The NRLA has told the Labour party leadership to follow its own MPs advice and encourage landlords to provide more privately rented properties if it wants to solve the housing crisis.

The comments by NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle (main picture) follow the keynote speech by Labour shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner (main picture) to her party’s conference in Liverpool yesterday.

Within it she said the only way to solve the shortage of affordable homes to rent and own was to invest heavily social housing, but omitted to mention the private rented sector (PRS).

"I pledge to you today, Keir and I will deliver the biggest boost in affordable and social housing for a generation," she siad. "And Conference, that includes council housing."

Her lack of mentions for the PRS is despite the Labour-led parliamentary housing committee’s recommendation earlier this year that incentivising landlords to invest in the PRS was one of the key ways rents could be reduced and the housing crisis eased.

Tax impact

“We recommend that the Government review the impact of recent tax changes in the buy-to-let market with a view to making changes that make it more financially attractive to smaller landlords,” it said.

Beadle has today said that: “Private rented housing provides one of the best springboards into homeownership, whilst landlords are well placed to help bring the almost quarter of a million long term empty homes back into use.

“Increasing supply is the best way to improve choice and affordability, and doing so would substantially boost Treasury revenue.

“Scrapping the stamp duty levy on homes to rent would see 900,000 new private rented homes made available across the UK. “This would lead to an additional £10 billion in revenue as a result of increases in income and corporation tax receipts.

“The Party should accept the recommendations of the Labour-led Housing Select Committee to reform the tax system to support the provision of more homes to rent.”