To think we should ban private renting?

[honeyrosesandwich]

AIBU to think this is a great idea?

Imagine if private renting was banned. All rented houses were done under social housing / housing association. There are already over 4.5 million houses rented under social housing, so it's on a huge scale already.

It would mean rent would be affordable for everyone and effectively help the cost of living prices. I live in a housing association house and my 2 bed is £520 a month. My brother, who private rents, pays £1100 for a 2 bed in the same area.

Repairs for my house are done by the HA's own company. I just put in a request online for it.

People that want to stay in their privately rented home will be free to do so but they put a ban on any new tenancies. The owners will have the opportuntiy to sell the house to social housing or keep it for themselves, but not rent it out further. If sold, the tenant will be allowed to stay.

I've been thinking about this randomly today and haven't come up with any negatives so far. Is it bad to monopolise housing? Well, there are already certain housing associations which own hundreds of thousands of houses.

The government are embarking on a massive house building programme. You may have read locally about permissions being given for large planned developments.
Whether Those houses end up for purchase, and indeed affordable (that depends on
local land value) or for rent as social housing is dependent on calculation already laid down in the National Planning Policy Framework, but the mix of building can be subject to getting permission in the first place.
Truth is we’ve become a nation of home owners, and there is more money for developers in providing just that - so maybe that will continue.

You've heard of "build to rent" right? One of the key characteristics is institutional ownership. That's private institutional ownership. These schemes aim to provide 20% of the properties at "affordable rent" ie 20% of the market value for rents locally. So guess what the other 80% are being rented out for?

You think it will be better when these institutional landlords have a monopoly on the market? Oh and Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves hosted several round table meetings with the likes of Black Rock - one of the big institutional landlords.

Now tell me how much better it will be when you don't have choices as a private tenant.

Funnily enough, talk off rent controls etc (now ruled out by Angela Raynor) excluded institutional landlords.

No @honeyrosesandwich and@JustMerelyHere Housing associations ate non-profit organisations or charities. They are not private companies making profit. That’s why they can provide and maintain houses at lower rents than private landlords.

Why?? Like you I had to work for my money and I chose how I wanted to spend it! I have more than 2. Own your own choices.

Not all

What would you propose should happen to “accidental” landlords - people who for a period of time end up with a second property due to marital breakdown, being forced to relocate for work for 6-12 months etc?

I’ve been in that situation several times and had to do things like rent out my own house whilst I privately rented a different one somewhere else in the country. No way I could have afforded to rent the new one without renting out the existing one.

I don’t disagree in principle but there are an enormous amount of practicalities that you are not taking into account.

Anyone who has relied on the council/state for housing, repairs and maintenance will know how appalling it is.

Local authorities have proven they are not good landlords. Massive off-shore investors are often terrible landlords. Housing Associations are not the state, and their properties and management are wide and varied.

Some of the best landlords are individuals who know their tenants and respect their property — one of my best was a couple who bought a flat when young, managed to keep it when they bought a family home, and when they retired, they sold the family home and moved back into the flat (for which I had to move out, and was happy they were back in a familiar place as they aged and one suffered from dementia).

Anyone who wants to pass domestic decisions to the state for the vast swathes of people who have to or want to rent, is unlikely to have come face to face with the compassionless bureaucrat repeating “computer says no”.

I suppose I count as old if I’m 65?
I own my own house and have just inherited the family home and my father’s retirement flat.
The family home is currently let.
In 30 years when I’m supposed to be in hell apparently I can leave my properties to my children and then they can be landlords.
However, I fully support ending leasehold tenancies and the building of thousands of council / social housing homes to replace those sold off by the Conservative government.
You can’t pigeonhole us all you know.

All property is theft. This worked well in the Soviet Union. Or not…🥺

People work and aspire to get 2nd homes as we did. Not our fault the government have let in millions of people we don't have the infrastructure and housing for.

Admit you’re a communist & stop posting nonsense.

What you are advocating is something that’s worth half a million pounds say, the owner, should just give it away for free. Hahahaha.

Imagine Trump or someone world famous, standing up and making an announcement that everyone in the world, should give away their wealth, because poor lazy people who are entitled want a slice of the pie. And easy life. And boo-boo, don’t wanna work hard.

Many home owners, to buy, worked 3 jobs, dressed in rags, never went out or on holidays, never put the heat on, ate beans on toast and boiled rice for 20 years to save up to buy their 1st property, couldn’t afford a car, or a pet. And had zero treats forever. And made MASSIVE SACRIFICES in order to save for a deposit and a home.

Then some communist who has politics of envy wants a slice of the pie.

Now stop watching Netflix all day whilst you’re on the dole, and idly pondering how you can steal other people’s money, get off your backside and start making major sacrifice in your life for years on end, and you too, can afford a home.

PS. I’m all in favour of making social housing like it used to be - you have no right to pass it on to anyone else when you die and the home goes back to the council for the next vulnerable disabled person or veteran.

This is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read on here. And I say that as someone who only owns one house.

What about the tourist industry - no more cottages to rent for your family holiday as the owners have been tarred and feathered

Housing shortage!! High Rents!! No council housing!!!

You know what’s caused this? Mass illegal immigration.

People come here, unemployed, have 10 kids, 4 ex-wives. Bring over 25 family members who alap want a house each. All these people go down the council and demand free council houses.

Of course there aren’t enough council houses. But then again, a recent study said 60% of council homes were owners by foreigners living abroad who were illegally subletting their council home.

instead of jealously & enviously finger pointing at rich landlords who aren’t a drain on the taxpayer, try evicting criminals who should have never been given council homes in the first place. We are talking millions of council homes.

I think when a private landlord sells they should get exemption from CGT if they sell to the State.
i think the state should embark on a programme of buying/ building housing stock as they did 80 years ago. It is needed now as it was needed then.
I think there should be real affordable housing, rather than people without deposits paying off some else’s second or third house.
I think that I should be able to have state housing when I retire.

But not everyone who rents needs social housing? Years ago I moved around the country with work and have rented homes with land for my family with horses before settling in one location.

Sometimes it’s the state selling. In our village a council house became vacant and the council have sold it.
It was has sitting room and kitchen downstairs and bedroom and bathroom upstairs - with a front garden 20ft long + parking, and I’m sure there are plenty of single people or childless couple who would been happy to live there.

As a junior doctor we moved jobs every 6-12 months and many of these weren’t commutable.

hospital accommodation as a perk was removed at least 20 years ago. So yes we rented - generally renting from past doctors so landlords were pretty keen on us as an easy change of tenancy. no lengthy tie ins and often direct from the landlord etc.

how on earth would social housing work there. It absolutely wouldn’t. And no I don’t want to buy and sell every year.

Council/social housing can be passed on once, and that tends to be to the surviving spouse.

Let me guess - you vote Reform or for Corbyn?

Or is voting too capitalist for you?

Yes we are in that group - we earnt quite well when older and hence beyond level we could get a mortgage in an area we actually wanted to live - especially being self employed ( business together) - so we rent nice houses and treat them as home instead of buying . We might buy if/when we inherit , but possibly not -

I’ve explained earlier that older social housing can be uneconomic to repair, especially when updating water/heating systems, rewiring etc. However they are under an obligation to rebuild, but unfortunately that obligation doesn’t mean within that immediate area.

So I feel conflicted about this one to be honest. Because I agree with you in situations where renting is likely to be a person’s long term lifestyle.

However private renting works for a large portion of the population who want to rent for a couple of years before they then buy their own property, for students, and for people that need a second residence for a short period of time. Some kind of private rental market would still need to exist.

What happens if you want to rent @honeyrosesandwich ? You have to rent social housing? But what if you want to rent a 5 bed detached house somewhere because you are only going to be working in that area for 12 months?

Or are you just meaning for those people who require social housing?

Sounds like a good idea, or that landlords shouldn't be renting out a property they've bought with a mortgage. I only know three landlords personally, one is my dad. All own the property outright (inheritance in all cases) and they charge a fair rent that doesn't go up because they need to pay more on their mortgage.