destroyed. Usher in renter reforms [with Labour's agreement], accelerate landlords exiting the sector, increased illegal migration and asylum, no social housing, and it lands Labour with an almighty problem from day 1.

This nanny state has got itself into a right mucking fuddle !

The London Renters Union think “It’s time to kick the landlord lobby & their mates in government out!”
With mates like those in Government, landlords don't need enemies. The tenant lobby have had their wish for years and things have got worse for renters. Draconian tax laws, the threat of 5 years in prison for letting to illegal immigrants, the banning of reasonable fees, courts that bend over backwards to find against landlords and now the abolition of s21 is imminent. That will be very bad for tenants and the lobby groups will, let us hope, learn the truth of the saying: "Be careful what you wish for!" Sadly, tenants with CCJs for rent arrears will be excluded from the PRS. Victims of antisocial tenants will be told the landlord can do %$?!% all about it unless they are prepared to risk their lives giving evidence against a violent neighbour. What a mess!

Just as aside, it's not a good look for a landlord to make a public comment calling himself, "Cashflow King" and that comment is inflammatory as well.
We're already public enemy number 1 as it is without being tactless as well.

In 4 years bailiffs have evicted 26,000 from houses in the UK, some of these are social tenants but there are nearly 5m privately rented homes. This is around 6,000 evictions out of 5m homes a year roughly 1 in 1000 tenancies. Remember that obnoxious person in you class at school would you rent to them. There is no score for being unreasonable on the tenancy app and the first six months gave the landlord a chance to assess. Those who choose to evict for no reason cost themselves thousands of pounds for no reason - odd that - don't you think?

It is reported 35% of landlords are owed arrears that's millions of people.

In the last four years 180,000 prisoners have been released from their average two year sentence. Whilst most are reported to reoffend it is hardly surprising people are evicted under no fault. There are many who simply deceive on their application or live in a way that causes the landlord intolerable stress.

This sector and the bullying of landlords will lose hundreds of thousands of rental properties. The courts do not act quickly enough to save landlords from thousands of pounds of losses - this is not justice

If only 6,000 are being evicted, the government should find them homes rather than bully landlords.

Reply to the comment left by Ian Narbeth at 16/04/2024 - 12:10
So much of what is going on in housing is political activism, in the belief that the Tories are no good and Labour will make it all right if they can just get rid of the Tories.

Well, good luck with that theory!

Once Starmer gets his feet under the No10 table, renters will realise Labour is no different. Then what? They'll have years until they can effect change, but to what, to whom? Unless Reform really can make a splash, there is no political choice for change.

These people are misguided on a number of fronts.

Section 21 isn’t the problem. The problem is that lots of landlords want tenants to leave their home.

The question is, why do landlords want their tenants to leave? After all, without tenants, landlords don’t exist. They just become owners of empty properties and council tax, insurance and utility bills still need to be paid. I think landlords want to evict bad tenants, those that cannot or will not pay, anti-social tenants. Maybe the landlord wants (or needs) to sell up in the face of higher interest rates and vindictive taxes (I know I do).

If they want to stop landlords wanting their properties back, they should encourage them through the tax system. At the moment, it’s all stick and no carrot.

Another reason that these people are misguided is that our democracy doesn’t work in the manner they seem to think. The RRB is progressing through the system. However, MPs and the House of Lords will have many points to raise. I think it will run out of time in this Parliament.

Causing harassment to an elected member of Parliament, even one so universally hated as Gove, is not the way to garner support.

Reply to the comment left by Markella Mikkelsen at 16/04/2024 - 10:10
It is the tenant’s home. It may be my property but it certainly isn’t my home.

If the tenant abides by the terms of the contract and if it remains a sound investment, it will remain their home.

If they break the terms of our agreement (AST) or if government interference makes my investment unattractive, the tenants will lose their homes.

If sec 8 for rent arrears or antisocial behaviour were mandatory .
Realistically how often would sec 21 be used.
Prime example today . I got email from agent tenant would only agree to £50 increase but insists on new carpets new work top and flat upgraded. so they want thousands spent to increase £50.
This tenant was paying only £300 for two years increased to £350 . Lha rates are £425 .
There is two engineers living there so salaries are very good.
I hope they do move as I can then use the flat .

Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 16/04/2024 - 15:30
It's a real pity that a S21 came to be known erroneously as a "no fault eviction".
As we know, a S21 was very rarely that.
Setting up a new tenancy is really expensive (it costs me a full months rent in fees to the agent, plus the CT and utility bills during the void time). I would never dream of evicting anyone for no reason, who would?
The title 'No fault eviction' just fed into the anti landlord narrative that has been ramped up by certain campaign groups, it was latched onto by the media and believed by those who knew no better (perhaps that was the plan?).