The rise of buying-to-let and the private landlord is a relatively recent thing. It happened on the back of Right to Buy, tax breaks, low interest rates and the erosion of tenants’ rights/relaxation of the rules to increase the availability of rental properties (delete according to side of fence). The tax breaks have gone, and Labour would like them to go still further. Right to Buy should have gone by now and interest rates will go up. And the pendulum is starting to swing back in tenants’ favour, not before time, many would say. To quote from the practically perfect ‘Mary Poppins’, ’The wind has changed, sir…’
“John Lewis foray into BTR could result in losses of £57m”
I did predict a while ago that Waitrose Homes rather than Waitrose Home Deliveries could be the future. John Lewis were probably the most benign big business to decide to go into the housing rental market, a move which could swing things away from the unpredictability of the mass of private landlords who dominate the sector.
