Comments by "Ash Roskell" (@ashroskell) on "UK housing market: rental crisis akin to "social cleansing" | Economics | New Statesman" video.

  1. When you say, “Britain,” do you mean, “England and Wales,” as usual? We have a rent freeze here in Scotland, as introduced during the Covid crisis, as it was immediately apparent that landlords could not send people to break lockdowns to complete maintenance and repairs on properties (among other reasons) so rent increases were unconscionable. They remain in place and Landlords like me support rent freezes. But Common Sense Measures are always trumped by greed, and no one wants to talk about that Elephant and Castle in the room, so they? When MP’s are property owners, who’s interests are being served? Not, “Britain’s,” that’s for sure.
    18
  2.  @riyapatel6291  : Is there a legislative difference? I’m so used to hearing, “England & Wales,” spoken in one breath, I’d be willing to bet they don’t have a rent freeze in Wales either? I’m an Englishman myself, but this is simply NOT an issue for Britain, and the rent freeze in Scotland has been highly affective at creating security for families and keeping inflation under control. My point being as much about the fact that the solution to England’s problem is on your doorstep, staring England (& Wales) in the face, but you have a tiny minority with too much power and vested interest in screwing over the population. And that’s largely because the property owners and landlords are also MP’s.
    4
  3. @Naes Galaxy : Not sure what that means?
    3
  4. Can we talk about the, “Elephant & Castle,” in the room here? As a Landlord in Scotland, which has been under a rent freeze since Covid started, which I fully support, we could start by asking, “Is this the, “Britain,” that means, “England & Wales,” about which we hear so much up here? But that’s an aside. Can I just suggest that the issue that none of these people are even beginning to talk about is, who are the vested interests here? Answer that, and you will see why it is that obvious common sense (a rent freeze) is not even being discussed except among the sort of people willing to protest on the streets. We can talk about Thatcher’s Right To Buy policies all day long, and various changes in legislation that may or may not help. But, a rent freeze would alleviate the problem right away for the worst hit families, and would concentrate the minds of vested interests into finding solutions. Those vested interests of which I speak? MP’s, of course! Show me a Westminster MP or senior civil servant and I’ll show you a PROPERTY OWNER who makes prodigious amounts of cash by renting out properties, with very few exceptions. Asking MP’s to solve the problem is like asking Vampires to build you a blood bank! Until people start PUBLISHING lists of which MP’s own what properties and where, and what THEY charge for rent, we will not see anything but, “thoughts and prayers,” for the growing numbers of homeless. And the situation looks to get worse, not better.
    2