As the row over Labour’s proposal rumbles on the think tank Centre for Policy Studies - which has previously argued that landlords should be incentivised to sell to tenants - called the new plan “a damaging and distorted version” of its own idea.
Earlier this week Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell infuriated lettings industry trade groups by suggesting private tenants would be given the right to buy their property under a Labour government.
This could be at a discount, and even if the landlord doesn’t want to sell.
Some years ago a former housing and planning adviser to 10 Downing Street, Alex Morton - now head of policy at the Centre for Policy Studies think tank - argued that landlords should be incentivised to sell to tenants, to redress the rise in buy to let and fall in owner-occupation in recent decades.
But commenting on Labour’s version of this, Robert Collie - CPS director - says: "It is gratifying that Labour appear to have been reading the Centre for Policy Studies' recent work setting out a way to help renters buy their home - but they seem to have completely missed the point.
"The big story of the housing market in recent years has been a surge in private rental at expense of owner-occupation. It is vitally important to reverse that - for example by incentivising landlords to sell to tenants through CGT reliefs for both (a policy which our research has shown is practical, affordable and highly popular).
"But it is equally vital that this is done in a way that is fair - to tenant and landlord alike. Labour's proposed 'right to buy' for private tenants appears in effect, to be the expropriation of private property, and is likely to have all kinds of unintended consequences."
Mystery surrounds some details of Labour’s proposal.
In 2015 the party leader Jeremy Corbyn suggested that tax allowances for landlords - then thought to be worth a total of £14 billion - could be used to subsidise the sale of private houses and flats to tenants.
However these tax allowances have been substantially reduced in the meantime, raising question marks over what kind of discounts would be introduced by a Corbyn government and to how they would be funded.
Meanwhile the Daily Mail has tracked down a second home owned by John McDonnell.
The newspaper, having scrutinised Land Registry documents, says McDonnell paid some £135,000 in cash for a two bedroom wooden bungalow with 63 years remaining on the lease.
It sits alongside the Norfolk Broads at what the Mail calls “the holiday village of Potter Heigham” and comes with a small timber jetty.
From photographs published in the newspaper and online, the property is clearly modest and is not let out by the Shadow Chancellor, although it is suggested nearby similar homes fetch £350 a week in winter and £700 a week in summer when let to tourists.
%20-%20IMAGE%20Client%20Accounting%20%E2%80%93%20what%20are%20your%20options.jpg)
%20(002).png)
.png)
.png)
%20(002).jpg)
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
Just for the record Private Tenants Right to Buy is NOT Labour Party policy. It is a proposal which has been talked about for 4 or 5 years, has never been worked up into a policy proposal, has never been included in the Parties Manifesto and will certainly not be in the next one and I doubt in any future one.
Who would trust Corbyn/McDonnell with one's own assets ? These two admire Venezuela's economics and Cuba's politics . They seem to.orefer terrorist groups like Hamas/PLO to a democratic and prosperous country like Israel. So prepare for the worst with these two. Property ownership and individual aspiration are anathema to Marxists within today's Labour .
Who would trust Corbyn/McDonnell with one's own assets ? These two admire Venezuela's economics and Cuba's politics . They seem to.orefer terrorist groups like Hamas/PLO to a democratic and prosperous country like Israel. So prepare for the worst with these two. Property ownership and individual aspiration are anathema to Marxists within today's Labour .
Since the housing crisis was caused by politicians in one way or another the only way they can now see their way clear to resolving this is to pass the buck and force landlords to sell at discounted prices to tenants in occupation. This of course will absolve any government from having to build any more council houses or affordable rental property. Affordable rental or social housing is not getting added to the housing stock as builders keep running back to planners stating they can no longer afford to build the number approved so planning gets changed retrospectively. There will eventually be no private rental properties in any great numbers but by then those who were involved in the decision will have long moved on to another job for the boys! Private landlords will by then have emigrated to more shall we say sympathetic locations.
Just the mere threat of expropriation and rent controls from a future Labour Govt is more than sufficient to deter and substantially reduce PRS investment.
Nobody in their right mind would invest in AST lettings if every 5 years there was a risk of the Labour Party assuming power.
Property investment is a long term game and wouldn't fit with a 5 year risk of losing everything.
I believe that the threats that have been announced by Labour are more than enough to massively reduce the PRS or rather massively reduce the AST lettings PRS.
With lodgers or holiday makers there are no tenants who could enforce a RTB.
LL will just stop taking on tenants.
Lots of tenants might find they are on holiday contracts.
There is no law preventing an occupant from being on permanent holiday.
No S24; no RTB!
LL can be very creative!
Ok of course LA business would greatly suffer but few would be concerned apart from LA!
New data demonstrate that there has been great increase in the number of tenants experiencing rent go up following the beginning of the tenant fees ban.
Please login to comment