labour's proposed rent reforms

[el-ahrairah]

so milliband has announced that he is going to try and win over renters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27225421

i haven;t looked deeper into it yet, though looking at the standard on the way home, they've shit themselves and as far as i am concerned anything that causes those yuppie tossbags to shit their pants is a good thing.

then i read this: http://handbookforcityrenters.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/labours-rent-reforms/

which seems to agree with my basic reaction - it's good. not good enough, but certainly an improvement to the situation now.

am i missing anything obvious? is this a good thing, or is there some sleight of hand going on?

apart from the fact that labour continually refuse to be an actual socialist party and that i'd bet against anything meaningful happen should they win the next election.

 

[editor]

Here's a good read by none other than our very own vornstyle76

http://www.tmponline.org/2014/05/01/labour-rent-increases/

 

[editor]

The only way to sort out fair rents is to run the buy-to-rent fuckers out of town, and do something vaguely socialist like, you know, BUILD FUCKLOADS OF COUNCIL PROPERTIES.

 

[Dogsauce]

The Tories would never go near this sort of thing in a million years, it's not in their blood, so it has to be an improvement on what's going on now. But the constituency Labour Party is also stuffed with rentiers, so I'd imagine something watered down is in the offing. Any threat to house prices will be jumped on by the usual papers.

Something is needed desperately, just heard today from friends in Peckham who rent a place that has just been sold by the owner to another BTL landlord - the new owner wants another £300 per month out of them to stay. Bastard.

 

[shifting gears]

I've had a cursory look at the bbc link you posted al-ahrairah, and will have a proper look later on at the other links posted, but my gut feeling is that it will be wildly insufficient, wide-open to loopholes, and like most Labour 'policies' , all talk and nay fuckin troozaz

I sincerely hope I'm wrong though, as someone who is really, really struggling in the private rental market now, and whose chance of getting a council flat looks hopeless too, even after several years on the waiting list.

 

[weepiper]

I've had a cursory look at the bbc link you posted al-ahrairah, and will have a proper look later on at the other links posted, but my gut feeling is that it will be wildly insufficient, wide-open to loopholes, and like most Labour 'policies' , all talk and nay fuckin troozaz

I sincerely hope I'm wrong though, as someone who is really, really struggling in the private rental market now, and whose chance of getting a council flat looks hopeless too, even after several years on the waiting list.

This, both parts

 

[editor]

Tax the greedy buy to let fuckers until they bleat. Make it be known that excessively profiteering from rent is morally unacceptable and repugnantly exploitative.

 

[SpookyFrank]

If I hear Miliband say 'cost of living crisis' one more time he's gonna be experiencing a lack-of-teeth crisis.

It's called poverty you fucker, and it's something that can only be rectified through massive redistribution of wealth; something your party gave up on long ago.

 

[vornstyle76]

The three years minimum tenancies proposal is undoubtedly an improvement. Still crap, but with so many people are entering the absurd territory of moving every year this will have a sizeable impact on improving lives. The "rent caps" are worrying though. Be they defined by inflation, average rent rises or *gulp* local rent rises,we're still looking at likely wage-busting rent growth (from an already debauched starting position). Venezuelan-style these policies aren't.

Here's a good read by none other than our very own vornstyle76

http://www.tmponline.org/2014/05/01/labour-rent-increases/

A fellow member of Southwark Tenants wrote on this subject as well, definitely worth a read: http://handbookforcityrenters.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/labours-rent-reforms/

 

[weltweit]

So, what is preventing house builders just building more homes?

They are afaict most if not all private businesses ..

 

[editor]

I could never be a politician because I'd just sit at a housing committee table and keep repeating, "BUILD MORE MORE COUNCIL HOUSES, YOU FUCKERS" until I was removed from the building.

 

[mentalchik]

Is there anything about social housing rents ?.........mine has gone up more than 25% in 7 years.........HA's putting rents to 80% of private rents is not right imo

 

[Brainaddict]

So, what is preventing house builders just building more homes?

I'm not sure but I'll have a guess: around parts of south London there's a definite feel of a residential building boom. But most of the new properties are out of the range of normal people. So I guess there's just a lot of demand to be soaked up at the higher end of the market, which means the big companies will focus on putting their capital into that, particularly with limited land availability. In the long run an increase in house numbers should affect the bottom end of the market too, but at the same time the population of London is growing, so perhaps new building at the top end will have little to no effect on the bottom end.

 

[Dogsauce]

This government has allowed a lot of developers to renegotiate the social housing element of large schemes (in some cases down to zero) because of the economic conditions, despite the fact that housing is ludicrously overheating in the capital again.

It's society that has to take the hit. Under no imaginable circumstances can the landowner take a bath for a fall in value of their land - it just simply isn't allowed to happen, the 'social gain' must go first.

This sort of shit enrages me probably more than anything in politics, even though I'm not renting.

 

[SikhWarrioR]

The only way to sort out fair rents is to run the buy-to-rent fuckers out of town, and do something vaguely socialist like, you know, BUILD FUCKLOADS OF COUNCIL PROPERTIES.

Could have got an awful lot of high grade social/council houses out of that £13 billion they found from somewhere to spunk on on the 2012 olympic corporate feeding frenzy

 

[captainmission]

The aboltion of section 21 is a good thing for these new tenancies. It'll do nothing to achive its stated aim controlling overall rents, but atleast it 3 year set tenancies gives some degree of security and an ability to ask (and enforce) right to repairs without a retalitory eviction.

 

[weltweit]

I'm not sure but I'll have a guess: around parts of south London there's a definite feel of a residential building boom. But most of the new properties are out of the range of normal people. So I guess there's just a lot of demand to be soaked up at the higher end of the market, which means the big companies will focus on putting their capital into that, particularly with limited land availability. In the long run an increase in house numbers should affect the bottom end of the market too, but at the same time the population of London is growing, so perhaps new building at the top end will have little to no effect on the bottom end.

Yes, I suppose developers probably make more on higher end homes.

I am renting in the SE at the moment, the possibilities are not that attractive, rents are way too high, especially as a proportion of my income.

 

[weltweit]

The aboltion of section 21 is a good thing for these new tenancies. It'll do nothing to achive its stated aim controlling overall rents, but atleast it 3 year set tenancies gives some degree of security and an ability to ask (and enforce) right to repairs without a retalitory eviction.

What is that section 21?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Lots of building work always takes place during property bubbles. It doesn't help anyone within the bubble and it doesn't help anyone after the bubble pops either.

 

[mauvais]

It's an empty gesture.

The attempt at substance was this:

Landlords would only be able to terminate contracts with two months' notice if:

• The landlord wanted to sell the property, needed it for their own use, or required it for their family

Already in that text it's unenforceable.

So what can he do?

Well, I would have all BtL landlords shot. I joke, of course. Perhaps on one of my few benevolent days, if they were sufficiently penitent, they might only be sent down a salt mine to die.

Being able to extensively profit from your countrymen by collectively cornering the market for a basic need is modern day treason, and under my great rule, it would be neckshots for everyone.

 

[weltweit]

People expect their homes to be an investment, as much as places to live. I think that is part of the issue. We all need somewhere to live and it may be unfair to expect it to appreciate in value to the extent that they do in the UK.

There was something on the radio I half heard today which said that if food had appreciated in the same way house prices had then a chicken from the supermarket would cost something like £40.00 .. made me think!

 

[captainmission]

section 21 is a section of the housing act that allows landlords to evict a tenant with (as little as) 2 months notice without needing to state a reason. It's what allows landlords to sidestep what exisiting protection there is for assured shorthold tenants- if you try enforce what limited rent controls exist currently or try to enforce rights to repairs a landlord can gain possession with relative ease.

 

[maomao]

So, what is preventing house builders just building more homes?

They are afaict most if not all private businesses ..

It's called price gouging. Why would they build twice as much to make the same money? The only reason that they're seemingly building more now is because prices are so high it would be stupid not to. They won't build enough to bring prices down or in areas where prices are cheaper but people still need more housing.

 

[weltweit]

section 21 is a section of the housing act that allows landlords to evict a tenant with (as little as) 2 months notice without needing to state a reason. It's what allows landlords to sidestep what exisiting protection there is for assured shorthold tenants- if you try enforce what limited rent controls exist currently or try to enforce rights to repairs a landlord can gain possession with relative ease.

Oh, ok. In my shorthold tenancy agreement the landlord can get me out with 2 months notice. Don't know if that will be affected.

 

[SpookyFrank]

which seems to agree with my basic reaction - it's good. not good enough, but certainly an improvement to the situation now.

Looks more like a set of measures to stop the existing situation from getting too much worse. Better than nothing I suppose, but not exactly progress. I will be interested to see where they go with the stuff about agency fees though, they've gone through the roof in recent years and with universal immigration checks on the horizon they'll soon have an excuse to charge even more.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

It's an empty gesture.

The attempt at substance was this:Already in that text it's unenforceable.

So what can he do?

Well, I would have all BtL landlords shot. I joke, of course. Perhaps on one of my few benevolent days, if they were sufficiently penitent, they might only be sent down a salt mine to die.

Being able to extensively profit from your countrymen by collectively cornering the market for a basic need is modern day treason, and under my great rule, it would be neckshots for everyone.

They could be made to build council houses.

Well, not actually build them, that's a skilled job, but haul stuff about.

 

[marty21]

it is weak arsed imo - what they should be doing and I know they won't is re-introduce rent control for private rents - bring back the rent officers who set fair rents (still on the books for pre 1989 private tenancies) and increasing tax on rental income

 

[captainmission]

Oh, ok. In my shorthold tenancy agreement the landlord can get me out with 2 months notice. Don't know if that will be affected.

Well there's not much detail for the new scheme - but from what's in the article existing shorthold tenancies would be unaffected. I presume that would include periodic shorthold as well.

 

[Dogsauce]

You can bet your arse landlords will be undertaking mass evictions two months before any act comes into force, then reletting at a higher rate

 

[Citizen66]

The only way to sort out fair rents is to run the buy-to-rent fuckers out of town, and do something vaguely socialist like, you know, BUILD FUCKLOADS OF COUNCIL PROPERTIES.

And then, one built, use the rent to employ local people to maintain them / build more and any excess plunged back into the local economy or reduce rent. Like anarchism.