A few observations from us:
- All four disagreed in different ways on rent controls – the Greens are planning a living rent commission to do more than simply limit rent rises, which is what Labour are setting out to do. Emma takes care not to actually call it “rent control” which might deter investment. Mark is wholly opposed but the minister went so far as to call it “a short term fix”, which is presumably better than no fix at all.
- We have some concerns about the caveats to Labour’s secure tenancy policy where landlords could exploit their ability to take possession on the basis of moving back in by re-letting the property back out soon after. It strikes us that the national landlord register, which Labour also promises, could help solve this, but this needs to be articulated.
- The Greens would like to scrap the mortgage interest tax relief for landlords – and Stephen admitted he was personally sceptical of its value, and hinted at a Lib Dem announcement on the subject.
- There was acknowledgement by both Mark and Caroline that the green belt would be needed to accommodate new houses – at least Caroline refused to rule it out.
Ultimately, you should judge for yourself: