Landlord & Buy-to-Let Magazine | Page 3

14 04 Agent’s aims to ‘disrupt archaic letting industry’ with tech appointments Smoke alarms compulsory by October Rent controls needed like a hole in the head An impending election has put rent controls firmly back on the political agenda for the first time since their abolition in the 1980s. Voters would be forgiven for thinking rental costs are out of control and that greedy landlords need to be reigned in, based on what they read. However, this perspective does not bear up to close inspection. When taking into account inflation, rents are not rising as fast as the scaremongering headlines would have you believe. The assumption made by those who support rent controls is that the majority of tenants would prefer to buy than rent and they have been squeezed out by greedy landlords. Unable to afford to save deposits due to high rents and unable to buy because of high prices – all caused by greedy landlords. Landlords may make convenient scapegoats and bashing them may prove popular for some, however, politicians owe the public a duty to protect the country from populist, knee jerk policies that fail to address the real route of the problems. Yes, there are big problems in the housing market, but it’s not about who owns the homes or how they are used, it’s about how many of them there are. There are simply not enough homes available. Published by: media Issue 57 March 2015 AEP Media Limited 117 Chestergate Macclesfield SK11 6DP ISSN 1753-2744 t: 01625 511151 Free Subscription www.landlordnet.co.uk in this issue ... 2–22 Industry news including: •  enants let down by T poor enforcement • L eeds agent plans to  reinvent student living • D eposit scheme hits  £1 billion mark • E xpert report calls for  10 key changes to sector What this country needs is a radical new approach to housing, including a review of planning and greenbelt laws aimed at delivering housing to future generations. According to the Adam Smith Institute, releasing just 3.7 per cent of green belt for development could realise the development of one million homes. All of the parties seem to have left the long-term supply for future generations to solve – so it’s business as usual for the UK housing sector. 16 Property Investment Expo March 2015 24  Opinion Counts – By Bilal Ahmed  Short-term finance can help portfolios grow in long run 26  Ask Tom –  Legal Fees & Costs Agreeing social media ... Get up-to-date news and join in with debates surrounding all of the industry's hottest topics ... Join the 'AEP Media Ltd' Group Follow @aepgang Oliver Romain, Editor Like 'AEP Media Ltd' Director Emma Silcock [email protected] Marketing Jo Ensby [email protected] Sales Director Mark Hutchinson [email protected] Administration Pauline Clewley [email protected] Editor Oliver Romain [email protected] Administration Jenni Hutchinson [email protected] Advertising - Anthony Pardue [email protected] Advertising - Roy Parrish [email protected] Credit Control - Chris Gibbons [email protected] Print - The Finishing Company, Essex www.thefinishingcompany.com Registered as a magazine © AEP Media Limited. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission of AEP Media Limited. Published monthly. Landlord & Buy-to-Let magazine are registered trademarks of AEP Media Ltd. First published in 2007. Landlord & Buy-to-Let Issue 57 • March 2015 1