An open letter to Michael Gove, from property industry figures and landlords

On 21st December 2022, Kristjan joined several other industry figures in hand delivering an open letter to Michael Gove at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Left to right: Kristjan Byfield from Depositary and base property specialists, William Reeve from Goodlord, Marco Sun from Marc & Partners and Elise Monkhouse from Reposit.

The open letter addresses the build of unsustainable pressures on the Private Rented Sector and has gained more than 300 signatures from lettings representatives and landlords.

‘The government’s plans to shrink the PRS (Private Rental Sector) through onerous tax & legislative changes without any other substantial & viable housing policy to meet the needs of tenants is the driving force behind the rental crisis we are seeing both across the UK and in London. Continuing this agenda, without proper consultation or consideration, will see the supply of long term rental accommodation continue to shrink, increasing the imbalance of supply and demand pushing rents ever higher. This will impact social mobility as well as the ability for people to get on the housing ladder as owners- a supposed priority of this government. Tenants, the very people the government claim to be making these changes on behalf of, are being negatively impacted and this is being felt the most by those at the lower end of the income/affordability spectrum. Enough is enough'!’ said Kristjan Byfield.

We hope that the government will take our concerns into consideration as it plans to launch the Renters' Reform Bill in 2023 - and as it maps out any further regulation of the sector in the future. Read the letter here in full over on Goodlord’s website here.