- The private rented sector has grown rapidly
- Legislation and regulations can be complex
Landlords are not well liked. From the Communist Manifesto to the government’s recent white paper on rental reform, those who make money by owning buildings and renting them out for people to live in are not described in favourable terms. But while there are reasons for this – stories of property owners cramming tenants into poor quality accommodation and charging sky-high rents are common – the picture as a whole is much more complex. The UK is currently in the midst of a housing crisis that has put the country in a position where, for good or for ill, it is dependent on landlords. We need them to be good.
Alisa, a former landlord interviewed for this article who did not wish to use her full name, knows this all too well. Since moving to London in 2014, she has run the gamut of available options, having rented houses from private landlords, rented a flat in a large block built by a multinational build-to-rent (BTR) developer, and then becoming a landlord herself.