Booker Dewitt 💔

The system itself is creating an incentive for landlords to profit from the housing crisis. If a landlord can get £600 a month renting a house privately, but can get £1,600 a month or more by putting that same property into temporary accommodation or converting to a HMO….what do we think is going to happen? And for much of this the taxpayer picks up the bill. It’s not just HMOs landlords are ENCOURAGED to profiteer from, it’s temporary accommodation in general and some of it is in utterly shocking conditions. Families in desperation are being put in houses we would not accept living in ourselves. The Housing Executive and Department for Communities need to answer how this is happening on their watch. First - who is checking the quality of the properties, secondly why isn’t there a cap on what can be paid for each property, linked to average local rental prices and the condition of the accommodation? Nobody is saying landlords shouldn’t make a fair return. But taxpayers should not be funding excessive profits. The current system appears to reward landlords for exploiting a housing crisis — while the Housing Executive signs the cheques and the Department for Communities does nothing to fix the problem. The taxpayer is funding this negligence and mismanagement while local families and communities pay the price.