Nigel Farage has admitted he may be forced to sell his rental property due to Labour’s proposed Renters’ Rights Bill.
Speaking on GB News, Farage criticised the legislation, calling it a “huge mistake” and “self-defeating”. He argued that the bill, headed up by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, could lead to a notable fall in available rental properties.
“I have a property I rent out, but the way it’s going I may just sell it”, Farage said, suggesting that such sales could limit short-term holiday let opportunities.
Farage accepts that there are “rogue landlords” and there are some tenants that get “a rotten deal”, but he insists the real issue is with rents.
The Reform UK party leader commented: “With an exploding population, rents are going through the roof – they’re up about 21% across England over the course of the last four years alone, and that’s an average in some areas – the problem is far more acute, and my real worry is about supply of housing.
“Now, under the last government we saw the first shades of this; pressure coming on those that have got Airbnbs because they’re worried about second homes in Cornwall or whatever it may be.
“But now what is being proposed. I mean, think about this, not just the idea that if somebody is there renting from you, frankly, you haven’t got any means to remove them if you want to. That sort of fixed term contracts would be ended.
“And then you’ve got Ed Miliband EPC certificates where you’ve got to bring your house up to a certain environmental standard by 2030 which certainly with older properties, would cost a huge amount of money.
“And you’ve also, of course, had the tax changes the Conservatives brought in, for example, if you have a mortgage on a buy to let property, you can’t write that cost off.
“So what’s happening? What’s happening all over the country is people that own buy to let properties are saying, ‘You know what, it’s not worth it. I’d rather sell.’
“That decreases the supply, and that means rents go even higher. So I think this is a very self defeating piece of legislation, even though I understand the intentions behind it.
“I’ve got a property that I rent out, but you know what? The way it’s going, I may well just sell it. It’ll be bought by a private person and that and that, and that opportunity for people to take it and use it for a short term let for holiday won’t exist. Who’s the winner in that?
“There is an appeals process against [no fault evictions] and that would kind of go to a court, a junior court, that would decide it, and look, I understand, I repeat the point.
“I understand the point that if you’re a tenant that is effectively being asked to leave, it may be deeply inconvenient and difficult for you, but against that, rights or property ownership are one of the absolutely fundamental freedoms that we treasure in the free world.
“And I think what we’re doing, both the last government and this, we’re encroaching upon that. That, I think, is a mistake and wrong in principle.
“But the biggest problem, I repeat, is all that will happen with this legislation is there will be fewer and fewer properties on the market to rent at a time. And we saw the figures just yesterday, when the British population, through net migration, is exploding.”
Nigel says it exactly as it is. I’m biggest private provider to Benefit tenants in Nottingham over 27 years. And I’m not taking them any more.
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More ill informed guff from the Fag Ash Fuhrer. What a shame for those poor people who won’t be able to use his holiday let anymore. It won’t even be affected by the Renter’s Reform Bill. Never misses an opportunity to take a pop at all those immigrants who are here legally to support the NHS and care sector. The man is an idiot and why anyone would publish his ramblings as any sort of fact is beyond me
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Mad leftie alert. Go back to The Guardian. This is for grown ups.
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Take the holiday let bit of it away, which I agree he is wrong about but of the rest of it which part of it is ‘ill informed guff’, will RRB not force out landlords? will it not mean increased rents for tenants?.
I’m curious to what you see as wrong or is that you just like him? (I don’t either but it doesn’t mean he’s wrong.)
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You must have been waiting and watching years for NF to appear on here. Why should he be treated any differently to anyone else? Why don’t you criticise a real rogue landlord, Jas Atwal MP, largest landlord in Parliament?
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But let uis niot menmtion the guy I used to liuve next door in Hounslow
2 wives
4 kids
did not work one day in the 5 years i was next to him
house paid for by me and taxpayers
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The RRB is poor legislation and the people behind it do not understand the industry. Though they pretend they do. It needs scrapping.
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Putting politics & those views aside what he is saying has been endorsed & highlighted on previous PIE posts & comments namely the RRB will ruin the rental market & rents increase.
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The government should grant landlords more authority to manage problematic tenants, highlighting the benefits of living in a private rental sector (PRS) property compared to social housing, where tenants often receive fewer advantages. To boost the supply of PRS housing, the government could reverse Section 24 and eliminate stamp duty on private rental properties. To offset this, they could raise stamp duty on service accommodations and holiday homes. This approach would reduce the need for building more social housing, ultimately saving the country and taxpayers significant money. Problem solved.
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Common sense must surely prevail with the RRB scrapped – more and more prominent people now questioning the common sense of this, wished they’d all questioned it a bit more before. 2025 Doomsday for PRS.
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2025 Doomsday for tenants.
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I am a private Landlord and an estate agent for past 25 years. I completely agree with Nigel. They should scrap this bill as it is we are struggling to accommodate tenants due to the huge property shortage in the market.
This bill definitely going to decreases the supply chain, and that means rents go even higher. So I think this is a very futile piece of legislation, even though I understand the intentions behind it.
I strongly suggest all the council should support the Landlord, when it comes to eviction and they should advise the tenants to find a suitable accommodation rather than waiting on eviction.
I always think good tenants always find an accommodation easily, even though they are claiming universal credit.
ie: One of our Landlord decided to put number of his properties on the market for sale due to this new legislation out of his 32 properties which we are currently managing. Most of the Landlords believe, no point to own any BTL properties.
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I’ve just put this on LinkedIn which echoes what u say:
Ed Miliband & EPC C making more tenants homeless
What if tenant was living in warm, no damp at all, 30% cheaper than market rent property?
And she already had latest boiler, windows, doors, kitchen etc.?
That was EPC D?
And she was perfectly happy?
And she’s just decorated her living room gorgeous?
And Govt comes along & says we got to rip out all your nice decoration u just done.
Gonna’ tread over all your new carpets.
5 builders in your home of 20 years for 2 weeks.
Make your house smaller.
But you will save £10pm gas bill.
And u will then be EPC C.
But it’s gonna’ cost your Landlord £10,000.
And that cheap rent you got, he not be able to afford you that any more, it’s gonna’ cost you £3000 per year more to bring in line with market rents.
Ooh & you gonna’ get mould & condenstion next year cause this 1920’s house wasn’t made to be sweated up with all this internal insulation.
But we the Govt will look good to the voters as can say We are making loads of houses EPC C.
Ooh sorry we din’t realise your Landlord din’t want the house anyway, only keeping for you, and this last straw has pushed him over the edge & he’s now gonna’ sell to make u homeless-Look on bright side, Council will put u & 5 kids in one room in hotel that will be EPC C & Council (well Taxpayer) will pay the £3000pm to the hotel group.
Am I Einstein or are Govt & Council’s thick? Has anyone been to ask the tenants who HAVEN’T GOT A PROBLEM what they would like?
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