Why do people resent buy-to-letters so much?

michaels

mwpt wrote: »

Eh? You choose to correlate this with FTBers but actually, if we're looking to correlate it with anything it would be the rise of BTL! I'm not saying it's correlated but in the time that DIY has declined, BTL has increased.



This same argument has come up again and again "how is BTL any worse than supermarkets" blah blah.

It is nonsense because housing costs have gone up while food costs have gone down.

But probably most importantly, stop denying the evidence in front of your (collective) eyes. People are !!!!ed off with the property situation and the fact that BTL landlords seem to be expanding while almost everyone else is finding it harder is a focal point. People are !!!!ed off, but yet instead of thinking, hey maybe they have a point, you guys just keep saying they're wrong and/or stupid and there is no problem with the current system. Well, even the government now seem to disagree with you.

Eh - so whether somethign is reasonably priced or not depends on how prices have changed recently rather than whether the supplier is making any economic rent?

So for example although consumer energy prices have fallen much more slowly than wholesale in part because their are a limited set of big suppliers who are exercising market power is fine whereas the fact that rental housing has gone up because of an imbalance in supply and demand but margins remain tiny and in many cases possibly negative based on hopes for capital gain makes landlords evil parasites?

Is it not possible to just think for a moment before posting an illogical arguement?

CLAPTON

HENRY78 wrote: »

Where I live the houses that need a bit of work are being snapped up by portfolio BTL Landlords very quickly by outbidding any FTB who are interested. Time and time this happens. You are wrong that FTB would not be interested in a property that needs a bit of work.

interested how you know this : are you an estate agent?

westernpromise

BananaRepublic wrote: »

You don't come out looking good when you make that sort of comment.

I think I wrote earlier that although I was against BTL tax subsidies, I had nothing against BTL landlords. Reading through this thread, the comments from BTL landlords make them look very arrogant, greedy and self satisfied. They seem to think we should pat them on the back for being so selfless.

That whooooooosh was the sound of the point going completely over your head.

We can all sneer at other people's claims to adding value. The FD of a company is just an easy a target as a landlord.

westernpromise

CLAPTON wrote: »

interested how you know this : are you an estate agent?

He just knows, right.

chucknorris

westernpromise wrote: »

He just knows, right.

The voices in his head tell him.

Malthusian

That whooooooosh was the sound of the point going completely over your head.

We can all sneer at other people's claims to adding value. The FD of a company is just an easy a target as a landlord.

I got it.

If in doubt, play the "if you added anything of value to society you wouldn't be posting on Internet forums in office hours" card. Never fails. Never.

BobQ

mwpt wrote: »

Eh? You choose to correlate this with FTBers but actually, if we're looking to correlate it with anything it would be the rise of BTL! I'm not saying it's correlated but in the time that DIY has declined, BTL has increased.

If you look at post 197 when I made my original point you will see I made no such correlation. I just observed that blaming BTL landlords was the easy option when people seem reluctant to do their own property improvements.

It has been asserted out that FTBs are prepared to improve properties but are outbid by BTL landlords. I cannot deny that this may be the case for some properties and that some FTBs are prepared to take on homes that need some work. But it does seem that people are less willing to do simple things like hanging wallpaper.

http://www.insightdiy.co.uk/news/nearly-1-in-10-britons-claim-to-have-no-diy-skills/3862.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11186150/DIY-is-in-decline-because-todays-men-are-too-soft.html

This same argument has come up again and again "how is BTL any worse than supermarkets" blah blah.

It is nonsense because housing costs have gone up while food costs have gone down.

But probably most importantly, stop denying the evidence in front of your (collective) eyes. People are !!!!ed off with the property situation and the fact that BTL landlords seem to be expanding while almost everyone else is finding it harder is a focal point. People are !!!!ed off, but yet instead of thinking, hey maybe they have a point, you guys just keep saying they're wrong and/or stupid and there is no problem with the current system. Well, even the government now seem to disagree with you.

Yes it is so much easier to blame others for all the wrongs of society. It does not matter which group you single out to blame: pensioners, public sector workers, immigrants, etc. Thirty years ago it was trade unions, unmarried mothers, estate agents,

mwpt

BobQ wrote: »

If you look at post 197 when I made my original point you will see I made no such correlation. I just observed that blaming BTL landlords was the easy option when people seem reluctant to do their own property improvements.

My apologies, I read your post literally and thought you were making the correlation.

Re: folk being annoyed with BTL

Yes it is so much easier to blame others for all the wrongs of society. It does not matter which group you single out to blame: pensioners, public sector workers, immigrants, etc. Thirty years ago it was trade unions, unmarried mothers, estate agents,

I'm just reporting what I see and that is this:

- Property is increasingly unaffordable to regular people in the areas I live
- People are dismayed by this
- People see BTL sector expanding and become aware through the media of how the are able to expand
- People become annoyed

You can choose to see it whichever way you want but my guess is we'll continue to see the sector regulated as public opinion shifts.

mwpt

michaels wrote: »

Eh - so whether somethign is reasonably priced or not depends on how prices have changed recently rather than whether the supplier is making any economic rent?

So for example although consumer energy prices have fallen much more slowly than wholesale in part because their are a limited set of big suppliers who are exercising market power is fine whereas the fact that rental housing has gone up because of an imbalance in supply and demand but margins remain tiny and in many cases possibly negative based on hopes for capital gain makes landlords evil parasites?

Is it not possible to just think for a moment before posting an illogical arguement?

*sigh*

I don't know where to start. Here is a brain dump:
For a start, people do resent energy supply monopolies, your argument is dumb. People resent things that more immediately negatively affect them and housing is probably the biggest issue in anyones life. People see house prices rising above their ability to afford (buying, I did not mention rent). People see BTLers (who are also just regular Joes) able to buy these properties that they are not able to. People put two and two together and get 4.0001. People start to resent BTLers.

I'm reporting on what I think is happening which is also what the original article did. Instead of trying to address these issues, many of you are instead just going on the attack and calling everyone else dumb, squirming around and shifting the issue every which way you can.

Speaking for myself, I'll just repeat my own view and maybe it will sink in after enough times:

I don't resent BTLers personally. I think they're simply doing what humans do and making the most of opportunities. I am glad that the system which advantages them appears to be changing.

Btw, I haven't met many BTLers personally. However, my old landlord was nice. He somehow managed to get planning permission in Wimbledon and built several houses.

Crashy_Time

Funny to see posters on this thread ganging up on someone who questions their mantra, the very thing people here like to criticise HPC for.