![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dev.withcreative.co.uk\/lforl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/shutterstock_1033156831-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Housing has always been a political issue, but as the levels of home ownership fall and concerns rise about Generation Rent, it\u2019s become even more of a hot potato. Last week, on top of everything else that we\u2019re facing, MPs called for the abolition of Section 21 evictions. The debate raised fair points but was vocal on the rights of tenants. Grahame Morris, MP for the Easington constituency, stated that there was a \u2018one-sided power imbalance\u2019 and further, that tenants\u2019 rights were largely unenforceable. Another MP went on to say that Section 21 evictions created \u201ca culture of uncertainty where tenants are afraid to exercise their rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that the Section 21 no-fault principle has been abused by a minority of landlords, but its existence gives the majority the reassurance that their property<\/em> remains something they can control. And if that degree of control was removed, who would choose to be a landlord? That very point was raised by Alex Chalk MP who expressed concerns that reforms shouldn\u2019t be implemented at the cost of restricting housing supply.<\/p>\n We could argue long and hard about whether Section 21 is fair, but I think we would be avoiding the real debate \u2013 which must be, surely, about the role of the private rental sector in the UK and whether a government, of any party, would recognise and respect its contribution.<\/p>\n Home ownership was for decades the desirable state for many, supported and encouraged by successive generations of politicians, but house prices have risen too far and too fast for many. And yes, I know that private landlords have contributed to the rises, but so have schemes like the help-to-buy programme. Private landlords are frequently castigated and criticised by our politicians, but we\u2019re now a necessity, and I believe we should be allowed to help shape the future of this country\u2019s housing. We are, after all, supplying an increasing proportion of it.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not saying that landlords should have all the power. Only cowboys want a return to the dark ages of squalor and like-it-or-lump-it deals. What I am saying is that politicians should take our concerns seriously and make use of the extensive knowledge we have about tenants, their needs and their aspirations.<\/p>\n Every private landlord has something of the entrepreneur in their character. We have, I\u2019m certain of it, enough creativity, desire and drive to work with<\/em> our politicians to ensure tenants enjoy high-quality housing, tenancy durations that suit their needs and<\/em> affordable rents, but we must be taken seriously. We need strategic planning, not brief windows of consultation on major issues. And when the adversarial nature of British politics kicks in, we don\u2019t need kicking from both sides.<\/p>\n Yes, housing is in a mess. That\u2019s because we\u2019re still in a period of transition from the old property ladder model to a model where renting is a respected long-term choice. It\u2019s not because of Section 21. Calls to abolish no-fault evictions are yet more evidence of the knee-jerk tactics which don\u2019t solve problems. They might make politicians believe they\u2019ve achieved something, but all that\u2019s happened is the problem now sits on someone else\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n I\u2019m Sim Sekhon and I\u2019m proud to be a landlord. I believe it\u2019s time we stopped being pawns in political games. I believe we\u2019ve got a more important role to play \u2013 shaping a private rental sector that works for all its stakeholders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Housing has always been a political issue, but as the levels of home ownership fall and concerns rise about Generation Rent, it\u2019s become even more of a hot potato. Last week, on top of everything else that we\u2019re facing, MPs called for the abolition of Section 21 evictions. The debate raised fair points but was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,1],"tags":[89],"yoast_head":"\n