9:13 AM, 6th November 2024, About 4 hours ago 2
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Day by day, more landlords are waking up to the clear picture that the UK Government has no intention of allowing smaller scale private landlords to thrive—perhaps not even to survive. Rather than making a clean break, the Government has taken a ruthless, underhanded approach to dismantling the Private Rented Sector (PRS) as we know it for nearly a decade now. By piling on one costly measure after another, it has turned the rental landscape into a minefield for independent landlords, pushing them closer to financial ruin while opening the door for corporate giants to take over.
1. The Opening Shot: Section 24—A Masterstroke of Tax Warfare
When Section 24 hit, many landlords didn’t realise what it signalled. Stripping landlords of mortgage interest tax relief was more than just a policy shift—it was the opening salvo in a campaign designed to cripple small property owners. By taxing landlords on money they never actually received, Section 24 turned profitable portfolios into ticking time bombs. Corporate landlords, meanwhile, stood unscathed, sheltered by complex financial structures. It was a calculated move that foreshadowed the onslaught to come.
2. Piling On: The Stamp Duty Land Tax Surcharge
If Section 24 was the opening shot, the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) surcharge was the follow-up assault. What started as a 3% “additional property” tax has now escalated to a crippling 5% surcharge—a staggering, upfront cost that has private landlords reeling. For every additional property, the Government demands a punitive payment that makes portfolio growth nearly impossible. Yet corporate landlords escape the worst of it, buying in bulk and qualifying for non-residential SDLT rates. For private landlords, it’s a nightmare; for corporates, it’s an invitation.
3. Suffocating Layers of Regulation: Licences, EPCs, and Endless Hoops
As if tax after tax weren’t enough, the Government has tightened the regulatory noose. Selective Licensing schemes and EPC compliance requirements aren’t just costs—they’re part of a relentless effort to wear down landlords, one regulation at a time. Each new rule, each inspection, and each fee chips away at already shrinking profits, leaving private landlords struggling to stay afloat. And while small landlords scramble to keep up with the paperwork, corporate giants, with their armies of compliance officers, breeze through with ease.
4. The Final Cut: A 5% SDLT Surcharge Designed to Destroy
The Government’s message could not be more sinister: private landlords are unwelcome in the PRS. The latest 5% SDLT surcharge feels like the final stroke in a campaign of attrition. For every property, independent landlords must now pay an eye-watering upfront tax that many simply can’t afford. Corporate landlords, however, waltz around this surcharge by buying in bulk, securing properties under non-residential rates that small landlords can only dream of. It’s an iron-fisted move designed to tax private landlords into oblivion.
A Calculated Campaign to Clear Out Private Landlords
This is no accident. Piece by piece, the Government has systematically dismantled the PRS for private landlords, turning once-viable investments into financial traps. This underhanded campaign hasn’t just sidelined private landlords—it’s given corporate giants free rein to shape the rental market however they see fit. In the end, tenants pay the price with higher rents, fewer choices, and faceless corporate landlords who prioritise profits over people. It’s becoming clearer by the day that the Government’s “vision” for the PRS is a corporate-dominated market, with smaller scale private landlords wiped out entirely.
At Property118, we’ve been at the forefront of fighting against these harmful policies and advocating for a balanced, fair rental market. We believe that with the right tax reforms and sensible regulations, landlords can be encouraged to stay in the market, providing homes for tenants and ensuring rents remain affordable.
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Ian Narbeth
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Sign Up11:15 AM, 6th November 2024, About 2 hours ago
Mark, I agree with you. Sad to say it was an allegedly Conservative Government that did most of this. As a group of voters, private sector landlords are (or perhaps, now, used to be) the most conservative-leaning people in the country apart from Tory party members themselves. We were stabbed in the back and betrayed by those we thought our friends. We were vilified and our legitimate rights and interests cast aside.
The Chancellor imposing an additional 2% surcharge has added to the pain but it was the Tories who started it. Labour must be thinking: "Well if the Tories give their own supporters such a damn good kicking, we should do so as well" and why wouldn't they? Soak the "rich" and virtue-signal to your supporters that you are helping tenants, even though in reality they are making matters worse by pushing up costs.
I worry what comes next. Perhaps rent controls or the removal of any mortgage interest relief?
Jim K
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Sign Up13:09 PM, 6th November 2024, About 3 minutes ago
Can you please explain to me.
What the fundamental difference between points 2 and 4 is?
Thx