Britain’s biggest landlord increases rents 33%

One of the UK’s largest and most controversial private landlords is reportedly increasing rents across his 900 buy-to-let properties in Kent by up to 33 per cent. Fergus Wilson (left) told the press that when he let a three-bedroom mid-terrace home in Maidstone, Kent, last weekend, he managed to increase the rent from £900 a month to £1,200, thanks to a high demand from tenants, fuelled largely by an influx of eastern European migrants. He will now be seeking similar rent hikes across his residential property portfolio. He commented, “I will not be asking them to leave but will serve them with a Section 13 Notice to increase the rent so that they have the opportunity to move to another landlord should they wish. That is if they can find a house of the same quality and a price they can afford. By the time they have paid out fees etc, some will take the view there is not much in it.” Wilson said that he was increasing rents to ensure that his property empire remains profitable in light of the recent tax relief changes announced by Chancellor George Osborne, who has made it his goal to create what he…

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