Why private landlords despise politicians when they target us

Unlike the Millwall football chant, ‘No one likes us, we don’t care’, I’d just like to say that while no one apparently likes landlords, I do care.

However, I despise the tenant groups who shout from the rooftops about how rubbish we all are. I despise the media for not offering a balanced view when landlords are being criticised.

But my ire is reserved for national and local politicians, regardless of their political hue, who use the private rented sector to score cheap political points.

And that’s because these mouthy politicians just can’t see the problems that they have created.

Private rented properties are in a poor condition?

All private rented properties are in a poor condition? We need a licensing system to ensure they come up to a reasonable standard, even though no council officers will actually go out and check them.

Landlords are charging steep rents? We must have a rent freeze to help poor tenants deal with the economic hardship brought about by the government and the Covid lockdown.

Families are being forced from their homes because the landlord wants to put up the rent as their bills go up too? We must ban evictions for an incredible amount of time, regardless of whether the tenant is causing anti-social behaviour or not paying their rent.

I despise Michael Gove and his intention to abolish Section 21. We still don’t know what is replacing it, but I’m prepared to offer good money that it won’t be as effective.

And this week we see Gove spending millions to ‘crackdown on rogue landlords’. Considering that councils already have the powers and many have a licensing system in place for these inspections to be carried out but still DON’T bother, what exactly will this extra money do?

He says the money will help various councils fine landlords for not meeting the rules and for pushing up standards in the sector. Don’t make me laugh.

Keep landlords in the sector

At no point is the service we provide in delivering warm, safe and secure homes for tenants ever appreciated. There’s no political message about trying to keep landlords in the sector. No financial incentive.

Nearly every problem we have as landlords has been created by politicians.

But they can’t – or won’t – see what problems they have caused us and for tenants.

This issue has also been brought up this week by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

The man is obsessed with the media spotlight and Property118 reports that he is urging the government to implement the rogue landlord’s database.

He says that his own creations (and the media output from his department always refer to these as ‘his’ own ideas and creations) have been very popular.

Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker

Really? The Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker and Property Licence Checker have been deluged with users?

The article makes clear that council officers are regularly using these but what about tenants?

And that 6,000 renters have reported their landlord (which doesn’t mean they are landlords who have done something wrong) and that the checkers have been checked 128,000 times this year.

But. There’s always a but.

The article highlights that there are 2.6 million renters in London – so take out the council officers and landlords checking their details and I reckon that’s a hit rate of less than 5%. But how many of them are tenants?

Small proportion of tenants will be using these platforms

This is where we go down the rabbit hole because a very small proportion of tenants will be using these platforms, and apparently that’s a reason to bring in a national database.

There’s no mention of implementing a rogue tenants database. Just landlords.

I keep talking about landlords having to work together on issues that affect us all but the level of apathy in the sector is shocking.

Along with the government’s planned rental sector reforms, it is issues like a national database that need to be debated now. In the open.

Landlords would be in support of a national database

I’m guessing most landlords would be in support of a national database depending on what information is available – I’d be twitchy about personal details including my address being on there, for example.

So, Mr Khan might, through his own political ambition, help to put the skids under the private rental sector with this nonsense idea if good, decent landlords decide they want no part of being on a database.

And don’t think I have an axe to grind with the mayor, I don’t. I had a go at him last week, but he keeps popping up like a bonkers ‘Whack a mole’.

Before signing off, I also mentioned last week that we need more landlords to step into the media ring to defend landlords so kudos to Ben Beadle of the NRLA for doing just that.

He was on BBC Breakfast this week talking about landlord issues and did really well (though I’m not sure about the choice of jacket, Ben!). He also dealt with the expected questions from BBC presenters about how bad all landlords are.

Is this when we as landlords decide to fight back and get behind those willing to stand up and represent us?

Sadiq Khan couldn’t care less about what landlords feel about his attacks – he doesn’t want our votes.

Gove is another one playing to the stalls and all major politicians have made it clear they don’t like us.

Perhaps that day when we do stand as one, it might just show our gutless, feeble politicians that we don’t like them either.

Until next time,

The Landlord Crusader

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