This afternoon's U-turn by the Government that stops the eviction of tenants with rent arrears risks the accusation that the Government is discriminating against a minority group, namely landlords.
Press narrative paints landlords as a rogue group intent on driving down the standards of accommodation whilst profiting wildly off the backs of their tenants. But, it seems to me that landlords are not as they are painted.
Many landlords can't afford to live if their rental income is not paid; others rely on rental income to supplement their otherwise meagre retirement pension and still more have a single investment property as part of their future retirement plans. The vast majority provide high-quality homes for their tenants, and have seen the income from their buy to let properties reduce over recent years as legislation has driven-up costs.
Why is it that Government believes tenants should be helped at the direct expense of landlords? Is that not the essence of discrimination? Do Landlords not themselves have rights? Do they not deserve equal treatment? Equal protection?
The cynic would point to the fact that 5.4m people rent their home, out numbering landlords by over 2:1. That's twice the voting power and therefore twice the incentive for them to be supported.
Of course a very small minority of landlords are rogues, but the majority are not, and they should not be characterised as such.
As the Covid unemployment crisis takes hold, demand for private rented homes will increase. With many landlords being forced to sell, I predict a severe shortage of quality private rental homes over the coming 12 to 18 months in parts of the country. Will the Government look back and blame their own policies or instead impose rent controls, further punishing those landlords who have resisted the temptation to leave the sector?
History shows that Government intervention in the private housing market doesn't work. It distorts the market and eventually leads to legislative roll-back but only after the crisis has been created.
The landlords I know are law abiding, tax paying, ordinary people who invest in their properties providing high quality homes for their tenants. They deserve support through this crisis as much as any other group - no more, no less.
