UK landlords say they are upset at being ‘demonised’
Key Points
- Landlords say they are frustrated with the negative attitudes towards their sector in politics and the media.
- A survey by the NRLA of its members found that concerns over negative attitudes have spiked in the last 18 months.
- Landlords surveyed said they provide a social good and felt persecuted by the government and the press.
- The NRLA called for a more even-handed approach by policymakers to treat good landlords better.
Landlords in the United Kingdom are becoming increasingly frustrated with how they are portrayed in politics and the media.
This is according to a survey of the National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA)’s members, which found that the negative portrayal of landlords was now one of their biggest concerns.
Those who are planning to sell up and leave the sector are increasingly likely to cite the negative portrayal of landlords as a factor.
According to the survey data, the tipping point was reached around 18 months ago. Back then, negative attitudes towards landlords ranked at number eight on the list of landlords’ concerns. Now, it has shot up to number four.
The NRLA also collected comments from landlords on their biggest frustrations, and unhappiness with the portrayal of landlords was a common theme.
Landlords said pointed to the “demonisation of landlords in the press” and the “persecution by an ill-informed government and activists who think all landlords are bad”.
They also argued that good landlords fulfil a strong social role that goes unrecognised, for which they are unthanked by the government and media.
The NRLA said while there are the occasional rogue landlords and criminals, the vast majority of landlrods offer quality homes to tenants, who are overwhelmingly satisfied with their arrangements.
“Speaking to our members at various events this year, it’s clear that there is real and growing concern about the words and tone used in relation to landlords,” said NRLA deputy policy director Meera Chindooroy.
“Good news stories about landlords, unfortunately, rarely make the headlines.”
“But a more even-handed approach by policymakers would help encourage responsible landlords to continue to offer the homes to rent people need, alongside the necessary action against the small minority of criminals and rogues,” she said.
In recent years, the government has taken positive action to provide tenants in England and Wales with better protections through legislation such as the Renters’ Rights Act.
Provisions in the new legislation include the abolition of fixed-term residential tenancies and no-fault evictions, as well as recourse for tenants who are suffering from poor living conditions or unfair rent increases.
