Landlord & Buy-to-Let Magazine | Page 4

For latest show news visit www.landlordshow.info industry news news round Got a news story worth telling? email: press.release@aepmedia.co.uk Election fears stall landlord investment Almost half of the UK’s private residential landlords have halted plans to expand their portfolios ahead of the general election, reveals Urban.co.uk, one of the UK’s most long-established online estate agents. Fluctuations in property prices, changes to rental regulations, proposals for rent controls and taxes are some of the biggest concerns behind this landlord stalemate. Ahead of its crowdfunding launch in March, Urban.co.uk surveyed over 500 of the country’s landlords and found that 26% were most concerned about the changes to property prices that the election could bring, while one fifth were anxious about potential changes to rental regulations and legislation. The poll also showed that tax (16%) and rent controls (10%) were playing on landlords' minds. With May’s general election fast approaching, only a fifth of landlords would consider expanding their rental portfolios. “With the main political parties promising a range of measures to appeal to the nation’s rising generation of tenants, it is no surprise that landlords are concerned about changes to regulations, rental controls, taxation and property prices,” said Oliver Atkinson, co-founder and Chief Executive of Urban.co.uk. “The private rented sector has grown rapidly in recent years and with the housing shortage and subsequent rise of ‘Generation Rent’, a greater focus has been placed on tenant r