A leading landlord association is calling on the government to offer help to residential landlords just hours after the Coalition Government gave the green light to Social Landlords to up their rents.
The National Landlords Association (NLA) believes that as a result of the austerity measures announced in the Spending Review, the private rental sector is going to have to provide more housing over the next four years. Many experts believe that the new measures introduced to cover social housing may well create problems and the NLA has been quick to ask questions.
David Salusbury, chairman of the NLA, falls into this category, he says buy-to-let mortgages need to be more accessible to landlords wishing to add to their portfolio and buy landlord insurance. He envisages a shortfall of properties offered by social housing and that the private sector may well have to help out. He said “The government must now put in place a strategy to incentivise the growth of the private rented sector and support professional landlords in providing much-needed homes to rent.”
Many charities believe that the new government proposals whereby social landlords can now charge up to 80% of the market value may well have a negative effect on providing housing to people on low income’s but also feel the private sector can help in other ways.
Heads of many national charities supporting the homeless and low income families believe private landlords often charge too much rent and government regulation designed to root out rogue landlords is desperately needed. The Chief Executive of the Citizens Advice Bureau, Gillian Guy, described private sector rents as ‘expensive’.