With the introduction of more regulation, reductions in tax relief on mortgage interest and 3% Stamp Duty on buy-to-let properties, landlords are really under pressure. Add Section 21 changes into the mix and there is a real risk that, having lit the touch paper, all the government has to do is stand well back and watch the rental market go down in flames.
This may be an exaggeration but according to a recent survey carried out by Landlord Action and reported in yesterday’s Landlord Today, more than a third (38%) of buy-to-let landlords will consider offloading properties if the government axes Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. A further 33% said they would only continue being a landlord if “significant changes” are made to Section 8.
The study also found that 70% of landlords would be less willing to consider a longer-term tenancy if Section 21 was no longer available to them, while 85% said they would be more selective with their choice of tenant.
This is serious. The government is attempting to reform the private rental sector in order to help tenants but is running the risk of alienating the very landlords that people rely on to provide their homes.
In response, today there has been a new call on the government to rethink its plans to change the Section 21 eviction process. The founder of Landlord Action, Paul Shamplina, has written to housing minister Heather Wheeler, inviting her to gain a greater understanding of the possession process before making drastic reforms, by attending an eviction with him. In formulating policy and new legislation it is vitally important that any reforms present equal opportunity for everyone operating and living in the private rental sector.
With 85% of landlords telling the National Landlords Association in a recent poll that they would be unlikely to vote for any party proposing to remove Section 21, for the minister’s sake let’s hope she is in listening mode.