Government plans to end the cladding scandal are based on lazy and false assumptions that individual landlords are property tycoons. That’s the warning from the National Residential Landlords Association following comments made by the Housing Secretary, Michael Gove, to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee. 

Speaking to MPs on the Committee, the Secretary of State has 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 address dangerous cladding. He argued that this was because he did not want to support those who already had “significant means” to pay for remedial action themselves. Gove further admitted that the Government’s plans are not perfect. 

His comments mean that whilst 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 Government’s own data, 94% of private landlords rent property as an individual, with 44% becoming a landlord to contribute to their pension.