RLA argues ministers need to scrap the new homes tax for landlords

A new report being published  by the Residential Landlords Association’s (RLA) research exchange, PEARL, warns that the country faces a net loss of 133,000 homes for private rent over the next year. This follows Government figures showing that between March 2016 and March 2017 England saw a loss of 46,000 private rented homes.

Ministers need to scrap the tax on new homes which is punishing those in need of a home to rent, argues the UK’s leading landlord body.

The RLA Policy Director, David Smith, said:

“The demand for private rental homes shows no signs of slowing up, despite efforts to encourage home ownership. The government was always mistaken to place homes to own and to rent in opposition to each other rather than seeking to supply more homes in all tenures.

“Corporate investors are failing to provide the new homes to rent at the pace and scale we need. They are also poorly equipped to meet the housing needs of towns and rural areas.

“The vast majority of landlords are individuals and small businesses, providing good housing to their tenants and supporting local economies. We need to support and encourage them to provide the long term homes to rent needed.

“The government should use taxation more positively and not penalise landlords who are contributing to badly needed homes to rent.”

Read the news release from The RLA headlined ‘Scrap the new homes tax argues landlords’ in full click here

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Overseas Property

The most in-demand holiday home destinations

Alicante is the ideal place in the sun when it comes to Brit foreign property dreams Province on Spain’s Eastern coast is the most popular destination for Brits in TV foreign property series Almeria and the Costa Del Sol are in the top three based on analysis of 1,000 episodes of A Place In The…
Read More
Breaking News

Two Weeks to Go for First Phase of Renters’ Rights Act

With just two weeks until the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect, letting agents across England are being urged to ensure they are fully prepared for the significant operational and compliance changes ahead. From 1 May 2026, the new legislation will introduce wide-ranging reforms to tenancy structures, possession processes and rent…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing Insight Report: February 2026

The housing market shows steady activity, ongoing challenges with sales agreed rising slightly and stock levels stable, while affordability pressures and longer transaction times continue to strain buyers and sellers. Demand is strong in the rental sector, with significant competition among tenants despite only a modest increase in available properties. Rents have remained relatively stable…
Read More
Breaking News

London boasts biggest property market gap

UK’s property price gaps exposed: London tops with £838k difference between top and bottom of the market The latest research from eXp UK has revealed the scale of the price divide between the most and least expensive property markets across each region of the UK, with three areas seeing average house price gaps of more…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Questions raised over tenant-agent trust gap

New research from Propoly has found that while over half of tenants describe their letting agent as professional, quick to respond to queries, and efficient in handling maintenance issues, issues still exist, particularly a widespread suspicion that agents are not working in the tenants’ favour. Propoly commissioned a survey of 1,000 UK tenants* to understand…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

29 is the age house sharing becomes ‘embarrassing’

but 11% still do it, according to new Nationwide research That equates to 27 million admitting they have felt embarrassed about their living situation With 69% saying living alone is unaffordable, it’s no surprise the average age of those in house shares is 35 From moving home (12%) to living with an ex (10%), as…
Read More