Shelter blame B&Bs on private landlords!

Shelter blame B&Bs on private landlords!

13:50 PM, 14th November 2019, About 5 years ago 25

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Shelter press release: The government has released new figures on the amount being spent by local councils on temporary accommodation for homeless households in England in 2018/19. They show:

– Councils spent £1.1 billion on temporary accommodation for homeless households between April 2018 and March 2019. This has increased by 9% in the last year and 78% in the last five years.

– Shockingly, more than 30% of the total was spent on emergency B&Bs, £344 million, some of the worst places for families with children to live.

– Spending on B&Bs has increased by a staggering 111% in the last five years. As Shelter sees through its own services, this is largely due to a shortage of affordable accommodation meaning councils may have no choice but to use emergency B&Bs.

– Funding for temporary accommodation mainly comes from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). However, these figures illustrate the huge gap between DWP funding, and the amount councils need to house homeless households. The amount councils spent from their own budget on TA has increased by 123% in the last five years, while central government grants for social housebuilding have been cut.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “These figures are a shocking, yet entirely preventable consequence of our housing emergency. If consecutive governments had built the genuinely affordable social homes that are needed, fewer people would be homeless, and we would not be wasting vast sums on unsuitable temporary accommodation.

“What’s even more shameful is that so much of this public money is lining the pockets of unscrupulous private landlords, who can charge desperate councils extortionate rates for grim B&Bs, because there’s nowhere else for families to go. No family should have to live in a tiny room where there’s nowhere to even cook a meal, or any safe space for their children to play.

“This is a crisis we cannot allow politicians to ignore during this election. Social housing must be at the heart of every manifesto, and all parties must to commit to at least 90,000 new social homes a year over the next parliament. If they don’t, all of us will pay an even higher price.”

Polly, private landlords are not B&B owners as this is a separate commercial industry as hotels are!


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NewYorkie

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14:46 PM, 14th November 2019, About 5 years ago

Is Polly Neate a child?

NewYorkie

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14:52 PM, 14th November 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by LVW4 at 14/11/2019 - 14:46
I have a relative in a strategic Director-level position in a large London council housing organisation. She has previously been CEO of a large London ALMO, so knows what she's talking about when it comes to social housing; certainly far more than Polly Neate! Shelter may wish to interview her about landlords and B&Bs, but it wouldn't fit Shelter's narrative!

Luke P

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15:10 PM, 14th November 2019, About 5 years ago

If Shelter keep bashing LLs, I will convert my business of BTLs from one of stress, to B&Bs aimed at emergency accommodation - one of less stress and more money. Your move, Polly.

Binks

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15:58 PM, 14th November 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 14/11/2019 - 15:10
Not only that Luke, but you also get a nice tax incentive to do so as B&Bs classify as holiday accommodation and therefore are exempt from Section 24. Less stress, lower taxes, what's not to like - right Polly? This woman is such an unbelievable demagogue, but what's worse, this nonsense gets lapped up by the general public. Apparently the wider populus has lost the power of all critical thinking!

NewYorkie

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16:50 PM, 14th November 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Binks at 14/11/2019 - 15:58
A darling of The Guardian!

I am always puzzled as to why holiday lets have remained immune to the government's BTL ravages. Holiday lets actually do a lot of damage, especially in rural communities where second homes have driven up property prices and removed availability for low paid workers. Perhaps Shelter and GR would care to give their opinion on this.

I am now about to offer on a house in York, and IT WILL NOT BE BTL! Holiday letting, Airbnb...

Kay Landlord

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9:43 AM, 15th November 2019, About 5 years ago

So are the landlord community going to formally respond to this incorrect statement?
How do we let them know that they are sending out lies?

JamesB

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9:57 AM, 15th November 2019, About 5 years ago

Surprise surprise.. bound to be landlords fault .. maybe stop driving landlords out Shelter and so many wouldn’t need B&B accommodation

Whiteskifreak Surrey

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10:02 AM, 15th November 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Kay Landlord at 15/11/2019 - 09:43
I think Landlords Alliance could play here an important role and send out a statement, possibly also to the Guardian etc. Commenting on Shelter's FB page could help. Whoever is a member of NLA /RLA - perhaps we can write to tem and ask them to publish their position? Shelter's lies go too far.

reader

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10:06 AM, 15th November 2019, About 5 years ago

Unless there is a red revolution Sister Polly will be out of step with reality. Where would she suggest providing communist era housing blocks, and are they to be free of charge to whoever wish to live in them?

Mike D

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10:07 AM, 15th November 2019, About 5 years ago

Woman's a idiot
She's helping create the problem with her attack on the PRS. Now through her deluded socialist ideology, she's got her section 24, forced many landlords to sell up, created more homelessness, then forced the council to spend more on b&bs, and she's blaming landlords for her being stupid, unreal. Lucky she's scamming the charity, she's never get a real job!!

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