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The public has said that if the government really wants to help people get onto the housing ladder, then there are currently millions of people paying more in rent than they need for a mortgage who would like a quiet word in their ear.
As the government continues its reelection drive with a pledge to let plebs own bricks, many have said letting benefits count towards the affordability of a mortgage is a good start, but that the amount you are currently successfully paying in rent is probably a better indicator of what you can afford for a house.
Simon Williams, a renter from Wokingham told us, “My wife and I pay just over a thousand pounds a month to rent our modest two-bed house. To buy one on the same street would require a mortgage of about £700 a month, but apparently, we can’t afford that.
“The market has decided that the extra £300 a month we are giving to a buy-to-let landlord is a much better way to secure a growing economy.
“So you know, if the government wants to help people onto the housing ladder – and Christ almighty, we need a bit of help – then why not force banks looking at ‘affordability’ to actually consider what people are currently affording.”
Backbench Tory MP Derek Despenser-Matthew told us, “Helping people like Simon and his wife is all well and good, but cannibalising the buy-to-let market doesn’t make as good a headline as appearing to help people on benefits.
“Plus, a lot of our donors are buy-to-let landlords, and it would not make good political sense to suddenly start decimating their core customer base.
“No, it’s much better to get a headline-grabbing policy that will unlikely make it into law before the next election cycle and give Rishi a few more days of breathing space.”
