NRLA slams Ministers for ‘lazy’ belief that ‘tycoon’ landlords can afford cladding costs

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The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has slammed the government for making “lazy and false assumptions” about individual landlords being property tycoons when addressing the cladding scandal.

It follows comments made by Housing Secretary Michael Gove who told the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee that he did not want to support those who already had “significant means” to pay for remedial action themselves.

He reiterated that private landlords who rent out more than one leasehold property will not be covered by the government’s commitment that no leaseholder should have to pay to replace dangerous cladding. However, Gove admitted the government’s plans are not perfect.

His comments mean that while multi-millionaires owning and living in a single luxury penthouse would be covered by the government’s plans, landlords renting out more than one property for a pension would not be, according to the NRLA.

It says that, according to the government’s own data, 94% of private landlords rent property as an individual, with 44% becoming a landlord to contribute to their pension.

NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle believes Michael Gove’s previous comments about ending the scandal of leaseholders paying to remove dangerous cladding now ring hollow. “This is not about who does and does not have the means to pay,” says Beadle.

Fairness

“It is about fairness. No leaseholder, irrespective of how many properties they own, should be expected to foot the bill for dangerous and illegal cladding installed by someone else.”

He adds: “The government needs to wake up to an injustice of its own making and make amends now.”

Conservative Peer Lord Naseby has tabled an amendment to the Building Safety Bill to ensure that all leaseholders are treated equally, irrespective of how many properties they own.

In addition, a parliamentary motion tabled by Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley, which calls for buy-to-let landlords and owner-occupier leaseholders to be treated the same, has secured cross-party support including from Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green MPs.

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