Displaying the complete lack of self-awareness that is typical of Home-Owner-Ists, Mick McK emailed me as follows:
Well Mark, remember how you reveled in the tax attacks on landlords? We warned what would happen and you still loved the attacks. You were overflowing with glee. Hope you're proud!
More than 120,000 British children will be homeless this Christmas, says charity
Homelessness In The UK Needs To Be Tackled Now
Rough sleeper numbers in England rise for seventh year running
Number of homeless people sleeping on streets in England hits highest level on record
Weird.
In the real world, Home-Owner-Ism leads to homelessness, by definition, that's the whole point. They like having plenty of visibly homeless pour encourager les autres; it keeps tenants in abject fear of being evicted, so they make sure that the rent gets paid first. It's a bit like the assumption that Tories like(d) a bit of unemployment because it keeps wages down.
If you can be bothered to read the articles he linked to, not a single one says that a modest reining in of the favourable tax treatment for BTL landlords has led to an increase in homelessness.
Even if we accept that there has been an increase in homelessness over the past two years, Mick McK offers no explanation as to why there was already so much homelessness before then, when BTL and rental income was given very favourable tax treatment.
'Nuff said.
Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Today's Guest Post was emailed in by a Home-Owner-Ist.
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5 comments:
Is that it? AFAICS, the two things, "attacks on landlords" and homelessness are as unrelated as, say, footballers' pay and rail fares, but perhaps he has given a connection you've not made public?
B, the email came out of the blue, I have no idea who he is or which of my comments (or perhaps somebody else's on this blog) he was so offended by. So your guess is as good as mine.
Rents have gone down so unless l/l are being really stoopid and leaving places empty, not a cause of homelessness. Wonder what vacancy rates are like? I don't imagine anyone would be turning down paying customers, what with mortgages and tax bills to pay
M, exactly, and as B says, the link between BTL tax changes and acute "homelessness" as highlighted in the articles is tenuous at best and probably non-existent.
If a BTL landlord goes bust because of tax changes then the house will be sold cheaply to either a) another BTL landlord who has money or b) a tenant.
Therefore it should not cause homelessness in the short term.
In the long term if only BTLs have enough money to buy new homes and so less are constructed - but that is not proven and is probably not true.
And I only included as a possible cause - not something I believe to be possible.
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