Government ‘looking to destroy’ private rented sector, says association leader

Comments come during episode of The Home Stretch podcast from The Guild in which CEO Iain McKenzie chats to Ben Beadle about rented sector.

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Iain McKenzie, The Guild of Property Professionals Chief Executive, describes the Government’s plans for reform of the private rented sector (PRS) as “looking to destroy” private renting as we know it.

POLICY

McKenzie was in discussion with Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), who went on to explain where he believes government policy is taking the PRS and what it is likely to mean for landlords and property professionals alike.

Beadle says that there is a lot “that a responsible landlord can work with” although past reforms and contemporary context are making issues “more problematic and pronounced”.

ELECTIONS

The two leading CEOs go on to debate the Government’s plans, and their motivations with local elections just around the corner and the nation expected to go to the polls in the near future.

Iain McKenzie image
Iain Mckenzie, The Guild of Property Professionals

Commenting on the latest edition of the podcast, Iain McKenzie, CEO of The Guild of Property Professionals, says: “Ben Beadle’s insight into the challenges facing private landlords in 2023 should be essential listening for property professionals with an interest in the long-term sustainability of the private rented sector.

“There is an enormous amount of change on the horizon for this sector, it remains to be seen who the real winners will be, and who will lose out.”

Listen to The Home Stretch podcast HERE.


4 Comments

  1. John Wathen is absolutely right, an intelligent and erudite assessment of the situation. If Government don’t listen to the professionals in the market and heed their advice, the problems of housing shortage and rising rents will continue, leading to ‘who knows where’ but you can be sure it wont be a better place.

  2. Politicians on all sides are playing fast and loose with the PRS thinking it is a short term vote winner. Demonising all landlords for the sins of a few makes for catchy sound bites however treating us as if we’re a branch of Social Housing is a very dangerous game. The chronic shortage of affordable ‘Council’ housing means more and more desperate and often unsuitable tenants are having to turn to the private sector for a roof over their heads. Without us there would be a catastrophic housing crisis all over the UK but instead of appreciating us, the powers that be are persecuting us meaning excellent landlords are understandably selling up. The big boys like banks & investment groups see a profit opportunity in build to rent but that’s just creaming off the wealthiest tenants. Unless the politicians back off quickly there will be a housing crisis in this country not seen since the end of Workd War Two, and it will damn well serve them right!

  3. One thing you can be sure of is that if the Government are involved it will be a complete and utter backfiring mess-up as usual. Rents soar, agents close, landlords sell, everyone law abiding penalised and poor quality criminal landlords continue as they do now. Usual story.

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