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.”
