1,000 signatures reached
To: Theresa May
Housing Policy Needs Urgent Change
We demand an urgent Government re-think on how a vibrant UK housing market can be encouraged and supported.
An increasing number of people are reliant on the flexibility provided by renting, including but not limited to; students, those who need job mobility and also those on low incomes or benefits to whom mortgages are unavailable.
Encouraging a significant increase in the supply of quality rental housing will drive rents down and rogue housing providers out of business. Nobody in their right mind would rent sub-standard accommodation if better alternatives were available. This will only be achieved when supply exceeds demand.
Government housing policy appears to be focused almost exclusively on helping first time buyers at the expense of all else.
The UK needs more housing of all tenures, and this includes privately financed rental housing.
No amount of increased regulation and/or taxation will drive the costs of rent downwards or standards up!
Incentives need to be created to encourage private individuals to bring derelict properties back into use, and to invest into new build developments.
The number of Housing Ministers we have had over the last decade or so is also ludicrous. We need more consistency, perhaps even a body independent of Government.
Why is this important?
Increased supply and quality comes from competition and incentives, not from over regulation or divisive taxation policies.
There's a hole in the bucket and it's not being refilled quickly enough.
Private landlords are selling up in droves, thus reducing the pool of better quality homes available to rent.
Private investment into much needed rental housing is being strangled, and this MUST STOP!
National and Local Government policies are discouraging private investment into rental accommodation, especially in recent years. This is already negatively impacting housing development and the wider economy.
If the supply of private rental accommodation continues to contract, demand will cause rents to increase and ordinary people will find it even harder to find flexible and affordable housing.
Taxing suppliers, whether directly or by stealth, is always passed on to consumers. In this case, that means upward pressure on rents.
There have been several forms of stealth taxes and indirect taxation applied to private housing providers. These include; the taxation of finance costs, increased Stamp Duty Land Tax, banning tenant fees and Selective Licencing.
Government and Local Councils need to stop milking private housing providers like cash cows and reverse all such policies before further suffering is caused.
Badly informed campaigning could also undo all the good things the Housing Act 1988 achieved. We urge Government to be mindful of this.
