Financial News
- 14 January 2013, 11:23
Rent Rip-Offs: Miliband Slams Rogue Landlords
Ed Miliband pledged to make the housing market fairer for private renters as he fleshed out his One Nation philosophy.
The Labour leader warned that action is needed to prevent damaging social divisions between home owners and those who rent.
His speech to the Fabian Society again saw him seeking to distance his party from some of the most controversial elements of the last Government's record.
He admitted that New Labour was "far too timid" in enforcing rights and responsibilities and "too sanguine about the consequences of rampant free markets".
"By the time we left office, too many of people of Britain didn't feel as if the Labour Party was open to their influence, or listening to them," Mr Miliband said.
Referring to immigration as an example, he said: "I'm proud to celebrate the multi-ethnic, diverse nature of Britain.
"But high levels of migration were having huge effects on the lives of people in our country - and too often those in power seemed not to accept it.
"The fact that they didn't explains partly why people turned against us in the last election."
Mr Miliband added that if Labour wins the next general election, the party will have to find ways of achieving change while tackling a lingering deficit.
New Labour failed to bring about change to make the economy "work for the many, not just the few", he said.
Spelling out his concerns about the housing market, the opposition leader pointed out that 3.6 million households - including one million with children - are now in privately rented accommodation.
The numbers are bigger than in the social rented sector for the first time in almost half a century.
Mr Miliband said Britain must avoid becoming a nation divided between those who own their own homes and those who rent.
"We shall root out rogue landlords, we shall stop people from being ripped off by letting agencies and we want to give new securities to families who rent."
Labour would introduce a register of landlords and powers for local authorities to find and stamp out rogues, he said, while the "confusing, inconsistent fees and charges" system would be simplified and longer-term tenancy agreements would be made possible.
A Conservative spokesman said: "Not once does Ed Miliband answer the tough questions, like how he would deal with the record deficit his Labour government left behind.
"Instead of facing up to the difficult decisions, all Labour offer is more spending, more borrowing and more debt - exactly how they got us into this mess in the first place."
what do you think?
happymike CHESTER
Give the tenants the right to buy at discount at length of tenancy over two years, freeze rents lower rip off rents. Stop Banks like R.B.S evicting home owners for defaulting on low loans i.e. as little as £5000.
Chris Carr
why should tenents in someone else's property get a right to buy it?
stephen
why should tenants get right to buy in council
John Wood
I agree with the right to buy, but only at the market value. Why should a tenant be given a discounted price. What was being paid in rent should be used as a mortgage payment. As a tenant you should be allowed to buy with no need for a deposit. The income from the mortgage payments should be used to build more social housing at affordable rents, this would help to move away from private landlords who charge extortionate rents.
Mick Daniel
Please, do me a favour. I don't believe a word of the complete dribble that flows from Millibands cavenous mouth. As is normal, not once answer to a problem - complete political hogwash.
Ben Ralph
It's simple. Adopt the system Germany uses and let councils set private rent levels. You should never have rents that are higher than equivalent mortgages.
Jasmin Louise
Politicians are experts in this matter.......
Jasmin Louise
Someone doesn't understand too well eh? Renting second homes to fellow MP's for profit! Mr Speaker prevents the taxpayer from knowing how much it cost us though......
Michael Hawkins
Jasmin I get your drift - renting houses to each other at over priced rates to claim expenses Should we not restrict them to the same rules as those who claim housing benefit ?
davenlesley
Those who saw C4's Dispatches programme about MP's homes before Christmas will know exactly what the lovely Jasmin is on about
stephen
its a step in the right direction
Michael Hawkins
it will make little difference most private landlords only issue short term leases for 6 months at a time - stop this and most houses will be sold off Make it uneconomical to buy to let and the houses will be sold off and owners will find another rinvestment
stephen
good let them sell the houses build council houses . we did it in 1945 -1970s . the Victorian landlord is no good
stephen
you don't get it do you we want shut of them
davenlesley
Stephen. A bit simplistic. Just where do the thousands of people in rented accomodation go while we are building all these council houses. And where do we find the land to put them on in areas where they are needed
stephen
well Dave the government have a lot of land the government already marked some places for housing .some of the things i know are build 2000 houses in knutsford .build new village just out side knutsford . burtonwood warrington 5000 houses . but all the houses are to sell
stephen
dave if the victorian landlords sell the houses this will bring down the price of housing . some of them in private rented will then buy a house
stephen
Dave i was working last week with a lad that rents a house out . the boiler broke down .he told the tenant they will have too pay for it . .after him telling me that we never spoke again .
Michael Hawkins
Stephen where do all those who do not qualify for council homes live You realey should stick to your alice in wonderland books and leave complicated things to grown ups
stephen
yes Michael you should .
stephen
says the son of thatcher
Eric Coster
It will never happen, Magie only allowed working class people to own thier own homes so that they would behave them selves. Now the working class have been subdued and are no longer a threat. There is no sense in allowing them to own property and being masters of thier own destiny. Banks will become the Landlords of the future with the working class being put back where they were 100 years ago!
IRONSTINE
sounds a bit more militant than recent governments, and he doesn't blame and spout dogma. lesser of four evils?
Michael Hawkins
The Government currently sets the level of rent paid to a large number of private landlords it is called housing benefit The largest local private landlord, present worth a little over £120,000,000 - rents to those on benefits, he charges all his tenants what they can claim on housing benefits to the penny Reduce housing benefit reduce the rent - reduce it too much and the houses will be sold on to private owners Many small landlords buy second houses as a pension fund This is just telling his millionaire chums what they want to hear
stephen
build council houses get shut of the Victorian landlord
Chris Carr
There are bad landlors and then again there are bad tenants.
Michael Hawkins
Chris There will not be according to the book of stephen. My father used to rent a second home to subsidise his pension until the tenants all NHS worker wrecked the place and left him with a £15,000.00 bill He sold up, purchased bank shares and lost the lot. he died shortly after, just gave up
adam
There are far more bad tenants than landlords i promise you. How housing benefit is not paid directly to the landlord is beyond me.A friend of mine rents out a second home(its better than a pension) and had a woman in with 3 kids,no dad around,claiming benefit and she paid him for a few months and then stopped paying altogether. It took him a good while to get her out and he ended up way out of pocket.
Eric Coster
Ah but, how many of each are there?
jimmy jelly1979
michael hawkins. why tell us the tenants work for the NHS? . what has their occupation got to do with anything ? or did you not think your story through before you posted it?
Michael Hawkins
80% of the members of the fabian society are members of the labour party - it would appear to be a little dishonest having One organisations pretending to be two different organisations in an attempt to manipulate the public opinion
stephen
making money out of poverty is disgusting
Michael Hawkins
Suggest you contact most charities, they may not agree with you
t.bulgin
..and so is catching votes with lies.
stephen
talking about Cameron how many lies has he told
GillieLouise
Hello Stephen..... I know a couple who have a holiday home that is filled each season with paying guests. They also have a lovely home of their own in the same area.... They are claiming pension tax credit.... what would you do in this case. I have reported this but noone is interested.
t.bulgin
This man is just pandering to one group after another, public servants, then pensionesr, now rent payers. can we please have a little more policy blurb on the cuts that you will make, how you will create jobs and get us out of this mess instead of this endless vote counting exercise.
t.bulgin
A Conservative spokesman said: "Not once does Ed Miliband answer the tough questions, like how he would deal with the record deficit his Labour government left behind. "Instead of facing up to the difficult decisions, all Labour offer is more spending, more borrowing and more debt - exactly how they got us into this mess in the first place." Exactly.
stephen
and labour created a recession in the eu / usa . the banking crises never happened its all labour fault . now lets move on from that rubbish
t.bulgin
"rubbish" really ? no stephen, you can't dismiss unpalatable truths with simple denial. grow up and learn some contrition.
adam
They will never admit to themselves just how badly Labour messed things up t.bulgin,the left seem to have some verey selective memories(and very short memories too).
Glynne Powell
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
david
rouge landlords what a laugh,,,the brittish taxpayer is paying of mortgages of these landlords in houseing benifits .billions a year is payed out in LONDON alone..over 1 year if they stoped this payment and built houses how much money would this save the taxpayer.millionaires are being made just by charging D.S.S. rent..
denisparsons
Stop councils increasing rents and rates every 6 -12 months.Bloody disgrace.Wages can't rise because of gov cuts,so more people homeless.
John Mechelen
Say one thing and do nothing is liebour policy,except get us in dept and make the poor more miserable,unless your an immigrant.
davenlesley
12:29pm on 12/1/2013
Typical politico babble. Slag everything off which he has found people disliked about New Labour. Say sorry, we will be different please vote for us. Get elected and then sod you its business as usual.