‘Most landlords back rent controls of some kind’ reveals agency poll

Leaders Romans Group's Allison Thompson, says latest poll of landlords finds them surprisingly accepting of rent controls, which a Labour government is likely to consider.

All PostsAllison Thompson, Leaders Romans Group

Most landlords back some form of rent control, a new poll by Leaders Romans Group has discovered, as the likelihood of Labour government keen on the policy looms after today’s General Election.

The firm polled a large group of landlords and found that 70% of them thought rent controls were in the majority, favouring limiting annual rent increases and a third saying they supported rents being limited to wage or inflation rises.

But it’s not universally popular, unsurprisingly, with 30% against rent controls of any kind.

“We should accept our responsibility to provide decent homes at a fair price”, one told the agency, while another said “the real problem is the lack of supply – rent controls, higher taxes and licensing only lead to fewer properties to rent. That can only mean higher rents”.

Cost of living

Other results include that banning Section 21 evictions is not a high priority for tenants, who instead are most concerned about cutting the cost of living.

One other issue worrying landlords ahead of a Labour government is taxation, with 60% telling Leaders Romans Group that greater property taxation would inevitably lead to higher rents.

And 45% of respondents expressed concerns about the introduction of more red tape that, they said, could complicate the rental process and make landlording less attractive.

“This survey highlights the critical concerns faced by both landlords and tenants in today’s volatile market,” says Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director at LRG (main image).

“The start of a new parliamentary term presents a pivotal moment for the party in power to address these issues with balanced and thoughtful policies. It’s essential that we create a fair and sustainable rental environment that supports both landlords’ ability to invest and maintain properties and tenants’ access to affordable housing.”

Read the report in full.


3 Comments

  1. Utter nonsense. I don’t know a single landlord who backs rent controls. They don’t work.

    If you want to reduce the cost of renting increase supply or decrease demand. So, either start building MORE THAN 300,000 properties a year. Never been done.

    Or
    Stop/control the unsustainable mass immigration currently running at 700,000 a year.

    Labour of course will do neither. It will get worse.

    We need change at the political level. The uni-party have none of the answers.

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