Landlord lobbyists are pressing hard to remove the limited government ban on eviction and to get more tax breaks.
A report from the National Economic Social Council which calls for tax breaks for long-term leases is music to their ears.
Landlords have been jacking up rents by 14% on average last year. So giving them more ‘incentives’ is not the answer to the housing crisis.
A younger generation are now trapped in a rent hell. Stark figures show that the share of 25-34 year olds who own their own home more than halved between 2004 and 2019, falling from 60% to just 27%.
Instead of more sweeteners for landlords, we need
• To extend a full ban on eviction for at least two years or until the housing crisis is resolved.
• Introduce strict rent controls that allow tenants to apply for rent reductions.
• Set up a not-for-profit state company and build social and affordable housing on public land.
• Take the land banks which speculators have accumulated into public control and use them to build housing.