Shelter’s Head of Research misled public on TV

Shelter’s Head of Research misled public on TV

17:30 PM, 15th October 2018, About 6 years ago 59

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Last Thursday Hilary Burkitt, the Head of Research at Shelter, spoke about the PRS on the BBC’s Politics Live programme, about 22 minutes from the start. click here

She said “people don’t have the stability at the moment, they can be chucked out by their landlords at a moment’s notice”.

That is untrue. Shelter’s own website says the opposite: “Only court bailiffs can evict you from your home” click here

What she described would be a criminal offence, as Shelter’s website explains. click here

It is not surprising that tenants feel insecure when they hear deliberately misleading information like this from someone apparently knowledgeable.

Burkitt also said “We know now that losing a tenancy in the private rented sector is the leading cause of people becoming homeless in this country”. Shelter’s website says this is also untrue.

Firstly, it explains that the termination of a tenancy is not the cause of homelessness. The cause is whatever triggered the eviction: click here

Secondly, since June 2017 it has been showing the real reason: “The inability to find a new place to live once a short term tenancy ends is a leading cause of homelessness in Great Britain. New research by Shelter identifies a number of reasons why people on low incomes are increasingly unable to find a home and secure a tenancy in the private rented sector.click here

You would expect the Head of Research to be familiar with the results of this research, wouldn’t you?

Shelter has a rule on its website about: “never deliberately misleading or confusing a member of the publicclick here

Unfortunately this only applies to face-to-face fundraisers.  Shelter’s managers seem to have carte blanche on television programmes to spout propaganda which is given the lie by Shelter’s own body of knowledge and research.

“Does the truth not matter to Shelter?” Click here

“Shelter CEO is also confused about no-fault evictions” Click Here

Shelter is morally bankrupt: Click here


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Seething Landlord

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12:46 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

I have just read a couple of the listed research articles on the Shelter website and was pleasantly surprised to find that they are accurate, well balanced and informative. They demonstrate that Shelter is actually fulfilling its charitable role in many ways by providing insight and guidance about tenancies and the housing market, with sensible advice to tenants.
In particular they highlight the fact that one of the main problems is the growing gap between housing benefit and market rents, as noted by Old Mrs Landlord, which is something that we should also be emphasising.
It strikes me that the real problem is not with Shelter as an organisation but with their politically motivated hierarchy. We are in danger of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. It is in our interests for tenants to be properly informed and whilst we might not like some of the tactics adopted in defending possession and other proceedings we need to remember that the duty of any lawyer is to use every lawful means to achieve the best possible outcome for his client - our whole legal system is adversarial and each side fights to win, using whatever tactics are available. In most cases what Shelter are doing is to provide expert legal representation for those who need it, no different from what a similarly qualified privately instructed lawyer would do. Our complaints should be against the poorly drafted and ill-considered laws which create the loopholes and unreasonable requirements that plague us, not against the organisations and their lawyers who exploit them.

Luke P

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13:14 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 16/10/2018 - 12:46
Couldn't disagree more. What a load of waffle.

Richard Adams

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13:41 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 16/10/2018 - 13:14
Agree with Luke P's reaction to Seething Landlord's post. As Larry continues to exhort us to pledge - I have - can I repeat a question asked before. How many members are there of the Property 118 Forum? The number of members should equal the numbers of pledges. If not I despair. Perhaps those who have not pledged could post saying why they have not done so?

Seething Landlord

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13:48 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 16/10/2018 - 13:14
Just the reaction I expected!

DALE ROBERTS

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13:51 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Old Mrs Landlord at 16/10/2018 - 00:15
Just a small correction OML .. I'm a she - small blonde tenacious.
Here is a copy and paste from another forum topic on Property118 which is salient :
"Apart from the endemic anti-landlord culture espoused by Council/Shelter/CAB one has to return again and again to the growing shortage of available social housing. This fiasco is directly or indirectly a result of this political ideology and entrenched bias but it doesn't alter the fact. Private landlords have become captive to the burden of housing benefit tenants for free. The advice to remain in situ is illegal but has become procedural because no-one challenges it.
Ironically and perversely Council/Shelter/CAB have created the obstacles they are mandated to manage. Not only do landlords shy away from dealing with them as they are problematic in themselves - but we avoid their tenants.
A cleaner, faster process needs to be implemented by law for landlords to gain repossession of their property - especially in the face of mounting rental arrears and property damage.
I've grown tired of the meme that I should be "thankful" I got my unit back in 8 months even with a GBP20 00 plus loss in rent and damages.
Which other business would that apply to without the perpetrator facing the might of the law and/or enjoying the recidivist right to continue to behave so."

Seething Landlord

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14:12 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Richard Adams at 16/10/2018 - 13:41
Reasons for not pledging: I am far from convinced from what I have seen that I would wish to be associated with the views expressed or the aggressive approach to lobbying that is being adopted. It seems to be a classic case of an individual or smallish group assuming that all right thinking landlords will agree with them, which from other comments is clearly not so. There is no reason to suppose that membership of this forum, which started as a vehicle for educating and informing landlords, helping them to navigate the complexities of the PRS, should equate to a desire to be involved in this new organisation.

Seething Landlord

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14:23 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by DALE ROBERTS at 16/10/2018 - 13:51
I agree with much of what you say but the advice to stay in situ is not actually illegal, neither are landlords the only category of business to suffer non recoverable losses - just ask the many suppliers of goods and services who have been affected by large businesses going into administration owing massive amounts in unpaid bills.

Seething Landlord

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14:31 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 16/10/2018 - 13:14
What exactly do you disagree with?

Luk Udav

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14:34 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 16/10/2018 - 14:12Hear hear.
The informative articles are great and I've learned a lot. The nearly constant deliberate misinterpretation of comments by Shelter shows a rather unhealthy fixation. Concentrate on battles that can be won.

Richard Adams

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14:34 PM, 16th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 16/10/2018 - 14:12
Well Seething Landlord it's a free world and you can join or not as you choose. It seems to me though that if the Landlords Alliance achieved nothing else bar calling Shelter to account then it is a £100 pledge well spent. Of course it needs to speak for many not just a few for its points made to carry weight hence the exhortations to pledge and join. I'm not sure how it is possible to lobby effectively without doing so on the slightly aggressive side, especially where Shelter is concerned. Only Larry can answer if he is prepared to carry it all forward on basis of having his communications scrutinised and criticised and being urged to go softly softly.

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