MNHQ here: Shelter's campaign for longer rental contracts

The actual and counterfactual house prices can be compared in each quarter from 1996 Q3. For
instance, taking the last period that a comparison can be made in 2007 Q2, the actual mix
adjusted house price was then £182,667 and the counterfactual price was estimated to be
£169,182. This implies that BTL lending had increased prices by £13,485 (or 7.4 per cent) over
and above what they would otherwise have been. These estimates represent an upper bound on
the BTL impact because, as mentioned earlier, the counterfactual assumes that non-BTL
advances would have remained unchanged. In reality, if BTL mortgages had not existed, there
probably would have been some upward shift in non-BTL mortgage advances. The impact of BTL
on prices may therefore have been less than he 7.4 per cent reported for 2007 but it is not clear
by how much because it is difficult to estimate would have happened to non-BTL lending under
this scenario

A detailed analysis was published in 2008, however, which measured the effect of
BTL on house price growth between 1996 and 2007. It was found that only
7% out of the 150% rise in property prices between 1996 and 2007 was due to
increased lending to landlords; another way of putting it is that 143/150ths of
those price rises were not associated with landlords’ activities at all. This was
according to a report published in 2007 by the National Housing and Planning Unit.

Help to Buy has added £8,250 to the average house price — an increase of 3 per cent on the average cost of a UK home.
Does your stats agree with the above?
Have you any reports on your stats I can access online?

Why is a two year, two way legal commitment a good thing?

Surely a longer term commitment from a landlord and a shorter term commitment from a tenant is much better?

Did you check out "Deed of Assurance"?

Although its always being said that BTL pushes up house prices its been proved by experts it actually very very small a few thousand at best

This is utter nonsense. Which experts are these? Can you link their research?

You were advertising too.

Good news, at least half of buy to let lenders now offer 24 month tenancies at least.

blog.shelter.org.uk/2016/06/mortgage-lenders-open-up-buy-to-let-to-longer-tenancies/

We run a business which deals with housing stats, projections and SHMAs. I am pretty clued up with the evidence about why people rent and the effect of renting on house prices in different areas.

Hi
It was not an advert as such but something that should be considered
Other countries that offer longer tenancies also give landlord tax incentives the tenants have to in some cases install kitchens.

Many people with a few properties have done so for retirement planning so I don't agree that government policies should force them to sell
Many families are unable to buy due to mortgage multiples bad credit and low wages zero hour contracts
For these families a reduced rental market would not be a good thing
Although its always being said that BTL pushes up house prices its been proved by experts it actually very very small a few thousand at best
What could happen is a flood of property on market no one can buy.
If house prices dropped many ftb will be I negative equity
Time and time again government don't listen to the experts but go for an easy target and a vote winner
Which in part is why we are in this mess
Shelter is given funds from government so I don't see them as independent rather a pawn the government plays for its own advantage
I wish the public would not believe all the rubbish which gets pumped out in the media
Please take time to digest it and look between the lines

And that's an old article, quite a few more allow it now, just after I have checked online.

No, it's not, I have just checked.

www.moneymarketing.co.uk/should-buy-to-let-lenders-allow-longer-tenancies/

I don't think that it is in every mortgage company.

There is no such legislation, it's in buy to let mortgage lenders' terms and conditions

Oh I didn't realise that the last posts were adverts, sorry.

Could you link to the legislation about mortgage companies not allowing tenancies longer than twelve months please?

Hopefully lots of amateur landlords will have to sell up and this will increase properties available to buy.
The rental market directly affects house prices, 37% of families with children in rental accommodation is too high with the insecurity that it brings.

Hello Coolgirl

Yes I know about S24 and that it's called the Tenant Tax. It's a most ludicrous thing brought in by creepy George Osborne and for some very strange reason Shelter support it.

If it drives up costs for landlords then they only have limited options:

1. Absorb the extra cost
2. Put up rents
3. Evict the tenant if they can't afford the extra rent and get someone in that can
4. Evict and sell up
5. Cut back on maintenance costs

How on earth does Shelter think that this tenant tax is a good thing??? W

I know quite a number of professional landlords and I know that everyone of them never increases rents unless there is a change of tenant. They like to keep hold of good people so don't want to give them a reason to move. Now though it seems Government are making it impossible for them to do this. It strikes me as complete madness.

I am a landlord most of my tenancies last 5years before the tenant moves due to family job etc. I have a few 10years plus because they know I am a long term landlord they are happy to just take a six month tenancy and let it roll into periodic.

Mortgage companies do not allow a tenancy longer than 12 months.
This is a red herring and sometimes I think shelter just come up with things to keep the funds coming in.

The NLA say I think 93% of tenancies are ended by the tenant.

But things are likely to change on the tenancy front and the reason is Section24 of the finance act which the government has brought in without any consultation on how it will affect tenants.
Basically they are going to tax landlords on the mortgages they pay to the lender , so the landlords biggest cost then the mortgage company will be tax of the money rec from the landlord.
This will see many landlords go bankrupt or sell up or put up rents just to try and survive if they have mortgaged buy to lets.
It is nothing short of a tax grab by the conservative government and the homeless bill will rocket.
If your landlord says they are selling or the rents are going up ask them if its due to Section24.

Perhaps Shelter should consult Mark Alexander at Property118 regarding

Deed of Assurance strategy as an alternative to long term tenancies

What a stupid proposal, typical of Shelter.

I much prefer the "Deed of Assurance" approach advocated by The Landlords Union at Property118.com

I think that most full time landlords, the ones I would call 'professional landlords' want a good tenant to stay as long as possible. I know several that think like that and never put rents up, or at least they didn't.

They're now being forced to by the new legislation. I think they call it the Tenant Tax. And as I understand it this is where Shelter are completely contradicting themselves. They want longer tenancies and most landlords are happy to oblige, but Shelter are also supporting this Tenant Tax and that I KNOW is forcing landlords to sell their properties (or at very least put rents up). I don't think it applies to all landlords but I think that's irrelevant. If any landlords are being forced to sell then a tenant will almost certainly be evicted.

there are good landlords and bad lanlords, good tenants and bad tenants - but all landlords are in it for the money and most will increase the rent whenever they can. Then they wonder why tenants move on and they have voids.

Unfortunately the latest changes on tax relief mean that more amateur landlords are likely to sell up so in the next few tears there are likely to be a lot more moves. Longer term that might mean more professional landlords but probably means less supply and higher rents.

Rather than the government messing around with ISAs and other things that fail to address the problem we need more social housing. The right to but was a disaster.

If I was a landlord and didnt need to sell immediately I woud offer my tenants a private 100% mortgage, with a full legal document so I can repossess if you dont meet the payments. Security for tenants and landlord.

Speaking as a landlord...
We have just had a flat vacated. The place is a wreck. Brand new carpets stained. Mildew in the shower causing the seal to leak water behind the tiles. Grease all over the kitchen, stains on the walls.... the carpet is burned. When I asked the young man why they let it got so bad, he started getting agressive and saying it is not his fault.

It was like a showhome when the tennents signed the lease. I am very glad they volunteered to give up the lease without us having to kick them out.

As a landlord all I want is for someone to oay the rent on time, not be a noisy nuisance and keep the place reasonably clean. But there are a lot of people who don't live like that. I have to oppose any idea that gives people the right to stay longer when they are messing up my property.

None of my local friends who rent have managed to get their children through primary school in the same school. The longest-staying tenants managed to hang onto their tenancy until their DC was in Y5 before the landlord sold the house and they had to move, but everyone else had to move every 2-3 years.

I think I'm missing something. 5 year tenancy agreements that the LL can't terminate but the tenant can with 2 months' notice? How does that give security to LL?

I completely agree to this and will be signing.
Something also needs to be done about landlords who rent out for 6 months to people in certain benefits, simply to get the new boiler and radiators.
I've seen so many people be made homeless because of this.

Anecdotes are not evidence though, although to provide my own, in the south east, we had to move eight times in ten years as every landlord put the house on the market.

Every single officially rented house I have lived in, the landlord desperately wanted a long term tenant. We as tenants opted to move on each time, not them. The tenancy agreement always stated the rent would increase by inflation only.

This is standard everywhere I know of!

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2014-to-2015-headline-report