UK housing market: rental crisis akin to "social cleansing" | Economics | New Statesman

UK government is completely “in hock” to the top house builders who have a monopoly - Anna Minton
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Britain's rental sector is in a state of crisis. Both labour and the conservatives agree that changes need to be made, and the government could bring in new reforms ahead of the next general election. But what exactly needs to be done? Harry Clarke-Ezzidio is joined by the academic and journalist Anna Minton was regularly written on housing.
Under the current system, the “renting generation” is “suffering every day” argues Minton.
Whilst Michael Gove shows some “realisation of what needs to be done, but it's still not being done”.
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[@Riggsnic_co]

The issue is that either the renter or the owner must in some way pay insurance and property taxes if they want a "permanent roof" with utilities like electricity, gas and water. Because of this, many people-at least in California, where I currently reside-are living in tents. No taxes, rent, mortgages, or insurance. The number of people who tell me they live in their car that I meet amazes me. Its crazy out here!

[@hermanramos7092]

It’s getting wild by the day. The prices of homes are quite ridiculous and Mortgage prices has been skyrocketing on a roll(currently over 7%). Sometimes i wonder if to just invest my spare cash into the stock market and wait for a housing crash or just go ahead to buy a home anyways.

[@lipglosskitten2610]

I get such worries too. I'm 50 and retiring early. Already worried of the future and where its headed, especially in terms of financies and how to get by. I'm also considering making my first investment in the stock market, but how can I do so given that the market has been in a mess for the majority of the year?

[@peterclarke7240]

Neo-liberal capitalism. Re-interpreting the role of government to be only interested in controlling inflation (until it gets out of control, then they blame the banks and people crying out for pay rises) rather than doing what Governments do best, which is large-scale infrastructure projects designed to bring down the cost of LIVING- housing, education, transport, healthcare.

[@SunofYork]

You need to mix with classier people

[@SunofYork]

@@growsethjones7249 People who are of that mindset (rag tag and bobtails), ignore paying car tax (they call it "license plate fees")... Same as the underclass or conspiracy nuts in the UK who dodge TV licences

[@crochetomania]

When in the beginning the lady mentioned that the houses were run down and said they were really affordable it made me sad. Does something really need to be bad, mismanaged, neglected to be affordable? Is this the reality we want to live in. I want to live in the world where affordable means safe, clean, well maintained. Because a home is one of the basic necessities.

[@malcolmrose3361]

No - she said that the houses "were" really run down - as in they were run down in the past, and now they aren't. Due to gentrification in Brixton - forty years ago it was a run down ghetto, after the riots government money was poured into the area, people recognised that the housing stock was mostly late Victorian / Edwardian so the area had character and Brixton isn't too far out of the centre with good transport links. People wanted to live there as a result - so the prices went up.

[@allykhan8594]

Get China to make the building materials cheaper or even build these buildings cheaper. You can't have a high wage economy and cheap stuff can you? You got an idea what 1 brick cost or even how much a chippie gets?

[@JD-wn3cc]

Minimal government checks or legislation on landlords. Only gas and electricity checks are mandatory but everything else can be in a terrible condition. If its an area with high demand and high rents, the tenants don't have much sway and the landlords just do the bare minimum, if that because their rent is almost guaranteed so why 'waste' money

[@allykhan8594]

@@JD-wn3cc buy a house.

[@JD-wn3cc]

@@allykhan8594 don't need to tell me to buy a house. I own the one I live in and rent 3 out. I'm merely commenting how a lot of landlords take the mickey and run things dangerously cheap just to keep their income as high as possoble

[@retrojimmyx]

Strange how 1-2 decades ago, the concern was people not being able to afford to buy, now it is people can't even afford to rent. In less than a decade, it will be widespread homelessness, hunger and no access to healthcare.

[@andrewwalsh2755]

In Bristol, today, people are living out of vehicles... It's a good job the UK is such a rich country... otherwise, it could easily be mistaken for a place where there is dire poverty...

[@268dar]

So true

[@danielwebb8402]

Nope. Won't be any of those 3.

[@yerhan1572]

Only for British people enough said

[@grahamt5924]

500 000 people can't keep arriving in Britain each year, without eventually affecting the price of housing.

[@Infundibular]

The UK has a very unhealthy relationship with housing. There's a combination of houses being treated as commodities instead of homes, and the refusal of the political class to recognise that ever increasing wealth inequality creates huge social problems. We'll continue to see wealth (and assets) concentrate in the hands of a select few until it becomes utterly unsustainable.

[@grantbeerling4396]

As in 1914.....See my reply to @RichardStewart-gj5fc

[@maywalker997]

I believe the politicians aren't incentivised to fix the problem because too many of them own investment properties themselves.

[@brynleytalbot778]

If housing was eliminated within the metric of economic growth the reality of the UK’s economy would be exposed and some stability may well return. But those benefitting most from the Ponzi scheme can’t pull the plug for fear of what’s going to be unleashed.

[@augustvonmackensen3902]

“Most countries have a housing market, the British housing market has a country.”

[@KeldonA]

The Tories know the consequences, but unless it threatens their votes they won't care

[@wiltonmills]

We live in Hamburg, Germany and pay around 25% of our income on the rent for our 2 bedroom flat. This includes all overheads - including heating. We also have lifelong tenancy rights. our "landlord" is a large housing cooperative.

[@midnightxsquid4117]

make some room for me im coming over

[@itechuknet]

If you have lifelong tenancy do you still get rent increases every year? or is this capped?

[@jasonbaxter3658]

Good luck finding room. Germany has a rental shortage because if the forced low rents make it unfeasible for property developers

[@Realtalkunion]

Good luck finding a room in London. We have a rental shortage because prices are out of control and have long outpaced real wages.

[@csharpe5787]

Let's hope the uk government wake up and helps its citizens. I want had my breath.

[@juanguevara3032]

I think a housing crash will happen because all those people who bought homes over asking price, although it was at a low interest rate, they are over their heads. They have no equity if the housing prices continue to go down, and if for whatever reason they cannot afford the house anymore and it goes into foreclosure because even if they try to sell, they will not make any money. I think this will happen to a lot of people especially with the massive layoff predicted for the future and the cost of living rising at a high speed.

[@vonroretz3307]

So many became so gleeful on the back of this suffering. Brutal. Lets not forget that governments truckload in migrants to prop all this crap up from the bottom.

[@Michael.P247]

@@vonroretz3307 the uk 🇬🇧 cannot function without migrants …..we also don’t have enough properties in the uk 🇬🇧 so a crash can’t really happen in the uk.

[@Agnelum1]

@@Michael.P247 These are 2 key points that so many people ignore/overlook... A housing "crash" won't happen because the fundamental issue of under-supply hasn't been addressed. At this stage, I don't even think a "correction" (as opposed to a full-blown market crash) will shift prices that much. To your first point, equally important, this idea that the govt is just bringing in migrants for the fun of it. People don't pay attention to population statistics. They don't see that their population is aging, and somebody needs to pay for their pensions. Instead it's "they're taking our jobs, our houses, and our wimmin!"

[@mohammedibrar3299]

If the original communities can’t afford to live there who’s living there now?

[@vonroretz3307]

@@Michael.P247 Property is a very important sector, propped up both ends, high and low, by Migrants. The Housing sector is the main economy beside financial services and Charity sector. Country is not an industrial juggernaut in the slightest.

[@dianethompson2458]

I'm sorry this is happening in your beautiful country. It is the same here in Canada. I am retiring in August. I will pay 90 per cent of my pension for rent. My apartment is 2 rooms in the basement of a private home. I am lucky to be here. The average rent for a one bedroom apartment in my city is $2000.00. I have no security because if the owners decide to sell I will be homeless. I am a senior with no family. This is a worldwide problem. I feel most sorry for young people especially those with children. The rich get richer and the poor suffer. Time for a change.

[@mrforbes1750]

Sorry to hear this, i dont know your full situation but there is a lot of Canadian retirees that live in Dominican Republic, you could live there for $1200 a month. Your quality of life could be a lot higher there. You could rent an apartment for $500 a month and live on $500-$700 a month. I hope someone sees this and looks into it there is plenty of content on youtube.

[@gr8macaw1]

Dianne I’m sorry to hear about your situation I am in a similar situation except I have a mortgage 10 years left on that. Takes up two thirds of my pension. I rent out a room otherwise I could not afford it. Things are bad here. Groceries are now so expensive and our useless government only cares for it’s powerful donors. Well hang in there, not much else we can do.

[@davisholman8149]

@@gr8macaw1 retired American 🇺🇸. Here in Scottsdale, Arizona - prices have skyrocketed - I do not know how young couples survive, especially with children. I am at the point I need to lease a room or two in my home to survive comfortably. It is horrifying. We also have seen election situations that show fraud - never thought I would see the corruption that is everywhere in Arizona.🌵✌🏽😎

[@Natttttttttt]

The Chinese bought up Vancouver. The govts in both countries welcome their investment but don’t see the issue. They buy these properties then leave them empty. the mainland chinese are pretty soulless, the majority of the people were raised in dire circumstances and are ruthless and wealthy now. They will buy up whole towns. They’re not the only problem but a big part of it

[@gr8macaw1]

@@Natttttttttt Our neighborhood has been bought up by rich equity firms. 20 years ago families moved in after purchasing a house, took care of it and made the house look nice. Now the paint is chipping off, the gardens are all raggedy and the lawns unmowed. The housing is so expensive here in southern California that 2 or 3 families live in a house. America is turning into a dump except for the rich in Newport Beach.

[@dylanmoris6211]

At this moment, it is crucial for individuals to prioritize investing in alternative streams of income that are not reliant on the government, particularly with the existing worldwide economic crisis. Investing in stocks, gold, silver, and digital currencies can still be profitable during this period. Therefore, it is advisable to explore these investment options to secure one's financial future.

[@adakkristinn]

I'd be retiring or working less in 5 years, and I'm curious to know best how people split their pay, how much of it goes into savings, spendings or investments, I earn around $250K per year but nothing to show for it yet.

[@Karagoldberg7]

Your money is stagnant when you save, I will advise you buy stocks with market-beating yields and shares that at least keep pace with the market for a long term. For a successful long-term strategy I recommend you seek the guidance of a broker or financial advisor.

[@KelvinWallace]

you're right! If you are unfamiliar with the market, I recommend seeking advice or assistance from a financial/investment coach.With the help of an investment advisor, I have diversified my $450,000 portfolio across multiple markets, We were able to generate over $1.2 million in net income from seasonally high-dividend stocks, ETFs and bonds. For me, this is the most ideal way to enter the market these days.

[@adakkristinn]

@@KelvinWallace Please can you leave the info of your investment advisor here? I’m in dire need for one.

[@KelvinWallace]

@@adakkristinn Sure, the investment-advisor that guides me is Colleen Janie Towe, she popular and has quite a following, so it shouldn't be a hassle to find her, just search her

[@paulroberts5677]

Our first house cost us £2034 and we needed a 100% council mortgage. After 15 years of being a perfect renter I am being evicted and have no place to go. The local rents are 80% of my pension. There are 3000 people on the council house lists and three properties a week become available.

[@jonb5493]

I'm glad this lady underlined the link between QE and inflation in London Real Estate prices.

[@idonthavealoginname]

House prices were becoming unsustainable before QE..

[@davideyres955]

@@idonthavealoginname have a look at the house prices rises and when Labour removed housing costs from the inflation figures. This aloud the inflation of house prices without wage inflation pressure. Ergo house prices go up wages didnt and house price to wage ratio changed from around 3x to around 10x in london. Removing political oversight on the Bank of England meant they stopped working for government and started working for the banks. Neither labour nor tories have built enough council houses and made investments to make living outside of big cities attractive. Tories making buy to let financially non viable for small investors has resulted in less rental properties being available and this has pushed up the rent costs for normal people making the returns for the big companies more attractive. None of the current crop of politicians have any solution or a clue frankly. She’s wrong about QE being the source of the problem, it’s not helped but it kept the gravy train running for the bankers who got away with the 2008 crash while we all got to pay for it.

[@stumac869]

​@@idonthavealoginname true but prices should have corrected post 2008 but QE providing banks with virtually unlimited liquidity at close to zero interest rates artificially inflating asset prices including housing. It's a distorted market that disproportionately benefits the wealthy and disadvantages the poor.

[@Nickle314]

@@idonthavealoginname QE has been going on for ages. On the price, which price? The monthly cost of a mortgage is the main price people use.

[@Nickle314]

@@davideyres955 Why not add the cost of the state into the mix. Massive cuts in spending but huge incerases in taxes is inflation.

[@gkelly34]

This is the reason why families remain in Temporary Accommodation for decades and sacrifice getting a job and education and bettering themselves, just to secure a council flat.

[@gjs321]

The elephant in the room not addressed, as usual. If net immigration remains at 300 - 500, 000 per year, the UK must build a city the size of Nottingham (houses + infrastructure) every year just to stand still. This is not possible for any country, so demand vastly exceeds supply.

[@Hession0Drasha]

Depends how it's divided. 5000 new homes for every town in the country isn't difficult. Look at most large apartment building projects, and each tower has hundreds of apartments in them. More land is used for golf courses than housing in the uk. We've still got plenty.

[@Hession0Drasha]

Depends how it's divided. You can fit nottingham millions of times inside the area of the uk. 5000 new homes for every town in the country isn't difficult. Look at most large apartment building projects, and each tower has hundreds of apartments in them. More land is used for golf courses than housing in the uk. We've still got plenty.

[@andrewwalsh2755]

First, you build the extra homes... (not least for the endless wave of refugees... thanks for the illegal war Tony Bliar)... then you build the extra roads... then you build the extra schools... then you build the extra hospitals... then you build the extra power stations, wind turbines and import fuel or energy... the you import the extra food... then you build the extra sewage plants (300,000 raw sewage discharges into rivers last year!)... then you realise you now need desalination plants for fresh water, because there's insufficient room and rain for reservoirs... So... Govt "borrows to invest" with "fully costed plans"... to do all this... on top of the existing national debt (£2.5 Trillion)... Anybody see a problem with all this?

[@Fresh-qc3zn]

​@@Hession0Drasha Utter nonsense. Where did you get that stat about golf courses?

[@blehblah9309]

​@@Hession0DrashaAbsolutely deluded to think we have the ability to tack on 5000 homes in over 100 towns simultaneously and then do it every year. Planning permissions/politics, obtaining raw materials, building costs, finding skilled labour to build it, then add on all the civil engineering, infrastructure and services like schools and medics to support it.

[@bjames5565]

I work in lettings, the problem isn’t the landlords, is the current state of the economy, particularly here in Wales the Welsh Government is forcing landlords out with council tax hikes due to the rental properties being considered second homes, new legislation required an EICR where Landlords are finding their properties are needing to be rewired, they can’t afford this so choose to sell, a majority of Landlords are normal people who have inherited a relatives property or purchased one buy to let as an investment and are unfortunately being punished. Universally the mortgage rates increasing are proving the biggest issue in regards to rent increasing, how can you expect a landlord to keep renting their property at £550 a month when their mortgage has increased to £700? Landlords are spoken about negatively but without the landlords and these properties homelessness would double as there is not enough council housing, no one can cope with the demand.

[@philiphawley1319]

Err, dont the tenants pay the council Tax? I agree with your comments about Landlords. Small Landlords have been massively targeted by the Government. Small landlords are more flexible, and often invest as an alternative to buying a pension that will not keep up with inflation.

[@blehblah9309]

Screwing the small BTL landlord was done on purpose. Everyone hated how they were out-bidding first time buyers, so now they're selling them on - presumably to FTBs or a chain involving one (if the new owner was a landlord there wouldn't be an ongoing reduction in private rented housing). The angry masses got what they want and now there's a shortage in the rental sector. Doesn't help that the population went through the roof with a large number of low skilled individuals with little hope of making a net contribution to the economy and tight planning restrictions on new housing caused by the unholy alliance of greens and NIMBYs.

[@philiphawley1319]

@@blehblah9309 The real reasons for an overheated housing market are,1) the effect of the Bank of Mum and dad subsidising first time buyers and putting those without that support at a disadvantage, most importantly it is the lack of rented accommodation, in the form of Social housing. Where are the 300 000 houses a year that were promised? If you dont like small landlords then wait till you have nothing but big ones.

[@John-se7rc]

Social cleansing is the tories main objective whether it's starving or freezing the poor to death or causing the deaths of ten's of thousands by constantly underfunding the NHS . It's a fact that over three million uk children are starving in poverty and every three minutes someone is made homeless. The tories tell everyone they have to suffer more cuts in spending on essential services yet at the same time politicians are still enjoying the 40% payrise they gave themselves not so long ago, still fiddling expenses claims, still have second homes bought and renovated at the taxpayers expense and keeping the profits if they are sold. All this in the 5th richest nation on earth. Exactly the same thing is happening in other countries around the world because they are all corrupt and part of the biggest and oldest organised crime syndicate ever to exist.

[@billyliar1614]

Absolutely ! Someone who actually understands the status quo. I think people even in this day and age have this idea that the elite are looking out for them and have their best interests at heart. Fundamentally, there is a tacit support for Eugenics in this country - people don't seem to really want to take that glimpse into the dark hearts of some of their fellow countrymen.

[@riyadougla539]

The English working-class have been marked for extermination by the establishment.

[@debbywilliams9172]

Totally agree 👍

[@rickym.3826]

What an extraordinary analysis from Anna Minton, giving the bleak and real picture of the housing crisis. If it wasn't for this KZbin channel, I would have never had the chance to access this type of information on TV. Keep up the good work to The New Statesman!

[@grantbeerling4396]

Want more? Attend her degree! I first met Anna at a progressive economics conference, so impressed with her honest analysis and complete lack of grandstanding that had a chat with her post meeting, now doing her MRes degree, a real eye opener.

[@brynleytalbot778]

As someone with a higher degree awarded when critical thinking was still fashionable I’d remind KZbin viewers that if the content available was on scheduled TV it’d never fit. We’re given a platform with millions of videos and options which algorithms select based on our viewing habits, conditioning us to the illusion our opinions are universally validated. At least TV gives us a broad church of opinions, even if programmers select them for us, often based on the criteria KZbin uses, their appeal through audience capture to advertisers promoting their wares.

[@kingdogg94]

As someone working in a charity that helps people finding things tough, I really do think we're on the cusp of homelessness crisis - rents are rising so quickly across the board in big cities as demand for accommodation outstrips the available supply, and people are now effectively forced to outbid other prospective tenants to get somewhere to live. On top of this, landlords who are mortgaging or remortgaging their properties are having to put rents up due to rising inflation affecting their mortgages. What this inevitably mean is that the battle to stay in or secure rented housing will become one where only the comparatively well-off will be able to afford to rent privately. On the other hand, people who rely on government support - UC or Housing Benefit - to afford their rent are really stuck, because the government hasn't uprated the amount they will pay towards rent. Obviously, this is in theory the point of social housing but the stock isn't there and so people are going to be priced out of rental accommodation and will be forced to apply for homelessness support from local councils, following which they'll be stuck in temporary accommodation until god only knows when...

[@robertagren9360]

Until they die. The propaganda about birth is all about the industry want workforce they can deplete and replace. You can just accept that this is how the world works. Don't have too many dreams, it's better to have one crushed than many.

[@kingdogg94]

@left_blank helpful insightful, thanks

[@billyliar1614]

@@unknown_name_389 Are you a landlord ? Social housing is the answer to solving Britain's housing crisis in the short term. Phrases like ''bottom of the barrel'' are very antiquated, which makes me suspect that you may be older. It's certainly no secret that we are in a feudal ''gerontocracy'' with the majority of over 65 year olds being both homeowners and the buy to letters who are ensuring the young don't get their own foot on the ladder. It's quite sick and twisted in fact, and scapegoating the poor does nothing whatsoever to help anybody apart from the feudal barons themselves.

[@BigHenFor]

​@left_blank That's not true. And as a social tenant on UC, I have just had my claim reassessed, so I know what I'm talking about. And you have ommitted some pertinent facts. In the case you cited, you did not mention the Bedroom Tax, where if you are a social tenant with what the government deems as too many bedrooms, your housing benefit is cut. This puts such tenants immediately into debt. Now, most social housing tenants are long term tenants. Their family circumstances might change because of children leaving home, death of a partner, or illness creating the need for 24 hour care at home that requires a sleep-in carer. The Bedroom Tax ignores those factors and is cruel, where downsizing is impossible for most due to the lack of supply of suitable properties, or funding to make them suitable for disabled tenants. Furthermore, housing benefits and UC are at levels falling behind inflation, but UC hasn't been uprated to cope. So tenants are still having to pay some rent out of benefits below subsistence level. The circumstances Jack Monroe found herself in, feeding herself and her son on £10 a week after paying bills is still the norm. That's why we have more food banks in the UK than branches of McDonald's. That's why over 25% of working families in the UK are on benefits. So, your observations are at best superficial, and at worst misleading.

[@malcolmabram2957]

In effect many people on low incomes who cannot afford to invest in their future are buying homes for wealthier people.

[@reflexologyfairy]

No security anymore - Only worry and stress

[@buchanfoulsham6314]

Brilliant interview. Council flat dweller here, on the South Coast of Cornwall - hanging on like a wart on the foot of rural gentrification. I feel it's my duty at this stage. Loads of people I know have been priced out of their rentals; meaning alot of them have lost their jobs too, as they can't afford anywhere close enough. Most of them have had to move out of County. Pretty sad to watch happening around me.

[@fksons4161]

The problem is over concentration in London. Businesses need to spreadout to other areas of UK. With remote working, no need to stay in London anymore. Move to better location where you can buy your own house for £200k-250k. That's my advice

[@ruffey1748]

You know what happens when people move from one expensive area to a cheaper, sought-after one? Ask the people of Cornwall how that's worked out for them the last five years.

[@fksons4161]

@@ruffey1748 you can't use an outlier. London in my opinion is the worst place to stay in the UK. There are better places with high quality living but people are silently moving and relocating their families and buying decent houses in fantastic neighbourhoods. As long as the intercity trains are working, it will be stupid to stay in London and pay those crazy rents. You are just working for property investors and paying their buy to let mortgage. Period.

[@Tubeman777]

@@ruffey1748 Then its time to move country

[@Persephone123]

Same thing is happening in Canada: they decided to stop funding social housing in the wake of the the 1980s economic turmoils, and 40 years down the road, we're facing an affordable housing issue of our own. The 2008 crisis was just oil on a fire lit by neoliberal policies of the 1990s.

[@brynleytalbot778]

The globalisation of free market ideology caused this mess. I guess neoliberalism is the free market expression of societal influence that rose in such unconstrained times. Subcontracting everything with the illusion it was cost efficient means, in my opinion, that governments increasingly had little actual purpose, so invented one, rather than govern. Forty years on were seeing the consequences.

[@kanedNunable]

in the UK the conservatives sold a lot of social housing off cheap to win some votes. and we never replaced them.

[@ryanstephen6163]

This is the kind of misconception that we need to be careful to avoid. We think that the free market (aka neo-liberal policies) is to blame where as if the markets were truly free, many more houses would be built, thus increasing supply and bringing down prices. The problem is the red tape - government regulations block more housing from being built. Think about it, why would a property developer not want to build more housing at these prices? The profits would be tremendous, yet for some reason they are not building more houses. Cheap social housing was big business in 1980s NYC - where many a property tycoon made a fortune. Why are they not doing that today? People fail to ask these simple questions, and prefer to blame the free market, whereas the problem is in fact the opposite: The market is not free to operate as it should, and the supply of housing has thus been artificially squeezed through state regulations. If you think space is the problem, why is the same phenomenon occurring in Australia and Canada? Only Texas and Arizona seem to buck the trend and have de-regulated their housing market, hence houses are much cheaper there.

[@alelectric2767]

There is still social housing. It’s provincial responsibility not a federal one. Do you even live in Canada?

[@paulh1529]

What do you think of housing charities and councils advising tenants to stay in private rented accommodation without paying rent? Do you know how many private landlords are now leaving the sector? Private landlords are being used as scapegoats when they are providing a valuable service. You make your bed, you sleep in it. Be careful what you wish for.

[@michaelredfearn9125]

Many of the same issues facing Australian cities, in particular Melbourne and Sydney. It’s by design. This has been allowed or fueled to occur. It falls on all levels of Govt as money talks

[@mrentertainer47]

Absolutely true! My son's rent is being increased from £412/month to £650/month and landlord said that the new rate is at a discount lol. The property is single glazed with rotten window frames and very poor insulation that would fail inspection by housing auditors.

[@filipkonopacki1547]

@left_blank where to? The housing stock in the UK is either really poor quality or unaffordable for mere mortals. The only way to move is overseas.

[@Rory626]

@left_blank Did you not watch the video about how incredibly difficult it is to find a place to rent?

[@Realtalkunion]

@left_blank 1700 a month is not cheap

[@clam4597]

Prices can only be high because some body can pay for it.

[@BigHenFor]

Now you know why the landlords in Westminster refused to pass a law requiring rented accommodation to be fit for human habitation.

[@everydaybiker]

Id also like to point out, like 80% of landlords, possbly not london, but certainty nationwide, are people that own les than 3 properties. Theyre not professionals, theyre just normal folks, investing for their future. And they'll not be make tonnes of bread, essentially with all the new tax rules etc. If we get rid of private landlords, all that will be left are massive commercial concerns, and thats no good for anyone..... apart from the tories and their mates

[@soundseeker63]

A bleak state of affairs indeed! And one has to wonder how much worse it has to get before the government takes some serious action because I really think we're not far from the cliff edge into mass homelesness and social collapse across the UK. Homes aren't investments or trinkets that any individual of company should have a monopoly on. They are an essential part of human life and functioning society, and should be seen and treated as such!

[@anbuzero367]

Everyone knows renters are paying for the landlords mortgage, and then the banks tell us we can't afford a mortgage, so we need to continue paying rent, which costs more than a mortgage 😅😮

[@MinkieWinkle]

If you can not afford the rising rents, which incorporate the cost of a mortgage, maintenance insurance etc. Then you can not afford a mortgage, because you are subject to high interest rates, maintenance costs insurance anyway

[@annliu5096]

It's the difference between the haves and havenots

[@swanseawales1979]

It makes sense though. Most who rent aren’t financially educated and live pay cheque to pay cheque with no emergency fund in place. Before they know it, if an emergency did arise, they are falling into further debt.

[@jaxcs2515]

Big part of this is due to government increasing taxes and regulation on small time landlords. They want big corporations to take over the industry. But the issue is, more landlords are selling up, and not enough are taking there place. Hence why rental demand is increasing as supply has reduced despite a booming population

[@adamkhan1296]

If rents are difficult and unaffordable then who's renting all these properties

[@JK-sz1xy]

Oligarchs

[@adamkhan1296]

@@JK-sz1xy yeah fine but theres over a million out of reach properties...

[@darkangel686868]

I’m glad she mentioned mass council house building as the solution and that Labour are not mentioning this enough as their main pledge. Labour need to step up.

[@SamOwenI]

It's not really a sustainable solution. Social housing that is genuinely affordable is very inefficient and creates ghettos with high levels of crime and high maintenance costs. I suspect what the government would prefer is for the poorest to move out of high cost areas to low cost areas. But of course, relocating can be socially and financially very costly, plus the lower cost places tend to have fewer job opportunities. There are no easy solutions to these problems.

[@Rory626]

Right To Buy has been an absolute unmitigated disaster for this country. Some councils spend millions of pounds every year in housing benefits to support people living in flats that they used to own!!!

[@Realtalkunion]

I don’t think there is a problem with right to buy, the issue is they never replaced the housing stock. They stopped building in 2000 early Blair.

[@Rory626]

@@Realtalkunion The policy prevented them from using the proceeds of the sales to build any new houses

[@garyh1572]

@@Realtalkunion No, they stopped building council houses in the early 80s under Thatcher. Look at the figures .

[@Stringbean421]

Over population with uncontrolled immigration certainly hasn't helped either but nobody likes to talk about that for fear of being called a wacist. It's all about supply and demand and right now, there are just too many people looking for a place to live but there's nowhere for them to go.

[@garypadiham3221]

Right to buy brought to an end public housing estates that were hot spots for crime, anti-social behaviour and teenage single parents. If those houses had not been sold today they would have been given to immigrants within days of their arrival in this country. Selling them off means less housing for criminals, teenage single parents and immigrants. How can that he a bad thing?

[@peterrose7329]

All landlords I know are now selling off their properties, I,ve sold some of mine and will continue as they become empty, the government can then make as many rules and regulations they want, they,ll just be no rental properties to enforce them on.

[@kevinu.k.7042]

Great interview - Thanks. An answer is to enable Councils to build good quality social housing and to stop the right to buy. Council Housing always used to come in at a profit despite the low rents and that funded more Council building along with funding other Council services. If their is good available affordable housing it will drag the rental prices down.

[@WilliamLucas-of2gx]

I'd live in a literal cr@pshack with Mikey Govey, ngl. He's more beautiful than Hull. Like an Angel from Heaven itself. Orange hi-vis vest on. It is unbelievable how attractive he is. Even the looooong tie he wears that literally points down past his genitals when he sits down. Everything about Michael Gove is insane. Insane insane insane. Eyes that are somehow the bluest blue and the greenest green at the same time. If Mikey Govey Wovey Dovey Lovey Gickety Gookity Govity had any real awareness of what was going on he'd literally explode and implode simultaneously from how indescribable he really is.

[@ashroskell]

Can we talk about the, “Elephant & Castle,” in the room here? As a Landlord in Scotland, which has been under a rent freeze since Covid started, which I fully support, we could start by asking, “Is this the, “Britain,” that means, “England & Wales,” about which we hear so much up here? But that’s an aside. Can I just suggest that the issue that none of these people are even beginning to talk about is, who are the vested interests here? Answer that, and you will see why it is that obvious common sense (a rent freeze) is not even being discussed except among the sort of people willing to protest on the streets. We can talk about Thatcher’s Right To Buy policies all day long, and various changes in legislation that may or may not help. But, a rent freeze would alleviate the problem right away for the worst hit families, and would concentrate the minds of vested interests into finding solutions. Those vested interests of which I speak? MP’s, of course! Show me a Westminster MP or senior civil servant and I’ll show you a PROPERTY OWNER who makes prodigious amounts of cash by renting out properties, with very few exceptions. Asking MP’s to solve the problem is like asking Vampires to build you a blood bank! Until people start PUBLISHING lists of which MP’s own what properties and where, and what THEY charge for rent, we will not see anything but, “thoughts and prayers,” for the growing numbers of homeless. And the situation looks to get worse, not better.

[@mcbunson]

Right to buy still has a place but the model would have to 80% of homes built are council and then they would be aloud to be bought x number of years later.

[@bugsygoo]

Increasing supply would be a good start. But if the UK continues to allow foreign nationals with no connection to the UK to buy property, good luck with reducing demand. There are plenty of rich Chinese, Arabs etc--and various kleptocrats--who are eager to hide their money in London.

[@amandag5072]

Right to Buy as it is now, is not the problem. It is Buy to Let, the outright greed of landlords and the Tory obsession with homeownership that are thr core issues. Stop those, and the problem will begin to ease. New build housing should only be done by government, so that only social housing becomes available.

[@keithhiggins2237]

Words will not cure this .most of my friends live in expensive low quality housing if they are lucky .no fancy hotels for ordinary working people.

[@rosuzzieagnes124]

Why would the politicians intervene they have massive property portfolio

[@keyboarddancers7751]

Some time in the next 20-40 years, the country will reap the rewards of a society with too few children because housing costs became so high, not enough people could afford to raise a family. It'll be too late to fix things by that time.

[@ryanrizzajones]

It's the same in Liverpool which used to be cheap. I'm a student who works and I'm literally stuck with family rn. Feels like there's no hope and no future for anybody anymore.

[@alexandrabellerose3550]

only way you get out is if you get a 2nd person with good income and have good income yourself, have references, credit check and can pay some money upfront. Either that or you have to be willing to share with 6 people.

[@whatacruelchoice]

Population of the UK officially 68million by census but sewage content, toilet paper purchases and food purchases suggest this could be out by a large margin with anywhere between 80 and 90 million being a reasonable possibility. In the face population density this extreme what exactly do you think you can do? Build millions more houses? I find the whole concept of politically intervening in the property market absurd, migration will crush whats left of society, probably taking democracy with it unless government tackles the problem at source.

[@billyliar1614]

The Right always try to scapegoat immigrants when it is not primarily a problem of immigration but of the market and one of ownership. There are enough houses to go around, they're just not evenly distributed.

[@jenlin6715]

There is massive elephant of over population. I plan on moving as this island nation is housing the world it seems. I wouldn’t be surprised if slums start to be found soon. It’s starting to become eerily 3rd World country like, corrupt government and all.

[@whatacruelchoice]

@@jenlin6715 Ah we are already there I can show you some British ghettos, you want the tour?

[@jenlin6715]

@@whatacruelchoice working ppl can’t afford to rent anymore so I’m thinking tent cities like the ones in USA

[@whatacruelchoice]

@@jenlin6715 you can't live all year round in a tent in the UK, you would die of cold. However in the warmer months you may find an abundance of campers in tents along the river banks in Oxford, mostly buried in the trees trying not to be noticed.

[@Richard-pe4cx]

i would like to see council housing being built again ;when generations of renters can no longer work due to age where will they go !

[@gwangjuboy1]

Only a mass rent boycott will make a difference, but we all know that won't happen. Instead, what will evidently happen is that rent will represent an ever-increasing percentage of income, and people will continue to bend over and take it, such is the UK's docility. It won't stop until 80% of your income is being spent on rent. In some respects, one can't help but wonder whether people here deserve to be shafted. It's no coincidence that Brits get screwed in every respect imaginable, whether that be housing, energy bills or transportation etc. Its people allow it.

[@theutopia777]

Only regulation of immigration and non British ownership of homes will fix this. Non Brits should be incentivised to leave and forced to sell up their properties.

[@MEHOLE]

Keep Calm and Carry on. There's a reason that phrase is associated with the British, Keep Calm and hope they stop.

[@audreymcgready4329]

In Feb 1915, local women formed the Glasgow women's Housing Association to resist rent rises. In May 1915 the first rent strike began and soon about 25,000 tenants in Glasgow had joined it. The campaign was effectively organised by women who used propaganda and meetings to get their message across. People now just come to YT to moan rather than get organised and hold back the rent until things (build more affordable social housing) are done. Until then. Nothing will happen.

[@mdb4michele]

If you demonize landlords and impede them, they will simply sell out. The result will be an even smaller rental pool and you will have to offer your first born to secure a rental. The only government intervention that should be considered is the state building more housing.

[@andrewwalsh2755]

Who knew that decades of free movement and cheap imported labour... to boost gdp and make us all better off... would actually make very many worse off... and pollute rivers with 300,000 discharges of sewage, last year? Vote Kier Starmers Zionist Labour Party!... He's pledging to if you elect him the next Prime Minister... Honesty, Integrity, Patriotism, are just some of the qualities he publicly claims to have...

[@mssdn8976]

My daughter has had to move 3 times in a few years because the landlords have wanted to sell the house. The last move was awful, it was like a bidding war with others, those without pets were much higher on the desirable tenant list

[@MinkieWinkle]

And landlords are going to keep selling up, the over regulation is forcing then to do so, making in un affordable rent out, without charging over the odds. Combined with too many protections for bad tenants I do not blame landlords for wanting to sell up. And will continue to sell up for the foreseeable

[@tonyshortland8812]

I live in West Oxfordshire town where 1200 new houses have been built over last ten years, they are all over £350,000 my graduate son would have no hope of getting a foot on the ladder, without bank of m&d. The obviouse reaso for house prices, and rent increases, is a subject that cannot be addressed in truth.

[@someguy255]

The worst part is homes are actually cheaper today than they were 100 years ago… when priced in Gold. Too much money being created out of thin air makes everything expensive. When gold was used homes in the UK became as cheap as 2x the average salary in 1915 but have risen significantly since then when gold was abandoned! They would have continued falling in price. Now prices are as expensive as they were in the 1800s!

[@jamesmc1272]

Sorry to disappoint but the uk housing market is following economics lesson 101. Demand is high from new household formation and mass uncontrolled immigration. Supply is restricted due to Nimbys and ineffective implementation of government LA supply targets. Before Blair decided to rub the great british peoples noses in diversity, I got a flat from the council as a single man, then a few years later bought a very nice home for £30k 3 times my income at the time. If i needed to see the doctor i would call in on my way home from work, and if he was busy i would get an appointment for the following day. and this was in 1993. I don't recognise my country anymore.

[@MoniiChanTheUnicorn]

I am mixed (mother is an immigrant) and I couldn't agree more but there is no party to represent this (economically left and socially conservative with emphasis on reduced immigration, should be selective!). But the Tories want their cheap labour so what can we do about it

[@chrisj8764]

And rent controls are an unmitigaged disaster

[@geralldus]

Community simply does not exist in the way she describes, it's a sentimental and old fashioned notion.

[@billytheripper4]

Racist post multiculturalism hasn't diminished community it has enhanced it

[@rye-ry5621]

He didn't mention anything about multiculturalism projecting much racist. All he said is community has fallen which it has as people become more isolated.

[@danielwebb8402]

Maybe the penal tax on landlords isn't economically literate then? Resulted in lower supply as promised. But sates unintelligent people's spite. So winning.

[@alicec.6195]

I have seen a major change in the building I lived for the past two and a half years. When I moved in it was full of young people and students. The garage at the basement level was almost empty as nobody had cars. Now the whole building changed, you see people with more money moving in and the garage is full of posh cars. The previous people who lived there could no longer afford it and moved out. I've just moved out last week from this building and decided to downsize too. By the way I don't even live in London.

[@SunofYork]

If you can't beat em, get a job...

[@nicky29031977]

So gentrification may have improved once deprived areas but on the flip side has also made housing totally unaffordable.

[@kayedal-haddad9294]

The best way to tackle the crisis in the rental market is to have a mass social housing building programme.

[@theutopia777]

Ye free homes and money for everyone, from every end of the planet no matter their values or quality. Great idea.

[@clam4597]

Money has to come from somewhere to build. Funding needed in the NHS already.

[@paulmessenger9836]

Entitled free housing, food banks why go to work.

[@riyadougla539]

@left_blank What if they are too poor to afford private rent? Should we bring back the workhouse?

[@paulmessenger9836]

@@riyadougla539 yes and work yourself out of it

[@g1fcg]

We owned our own home for 16 years - because of illness meant we could no longer pay the mortgage, so we tragically had to sell. We had no choice but to 'enter' into the private renting 'world'! We are now pensioners - been in this 'vile' private renting facade for nearly 9 years! We have had to move 11 times, 3 of those because of section 21's. A lot of the places are unfit for habitation, every one we've moved into have been absolutely filthy! Most of them come with ongoing problems, because there is no 'standard' - and landlords maintaining their properties is very low on their list of priorities! Private renting is absolutely inhumane! At our age it is making us more ill!!

[@jason38800]

im really sorry to hear that. assuming you took out a 25 year mortgage you probably only had about 9 years left to pay it off. do you find private renting now is much cheaper than your mortgage? i'm just thinking perhaps you should've passed on your 9 year mortgage to an adult child or something , or rented your property even a room to help with your then mortgage...

[@gr8macaw1]

Lee so sorry to hear of your situation. Its like that out here in California. The difference here is that we don’t have the damp and mold but private equity groups buy up the houses, slap a coat of paint on them then charge outrageous rents. little 3 bedroom house costs $3,500 month older folks cannot afford that. Many older people sleep in tents in the street.

[@grolfe3210]

This is just spin. London has always been very expensive. The only cheap bits were run down slums where no one wanted to live. Now those areas have been improved and so the prices are of course now up to the rates of the other areas. No big deal, this happened in many places. Areas change, live with it. London has been full for 50 years.

[@riyadougla539]

At last a sensible comment.

[@shauncameron8390]

Exactly.

[@huskavarnaband]

we have the same problem in canada, its asain, or foreign investment companies who made housing into a stock market, now they want double, triple returns on their investments. meaning, renters pay more, or they want to sell the house, at 4 x what they payed for it. to turn a profit, although the place is probably in need of repair, and not worth the 700,000 for a 2 bedroom condo. (Vancouver Canada)

[@AB-qo2xq]

Some very valid points however local Councils particularly in London are perpetuating poverty with their attack on drivers (still the cheapest mode of transport), plus the ridiculously high salaries they pay themselves. Rents have gone up because the regulation and the rights of tenants has been fortified which actually discourages those with investment properties renting them out. What this lady is proposing would only reduce the rental stock as is already happening and cause rents to go even higher.

[@carolyngartner6865]

Exactly the same problems here in Australia.

[@JanZamani]

Limit the amount of properties a person/ company can own. Sell/ publicly rent control the remaining properties. Regulate the housing building companies, to not collaborate to limit house building. Abolish owning/ hoarding of property by foreign gov/ entities. It can be done, but it won't down because money talks. The younger people know how much of an issue this is and they're mad about it for sure, there will be a reckoning about it.

[@darrenbrown8257]

I've lived in Brixton for the majority of my 20 years in London. Those properties in Rushcroft road were squats until 2013 when Lambeth council finally evicted them. Brixton has indeed been gentrified but it become a much safer and cleaner place to live. Especially in the central area around Rushcroft Road/Windrush Square

[@Realtalkunion]

Maybe you should leave London

[@jason38800]

@@Realtalkunion why are you saying that to him? what did OP write that made you come to the conclusion that "he should just leave London"?

[@ForlornHope2626]

Its interesting that there is a correlation between population & housing prices yet whenever anyone discusses the growing population vs number of houses being built its racist.. There needs to be a frank conversation about the reality of the UK and how much it is hindering our young people from ever having a home

[@jackkruese4258]

The elephant in the room.

[@knowitall3503]

Landlords are suffering for lots of recent government implications over the last three years - so it gets passed on to tenants.

[@mrmoney2249]

Refreshing to hear this lady mention how currency debasement (QE) has a lot to do with the housing crisis. The fact that this is an issue across the western world on the fiat system is proof that QE is the root of the problem.

[@finnogorman5683]

What about a large influx of migrants? In the UK we are receiving a city worth of net migrants per year. Of course the infrastructure cannot support such an increase...every year!

[@frankoys2010]

@@finnogorman5683 yeah blame the migrants not your lack of education and your decision to keep the Tories in power

[@minesadab]

Yes, once you understand this, it's bewildering to see how blind the world is to it while they are being slowly robbed in front of their own eyes. Houses haven't gone up in value, only price! The amount the prices have increased simply reflects how much money printing has diluted the value in the pounds we earn. I refuse to work for what other men can print for free. Nowadays I only work for bitcoin and I'll die on this hill.

[@mrmoney2249]

@@finnogorman5683 yeah immigration - Replacement immigration - as it should really be called, exacerbates the problem massively!

[@RationalThinker-ek8hw]

Huge population growth in and no housing built enough. Govt supporting benefit holders inside london for housing is also a big reason for increase in rent. That encourages more investment. Easy money at low cost led to the rise in property prices.

[@jamesgeorge5896]

Every day we have a new problem. It's the new normal. At first we thought it was a crisis, now we know it's a new normal and we have to adapt. 2023 will be a year of severe economic pain all over the nation.. what steps can we take to generate more income during quantitative adjustment?I can't afford my hard-earned $80,000 savings to turn to dust

[@monerharris9430]

Me too. I thought about investing in the financial market, I heard that people make millions if you know the tricks of the trade, but I lack good knowledge and a strategy to outperform the market and generate good yields. I have $160,000 but it's hard to bite the bullet and do it. Money is hard to come by

[@serenasmith2859]

Absolutely Harris, Fiduciary-counselor have exclusive information and data paths that are not disclosed to the public.. I've made north of $260k in raw profits from just Q3 of 2022 under the guidance of my Fiduciary-counselor “SOFIA ERAILDA SEMA”. Am I selling? Absolutely not.. I am going to sit back and observe how this all plays out

[@monerharris9430]

@@serenasmith2859 Exactly how can I get in touch with Sofia Erailda Sema, what are her services, is she verifiable, do you think she can help me, I live in Canada

[@serenasmith2859]

*"SOFIA ERAILDA SEMA".*

[@serenasmith2859]

You can easily look her up, she has years of financial market experience

[@davewright9313]

Attacking landlords is just going to make things worse... Thousands of private landlords have started selling their properties ahead of government changes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations. More than 65,000 rental properties went up for sale in the first three months of the year, 36,460 of which had an EPC rating of D or less, according to market analyst TwentyCi which collates new instruction data from estate agents.

[@MinkieWinkle]

Precisely, less rentals on the market, higher rents will go. As there is less competition. Basic economics. Supply and demand

[@MinkieWinkle]

@@cactus446 you are assuming there will be other landlord willing to buy it. Landlords on mass are selling up for a reason. They are cashing in and leaving the housing markets. Owning rentals now is simply too risky. Why would I buy a house, to rent out at about 5 percent per annum, knowing full well that if I get nonpayer am out of pocket for almost a year. During which the banks are still going to want their money. The on top of being out of pocket, there is a high chance the non paying tenants will trash the place out of spite because I dared to ask the court to get what is rightfully mine. So that is more damage to pay for. In addition to that, to be expected to do 15000 worth of EPC upgrades. And not to worry increase the cost of rent to pay for them is simply not viable. It needs to be paid for. Else it can not be done. Why go through all that risk, for a mere 5 percent return. When I have have zero risk of non payers, and property damage. And earn 8 percent by putting that same money in the stock market.

[@aceofspades5786]

Decades of polices to push up house prices to unaffordable levels. Miras, double miras, endowment mortgages, right to buy (2.6M sold), shared ownership, self certification, sub prime, buy to let, portfolio buy to let, expat buy to let, negative equity mortgages, shared appreciation, equity release, deferred interest, homebuy, help to buy..... In 1970 houses cost on average 3X income (ons), today average is 9X+, and up to 25X is some areas like central London. Housing is now 'worth' more than the combined values of all businesses, pension funds and savings, it is the UK's largest asset class by some margin. 40 years in the making and no solutions on the horizon.

[@joannetucker1538]

I remember when Brixton was a no go area. Moved a lot of the riff raff out to Croydon and turned that into more of a ghetto than it was if possible

[@Lookup2Wakeup]

I remember those days too in the 1970s....

[@khar12d8]

The population of London has increased by millions since the 90s. This has caused house prices and rents to increase. QE and low interest didn't cause house prices to rise in the north like London. Some people seem to think London can keep growing. But maybe London has a maximum capacity it has essentially reached.

[@ddduva4440]

why do people in the UK put up with a super wealthy upperclass while so many languish in the lower class? Is it a centuries beat down serf outlook in Europe and the UK?

[@andrewharvey7667]

This is national scandal in which the social care bill will be massive going forward We need at least 300, 000 social houses built each year or even double that figure

[@elainespoetry1]

i agree! Council properties are all damp, have excessive repairs, they blame the tenants for the repairs, when it’s their fault. They treat us as scum, some can’t look you in the face. Staff are incompetent, apathy is rife. They don’t believe everyone is entitled to a safe home and treated with respect. I’ve lived in 8 council properties they are always the same, nothing changes. Council should pay damages to our mental health for all the crap we go through! Well done on your programmes

[@colinellar]

Sadly rent inflation is a result of market forces. By selling off thousands of council houses and prohibiting councils from building replacements the Tories have throttled the rental market. Labour didn’t want to change that direction and here we are where only the most fortunate are able to buy or rent. This is deliberate policy as it gives massive income streams to house owning entities plus the capital value is always increasing. The Brits are too soft. They let themselves be robbed of a roof over their heads. Any other population would have been rioting until it was pulled back to sanity. The billionaires are laughing and will keep laughing at what mugs we are.

[@mendipfox1650]

I get it. I really do. But I wish people wouldn’t moan about not being able to afford to live in central london. It’s akin to people moaning they can’t afford luxury Caribbean holidays. 😅

[@ruffey1748]

I'm a born Londoner, lived in zone 4 all my life. I cannot even afford to rent here, 15 miles outside of central London! Even in not popular neighbourhoods, rental and price inflation is through the roof. People want to live in the places they were born in, have family and friends and community. Human beings are not just numbers in a database. Housing is not solved by moving people to cheaper, empty units, wherever they happen to be. Many people stay near family to help with elderly relatives, or to have childcare so they can work. Be near friends to not be lonely. Whether you were born and raised in zone 2 or zone 5, housing should be accessible to the residents of an area.

[@aman8086]

It’s not easy to suddenly pick up everything and just leave what about kids, your job, family ect. it’s not that simple.

[@jason38800]

I'm a born Londoner. My parents bought this non-council house back in the 90s, and it's why I'm still living in London. But my childhood school friends I grew up with can no longer afford London and I'm seeing them moving to hertfordshire, liverpool etc. Its really sad because I'm watching my friends all leave London and more and more non UK nationals moving in the area. The house next to us has been empty for a few years, no doubt it's a foreign investment.

[@sfm5086]

Prices have shot up because there are dramatically fewer Landlords as they are selling up en MASSE. Renting out is no longer viable for most small landlords, and so they will just continue to leave the Sector and there will be even fewer properties to rent.

[@GeorgeChuy]

Exactly the same picture in Shanghai! Apartments built a century ago have been constantly dismantled in the last two decades, making way for luxurious apartments which locals can by no means afford. Most of those displaced have to settle down in the suburb with reparation. Though some might argue that the look of city center is now much better and the displaced can have a much more spacious home, I would say it is really a pity to hapve mass of people relocated from where they lived for several generations. When people are gone, only leaving dozens of renovated buildings of historical interest behind, the culture is dead as well. What tourists will see is only some beautiful husks with no life residing in at all.

[@jonb5493]

A detail: "[You could rent a place in London until a couple decades ago]": NO YOU COULD NOT!

[@rameshgolkonda9334]

Renters are facing extremely high inflation due to: - landlords that have buy to let on their are selling and this is creating pressure on availability. - interest rates have gone up and this is passed onto tenants. Work from home has increased and govt did not do much about this. Instead they provided stamp duty discounts. High inflation is also passed into renters. This is a very unfortunate situation.

[@jpot9803]

how does work from home impact it?

[@JD-wn3cc]

As someone who has managed to get into being a landlord recently, I can tell you the positives are that it's so quick to rent out a property right now, with no haggling away from market value. My concern though is that this makes it easier for less scrupulous landlords who can get away with badly maintaining their properties and not doing everything legally, as tenants can find themselves in a difficult position to find somewhere else if they leave or complain, whilst the landlord makes an extra few quid

[@chrisd5964]

I rent but can't and dare not complain. No heating, oven doesn't work etc. But I have no rights and landlords know this.

[@chrisd5964]

@@unknown_name_389 I know you mean to be helpfull, but with almost all landlords a complaint to them leads to a ‘no fault’ eviction. Councils have no funding to follow this up, councils are powerless. Tenants have almost no rights in the UK, this is by design.

[@chrisd5964]

@@unknown_name_389 Of course not, they are better than the Tories but they won't change this. The greens are the nearest party we have to radical reformers.

[@AP-di8sy]

Yes, we all heard about sex for rent adverts. So many criminals from all over the world became landlords in UK. It is absolutely disgusting!!! I have a teenage daughter who I want to just grab and move us into another European country as I absolutely do not see safe future for her among these wealthy landlord mafia.

[@scotishdude]

very common

[@ellabella7071]

Its shocking, and its even harder to get a mortgage. I feel so disappointed in this country.

[@cloudymccloud00]

People forget that Buckingham Palace is "affordable" (if you happen to be the King).

[@rodneycooperLMSCoach]

As with everything in Britain now the housing market is in chaos thanks again to a party of politicians that have not and never will do any good for this nation...the conservatives.

[@jubear1493]

I Agree, but as mentioned here, will anyone else sort this out? It would appear not I fear.

[@rodneycooperLMSCoach]

@@jubear1493 No because we have had our democracy swiped from us by oligarchs and corporations who are now larger than nation states.

[@andrewwalsh2755]

If you think Zionist Labour will do any better... you're fooling yourself... Both Conservative and Labour govts drove UK further and further into national debt... ... if the UK was a person, the hole-in-the-wall would eat it's credit card, and not return it... Some people think national debt doesn't matter...Go have a chat with Greece...

[@jubear1493]

@@rodneycooperLMSCoach Sadly, again I agree.

[@marksargent2440]

Years ago most people lived and rented and worked in the same area once the jobs went over seas most people lost there home and job in the 80s 90s interest rates also did a lot of damage and greed gets in the way 😂 so bit by bit the community has its ❤ ripped out and things go down hill quite fast after that

[@elmafudd9703]

I rented one bungalow to an old couple. My mortgage went from £180 to £530 in two years last month; it increased by over £100 in that month alone. If the tenants stop paying, I have to pay the mortgage for six months before taking them to court. This cost my friend, a plumber, an estimated £18,000.00. This is to remove one abusive drug addict who never paid. If my house is destroyed by the tenant, there is nothing I can do but pay for their vandalism. Now the government's new tax policy charges me on the £745 rent PCM, and I make £215 profit from this, deduct from this insurance repair, etc. It's not worth it. Last month, I replaced the boiler. This means it will be 20 months before I make any money from the rent at all. If I sell, I have to pay capital gains tax to the government, which costs over £15,000.00. In total, I have made almost zero in 10 years. From 2025 on, I have to pay to have the bungalow lifted to an energy-efficient level of A, B, or C. I cannot afford this, so I have to evict two old people onto the streets. All the politicians are nodding to the same tune. They make their money by saying we can do it better, but nothing ever happens. If labour is worried about the money, they should not have agreed to everything the conservatives did except that we (labour) would have done it quicker, harder, and deeper. They all spit lies.

[@michaelandrews4783]

Don't blame others for your poor investment choices.

[@royharper2003]

hwo did you mortgage go up, you bought with a variable interest rate? Not a good idea. I learned that the hard way myself

[@michaelfarmhand]

Please spare a thought for landlords stuck with deadbeat tenants who refuse to pay their rent. It's exhausting getting rid of them as the court process is so slow and burdensome. Besides, much money is spent repairing the damage they leave behind. And now the government wants to make things more challenging. The life of a landlord is hard - it's why many are selling off their rental properties. Not just worth it.

[@C-eo1rt]

"the life of a landlord is hard" and "selling of their rental properties" lmao how tone-deaf

[@JK-sz1xy]

🎻

[@lonpfrb]

​@@C-eo1rt No, it's accurate so be careful what you wish for. The activists at Shelter and Gen Rent are missing the full picture and their ignorance is misleading the superficial to a false direction. When all the private landlords are gone the corporate owners will not be a tenants friend...

[@C-eo1rt]

@@lonpfrb landlords are already not a tennants friend.

[@gavinnorthants]

I think the Conservative government taxed landlords out of the market! Not just affecting landlords but also renters. The rental market will settle down but landlords will not come back into the market until rent goes up a lot to cover the extra tax they have to pay. So effectively the government is taxing renters.

[@Michael.P247]

During my time working in social housing 2003-2006 I realised the best thing I needed to do was: REALISE THAT UK 🇬🇧 IS NOT A NANNY STATE. There’s little the government & politicians can do for us and as such we need to go out into the wild and GET resources. Private renting will continue to rise, get onto the ladder 🪜 anywhere you can and build your future. Rental reforms are all lies, do you expect someone who’s invested in rental property over the years to rent out their properties to you for cheap? You can’t control private rent …it is private, not state owned.

[@JK-sz1xy]

Precisely

[@marksimons8861]

In the olden days you could move to another part of Europe to develop a career and live more comfortably. I have often felt one driver for Brexit was to keep the British population captive inside the UK.

[@amandam480]

@11:30 i live in a housing association property. Most of the ground floor and basement flats are privately owned, as they have access to the garden. Also when my neighbour was evicted, her 4 bedroom flat was sold. That flat could have been used for a family on the housing waiting list.

[@Beacons-of-Light-JustBeIT]

The same forces disproportionately are affecting the housing market and likewise creating housing crises in both the UK and the US simultaneously. Across the US, for example, homelessness issues have been steadily increasing -- causing widespread displacement of people and conspicuous gentrification of neighborhoods and communities that once lived and thrived.

[@AJ_real]

I think this is happening in most countries. Governments should build more housing!

[@useodyseeorbitchute9450]

Right now governments are preventing building houses by restrictive zoning laws.

[@saraswatkin9226]

It's not just renters that are suffering its also mortgage and leasehold payers who have even less security of accommodation.

[@priyeshpatel5675]

Cities like London are going to see renting get worse once a large number of landlords retire in the coming years. Supply will drop while interest rates remain high and new rental properties will not replace the ones lost due to the poor ROI and over regulation. The Banks and Corporate landlords will benefit the most along with government who will rake in the CGT taxes when smaller landlords sell up.

[@janealivekickin5302]

This is a global problem today, tent cities, thousands of displaced people, next in the UK it looks as if the privatisation of the healthcare sector will be inevitable, and the same will happen, this is a huge portion of the general population not being catered for, a massive number of people being pushed out of any decent chance of a civilized life.

[@nerolmars3701]

Unfortunately London is sprawling itself towards the coast and pushing our rental prices up too. Developers are ruining our beaches with luxury flats that people born and raised here could never afford.

[@slothsarecool]

Unfortunately people who aren’t born and raised here keep your country afloat

[@nerolmars3701]

@@slothsarecool my country? I don't know why you have this attitude. First of all you're assuming this is my country, and second of all it seems like you're assuming I would be ungrateful for this if it were my country? I don't understand the intention of your comment.

[@nerolmars3701]

@@slothsarecool when I said 'born and raised here' in my original comment, I meant in the local towns I'm referring to. I'm not English, but I was raised here. You've taken me the wrong way I think.

[@gumbi79]

come vist edinburgh , citys scottish culture has been hollowed out and and over the spoace of 10 years our citys population density has massively changed . the overalll number is still around the same . ergo 500-600k , but as iy stands there is over 150k students studying now . and a massive influx of english people now staying , it is mental you can basically can spend all day walking around edinburgh and never speaks to a local or a b native that was born in the 80s 90s its beyond crazy an dits totally a form of socio economic clensing

[@Littletime839]

I found "Generation Can't Rent" quite profound

[@raysmith1971]

Who is to blame for the Housing crisis.....The Government 1)Tax landlords on their costs i.e. mortgage payments, then introduce council licensing schemes which ultimately the tenant has to pay for as that is yet more cost to the landlord. 2) Print hundreds of billions of pounds which has been the main driver of inflation, so up go interest rates and then mortgages. 3) Continue to house migrants everywhere by secretly paying companies like Serco, to offer contracts to landlords so they house immigrants rather than British born. Yes, they are prioritising housing illegal migrants over you. 4) They allow councils to tell tenants who have not paid for months/years to just stay put until they are evicted. When a landlord hasn't been paid for months and has to refurb a trashed house, this can be several years of rent wiped out. The Landlord sells as he is fed up being used and the unscrupulous tenant moves on to the next landlord. 5) Housing benefit goes direct to the tenant and they can then decide to not pay the landlord even though they have had the housing benefit. Government have caused the housing shortage and made being a landlord unviable. This is why landlords are selling in droves, which further decreases available housing and bumps the price up. People think being a Landlord is all roses. Most of the time a landlord has 1 property and prays that he/she will get a nice tenant that will actually pay the rent and won't trash the place.

[@ggc7318]

The government tries to please their overlords at UN on climate change and wokeism by adding more red tapes to anything. Thus killed all small builders/developers. Only big developers can play the game.

[@AnimatorGuy12]

Wages collapsing whilst assets booming, this is not going to end well

[@dalskiBo]

What will happen?

[@freddymzungu]

Now I understand why we see so many people emigrating to the EU. I saw this crisis unfolding in the UK 20 years ago and left. No regrets. Greed is behind it all and has gripped the British by the throat. A different housing policy won’t change much.

[@jamesalexander3893]

Nobody is coming to the UK I guess are they?

[@Marenqo]

@@jamesalexander3893 no, not skilled labourers. Why would they? Government needs to train unskilled migrants, and they need to so very, very quickly.

[@lisaemmajones7655]

Where did you move to?

[@RationalThinker-ek8hw]

Population growth with less housing is the main cause of the housing boom

[@Sophie-kk3st]

That’s not true, it’s more due to the uneven development of the country, plenty of cheap housing in places that nobody wants to live in, even people who were born there all escaped and are now competing with renters/buyers in London Birmingham Manchester Edinburg and surrounding areas. Young people want to live in big cities because there are absolutely nothing to do and no life elsewhere, older working age people are confined to commuter towns because they need to earn good money from city jobs to support their families. As a result, major cities and surrounding areas are cramped and everywhere else in the country are deserted

[@Lookup2Wakeup]

1 in 6 people are new to the country & not born here. They have to live in 4 star hotels now due to the lack of housing. All is good.....👍

[@avisilvermann2838]

This is BS , a lot of landlords have sold up due to the taxes imposed on them.

[@jopine2825]

oh yes it's the landlords who are the victims here

[@Hession0Drasha]

Be specific. The post financial crisis qe money, went into assets. But it was the rich that got most of that money, and it's the already wealthy that have those assets now.

[@grantbeerling4396]

spot on....

[@jarodarmstrong509]

Have to wonder why immigration numbers weren't even mentioned here as a factor in housing availability.

[@Lookup2Wakeup]

.....shhhhhhh

[@jarodarmstrong509]

@@Lookup2Wakeup Oh did I say the quiet part out loud? lol

[@ashroskell]

When you say, “Britain,” do you mean, “England and Wales,” as usual? We have a rent freeze here in Scotland, as introduced during the Covid crisis, as it was immediately apparent that landlords could not send people to break lockdowns to complete maintenance and repairs on properties (among other reasons) so rent increases were unconscionable. They remain in place and Landlords like me support rent freezes. But Common Sense Measures are always trumped by greed, and no one wants to talk about that Elephant and Castle in the room, so they? When MP’s are property owners, who’s interests are being served? Not, “Britain’s,” that’s for sure.

[@ashroskell]

@Naes Galaxy : Not sure what that means?

[@riyapatel6291]

@@ashroskell think they mean the same thing ish thing you do . That being if aint a Welsh couple who were on the news for moving then buying a whole village , this is an English made and mostly affecting English people (Wales is smaller obvi)problem . Not an English and Welsh one .

[@ashroskell]

@@riyapatel6291 : Is there a legislative difference? I’m so used to hearing, “England & Wales,” spoken in one breath, I’d be willing to bet they don’t have a rent freeze in Wales either? I’m an Englishman myself, but this is simply NOT an issue for Britain, and the rent freeze in Scotland has been highly affective at creating security for families and keeping inflation under control. My point being as much about the fact that the solution to England’s problem is on your doorstep, staring England (& Wales) in the face, but you have a tiny minority with too much power and vested interest in screwing over the population. And that’s largely because the property owners and landlords are also MP’s.