Welsh Government must do more to support landlords says Conservative Senedd Member
The Welsh Government needs to do more to support landlords in Wales as there is “an acute shortage of houses to rent across the nation”, a Conservative Senedd Member has said.
Janet Finch-Saunders, who is herself a landlord with seven properties, said that landlords were leaving the rental sector in Wales due to a lack of support.
She has called for the establishment of a new board comprised of figures from across the sector, including tenant and landlord bodies, which would prepare reports and make recommendations to the Welsh Government.
She also called for reform of Rent Smart Wales, the body that assists landlords to comply with their legal obligations.
“I agree with the National Residential Landlords Association that the Welsh Government should make a number of changes to ensure that Rent Smart Wales works for both tenants and the majority of good, responsible landlords in Wales who adhere to their legal duties,” she said.
“If the Welsh Government does not start taking steps to support good and responsible landlords, the housing crisis and rocketing reliance on temporary accommodation in Wales is going to get worse”.
‘Very difficult’
Janet Finch-Saunders, who is Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy and Shadow Minister with responsibility for housing, called on the Welsh Government to:
- See RSW publish annual performance statistics that help give a clearer picture of how it is performing and inform policy making more widely;
- Establish a new board comprised of figures from across the sector, including tenant and landlord bodies, which would have oversight of the work of RSW and the power to prepare reports and make recommendations to the Welsh Government;
- Ensure that RSW is subject to an independent final evaluation by Audit Wales to establish if it is meeting its objectives and delivering value for money.
“Less than half of landlords have reported that finding information about how to comply with new duties under Rent Smart Wales was easy,” she said.
“At the same time, 49% reported it being difficult or very difficult to register with RSW, whilst 46% said that it was difficult or very difficult to find information about RSW.
“It has also been found that more than four in ten tenants are unaware of the existence of RSW.
“It is clear to me from speaking to tenants and landlords that RSW is not delivering for the rental sector. In fact, even today, RSW is reporting that they are currently unable to provide a telephone service and that such a situation may be the case for some time.”
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What planet is this woman on?!?!?
7 properties!! That’s 7 families deprived of owning a home…..
Evil!!!
I commented elsewhere that this current crop of Conservatives takes self-obsession to new heights while maintaining utterly no self-awareness.
It is not just that they have no shame, they lack the morality to make them capable of shame.
Give her a break. She inherited all those properties from her 7 grannies ….
Rich Tory landlord, wants our Gov to give more support to landlords, while Tory PM candidate Truss, refuses to commit to giving help to the poor, amid a cost of living crisis. Who would have thought it could happen.
Well at least we know whose side the tories are on, as if we ever needed reminding.
Essentially what she is saying is: use public money to prop up the failing private sector.
Why must it do more to support landlords? Rents are already extortionate as the retired use them as income sources and organisations gouge tenants to maximise profits.
As they have done all along, let them help themselves. If anything there should be legally enforceable rent caps to prevent these greedy buggars from profiteering
Rental properties for people to live in yes that’s important but why do I get the feeling this is a case of ‘let me put it another day way’ to allow all those buy, lock up and leave types to run amok?
Minus ‘day’.
What’s the best for retirement, property or pension?
I see this question posed all the time in financial articles in the papers.
Guess what the choice is 99% of the time?
Not too surprising is it? The Tories set up the system to have interest rates close to zero. If you have managed to make savings for your retirement then where should those savings go? Into a Building Society at 0.25% interest or take on the hassle of becoming a landlord to get a better return. Last year I reached the dizzy heights of 2.7% return on investment. Next year will be negative as the lovely tenants need the kitchen replacing as the existing one is falling apart.
We want RSW to work for good landlords an tenants, but I start – perhaps unfairly – from place of skepticism that all the landlords surveyed are “good landlords”.
No conflict of interest there then! You couldn’t make this stuff up
All 4 feet in the trough