Landlords Reject Government’s Welfare Reforms

Landlords in the private rented sector have rejected the Government’s welfare reform plans for housing benefit, and point to a lack of housing in the sector to cope with the Government’s changes.  A survey of over 1,000 landlords across the UK found that 65.2 per cent of respondents do not support the Government’s plans for universal credit.  Other findings;

  *54.6 per cent of landlords said there was insufficient numbers of shared properties in their areas to cope with the extra demand, as a result of a decision earlier this year to increase from 25 to 35 the age at which housing benefit claimants can claim only for a room in a shared property.

    *62.3 per cent of landlords stated that they would not reduce rents in return for direct payments

    *91.6% said they would be less likely to rent to those on benefits if the ‘right to demand’ direct payment became only a ‘right to request’.

Download a copy of the survey results from the Residential Landlords Association website.