The Government has been slammed by the National Residential Landlords
Association (NRLA) over the cladding scandal for their ‘lazy and false
assumptions’ that individual landlords are ‘property tycoons’.
The criticism was made by NRLA chief executive, Ben Beadle, following a
statement made by Michael Gove, the housing secretary.
Mr Gove told the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee,
that a private landlord who is renting out more than one leasehold property
will not be covered by a government promise that no leaseholder will have
to pay to replace their dangerous cladding.
He also reiterated that he did not want to support anyone he believed had
‘significant means’ to pay for any remedial action to replace dangerous
cladding.
Government plans to replace dangerous cladding
The NRLA says that Mr Gove’s comments mean that a multi-millionaire who
owns and lives in a penthouse would enjoy cover under the government plans
to replace dangerous cladding, while a landlord who is renting out at least
one property will not be.
The NRLA points to government data that shows that 94% of private landlords
are renting properties out as an individual, and 44% of landlords are doing
so to boost their pension.
Mr Beadle said: “This is not about who does not and who does have the means
to pay – it’s about fairness.
“No leaseholder should be expected to foot the bill for illegal and
dangerous cladding, irrespective of how many properties they own, that has
been installed by someone else.”
Resolve the injustice that landlords are now facing
Mr Beadle says that the government now needs to make amends to resolve the
injustice that landlords who own more than property are now facing.
An amendment tabled by Lord Naseby, a Conservative peer, is aimed at
guaranteeing that all leaseholders are treated equally under the Building
Safety Bill, irrespective of the number of properties they own.
Also, Sir Peter Bottomley, a Conservative MP, has tabled a parliamentary
motion calling for owner-occupier leaseholders and buy to let landlords are
to be treated the same.
His move has secured cross-party support from Green, Liberal Democrat and
Labour MPs.
‘Landlords who have invested in modern flats for students’
Simon Thompson, the managing director of Accommodation for Students, said:
“There will be lots of landlords who have invested in modern flats for
students and non-student tenants alike, but they are now facing a bill to
replace what could be dangerous cladding on their building.
“It is pleasing to see that not everyone in government believes that
landlords are property tycoons and the NRLA is correct for tackling what is
a lazy assumption because many landlords with a flat that needs its
cladding replaced will, like other leaseholders, struggle to meet the
bill.”
Record number of Chinese students apply for UK universities
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that a record number of Chinese students
have applied to study in the UK.
According to UCAS, there has been a 12% increase in the number of
university applications from Chinese students.
The total number of applicants was 28,930, which is up from last year’s
figure of 26,000, and it’s a lot more than 2013’s figure of 6,900.
China is now the UK’s second-largest overseas market for UK universities,
after the European Union.
Students from India wanting to study in the UK
The number of students from India wanting to study in the UK rose by 11% to
reach 8,660, which compares with last year’s figure of 7,820, and 2013’s
total of 2,610.
The number of Chinese applicants now dwarf the number of 18-year-olds
applying from Wales with 12,660 applications being made.
The figures also highlight that there are record numbers of disadvantaged
students from the UK applying, though the number of EU applicants has
dropped substantially.
The chief executive of UCAS, Claire Marchant, said that demand from China,
Hong Kong and India proves that the UK’s universities still hold a strong
appeal.
She added: “Applications have been resilient during the pandemic and the
robust demand from China, Hong Kong and India shows the appeal of the
world-class universities and nearly 9 in 10 prospective students see the UK
as being an attractive place to study.”
