Only 9% of landlords agree with their media portrayal – Landbay survey
Landlords have never agreed with how they are depicted in the media but recently their disapproval has only worsened. In 2019, 19% told the Landbay survey that their media depiction was “fair and accurate”, there has since been a 10% decrease in that number.
According to Property118 , the newest Landbay survey shows very few changes between those managing Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) or Multi-Unit Freehold Blocks (MUFBs) and those with smaller portfolios.
What the media says
The lender’s sales and distribution director, Rob Stanton, says “People seem to have a view that landlords are rolling in cash making huge profits; the situation has got worse over the last year presumably encouraged by the legislative agenda.”
Why landlords disagree
However, the juxtaposition between the opinion of the media and landlords couldn’t be more intense, as shown in the latest survey which was carried out in May with landlords that owned around 3,000 properties.
According to Property118, Stanton says, “As more landlords – small business owners – leave the market in the face of counter-productive red tape, the landlord-bashers are going to get a wake-up call when they realise the housing crisis has not disappeared and – because the supply of rental properties has shrunk – rents have risen.”
Landlords with smaller portfolios are more critical
Whilst there wasn’t a huge difference between those with large and small portfolios, landlords owning fewer properties were slightly more critical.
Just 4% of those owning one to three properties believed the media portrayal was accurate, compared to 10% of those with four or more.
Stanton told Property118: “Landlords with only a few properties tend to be those that have invested all their savings and inheritance into their properties in the hope of providing themselves with a retirement income.
“I think they genuinely care about the state of their properties and therefore find their demonisation even more unfair.”
