THERE is one simple reason for the housing crisis, a historical failure by both this and previous governments to build enough houses.

Demand continually outstrips supply and it’s set to continue. We need at least 3.5 million per year, yet only 1.1 million have been built since 2010, according to Government figures last week. It’s pathetic.

So, don’t blame private landlords who took all the risks to invest.

It’s not their fault, the vast majority are decent and want any bad ones out.

They often buy and turn around existing poorly maintained houses to rent, where large corporations are not interested.

Now rumour is that there could be a league table for bad ones, but will there be one for bad tenants too who fail to pay rent, some wrecking buildings prior to being evicted, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage?

I’ve seen the programme Rogue Landlords, Rogue Tenants. The ratio is at least three to one for the latter.

Like it or not, private landlords provide a vital service to the housing crisis, they help plug the gap.

Government should work with, not hound out private landlords, yet they continually get bad press.

George Osborne’s idiotic policy of additional stamp duty on second homes and increasing taxes (Section 24) has had the opposite effect.

RICS, the body for surveyors, recently predicted that rents will rise by 15 per cent by 2022 due to the above policies.

And God forbid any rent control, it would make matters worse for the poorest of people, it will not work.

So, landlords are either evicting, selling, and running for the hills, or increasing rents to cover additional tax liability, with no choice other than pass some of the cost on to the end user, so it’s a tax on the tenant too.

Councils are at bursting point, some putting tenants up in Berni Inns (in Colchester).

Croydon is struggling, desperate and offering incentives to keep private landlords on board.

Meanwhile, one of the largest house builders, Berkeley Homes, says that buy to let investors have diminished, a problem as they provided vital funds in early stage of development, so they don’t plan to increase the supply.

Let there be no stamp duty, it would be good for all first time buyers and investors, output would triple.

But no, everyone wants to bash the private landlord.

Kevin Dray
Sunninghill Avenue, Hove