A Tory MP has warned that Right to Buy could be extended to tenants of private landlords.
Mark Field said the policy, allowing tenants to buy homes at a discount, could soon be extended to private landlords.
The MP for the Cities of London and Westminster said: “It has already been mooted, I think, by the opposition benches that buy-to-let landlords should be forced to sell their homes to tenants.
“I think that would be entirely wrong, but I think it would probably be an extension of what we are proposing.”
Field was speaking in the House of Commons where the Housing and Planning Bill was debated yesterday.
A key part of the Bill is to extend Right to Buy to tenants of housing associations.
Field said that the policy would deplete housing stock, and end in properties being rented out to high earners.
He said: “That’s what has happened to many of the housing estates in my own constituency where essentially the second or third buyer after a right to buy has been, dare I say it, a well-paid yuppie.”
Field also said that extending Right to Buy to social housing tenants would be unfair to private tenants whose voices were not heard so loudly.
EYE reported in September that Jeremy Corbyn wanted to suspend Right to Buy in some parts of London, and that he would extend it to the private rented sector if elected prime minister.
The Housing and Planning Bill yesterday got through its third reading in the Commons and now goes to the Lords. It will introduce bans for bad agents and landlords, and introduce fines of up to £30,000.
“It has already been mooted, I think”
Enough said?
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I went to a question and answer session in Parliament in March last year and here are a few exerts from that
Tom Chance – Green party
Greens would scrap ‘interest rate relief’. It is not a business expense it is an investment.
Bob Neil – Conservatives
Mr Neill explained that the Conservative Party supported sensible regulation, but would oppose over-regulation, which would drive away investment.
From article above
Jeremy Corbyn wanted to suspend Right to Buy in some parts of London, and that he would extend it to the private rented sector if elected prime minister
From me
Can the government think for themselves or is it standard practice to adopt other parties policies then create credit for, in their eyes, success??
It wasn’t that long ago that they were encouraging people to take money from their pensions and investing in more lucrative pensions, like property?
I for one am very dissapointed with this and if they impose it guess what will happen to my pension plan?
That said I do this think they will adopt the normal stance of “Lets propose all PRS properties are included and when the backlash comes, we impose it on the PRS where the lower paid are living, that way we get our own way and the PRS think they have a victory”
sighhhhhhh
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To clarify Tom Chance was referring to what the government is doing with regards to mortgage payments
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When is this lunacy going to stop? Perhaps the opposition MP’s would like to let me have a chunk of their pension fund pot at a ‘below market value’. I don’t think any of them would accept that so why should they force the great majority of hard working people who have invested in their future by way of ‘buy-to let’, and are helping the government’s self induced housing crisis by providing homes to let, to sell at a discount. It just doesn’t make sense.
Previous governments have sold off the ‘family silver’, by which I mean the Council Housing stock, at vast discounts to occupiers who three years later have sold at huge profits with no clawback into the public purse. If these properties had not been sold there would be no shortage of homes to rent. If the Right to Buy as muted has got to happen then a very hefty clawback should be part of the contract to stop profiteering.
Surely the same will happen if extended to the private sector once again but this time at the landlord’s expense. Am I being cynical in thinking this is just another way of getting extra revenue for government by way of more transactions and hence more taxes by way of stamp duty and vat on fees, moving costs etc. Or is it the politically correct ‘Robin Hoods’ in parliament who feel that the answer to everything must always be to take from the prudent.
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It is a world gone mad. Why the hell has the government decided to squeeze the rental sector so hard? Since they sold off all their council houses and didn’t build any more. Well for my money this latest “genius idea” must surely contravene every rule there is under “human rights” If this lunacy becomes law, the government will not only have a revolution on its hands by private landlords, but if will diminish the stock of properties to rent massively and totally ruin the property market. Is this an April fool arrived early folks?
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I think it is high time that all ‘Right to Buy’ schemes are abolished. The assets of the local authorities and the housing associations should not be sold off at discounted prices. This resulting shortage of property has caused a major issue for tenants needing low cost housing.
I think the idea of councils buying or funding houses for regeneration is an alternative. Many areas and properties could benefit by offering Landlord’s low cost finance to bring properties back to a good standard and these properties being offered exclusively as low cost housing possibly with rent caps. Alternatively, the council could of course buy low cost housing and regenerate themselves.
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Well put SJEA. The problem is however that back in the 70’s, and yes I remember it well, the government sold off all the LA housing stock that could in the meantime have been generating income to provide new LA stock. I am afraid the old adage of ‘once its gone – its gone forever’ holds true.
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easternagent – You are so right – once its gone etc. I have noted though that one of the LAs in my area has been buying low cost property (I think the property must have been empty for a min 6 months) and then making very low offers. These properties tend to be in less desirable areas and mainly aimed at those receiving benefits. These properties can be repaid within around 48 months when compared to Housing Benefit that would have been paid on these properties. My assumption in this is that the LAs could within a relatively short space of time increase their stock levels and release funds to the owners of these properties that are difficult to sell by introducing more buyers at the bottom end of the market.
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Lunacy. Why is it that month after month politicians are constantly meddling with rental market with apparent lack of understanding. It does seem that labour have nothing better to do than vilify landlords thorugh their personal prejudices, which after all is providing housing that all governments have failed to keep pace with. A case of bite the hand that feeds you, for without the private sector this country would be in an even greater mess than it is.
How on earth would you be able to force a landlord to sell to a tenant when their is a mortgage and if purchased cash, well if ever their was a reason to pull out of the landlord market, that would be it.
It about time that politicians were made accountable for their lunacy. Bring back the MP’s that had some form of grey matter between their ears and not the bunch we have no who seem to be more interested in feathering their own nests and imposing personal opinions on the masses.
Corbyn is nothing more than old fashioned communism and labour should be called what it actually represent under him, the communist party. His own MP’s can see it and it is about time the public woke up.
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The Government are not fit for purposes with such communistic suggestions.
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This has absolutely nothing to do with reality.
This is all about populist strategies to get elected.
BUT, it doesn’t matter (I hope).
We are massively short of property in this country and that’s not something you can wave a magic wand at.
This is smoke and mirrors to get themselves (re-?) elected.
It is unlikely that anything will ever come of it – they are all trying to persuade the vast majority of the population of the UK that they are actually DOING something.
In fact all either of the political parties can do is change a few laws in favour of planning and development and sit back and wait.
Time is the only thing that will sort this whole mess out, but it has taken 50 years to get ourselves into the mess we are in – I don’t think that anything less than 20 years of continuous concerted effort and consistent housing policy will sort this out.
One change of government in the wrong direction and we are all screwed.
Housing is definitely not a political football.
Then how come I feel that the starting whistle has just been blown?
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