Rental activists are up in arms because Housing Secretary Michael Gove failed to mention the Renters Reform Bill during his keynote speech at the Conservative party conference.
Gove’s speech to delegates in Manchester concentrated on attacking the opposition, accusing Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of being a “jellyfish of British politics … transparent, spineless and swept along by the tide”.
He also claimed the Tories would stop Labour “taking our fields, meadows, and forests away from our children” as he promised government housebuilding plans would protect nature.
Gove - also responsible for levelling up - claimed the Tories were “the party of beauty and nature” and pledged to “build in the hearts of towns and cities and on brownfield land, because that cuts commuting times, revitalises high streets and protects the Green Belt.”
Earlier this week both Gove and housing minister Rachael Maclean pledged at fringe meetings that the Renters Reform Bill would receive its Second Reading in the Commons before Christmas - but the failure to mention the Bill in the keynote speech triggered a spate of angry tweets from Generation Rent’s leadership, much of which appears to be at the Tory conference in person.
The group’s policy and public affairs manager Conor O’Shea tweeted: “Not a single mention of the Renters Reform bill in Housing Secretary @Michaelgove’s speech here at conference. More worries that the issue is not as high a priority as we have been reassured.”
And Generation Rent’s chief executive Ben Twomey - who attended at least one of the fringe meetings at which Gove gave his Second reading pledge - also tweeted: “Renters having to fight for a seat at the table every single day. Exhausting but we’ll keep going - @genrentUK will be heard!”
* Responding to Gove's conference speech yesterday, Propertymark’s head of policy and campaigns Timothy Douglas says: “The Conservative Party’s record in government means we are continuing to talk about building more homes that the country desperately needs.
"Reforming planning, new homes to net zero and more affordable places to live are vital but we need action now. Furthermore, the party of home ownership also needs to be the party of renting which means a whole-scale review of taxes impacting landlords and investment in the private rented sector. Money to support regional development is welcome but the proportion of towns that will receive support is a drop in the ocean to what is needed.”
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Poor Conor & Ben 🤣 they are a tad upset 😎 oh well never mind 💩
What they have done to Renters is Disgraceful. Generation Rent probably doing most damage to Renter’s causing Homelessness, driving them out of the property with landlords withdrawing from the market. Driving their Rents up 30% / 100% and anyone who wants to dispute this I can pin point properties.
I had some guys living in a property that weren’t my Tenants they were there illegally by sub let Tenant and it had to stop. I never accepted any money from them as it would have cause me another problem.
Anyway they left and weren’t bad individuals, I get feed back from them and I am gutted to see their situation, now living in
Hostels 6 to a Room for £16. per night in London it’s horrendous no privacy, security for their stuff and virtually impossible to get Sleep.
I know exactly what its like in my younger days I stayed in digs 6 single beds in a Room in Hornsey. They are working but can’t get ahead of the challenges before them. I had no option because the law made it that way. It’s like a dagger through the heart to see this.
Generation Rent you are no friend of Tenants you must be working from the Government or the Big Players you are certainly not helping Tenant.
You summed up everything perfectly there, Michael.
Excellent Michael ! So true
Just a shame they didn't ignore it sooner rather than pandering to the noisy left-wing groups!
Should change their name to "Generation Rent Increase" ( GRI) as that's what they have caused with their incessant whining. So each year rents increase by GRI rather than RPI.
My tenant has left after 4 years, great tenant, we had a good relationship.
Just re advertised it for £500 a month more, tenants queuing up.
Thank you polly and co
Exactly what is happening. Polly & co are doing a great job increasing rents for us
I wish one of my tenants would leave so I can sell a property. This situation in Scotland 🏴 is bonkers! I have no control over my properties any more.
Wanted, Naive, left wing, anti capitalist, persons with unrealistic ideas to join our backward thinking organisation.
Only persons with no ambition and no idea, need apply.
Please apply in first instance to Generation Rent, c/o Shelter house, Cloud Cuckoo land.
😂
Correction: C/o No-Shelter House
So Generation Rent got screwed over by Gove, really happy to see that they know how we all feel now.
Gove has put himself into a corner. It sounded all good and virtuous when he announced the bill. Now he's faced with a catastrophic rental shortage as a result of his bill and he knows it. But he's to spineless to admit it was wrong and too spineless to stand up to the bully boy activists (who offer no solutions themselves BTW).
If he believes property owners will be rushing to house lifetime sitting tenants on the inevitable controlled rent with a snowballs chance in hell of ever regaining vacant possession then he should consider putting a bit more water with whatever it is he's drinking.
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